Customer Reviews

Toshiba SD-P1700 Portable DVD Player with 7-Inch Widescreen LCD

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This is actually my third portable DVD player, the first two being cheap brands. I can now say that brand name electronics are definitely better.

The first noticeable difference is that the unit itself is smaller and sleeker than the cheaper ones. I like that the exterior is black and the interior is silver. Also, the way the battery mounts on the bottom is much better than the ones that stick out the back.

The battery life is rated as 4 hours, and I would say it is a very accurate if not somewhat modest claim. I took a trip 4 hours away and it lasted all the way there and halfway back, and I didn't even have time to fully charge it.

My only gripe is that the volume decreases slightly when using two pairs of headphones, and it can be hard to hear in a car. However, it is minor, and I would highly recommend this player over the cheap brands. Also, you can't go wrong with Sony, Panasonic, or Philips.

I bought this player to replace my cheapo chinese Initial 5.8" portable dvd player. My application is straightforward (no DIVIX, memory sticks, etc), just viewing movies on the plane to kill time. I tested the units with 3 movies: "Miracle", "In Good Company" and "Black Hawk Down". Here's my take:

1. Build/ quality
The Toshiba is stunning. Beautiful metal top and control panel, nice buttons, high quality throughout. Although my Initial has served me well over the years, it is all plastic and looks dated and junky by comparison.

2. Design
I love the fact that the battery fits on the BOTTOM instead of hanging off the back like most portable DVD players. It's much more compact and seems more secure. Battery lasted about 4 hours as advertised (very impressive!) Buttons are intuitive and well placed. The entire size and weight of the thing is nearly identical to my Initial, despite having a larger 7" screen.

3. Sound
A little low using the speakers, but I'm primarily a headphone guy so it doesn't really matter.

4. Picture
Here's the surprising part: the Toshiba is MUCH grainier than my cheapo chinese Initial 5.8" unit. It almost seems as though they increased the screen size without increasing the pixel count! Very disappointing.

5. Reliability
I dont' know how well the Toshiba will hold up over time, but I had to exchange the Initial player 3 TIMES before finding a unit that did not freeze up. Quality control with the no-name brands is spotty at best. Having found a working unit though, it's been 100% reliable over the years. The Toshiba unit worked flawlessly out of the box, no freeze ups.

THE VERDICT:
The Toshiba is a beautiful unit, but I have to say the picture quality leaves something to be desired. The fact that a cheap chinese brand purchased 2+ years ago has better picture quality is laughable. In the end I chose to keep it, but the decision was marginal-- really based on the larger screen size and nice compact design (my Initial has too many batteries, chargers, cords and cables to lug around). I am happy... but not thrilled!

I actually meant to order the Philips 7-incher (brighter screen, $20 cheaper, bulkier), but somehow I got confused when I placed the order...this one looked beautiful so I was pretty psyched anyway and was definitely going to keep it. I was planning on using this for work, as I get a lot of DVD's from clients - so I popped one of those in and guess what? It came up as "invalid disc". It's supposed to play the majority of formats, and I triple checked the disc in my other dvd players, and it worked in my Panasonic DVD/VHS combo player. A store-bought DVD worked fine (although I didn't play it much more than the first menu) so I know it's not broken.

The first reviewer also noticed that it doesn't play a bunch of homemade DVD's, so I will confirm that here - if that's gonna be a deal-breaker for you then stay away. BTW, the DVD I was trying to play was made on a Philips burner. I didn't bother to test it with any others.

Fell apart after 5 uses. Plastic fatigue at the back hinge. Very loud mechanical sounds at times at well. This was a product that felt like it was years old at time of purchase even tho it was brand new

I ordered this unit as a birthday present for my 90 year old mother. Thought I would try it before taking it to her. It worked for 20 minutes. Then the screen went blank and stayed blank no matter what I tried. I've ordered so much from Amazon over the years and always could return if unhappy for any reason, so I hadn't paid attention to the reviews of the current online seller ANTonline. Beware! These people are unresponsive and uninterested. They would not accept a return or even reply to my emails. Read their reviews. I'm not the first one.

The Toshiba SD-P1700 unit does have a very nice form factor for a small 7" screen DVD player. Screen was bright with a good image. If it had worked it would have been very nice I think. If Amazon starts selling it and you like the specs you might try it. But, I don't recommend you try the seller I had.
I had to rush out to a bricks and mortar and buy a Phillips PET 724 7" DVD player for Mom. Now I'm stuck with trying to get get Toshiba to repair their junk. As someone in previous review was told, "Buy anything but a Toshiba" may be the best advise.

At first I was concerned that the screen would be too small, but for portability and travel it is a perfect size. Picture quality is excellent, sound is O.K. but earphones are must, for best listening. Battery plays a full length DVD with power to spare. Very user friendly, well designed with a very substantial feel. Make sure to order earphones and padded carrying case, since they are not included

Satisfied with the product ! , looks beautiful , nice picture quality, good sound. Memory card reader slot help to see digi pics. Comes with car charger too.. I Liked it..
But, the only glitch i noticed till now is it wont play recorded dvds and cds. There must be something to make this work.. din try though.
I have'nt seen any other protable dvd players, so cant compare with anything else. But overall i'm happy with this.
Haa..Its 220 Volts compatible too, saved some money on voltage converter when i travel abroad :-)

So. I get this new fresh from the factory SP-D1700 and it works fine, with very light use, for about 7 or 8 months. Understand, when I say "light use", I mean maybe one DVD a month. Then, just like the SP-D1600 it just one day stops working. I continues to load disk and once and a while it will play one for about 20 seconds, then it quits. I've written a letter to Mark Simons, Vice President for digital products division. That was three weeks ago;so far I've been roundly ignored.



October 7, 2007

So here is my follow up after sending my second letter to Mr Simons on August 29,2007. Still no response. I have since however, read may complaints on various about being given the run around to just being ignored by toshiba(small"t" from now on). These are signs of a company that is in trouble. I will chalk this up to experience and stay clear of anything made by toshiba in the future. THANK YOU MR. SIMONS.

I just purchased the Toshiba Portable DVD player and my kids just love it. It arrived 1-2weeks before the due date so I was happy about the quick service. This is our first DVD portable player and its really easy to use. Both my kids had no problem figuring out the controls. The size is perfect and the sound and picture are excellent. We even used it with one headphone and it works just fine. We did purchase a carrying case which is also good for your car, either behind or between the seats. Highly recommend this item along with getting a carrying case. All the wires are included if you want to plug it in your house or car. The battery is not bulky; its a good size. And the battery charges in about 3-4 hours and will last about that amount. A great purchase and my kids are looking forward to long trips. Thank you!

I purchased this product for my daughter a couple of years ago. The DVD player worked absolutely great out of the box. She watched several DVDs on it for many months. Then, as it often happens with small children, the item got put away and remained unused for a long period of time. She recently rediscovered it a couple of days ago and wanted to watch a few movies on it. Unfortunately, nothing played. Disks that used to play on the machine no longer played. We either saw an invalid disk message or it was loading the disk for several minutes but still never played. Page 7 of the Toshiba instruction manual says, "If you do not use the player for a long period, the unit may not function properly in the future. Turn on and use the player occasionally." Isn't that GREAT! Toshiba is aware of the problem and still put the product out in the marketplace anyway. STAY AWAY FROM THIS PRODUCT!!!!! Google the item and problem. You'll find MANY others who have this problem - even without the long period of inactivity! OUCH!!