excellent picture decoding, no skipping,so far no noticable artifacts, composite outs,5disk marking, naming

only one type of digital out, lack of optical digital out limits cjhoices, remote bit hard to learn at first

much like the Pioneer DVD -rom in my computer (which was voted the best dvd-rom of '2000 I believe) when I paired the drive with the Creative Labs decoder, I noticed an occassional skip, noticable pauses inbetween layers, with the Sigma these problems were alll gone and everyhting has run smoothly, Similarly I was happy with my Hitachi DVP305U, the occassional skip (and it was a lot less occassional than the Creative labs card I'm comparing it to) didn't seem to bother me really...switching between layers wasn't a problem,either, but like when I switched back to the Sigma, all these things vanished, making the occassional skip irritating (actually I had already given my Hitachi to a friend for Christmas because I couldn't afford a half-way descent player and wasn't about to give him a POS no-name or RCA POS...so when I went looking for a new one I was caught bwtween the Panasonic DV30 ($199 w/$50 rebate) a Pioneer 333 $199 ($30 INSTANT REBATE) and the Toshiba sd-1600 for $179 ($20 instant rebate) well they were all out of them and I got a rain check (decided it couldn't hurt)well as I looked at the rain check I noticed it looked very much like he had written 149.99 (his seven was so sloppy it looked like a "4"...I went back a week later and once again they were out (except for the last weeks rainchecks) I decided I would see if the cashier could tell the difference (I wouldn't push it but if they rang it up as $149.99 I wasn't going to argue..well came to find out there was a $20 rebate going on...so I got it $209-$30 instant rebate...-$30 "screw-up rebate" and soon to be $20 manufacter rebate..so far it's cost $160...figure it'll cost about $140 total (w/ tax) still best deal hands down...the dv30 would've come out to about $185 after taxes... the only 2 things I liked better on the hitachi were the remote and the dual digital outs...but that's a mute point if I do decide to run it through my external DAC (an ADCOM gfa-600) I'd need to use a coaxial digital since my modified Pioneer pdf-606 w/ optical digital out...body made more rigid by sound deading material used in cars) (for $99 a+15 materials) a cheap and excellent 25 disc transport to my DAC...no optical in availible...or I could feed it to my preamp (MArantz av550....but I'd just have to use a coax dig connection anyway....from what I've seen in short runs no difference can be heard)...if you can get this for under $199 go for it...unless the DV30 is availible for the same price (I liked the remote better) but expect the same performance....until you get into "higher end" players...these are great starter units...

Similar Products Used:

Hitachi DVP305U, Pioneer DVD-ROM 10x using either a Sigma Designs RealMAGIC or a Creative Labs Inlay 7160

Very good pic on most dvds, zoom

Won't play all dvds

Originally bought sd-1600.

Would not play some recent foreign film dvds, could play film but not access menu options.

Had less than adequate image quality on some english dvds.

However plays most dvds very well (Matrix, etc.).

Exchnaged for Panasonic 65 which plays foreign dvds.

Toshiba was not very helpful... sales guy said 1 in every 20-30 sd-1600 needs firmware update... don't want to be doing this every time.

Guy where I buy dvds said many others had similar complaints about Toshiba so ratio may be higher... could be that because Toshiba makes so many dvds they have higher problems than other manufacturers who make less.

Advice: make sure can exchange before buying!

Very good pic on most dvds, zoom

Won't play all dvds

Originally bought sd-1600.

Would not play some recent foreign film dvds, could play film but not access menu options.

Had less than adequate image quality on some english dvds.

However plays most dvds very well (Matrix, etc.).

Exchnaged for Panasonic 65 which plays foreign dvds.

Toshiba was not very helpful... sales guy said 1 in every 20-30 sd-1600 needs firmware update... don't want to be doing this every time.

Guy where I buy dvds said many others had similar complaints about Toshiba so ratio may be higher... could be that because Toshiba makes so many dvds they have higher problems than other manufacturers who make less.

Advice: make sure can exchange before buying!

I'm a college student that works part time at Best Buy so I get to play with all the toys and at the same time I get to see first hand which products get returned and what breaks easy and that sort of thing. Toshiba has consistantly led all video products we sell...even laptops! ...They definitely take #1 in the television (especially 43" and above) and DVD department. The sd1600 is no exception. It is their entry level player but it does just about everything you need...it has a DTS decoder, Color Stream & S-Video outs...and it's got a great price tag!

Well, it can't play CDR's...so they say in the manual. Well folks, here's my story...I use to buy Imation CDR's for my computer and they wouldn't play in my DVD player...but they were 80 minute...I don't know if that's the reason...but I started using 74 minute Memorex CD-R's...they are gold labeled and come in 50 disc spindles if that helps anybody out...anyways...they play EVERYTIME in my SD1600 so if you're looking at another model for that reason look no further because this unit can AND WILL play CD-R's...provided that they aren't junk (Imation's are JUNK...just like everything else they make)

You cannot go wrong with this model...this does everything you could possibly need I feel and Best Buy has it now for $179.99...how could you possibly beat that! In electronics you usually pay for what you get...for example those Orbitron/KLH $99 DVD players are CRAP and you will figure that out when you use it but this Toshiba, though it's a low $179.99 compared to other players ranging from $199-$499, takes the Gold...get one!

Similar Products Used:

Sony (forgot model #)...Sony is a junk brand nowadays...they used to lead in electronics but they got caught up in the hype and advertising I think...the model I used by them cost about $229.99 and it didn't do much...my DVD's froze sometimes too

Image quality, 'Enhanced Black Level' feature, component outputs

Inability to play many CD-Rs (Toshiba documents this very clearly)

I replaced a skipping Samsung 611 with the 1600 2 months ago and I am very pleased with the Toshiba unit.

I connect to a Samsung 32" Tv using s-video and use a Creative Labs/Cambridge Soundworks DTT2500 5.1 speaker system through the coaxial audio output. The picture and sound quality are great, although I am not an 'audiophile.'

It doesn't play Samsung 12X CD-Rs burned on my Philips CDD4801 CD-RW drive. Some other reviewers have noted that the 1600 WILL play Sony CD-Rs, I will try this when I get a chance to buy some.

I have played about 50 DVDs, many of them rentals, with no skipping or 'pausing' problems.

Overall, a great player for the price, as so many others have stated.

Similar Products Used:

Samsung 611

Plug and Play

Enhanced Black Mode

This is an awesome DVD player at a super cheap price. Fry's had it listed at $170 - $20 rebate for $150.00.

I plugged it in and it hand no problem on all the dvd's I tried. The only concern and possiblilty that I would return it is because of the errors in the enhanced black mode. Really, this is a great feature because it makes a crappy TV look really nice. The only problem is that on several DVD's where the image was very white such as in The Matrix when Neo get's his first view of what the matrix, or Xmen, the whole screen goes birzerk. White swirly lines overtake the screen and go into the black areas above the letterboxed area.

Anyone else had this happen to them? I'm going to call Toshiba and see if there is a fix for this. If not, I'll return it and get another Toshiba product.

For those who comment about the lack of optical output, I don't think it's such a big deal. So, for $150, what more do you want.

Great Picture

Good Audio, not the Greatest, but good for older stereos like mine with only rca inputs

My girlfriend bought this DVD player for me at x-mas time, I was immediately pleased knowing that Toshiba makes great DVD players. I was a little upset seeing that it was the lowest end model they make but any doubt I had about the player was squashed when I spent the next few days watching my Sopranos Season 1 DVD set.

No problems with the player, audio or video, no excess noise, etc...

I have an early 90's pioneer stereo system, and I've never heard anything sound so good on it.

All in all I would totally recommend this DVD player to anyone looking for a great picture and good quality sound at an affordable price.

Similar Products Used:

JVC & Apex DVD Players (Butt)

Style, Price, Zoom, High Quality Video & Audio, Mine plays CD-Rs!

No optical out (Thats it!)

I just purchased this unit a week ago & I couldn't be happier with it.

I use this DVDP with a Yamaha RXV496 & Mission speakers & the sould blows me away!

I wanted to post a review of this player so I did a little testing last night.

I popped in several CD-Rs that I have (and play a lot) and to my great surprise many of these worked!!! I was seriously contemplating the Pioneer 333, but it lacked in several other features I wanted. I am glad that I didn't make CD-R compatibility a factor in my decision because apparently, even those players that say they play CD-Rs are not consistent.

I tested 3 Sony 650MB and 4 Memorex 650MB cds and they ALL worked perfectly! I also tested a Verbatim 650MB cd and it said "disk error". I also tested 1 Memorex 700MB cd and it also said "disk error". I will now stick to the Sony/Memorex 650 cds.

I have played 5 movies on the machine since I bought it and it is truly a great DVDP. The only negative thing that I noticed on the machine was a 1 second "freeze" during a layer change on the movie Frequency, but all others played without ANY problem. I can live with that!

As far as features go, I am really happy with the Zoom feature on this machine. While I would have liked a higher zoom power, for this price range it is outstanding. If you have a 4:3 tv and hate watching every single movie in widescreen, the zoom on this machine will allow you to increase the image size to fit your screen (or enlarge slightly) while only cropping a small amount off the sides (all at the touch of a button). Oh yeah, and the image will still retains its sharpness!

Toshiba Rocks! 5 Stars

Similar Products Used:

NONE

Video black-level expansion!
Great image quality
Fast load times

Inability to play to CD-R's (but it doesn't claim to)
Slightly noisy transport
Occasionally noticeable layer changes

----
First, a clarification regarding some earlier reviews:

The SD-1600 *does* pass Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS encoded bitstreams to the coaxial output port as 24 bit/96 khz streams. The downconversion to 16 bit/48 khz occurs with linear PCM sources encoded at bit rates higher than 16 bit/48 khz. All of the disks I own or rent are either 5.1 or DTS, as are the majority of the rest of disks out there, so DD5.1 or DTS fans shouldn't start sweating - you're getting the "real deal", not a subsampled clone.
----

In my opinion, there are currently 2 contenders for the top slot in the "high-quality value" market, the Pioneer DV-333 and the Toshiba SD-1600. They're both comparable in terms of connections (compnonent video, S-video, coaxial digital) and (depending on who you ask) comparable in image quality. The analog sound output is just fine, and I'm looking forward to getting DTS receiver down the road (see above).

The "extra" feature set does differ slightly:

DV-333: Dual lasers, with the ability to read CD-R(W)'s
SD-1600: Video black-level expansion, image zoom

I don't own a CD burner, so the Pioneer doesn't offer me much in that respect. The warranty is better on the DV-333 1 yr. everything, vs. 1 yr. parts / 90 days labor but I bought the extra warranty coverage at Best Buy, making this a nonissue. I don't usually go for warranty plans, but my roommate's DVD player died after 2 years, and getting it fixed would be more expensive than replacing it, so it seemed like a good idea.

The "image zoom" feature on the SD-1600 is basically useless. I bought a DVD player specifically so I could have high-quality anamorphic images - why I would want to degrade the image quality by zooming in is beyond me. However, the black expansion is wonderful and in my opinion makes a world of difference in image quality (try out Apollo 13 in normal mode, then kick on the black expansion - lovely). Be forewarned that the black enhancement comes at the expense of a *slight* loss in shadow detail, but the extra contrast and color detail provided more than outweighs this.

Ultimately, the BLE was what convinced me to keep the Toshiba rather than trying out the DV-333. There are a few problems with the player, which keep it from having a perfect score:

1. Slightly noisy transport. Not "jet engine" noisy - you definitely won't hear it sitting on the couch with a movie going, but might hear it lounging on the floor near the player with a CD going.

2. Noticeable layer changes. Not too much of a basis for comparison here, but if you're *really* looking you can see them, especially if they come in the middle of a scene (on a little under half of the movies I've watched so far). Not a big deal, but worth mentioning.

In general, the plusses outweigh the minuses. If you want/need to play CD-R(W)'s, the DV-333 is probably the better choice. If you're undecided, pick up a SD-1600 from a local retailer with a good return policy and see how you like the black level expansion. For me, it was the deciding factor. I'd also recommend the extended warranty plan. It's not a lot of money ($50) for the extra peace of mind it affords.

Similar Products Used:

an "old" (first generation) Panasonic DVD player

Coaxil Digital Output
3 level zoom (great for filling tv screen, especially smaller tv)
Remote is good

Manual says 24-bit encoded material will only transfer as 16 bit through coaxil digital cable -- no 24 bit audio to transfer to your dts decoder/amplifier??
FAILED DISK TRAY FOR DVD'S AFTER 13 days of use.

This review is for the Toshiba SD-1600.

I am in the process of creating a new home stereo system and home theater and have been thoroughly reading the reviews on Audioreview.com since summer 2000, basing
all of my buying decisions in great part to them.

Marantz SR-7000;
JBL Sutdio Series S-38 monitors at all four corners and a S-center speaker using 12 gauge speaker wire;
Sony CDP-CE535 5 disk CD-player using the optical cable out;
Salamander Archetype stands for audio and video.

Need a dvd player and big screen tv. The coaxil digital cable I was using for audio bitstream output from the dvd player to the Marantz was an Audioquest cable.

I was quite pleased with the Toshiba for the first 13 days of use. I was happy about the price too -- I bought it at Best Buy on sale just before the first of the year for only $169.97 plus tax = $178.47. Currently, a month later, it is "on sale" at Best Buy for more.

While it does not play CD-R's, I believe the soundstage it creates with its coaxil output to my Marantz outdoes the respectable Sony cd-player with optical cable hook-up for commerically burned cd's. Santana's "Winning" is a telling single.

Zoom is great for a smaller tv's for filling letterbox only dvd's to viewable dimensions. My next DVD player HAS to have it, regardless of brand (and there's aren't many to choose from for zoom).

But I returned the Toshiba -- it begin to destroy DVD's. I had no problem ejecting cd's, but when I tried to eject dvd's, the player would not release the dvd into the tray, rather, the tray would open, without the dvd, then the dvd would be dropped by the Toshiba onto the non-recessed portion of the tray. This resulted in the dvd being severely abrasioned with between the player's opening and the tray itself. I then had to forcefully free the stuck dvd, and the Toshiba made wining noises as the tray would attempt to open with the stuck dvd. This error repeated itself and resulted in some scratched dvd's.

Everything else in my system listed above, I bought from online and it was shipped, sometimes in some very beat up boxes, with some opening, some with the styrofoam being broken inside, and I have had no problems at all with these equipment. The Toshiba came in a perfect box, from Best Buy, and didn't last 2 weeks with me. Don't just a book by its cover.

Speaking more of covers, the box of of the SD-1600 doesn't note it, but the manual for the SD-1600 states that 24-bit encoded material will only transfer as 16-bit to an a/v receiver/decoder. That was disconcerting, but it really was the eating dvd's thing that has turned me off to Toshiba players. Great value for what you're getting for the price, but bad overall score if you can't use it.

Similar Products Used:

None.