Sound, Picture, Build, Ease of use.

Still looking!

After months of reading and listening, Im glad that I chose this machine. I was looking forward to buying the Pioneer 717. Great machine, but I found the Toshiba a better qaulity machine.

The Sd 9000 is awesome in the home theatre domain. Picture qaulity that is 10/10 sound 10/10.

The cd playing capabilities are ok! I found it alot better to connect tha Toshiba to my amp via the Coax for the cd sound, and it's alot better. If your amp has coax in then use it!

Im a perfectionist in all my doings. And looking at my home theatre setup tells it all.

Full house for the Sd 9000. By the way Toshiba was awarded an emmy for their contibution to DVD technology!

Build quality, amazing picture and sound

Remote

This unit had the best sound and picture quality out of all the players I looked at. It's great to finally have a player that doesn't show any signs of the lip sync or wavy line syndrome. I've watched The Matrix, The Rock, Dragonheart, Enemy of the State, and a few others and have seen absolutely no flaws.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba 3109, Sony 7700, Denon 2500

Excellent picture quality. Very good sound via digital outputs and user-friendly remote.

DVD/CD tray could be better.

After going through reviews here and at major HT magazines, I note that most of the comparisons were done on big TVs. This product really shines when used on large screens. I first encountered it at the dealer by accident, when I was looking for a Toshiba 2109, Pioneer 525 or the Sony 320. Good for me, the dealer only had stock of the Toshiba 2109 and the flagship 9000. Having seen the 2109 and compared it with Pioneer's 525, I knew what both machines were capable of producing. I didn't expect any major differences to show, but on the Fujitsu plasma screen, everything was very clear using the 9000. With the 2109, the picture had a soft filter inserted. Since I use a projector at home, the choice was obvious.

At home, the first thing I noticed was the razor sharp picture quality. It looked like my SVGA LCD projector was upgraded to a hi-res data grade CRT overnite. The sound quality improved after a few weeks, and now has higher fidelity and better imaging than my older 2108. Using Bugs Life as the standard, both the picture and sound are fantastic. Point to note: although the sound is good out of the analogue outputs of the 9000, I'll stick to the audio conversion of the Sony E9000 AV processor anytime.

For reference, my system comprises:
JVC D500 projector, Sony E9000 preamp-processor, Adcom 5500 and 5503 amps, Cabasse Farella(main), Fastnet(centre) and Fregate(rear), REL Stadium, Pioneer LDP790.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba 2109, Pioneer 525, Sony 7700

See my 5 Star REview on the Toshiba 9000 under the other category

Imaging, detail, sound is fairly strong

Remote is a bit awkward and non-intuitive

From all the reviews I read, both in magazines and on-line, I knew I would like the video aspects of this machine. I'm using S-Video because my Mitsubishi 32" TV does not have component video capability, but I'm very happy nonetheless. I found that both Sony units gave off softer, less detailed images, and slightly preferred the Toshiba.

The part that I was more hesitant about was the audio capabilities of this unit. In order to afford the SD-9000, I had to sell my Rotel 975 CD Player and just use the Toshiba for CDs. After comparison testing, I found that they both sound about the same (using Kimber Kable Silver Streaks and my Adcom GFP-750 stereo preamp). In other words, I found that the SD-9000 was on par with a $700 CD Player.

I paid only $25 for the SD-9000! After buying it for $450, some idiots on e-bay bid all the way up to $425 on my Rotel CD Player! Even if you forget that I basically got the SD-9000 for free, it is a capable machine at its discounted price (thanks to the progressive scan SD-9100 model). I guess all I need is a processor to help the sound get from the $700 level to the $1200 level, and I should be all set.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 7000, 7700

This is the best looking and sounding DVD player in the "under $1000 catagory" at this time. I purchased it 3 weeks ago and couldn't be happier.

heavy, nice looking, provides below black information.

Remote seems to have weak range, will not read CD-R's.

Have had this unit for about 8 months. I've owned 3 DVD players(all Toshiba's) since '97 when DVD hit the market, SD3006, SD2108, and now the SD9000. Provides incredible clarity and very dimensional picture. The chasis is heavy to help reduce unwanted jitter and vibration. I used Video Essentials for calibration and "yes" it does pass the "pluge" test. I am mating it with a Pioneer Elite Pro-200 reference monitor and it's really hard to imagine a better display. This player is truly a reference model. In addition to incredible video, it also provides reference audio. For my purpose(using it as a reference DVD player) I will give it 5 stars. Highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba

Great video and audio. Build quality excellent.

none so far

Having moved up from the SD-2109 player, the picture and sound quality were outstanding even though I'm using S-video hookup. I thought that their would be a little difference bewteen the two players in picture and sound. The difference was noticeble. The remote is better than the small button remote the Sd-2109 uses.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba SD-2109, Pioneer DVD-525

Great performance, build quality, and features

Poor remote, good but not great great CD player/transport

I bought the 9000 as an upgrade to by Marantz DVD-810. The Marantz is a good 2nd generation DVD player with excellent audio, video, and ergonomics. I upgraded to the 9000 for (1) DTS out (yes, I'm a fan of DTS!), (2) 96/24 DACs, and (3) features such as the zoom capability which I use on 2.35:1 aspect DVDs. My TV is a 27 inch 4:3 Panasonic Superflat, so you can tell I'm no videophile. The Marantz and the Toshiba look just fine on my set. I would have to say that DVD sound quality is very comparable as well. The DACs in the Toshiba are better than the Marantz so it is a better sounding CD player/transport. Compared to my Rotel CD transport there is, however, no comparison. The Rotel gives much greater depth, fullness, and noticeably better bass. The Toshiba does do a good job on 96/24 super audio DVDs. Playing the same tracks on CD with my Rotel shows that 96/24 is at least as good and possibly a little better. The implications for DVD audio, however, is not good. Who is going to upgrade to DVD audio for comparable or slightly better sound quality than a CD???

Similar Products Used:

Marantz DVD-810

I purchased my SD-9000 the week it hit the streets. I had originally been waiting for the Sony DVP-S7700 to come in to the stores. When I went to the showroom both players were on display and I knew I had a challenge before me. After comparing the two players for over thirty minutes, I decided on the Toshiba. The video can be described in one word: SUPERB. I prefered the Toshiba's downconversion to the Sony's. The Toshiba's picture was sharp and clear, while the Sony's was duller and more blurred. The Toshiba has a better remote, and came with a Video Essentials DVD, a lot of free offers and coupons galore. Disc access time was almost equal, although the Sony had a slight edge (a half a second doesn't bother me that much). One final point: I use this player as my everyday CD player as well because it is that good. The weight of the unit and its brass spindle prevent any jitter once so ever, providing better audio than my Denon LD player. I highly recommend this player to anyone looking for high-end quality at a midrange price.