Customer Reviews

Toshiba SD-1600 DVD Player

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I made the mistake of purchasing a Samsung player, which basically died within 2 months. While doing research on Amazon for a replacement, I noticed that lots of people had wonderful things to say about the Toshiba brands. So I decided to purchase one and hope for the best. Well I've got nothing but good things to say.

This little player is really light, but don't let that fool you. It has played all my DVDs with perfection, and hasn't failed me yet. The picture is wonderful, and the sound is pretty good as well. A couple of my discs that would freeze or skip on the Samsung player, work just fine on the Toshiba. That was when I realized that I made a good choice. I love the on-screen setup menus, which allow you to see the picture on the movie that you're watching while adjusting the settings. It's a nice little drop down menu from the top of the screen, with very nice icons that are easy to understand. Other players just blank out the picture while the setup menu takes up the entire screen. You can imagine how frustrating it can be when going back and forth repeatedly from the picture and setup screen, while fine tuning the settings.

The Toshiba SD-1600 is a great player to buy if you're new to DVD, or are looking to add a low-cost, reliable system to another room in your home. Toshiba is known for great picture and sound, so you can't go wrong with them. As an added bonus, they've got a good warranty for it. It's good to know that I can get my player repaired for free at a local Toshiba certified service center if anything happens.

This is a very good entry level machine, essentially an upgraded SD1200. Its not too complicated, just insert the disc and work your way through the dvd's menu. You are not paying for the extras like multiple disc play.

Overall, this machine is quiet and reliable. It get s lots of use in my house, and the only complaint is that the remote could be a lot better. However, from a practical standpoint we don't need to do all that much with the remote other than navigate through the dvd menus.

This unit will not be the one to select for a high end system, but if you are looking for a basic entry level unit then look no further

The Toshiba SD 1600 is a great entry-level DVD player. In terms of picture and sound quality this very affordable unit really delivers. In fact, from the moment I pulled my Toshiba DVD player out of its box, I've experienced 100% satisfaction.

Set up is a cinch. The owner's manual is easy to follow and I had my unit up and running in a matter of minutes. Initially, I hooked up the player using cheap video cables (included in box) and the picture was washed out. I immediately switched to a pair of Monster cables and was blown away by the clarity and definition of the picture (Widescreen movies look especially great when played through this unit). It's certainly worthwhile to fork over a few extra bucks for a pair of quality cables.

Perhaps the most exciting feature of the SD 1600 is the Virtual Surround Sound capability. With a simple click of the remote, an ordinary pair of stereo speakers will produce a lively (and loud) 3-dimensional sound. This feature is a blessing for those (such as myself) who don't yet have the budget, or the time, to shop for an elaborate home theatre sound system.

The remote control is laid-out fairly well and takes only a short time to grow accustomed to. My only complaint is that the remote is not illuminated and is difficult to navigate in the dark. The Fast Forward and Reverse modes are lighting quick --moving along at up to 30 times the speed of the original picture! Those who like to read tiny film credits will love the Zoom feature which greatly enlarges the screen image.

I've been a Toshiba owner for over a year (also have the similar SD 2109)and have never encountered a single problem with the player or any DVD disc. The picture quality and the Virtual Surround Sound are first rate. Overall, I think this is an excellent unit. I would highly recommend it to anyone seeking a quality DVD player at an affordable price.

This is my first DVD player, which I bought solely based on online reviews. The setup was simple, and the picture quality superb. It hasn't "skipped" on any of my DVDs. It has three fast-forward speeds and four zoom-in levels (zoom is a must, and many mid-level DVD players do not have this functionality). Simulated surround sound is great and is a big plus for anyone without Dolby Digital. I would recommend this player to anyone new to DVD. The remote could be better, but it gets the job done.

Note: the player does not come with an S-video cable, though you can use the component cable that is included.

The Toshiba SD-1600 is an excellent entry level DVD player. For the price, it can't be beat, and it bests other models out there costing twice as much.

The SD-1200 was an acclaimed success for Toshiba, and the SD-1600 has a few refinements over that one.

The picture and sound quality are excellent. Though lacking an optical audio out, there is PCM/bitstream and analog outs, as well as a composite video out, an S-Video out, and component video outs. I'm using the analog audio and component video hookups (all with Monster Cables) to my 27" Sony Wega TV and it's brilliant.

Many people have complained about the remote, but I like it. It's not too awkward to get around, and the player responds to it well (as long as you're within a reasonable range). The menu system is good, if not spectacular, and all the options you'd expect from a standard player are there. The SD-1600 also features a Spatializer 3-2-2 3D sound option which provides an excellent surround effect with only two speakers.

Right now I have the player thinking it's connected to a 16:9 television (I'm using the 16:9 anamorphic squeeze option most Wegas have), and the picture quality is nothing short of amazing. I haven't found a disc yet that gives the player any problems, and it's also very quiet when playing.

It's a light machine, weighing only about ten pounds, but don't think it's underpowered because of it. Outside of a progressive scan DVD player (which really is of no benefit until HDTV is popular), this is one of the finest units widely available. Grab it up today.

I'm not really the one that is looking for all these bells and wisthles that many DVD players have today. It might be O.K. for film buffs, but it's not for me. Simply put, this player is worth it! Put in the disc and you have a movie. Unlike those bargain brands, it won't play discs messed up. So far, it has handled every one of my DVD's perfectly. Yes, it can play "The Matrix" "Men In Black and "Toy Story 2" with no problems. Although, it plays DVD's great, make sure that your TV has at LEAST RCA outputs (The yellow, red and white holes. You can't hook it up via coxial cable unless you have one of those RF converters, which is really a poor connection.

By my thinking, there are two prime contenders for the value DVD market, the Toshiba SD-1600 and the Pioneer DV-333. Both are good players and there are tradeoffs with either one. With either unit, you'll get great picture quality and great audio (of course if you have a 5.1 or DTS receiver, your DVD player doesn't affect the audio quality, as your receiver does the decoding). Both also offer component video output and coaxial digital audio, useful if you have more expensive home theater setup.

Of the two, the Pioneer offers the ability to play recordable CD's and CD-RW's by including a second laser. Most DVD players, including the Toshiba, are either unable to play CD-R(W)'s or play only certain brands, because of the laser frequency differences between the DVD and CD formats. I don't own a burner so this wasn't an important distinction for me. In order to meet the $200 price point, Pioneer includes little else in the way of special features. The DV-333's case comes across as "cheaply" made, but the unit is covered by a comprehensive 1 yr. parts/labor warranty, which is unusual for this price - the SD-1600 has 1 yr. parts / 90 days labor, which seems to be the norm.

While the Toshiba offers a few "gimicky" features, such as the ability to magnify the image to remove letterbox bars (a feature that I found degraded the image unacceptably), it does include the incredible "video black level expansion" feature. What this does is make the "black" reference point of the video signal "true" black rather than the sort of dark-gray black you're used to. I find this to be an amazing improvement - check out Apollo 13 in normal and then black enhanced mode.

Since I wasn't able to find any real reason (at the time) to choose the DV-333 over the SD-1600 or vice-versa, I decided to buy one and see how I liked it. Well, the black level expansion decided it - it's worth buying the SD-1600 just to have it. Don't confuse this with "image adjustments" found on other players (the DV-333 for instance). I have heard that the black level expansion circuitry on high-end Sony's is better, but have never actually seen it. If it's better than this, that's saying something.

So, why the four stars instead of five? A few things. First, the unit is a bit noisy, certainly not noticeable from "couch distance" but audible if you're lying on the floor near it listening to a CD. Second, layer changes are noticeable, particularly if they occur in the middle of a scene. Conversely, on well-mastered disks which put layer transitions between scenes, they're invisible. These problems certainly aren't enough to counter the positive aspects of the player, but suggest areas that Toshiba could address in future revisions.

In short, an excellent value, with the particularly notable black level expansion feature which in and of itself makes this a good investment.

All in all the DVD player is a great value ($) having everything you might need except optical a output port (-1/2 star). But the RCA jack with the bitstream information does appear to suffice and to be honest I cannot hear the difference between it and the optical on my older DVD player.

The 1600 setup and running of this unit is very straight forward and easy, but I have to admit the remote control did require me to read the instruction book just a little (-1/2 star). The buttons are smaller than the older remote and a little harder to read in low light levels (no back lighting).

Reason I brought one: The DVD disc loading is fast compared to the SD 3107 player and this unit plays DVD problem discs that my 3107 could not, which was a reason I replaced it with this 1600 model. The image and sound quality is equal to my old Toshiba 3107 which cost me $ a few years ago which at the time I thought was a steal, hence the high value of the 1600 now.

Unit setup: I recommend using the componenet video output if at all possible and setting the black to "enchanced", keep the 3-D sound and screen saver options off.

Unit extras: The zoom feature is nice because not only can you zoom in on more than one levels you can move around using the up down and left right buttons.

Summary: If you are looking for the most bang for your buck this unit might fit the bill, especially if you are looking for something under $. In my opinion why spend the money if you are not going to see or hear the difference? Take the savings and rent or buy more DVD movies, which is the purpose of buying a DVD player in the first place.

Best of luck to you.

Last year in buying Toshiba DVD player (3109), I took the leap and bought my first non-Sony TV related component. It was also Toshiba's first series of entry-level players. In word I have been nothing but pleased and the quality fo the experience and the usability of the machine. It is more solidly built than comparable machines and there is no discount on features. (All this was at a time when many other mfgs were shipping bug-ridden players -- sound-sync issues especially -- in order to get product to market by xmas.) A year later I have no wish to upgrade, I've basically given up my VCR and I had my brother buy the same one. Highly recommended. You won't regret the additional($) you didn't spend.

The Toshiba SD 1600 compared to other comparably priced DVD players is a good price. However there are a few things that keep it from receiving top marks from this reviewer.

For starters it does not play CD-R's, which in this day and age, with more and more people downloading music from the internet, it would be nice to have a player that's already hooked up to your home entertainment system to utilize for playback.

If CD-R playback is a priority I would recommend the Pioneer family of DVD players.

Another complaint is the remote is awkward to work with, not backlit, which of course goes for most DVD players on the market that are in this price range.

The player is also fairly noisy so if you are running this player through your television without any external amplification, you may be conscious of this.

I have noticed some miscues with this machine on certain discs especially in regards to menu operations with certain DVD's i.e. X-Men and Gladiator.

On the positive side the picture is razor sharp something that Toshiba is famous for, with the ability to pass either Dolby Digital, or DTS sound to a compatible receiver.

The player as is typical with Toshiba also has the added benefit of Digital Zoom which is kind of gimmicky but fun nonetheless.

In summation, if you are looking for basic player for playback on a standard television, with a sharp picture and not looking to bust the bank, don't care to listen to CD-R's on your home system, you would be hard pressed to find a better deal in this (price) range.