An excellent DVD player
Written: Apr 06 '00 (Updated Apr 07 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: lots of audio and video output choices, excellent sound and picture quality
Cons: can't think of any
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| dfordham's Full Review: Toshiba SD-2109 DVD Player |
If you are in the market for a DVD player, take a serious look at Toshiba. There are a lot of different DVD manufacturers out there, but Toshiba was one of the developers of the DVD format. I bought a Toshiba SD 2108 DVD player about a year ago, the SD 2109 is the replacement for the SD 2108, and it is absolutely amazing.
Likes:
Analog Output: When I first bought the SD 2108 DVD player I only had a Pro Logic receiver. The reviews that I read about different DVD players said the Toshiba had the best Analog Output. This was important to me because at the time that was my only choice for audio.
Digital Output: The SD 2108 has an optical and a coaxial digital output. It is nice to have the choice because some receivers are limited in their choice for digital inputs. For example, if you have other components that use digital inputs on your receiver, having the choice of using either optical or coaxial digital outputs from the DVD player can be a lifesaver. Currently I am using the optical digital output because I recently purchased a Dolby Digital/DTS receiver (read other review of my Harman Kardon AVR 65 receiver). The only thing I can say about Dolby Digital/DTS sound is Wow! Whenever I watch a movie the SD 2108 will automatically select the audio format with the most channels (i.e. Digital 5.1 surround sound) which is great! I do not have to select which audio format I want to listen to while watching a DVD.
Video Output: The SD 2108 has three video output choices, Composite, S-Video and Component Video outputs. Unfortunately I have to use the composite video output most of the time (which is still better than VHS). Even though my new receiver has S-Video inputs and output, my TV only has one set of video inputs and I can use either composite or S-video but not both. If you are confused about the difference in the quality of composite, S-video and component video outputs, don’t be, the difference is simple. Composite video is the lowest quality video output. You will find this output on the back of a VCR. S-Video gives you about 100 more lines of resolution than composite video thereby reducing dot crawl, scan lines and improving the clarity of the video image. Component Video is the best and consists of three different outputs giving absolutely amazing clarity and detail in the video image. Colors and contrasts are vivid and there is no “bleeding” of one color into another color. (Red is bad about doing that)
The remote: The remote is excellent! All of the more commonly used buttons are on top and laid out very well. You can learn to use the remote by feel once you learn where the buttons are. The less commonly used buttons are hidden behind a sliding panel.
Zoom: Toshiba DVD players are the only DVD players that I know of that have this feature. Although the Zoom feature is just a gadget, so to speak, it really wows your friends when you are showing them a DVD movie for the first time. It also makes the small credit fonts easier to read.
Dislikes:
I did not get a DVD player sooner.
All in all the Toshiba SD 2108 DVD player is an excellent buy! Even though this is a 1998 model I have confidence that the newer models of Toshiba DVD players are excellent buys. If you have lots of money you can even buy a Toshiba DVD player that has progressive scan video outputs. This makes the video image incredibly detailed and sharp. I would recommend any Toshiba DVD player to anyone who is in the market for a DVD player.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dfordham
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Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 3 members
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