Customer Reviews

Toshiba SD3755 Progressive-Scan 5-Disc DVD Player

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I just bought this player and I thought it would be a good idea to list the actual specs at the end of this review. It was very difficult to track down any specs at all for the SD3755. The ones I did find were not all correct.

Now for the review:
I think this player is well worth the money for all the features you get. It had almost everything I was looking for. However, one major feature it did lack, was HDCD support.
All the DVDs, CDs, and MP3 CD-Rs I have played so far, have worked fine.

As far as the MP3 support goes, it's ok. I was worried that it wouldn't play MP3 CD-Rs that had the files placed into sub-directories. But it actually scans the entire CD-R &
caches all of the MP3 files alphabetically so you can view them onscreen. The bad part about that is that you see them in a single list as opposed to having them organized. (So yes, it does read MP3s that are placed in multiple directories / sub-directories on a CD-R)

Here are some of the other features / issues I have found when using the MP3 capabilities:

MP3 Pros:
- you can program what songs to play (up to 60 tracks)

- you can repeat the programmed list, a single track, or the entire mp3 CD-R (containing 100s of songs)

MP3 Cons:
- no random or shuffle feature (why this is the case, I have no idea. Those features are allowed for normal audio CDs)
- can't program lists across mp3 CD-Rs (again, this is a feature for audio CDs)
- does not continue to the next mp3 CD-R after the current one is finished playing (again, this feature works for audio CDs)
- only the first 8 characters of the filename are displayed in the onscreen menu (which can be very annoying trying to figure out what song to play).

Overall, I love the player and think it's well worth the price. With the exception of HDCD support, it has all of the features found in much more expensive DVD players.
For example, it had all the features that another player I was looking into had (the Harman Kardon DVD 50) for half the price.

Toshiba SD3755 Specs:
- Silver case (as far as I know, it does not come in Black)
- 5 disc carousel. Plays, DVD, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, Video CD, MP3 (on CD-R or CD-RW). You can swap discs in/out while another is playing.
- ColorStream PRO progressive scan. 540 horizontal lines of resolution (500 interlaced with progressive scan). 8:8:8 oversampling of interlaced color signals.
- 10 bit 27 MHz Video D/A Converter
- 24 bit PCM 96 KHz
- x2, x8, x30, x100 forward & reverse scans
- 6 power zoom
- MP3 Support: Yes (sampling freq. should only be at 44.1 KHz, bit rate can be anywhere from 32-320 kbps)
- Dolby Digital output: Yes
- DTS output: Yes
- Dolby Digital decoding: No
- DTS decoding: No
- HDCD decoding: No
- Random/shuffle disc play: Yes
- Repeat play: A-B, all, disc, track
- Resume play: Yes
- Frame advance, multiple camera angles
- Remote control type: Full feature, non-backlit. (offwhite/light gray color, with dark gray buttons)
- Parental lock: Yes
- ColorStream Pro component video outputs
- 1 S-Video output
- 1 Video output jack
- 2 Pairs of Analog L/R Audio Outputs
- 1 Digital Optical Audio output
- 1 Digital Coaxial Audio output
Comes with 1 pair of RCA audio cables, and 1 RCA video cable.

Overall, an excellent purchase and an excellent value. I began shopping for a DVD player when my old 5-disk CD player died. I comparison shopped for a DVD player that offered some of the more advanced features including progressive video (even though my TV is not compatible with this feature). I also liked the capability of this player to play DVD/CD/CD-R/CD-RW/MP3 -- all of which have functioned very well (I have not tested the MP3 player). This unit has just about every feature higher priced units have with the exception of HDTV capability and dolby decoder (which your amplifier is probably capable of decoding) and without the higher price. The DVD player was crystal clear and the playback/FF/FR/Zoom functions were fairly simple.

CONS:
1)the component only comes in a gun-metal silver color:
2)To visualize some of the actions taken by pressing function keys on the unit , you must also have your TV monitor turned on -- even for simple playback of audio CDs (for example, to play 5 audio CDs randomly you maust have the TV on to be certain you pushed the random button the appropriate number of times)
3)I am an inpatient person, and some of the functions (open/close) appear to engage slowly

Admittedly my cons are miniscule compared to the overall capablity and performance of this unit. Therefore, if you do not mind the color, I fully recommend this unit.

I got this Toshiba SD3755 for about 2 months now. I won't go into the spec of this unit but I will note its bad points.

1) It powers up very slowly (about 10 seconds) so be patient and don't press the power button twice. I did because when the power button is pressed...nothing seems to happen for awhile then your patience runs out.

2) Changing a from one DVD to another is also very slow compare to Pioneer DV-C503 that I have.

3) No direct access to DVD so you must use the to scroll through dics after dics to get to the one you want.

4) For a PROGRESSIVE SCAN player, the picture is almost worse than the regular DVD player that I have.

5) All buttons on the unit feel cheap. You know what I mean when you push the button and it feels cheaply made.

6) Forwarding speed is only X2.

7) Would I bought it again if I have a second chance? No.

Can't beat the features in a progressive scan player. No, it isn't perfect, but you get your money's worth out of this. Picture is great, plays MP3s including an entire page of directions, plays CD-RWs, a few different random modes, etc.
Most importantly, it plays DVDs very well. I had a Panasonic before and it would hang-up to the point where it was unwatchable on about 40% of the movies I tried watching. This machine has none of those issues.
Yes, it is slow to power up...so what, who cares if it takes 10 seconds instead of 5.
The on-screen menu is a bit annoying...can't just read things off of the player itself, you have to have the TV on.
Bottom line: name brand, good quality, great features, all for [a good price]. It has features that Panasonic and Pioneer cannot touch and JVC and Sony want a lot more money for.

I'd buy it again

Would have been zero stars if they'd let me. this is the single most disapppointing piece of consumer electronics I have bought in a decade or more. For starters, while they call it a changer, if you want to use it as a five-disc CD changer and have it automatically switch from one disc to the next, you have to turn on your TV eash time, go through a menu and reprogram the thing. the company tells me that this is because the CD player part of it is only an "added feature" and not the main purpose of the unit. Secondly, it is extraordinarily slow to respond to any inputs; if you power it up, it takes 30-45 seconds before it will accept any commands at all. And it is pretty choosy about what commands it will take from the remote even from two feet away pointed right at it. My own unit had a major catastrophic failure of the sort that they tell you is the reason not to by cheapo DVD players (which is why I bought a fairly pricey one) but that might have jsut been this one. Might have. I thought the manufacturer's attitude, whcih was basically "tough if youdon't like the way it operates, and we had no responsibility to tell you in promo material that it wouldn't really work as a CD changer" was pretty irresponsible, but that's just me. I'm gonna unload it. Anybody want a used one,a fter i get it fixed? I've put all of 15-18 discs sthrough it.

I was concerned by another customer review which stated there was no direct disk acces. I thought this was the mark of a poor quality design. But when I got it I found it has direct disk access both on the front and remote. (Page 19 Owner's Manual) Also since I just got it today I am pleased with the speed of the changer etc. I have a Hitachi single I bought a couple months ago that's really slow and the MP3 only shows the first 5 letters or so. The Toshiba gives about 10 characters enough for artist and some of the track. Also notable is you can program the MP3's played up to 60 songs. Also you can change disks while one is playing. Pretty neat. I don't know if MP3's can be played randomly as another reviewer said though. I like it. Check those price compare sites and try to get S&H included, that's all the rage now. Try to get it ...less than list...it's June 11,2002. No problems to report. I wish the remote had a programmable volume control though...

I purchased this unit because I wanted to replace my CD changer and finally add a DVD player to my setup, all in one nice package. The picture and sound quality have been great. I used the component video and optical sound outputs. I highly recommend buying a DVD player with these output capabilities if your system accepts them. But the overall quality of the unit is poor. The buttons are cheap. This seems silly but you'll know what I mean when you use the unit. There is no jog dial, on the remote or unit itself, an item I now realize is a must have -- fast forward and reverse are a pain, and you will be doing both a lot I found as a new DVD user. Finally, as in other reviews, this unit is very s-l-o-w on start up, open/close, play, changing discs, etc. Nice unit, but there are better.

This is a good Dvd Player. It takes a while, though, to shift from one DVD to another with the remote. There is lag, but not enough to curse at it when you consider the price and excellent playability it offers.

The carousel itself seems a little flimsy with some play in it. I wonder about long term use whether it will hold up.

By then, however, I'll be onto the next "great" thing.

Bottom line: the best value on the market today for carousels.

I've had this about a year and a half. I liked everything about it, but a few months ago it started skipping sometimes when playing CDs. I tried using cleaning disks but it's just gotten progressively worse, now it's just too annoying to play a CD. I called Toshiba and they said the CD lens probably needs to be replaced, I called an authorized service center and that would cost $150. haha.

We had a Sony before that likewise died after about 2 years...

From reading reviews, it seems that anywhere from 30-50% of even high-end CD/DVD players won't last more than 2 years.

It really is ridiculous.

I purchased this for the same reason most other folks had: I wanted a 5 disc changer. While it functions well, skipping from disc to disc could be smoother/faster. Remote control commands usually take several seconds to illicit a response.

The remote layout is also poor. If I had a Universal Remote that had a disc skip button, I'd have tossed out the Toshiba remote a long time ago.

Other than these gripes, I love my DVD player. I watch anime occasionally and it helps that I don't have to get up to switch the DVDs. I can put a whole set in the changer and watch all at one sitting. Cool.