Got this for a steal!
Written: Sep 05 '00
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Dual disc, great remote, more features than I probably need
Cons: No coaxial output
|
|
|
| jppirone's Full Review: Toshiba SD-3109U DVD Player |
I had wanted to get a DVD player for a while, but couldn't justify the $300 to $500 price tags I had seen on most models. Considering most of what is touted as features I don't have much call to use anyway, I wanted a good player that could hook up to the inexpensive Sharp home theater system I had just purchased.
I decided to give the group buying site Mercata a try. They had a promotion going (and still do) where you receive $100 in "Mercata dollars" when you sign up that can be used for up to 20% of the purchase price of any item you buy. If you are unaware of how the Mercata site works, the basic idea is, the more people that buy, the lower the price of the item. You can "bid" on an item by putting any price in, but if your price is lower than the final selling price, you won't get the item. However, If your bid is higher than the final selling price, you only pay the final -lower- price.
Since I don't want this to be about Mercata (Maybe I'll write an e-pinion about them later), back to the DVD player. I happened to find the 3109 on Mercata and put in a bid of $275. The final price was $271 and I was able to use $54 in "Mercata Dollars" to bring the price down to $216 with free shipping.
Now, I had done some research, and although the model had been discontinued when I bought it last May, it had gotten great reviews, and I hadn't seen it for cheaper than $350 anywhere else I looked to buy it.
Feature wise, the double disc capability is great, and the various available input and output options include all available formats. The newer models that have replaced this unit seem to only have some additional features that don't seem to be critical to the performance of the unit as I need it.
The picture (even on my not so great RCA TV) is excellent. However there is a problem with the brightness in some movies I can't figure out. (Although I think it is the TV or the DVD itself, and not actually the player.
One thing to be aware of with any DVD player however is the need for some form of additional input to your TV, specifically if you only have a coaxial cable (typical with all cable TV providers) input for your TV. Most DVD's (the 3109 included) don't have coaxial output.
This requires you to run the DVD either through your VCR (which can have problems due to built in copy protection features in VCR's that cause the DVD image to fade in and out), or through an additional RF switch (I bought mine at Radio Shack for $25) which allows you to override the VCR signal to the TV if set up correctly.
Once set up and connected to my Home theater system, the unit worked flawlessly and has been a pleasure. I can't imagine myself buying a new unit until I can own a home with a true "multimedia room", and even then, I would still use this one for the kids since it is a great little unit.
If you can still find it, I would highly recommend this unit, especially if you can get it for around the price I paid. It is a small investment in a great product.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
jppirone
|
|
Member: John Pirone
Location: Tinton Falls NJ
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 5 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.