Toshiba SD-780 All Region Upscaling DVD Player Plays PAL / NTSC DVDs from Any Country

by Toshiba

Product Details

• Item Weight: 6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 12 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B000WU9JGY
• Item model number: SD-780
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #72,927 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 5, 2007

Product Description

720P/1080i Video Up-Conversion via HDMI Output PAL Progressive via Component Video Output DivX Video / MP3 playback / JPEG Viewer DVD/DVD-R/DVD-RW/CD/CD-R/CD-RW/VCD Playback DVD/CD Player, dolby digital, DTS digital output

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars No, no, no., March 29, 2008

By 

Frank J. Gaipa "fg" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Toshiba SD-780 All Region Upscaling DVD Player Plays PAL / NTSC DVDs from Any Country (Electronics)

The region-free hack is poorly executed. Item arrives with a manual in English and, I guess, Russian (not the usual English/Spanish/French). From the start it was incapable of playing from the point stopped after being put on standby. All I could do was write down the minutes and fastforward from the start each time. Later, with no input from me, it set itself to the strictest child setting, so refused to play a rental DVD of the Lost series, instead asking for a password I couldn't possibly guess. Trying anything to get around this, I hit "reset defaults." This done, my HDTV refused to recognize the machine, pleading "Mode unknown." So I left it in my condo lobby with a "free" sign.

The bright side? It's picture output was superb, much better than the 1080p Samsung player I bought to replace it. If only I could find a region hack for the Samsung.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars decent player. has some faults, June 12, 2008

By 

Chris - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toshiba SD-780 All Region Upscaling DVD Player Plays PAL / NTSC DVDs from Any Country (Electronics)

This DVD player upconverts DVD's to 720p or 1080i. It also plays any DVD in the world. The upconversion capabilities create a far better picture on a 720p VIZIO TV. This player can be set to PAL or NTSC, and converts any DVD to either format, but it's only necessary for standard TV's. If you have an HDTV, then you can set the DVD player to AUTO.
This thing is a cheap DVD player, so don't expect any extra features. For one thing, there's no STANDBY mode, so you always have to start the disc over when you turn the player back on. If you have a PAL TV, then avoid this player completely. NTSC converted to PAL on this player is jotty, horendous, and completely uncomfortable to watch. However, the other way around does wonderful things that I really like. It's most noticable on videotaped shows (like sitcoms). PAL converted to NTSC on this player actually makes videotaped shows look like they're on film. Some people don't like that because it alters the original picture quality, but I do because it makes cheezy soap opera video look like it was shot on film. Filmed shows (like any movie that has ever been in the cinemas) are not affected by the PAL to NTSC conversion. I don't know how it does it, but it does and I like it.
If you have an HDTV, then you can play around with all the settings and see which works the best for you. If you're getting this player, then I'd recommend setting it to AUTO because the picture will not be altered. If you do not have an HDTV yet, then you shouldn't get this player at all.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great DVD player, May 14, 2008

By 

NA Reader "NA reader" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toshiba SD-780 All Region Upscaling DVD Player Plays PAL / NTSC DVDs from Any Country (Electronics)

This is a very good DVD player. It plays everything - DVD, DVD DL (dual layer), DIVX, XVID, MP3 and other file formats. Plus, it plays these formats on CD, DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD-DL, etc. Quality is very good. It has HDMI output. I have region free version and it played DVDs from all regions without problems. It has dual voltage and PAL/NTCS automatic switch. I am multilingual, and I needed such player to play DVDs from both my country and North America.

One previous reviewer noticed that Toshiba US won't help if a player is not coded to region 1. Of course, Toshiba won't render service, if DVD is region free. It should be coded to specific region to be entitled to the service. This is general problem with all manufacturers and there is no suggested solution to people with different ethnic backgrounds who want, for example, to be able to play DVD from their countries in North America. (I mean, that the only solution is to buy region free player but then you can't apply for service, if something happens.)

I agree with another reviewer that DVD looks fragile and you should handle it with care. But it is not portable DVD, so you won't really move it back and forth.

The only problematic thing I found is that there is no online support such as manual and firmware for this unit (at least, I could not find it even at other Toshiba regions' website).

Overall, it is a very good player.