Customer Reviews

Toshiba SD-P2500 8.9-Inch Portable DVD Player

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just purchased the Toshiba SD-P2500 DVD player. We immediately took it with us on a four hour flight and all I can say is, what a perfect investment. It kept my two kids (1.5 & 3.5 yrs old) occupied which, allowed my wife and I to travel almost stress free (she still had to put up with me). My 1.5 yr old wouldn't wear the headphones and the player's speakers worked just fine. NOTE: I like that the speakers are now located on the sides of the screen as opposed to their old location under the screen.

The only con, the player is a little bulky and barely fits in my Targus case along with it's accessories. As a matter of fact, some accessories had to be left behind. I knew this when I purchased it however and opted for the larger 8.9" screen instead of a more compact player. I prefer the larger screen when I watch it by myself and more so when 2 or 3 of us are watching it at a time. The picture was very clear once you find the right viewing angle. Just a heads up if someone is looking for something more compact vs a larger screen.

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Now we just need to find a carrying case that can hold the player, battery, dvd's, cables, car adapter, two sets of headphones and an occasional diaper or two-ha. ...

This Toshiba unit is very impressive. I had originally purchased a bargain Mintek MDP-1810. Its picture left a lot to be desired and eventually it failed to operate after a couple of weeks. So I returned it to Amazon and spent a couple of hundred bucks more for the Toshiba. The Toshiba's picture is very good (much better than the Mintek); however, the viewing angle is critical. After experimenting with the tilt position of the screen and the picture controls (of which there are many and you can have three user-programmable settings), I've been quite happy with the results. I have not noticed any undue graininess nor any annoying motor noise during playback. My one complaint is that the blacks could be blacker. There is a faint illumination around the edge of the screen that appears in dark scenes, especially noticeable in the black bars in widescreen letterbox movies. This can be minimized by careful adjustment of the tilt of the screen. (If there's some other adjustment I could make, please let me know.) Don't expect the same kind of picture you get with a direct-view television. Still in all, most of the time this is one gorgeous picture. One other thing to be aware of: as with the Mintek, if you turn the power off, the machine will re-start at the beginning of the DVD when power is turned on. You'd think if the Toshiba can remember three video settings with the power off, it could remember where you stopped the movie.

It's worth it! Spend a little more $$ and purchase this Toshiba player. Don't waste your time and money on cheaper models like I did. I first purchased the Mintek MDP-1810 to save a few dollars but I was very disappointed in the picture quality. I could barely read the text titles on Alien Resurection (You can especially see the quality difference in movies with darker scenes). Unlike the Mintek, the Toshiba LCD screen has one of the sharpest displays I have seen while shopping around for a better portable DVD player.

My final decision came down to models: The Toshiba SD-P2500 and Samsung L200. The three deciding factors were: 1) The Toshiba is not as bulky as the Samsung L200 and has progressive-scan output. 2) The Toshiba has easier menu functions and ergonomic design IMHO. 3) Longer battery life: 3.5 vs 3 hours. I was able to watch the entire EXTENDED version (2 DVDs) of Lord of the Rings Two Towers before the battery died.

I have only two complaints about this unit:
1) The view angle is not the greatest and takes some adjusting but once you find the right placement, the picture is sharp and clear.
2) The included accessories are limited. I wish Toshiba would have included the BitstreamPCM cable to connect into your receiver for 5.1 digital output. Also, no car AC/DC adapter is included.

To the person who wanted to fast forward playback using the buttons on the player (rather than the remote), this can be accomplished by pressing and holding down the button to skip to the next track. Press it again, and it goes faster. I do love the remote on this thing. The remote control weighs one ounce, with the battery! It measures 5"x2" and is less than 1/4" thick. Amazing. The player displays the video in whatever the original format is without distorting it. Awesome in many, many ways.

I have been very happy with the performance of the SD-P2500. However, the motor burned out today after 5 months of ownership. I asked the technician how I could prevent it from happening again. According to him, portable dvd players just go out sometimes and that is a problem with all portable DVD players. Lucky we had bought a service agreement at a local store, because the warranty is 1 year parts and 90 days labor. I had previously given it 5 stars based on performance. However, when we spend this much money on something, we want to last for a long time.

I travel a lot, and since I bought SD-P2500 I cannot imagine travelling without it. While I never owned a competing model, I've looked at them, researched them and this is the one to get. 8.9'' screen is just the right size -- probably the biggest you can have and still call it portable. The sound and picture quality is simply great. Two headphone jacks can definitely be handy. The battery lasts, and charges fast. And now, four months later, I can also add that this DVD Player can live through a lot of abuse. :-)

Outstanding picture. Plug in two (there are two jacks) Sennheiser noise reduction headphones and you and your traveling partner are in HEAVEN at only 30,000 feet. Then drop in a CD for some nice mood music at the destination or a DVD and plug into the TV for across the room viewing. This IS the way to travel AND the SDP2500 is the best DVD portable I have seen. We get over 3 hours from the 3 hour battery and over 5 from the 5 hour optional battery - take both batteries and you have 8+ hours - plus they recharge quickly.

Not cheap - but I don't mind paying if I get results and the SDP2500 DELIVERS.

Only dissatisfaction is that some of the many, many functions are only available with the remote control. You can certainly do all the basics without the remote - but need it to get fancy.

We love the SDP2500, and never, never travel without it.

We bought the SD-P2500 for an 8-hour roundtrip ride with two 10-year olds this past August. Purchased after a considerable amount of research, our first portable DVD player did not disappoint.

The headphone sound (with enhancement turned on) is very enjoyable, akin to the Hughes SRS system's ability to produce a wide spatial aural image. I know audio purists eschew such frivolities, and complain about such spaciness with headphones, but I simply like it.

The speaker sound is as thin as one would expect, sounding comparable to any number of laptop PCs. Still enjoyable with the enhanced audio activated.

Out of the box, the screen had 3 dead pixels. Toshiba explained this was within tolerance for the panel yields they were getting (at the time) from manufacturing, and would not consider replacing the unit.

The picture is tremendous. What you would expect in terms of resolution, viewing angle, brightness, etc. Quite starting for DVDs.

We also like the snapshot feature that saves an image, to appear whenever the disc door is opened. In our case, we enjoy seeing the Marx Brothers each time.

My complaint is the price. I know the technology is new, but the panels have been around on laptops for 10+ years-and Toshiba's been there all along. These things are still too expensive.

I love this player! I purchased it for several cross-country trips I took this past summer, and have also loaned it to 3 other family members so they could use it on their trips as well. I did alot of research to make sure I was purchasing a quality DVD player, and boy did I get it!

The picture is extremely clear and can be viewed from any angle...really nice if you have someone else watching with you.

The sound quality is great and the 2 headphone jacks were a big selling point. Since I was travelling by plane, I purchased 2 sets of headphones so my boyfriend and I would both be able to watch at the same time. (Just a hint: find headphones that have personal volume control...I'd be deaf if I listened to action movies at his volume.)

The unit also seems to be very sturdy and well built. It has been banged around in the back of my car and dropped by airport security but still chugs on with no problems. (I keep it in a case, don't know if that makes a difference.)

Battery life is very good. I can usually watch 2 1/2 complete movies before it dies.

The only downside I've found is that once you turn the unit off, you lose your place in the movie. A minor inconvenience though. All in all this is a great product!

bought this player afer about a year of research. i agree with most of the reviews here-this player is great. picture on the 9 in screen is really wonderful, able to view it from all but the most extreme side angles. i think the sound is good too-those that are complaining about the sound are really asking too much from a portable dvd player, in my opinion. we cannot expect movie theatre quality surround sound from a player hardly the size of my nieces geomtry book. why does the movie theatre sound so good? cuz its a movie theatre, duh! can you hear you movie sitting in front of the player? yes. can you hear it from across the room? yes.(although this may not be a good thing, after my son was on his 4th viewing of monsters inc, on a two day trip!)can you hear it in the middle of an indoor waterpark? YES! enough said.
took it on a recent trip, afore mentioned waterpark, with 5 other families, two of which had dvd players also. all the kids eneded up in my room after dinner, crowded around to watch movies. 10 kids, all could see, all could hear, all were quiet for almost two hours. BLISS! me: satisfied. other parents: JEALOUS!

My husband looked at every portable dvd player that he could find. He picked this one as having the best quality picture of all. The remote control is very short and thin, just what you would want for a portable. You don't have to have the remote, because you can scroll through the menu and perform all the same functions without it.

Closing the lid turns off the picture but not the sound. It's less drain on the batteries, and I can use the player at work to listen to my favorite DVD concerts without the picture. The built-in speakers have perfectly good sound, but I was impressed with the sound on the headphones, even cheap ones. By the way, there are two headphone jacks.

We've owned this player for several months. So far it has operated perfectly every time. We would purchase this dvd player again.