How Could You Go Wrong with this DVD Player?
Written: Mar 09 '03 (Updated Sep 06 '07)
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Pros: Toshiba quality. Affordability. Compactness. Style. Connectivity options and ease. User friendliness. Media compatibility.
Cons: CD-RW incompatibility(?). (But CD-Rs are OKAY!). No "automatic" (i.e., continuous) track-number display.
The Bottom Line: For a "sub-$100" unit, the Toshiba SD-1800 embodies excellent value. Very user-friendly for DVDs, and acceptable for music CDs, CD-Rs and MP3s.
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| henry_thoreau's Full Review: Toshiba SD-1800 DVD Player |
FINAL UPDATE AS OF 09-06-2007: After ailing for several weeks, my Toshiba SD-1800 DVD player finally expired yesterday (wouldn't "load" discs anymore). Today I replaced it with a Philips model DVP5982, which, aside from being cheaper (i.e., $60 instead of $100), is generally more "media-tolerant" (i.e., can play more types of video/audio discs) than was the Toshiba. All in all, the Toshiba was pretty darned good while it lasted (somewhat over four years), but I feel it should have lasted still longer.
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The Quest:
I wanted a “middle of the road” DVD player that evinced high quality and yet was affordable (okay, CHEAP!). I also wanted it to include “above-average” component-video and digital-coaxial-audio connections. Finally, I wanted my DVD player to be easy-to-connect, and easy-to-operate. I discovered exactly what I wanted at my local Best Buy store: the Toshiba SD-1800.
Appearance.
This unit has a pleasingly slender profile, being only about 2.5 inches high, and its depth is a mere 9 inches. While some have criticized its look and feel as seeming too “lightweight,” all I know is that it’s worked flawlessly for me for several months. The fact that it’s so light and compact should not, in my view, be counted as a shortcoming but rather a virtue.
Setup.
Setup is remarkably straightforward. Many users will simply glance at the jacks on the rear of the machine and quickly plug in whichever types of video and audio cables they intend to use. Using a “component video” cable produces the very best picture, but, as not all TVs have component-video jacks, S-Video or even ordinary composite video connections reportedly produce results ranging from “excellent” to “satisfying.” Keep in mind, however, that, if you’re using a composite-video cable (mine is made by Monster, as is my digital-coaxial audio cable) to connect the DVD to your TV, and if the picture initially appears only in black and white, you will need to access your TV’s setup menu and select the proper menu option for “COMPONENT-IN” (this was the case with my 36-inch JVC “AV-36320” model). This was, in my experience, the only (minor and fleeting) complication, and the fault, if any, lay with my TV’s default setting, not with this excellent, easy-to-connect DVD player.
Ease of operation.
I use this in conjunction with my Sony “Home Theater In A Box System” HT-DDW840 (see my review of the latter). The resulting sound and video clarity are absolutely excellent.
Another reviewer observed that “the remote works well, but it is small with a lot of buttons that feel the same.” I generally concur. More differentiation between the basic-function keys would have been nice. Nonetheless, with a modicum of practice, you’ll very soon have little trouble distinguishing, for example, between the frequently used “pause” key and the similarly sized “reverse” key directly above it. But, next time around, Toshiba’s designers could do still better by “color-coding” such frequently used keys (they did do so with the “on/off” key in the upper-right corner; it’s red with white labeling. All other keys are uniformly black with white labeling.)
It might also have been helpful if “glow in the dark” keys had been used, as using this remote can be slightly tricky in virtual darkness. Generally, however, I have no serious difficulty using this remote even in the merely “dim” light of your typical home-theater room, provided I actually glance at the keys and don’t attempt to select them by “feel” alone.
This DVD player behaves similarly, and entirely as conveniently, as many other, costlier DVD models. For example, if you shut off the player while a DVD is playing, it automatically “remembers” and, the next time you press the “ON/OFF” key, playback will automatically resume at the appropriate point. Similarly, when a DVD or CD is inserted, you don’t have to press “PLAY;” playback begins automatically.
Regarding typical functions, the limited LED display on the front panel is reasonably friendly and informative, bidding you “WELCOME...” when the "ON" key is pressed; displaying such words as “LOADING,” “PLAY” and “PAUSE” at appropriate points; and even bidding you “BYE” when you press the “OFF” key.
The only thing I somewhat dislike about the limited, “single-window” LED display is that it doesn’t automatically and continuously display the track numbers of music CDs, merely the "elapsed time" of each track. To make it display the track number(s), you must first press the “SEARCH” ("T") key on the remote, then input your desired track number, and finally press either the “ENTER” or the “PLAY” key. In practice, this is certainly not difficult, but, contrasted with your typical “CD only” deck, it’s a step down in convenience. Hence, I tend to view (and use) this unit as primarily a DVD player, and only secondarily as an audio-CD player.
Media-compatibility issues.
Some other reviewers have stated that this player “doesn't play burned CD's.” Actually, it will play CD-Rs (I’ve verified that!), but, from what I’ve read elsewhere, probably not CD-RWs. I own none of the latter and so can’t verify; but the user manual says, cryptically: “CD-RW is not recommendable (sic)”.
This machine is also said to be compatible with “MP3” discs, and, indeed, one full page of the user manual is devoted to that general topic.
Again, the only “burnt” media I have personally verified are typical CD-Rs. Regarding those, the user manual (page 32) stipulates that the only compatible CD-Rs are those of the 74-minute variety; however, I can happily report that I have no problem whatsoever playing various "80-minute” CD-Rs, including those onto which (at least) 78 minutes of music has been burnt.
In sum, the Toshiba SD-1800’s level of media compatibility should more than satisfy the vast majority of consumers.
Conclusion.
For 98% of the population, surely the Toshiba SD-1800 will seem both economical and eminently satisfying. Short of picking the occasional lemon, how could you go wrong with this tastefully designed, unobtrusive, easy to use, and reasonably feature-laden machine? Best of all, as of this writing, Best Buy, among other retailers, has slashed its price from $99.99 to only $79.99 (see http://www.bestbuy.com and search for "Toshiba SD-1800"). Such a deal!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 99.99
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Epinions.com ID:
henry_thoreau
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 in Music, Home and Garden, Books |
 in Electronics |
 - Top 500 |
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Member: Mike
Location: Olathe, KS USA
Reviews written: 222
Trusted by: 256 members
About Me:
I expect to return to "full-time" reading/rating by January. (Currently hindered by MAJOR home-improvement project!)
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