Toshiba SD9200 Progressive-Scan DVD Player

by Toshiba

Product Details

Product Manual [1.72mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 16.9 x 4.6 inches ; 16.9 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 31 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00005MO4Y
• Item model number: OUTLET-SD9200
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #415,788 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Toshiba's luxurious SD9200 DVD-Audio/DVD-Video player will surely bolster the company's reputation as an industry leader. It offers not only top-of-the-line, flicker-free progressive-scan video, but super high-resolution audio performance, too. And it's built like a tank. This is one high-ticket item that's worth every penny.

Since this is one of the first of a new breed of DVD-Audio-capable players, let's talk about the audio first. What makes DVD-Audio sound so good? To begin with, it uses a DVD's massive storage capability to produce spectacular, advanced-resolution two-channel or multichannel music, which can also be accompanied with value-added video features like text, slides, and concert footage. This format specification calls for (and the SD9200 offers) 24-bit/192 kHz digital-to-analog converters (DACs) designed to deliver the full sonic benefits of a two-channel DVD-Audio performance. With its astounding 144 dB dynamic range and a frequency response from approximately 2 to 100,000 Hz for two-channel stereo audio, DVD-Audio marks a significant milestone in the quest for audio perfection. DVD-Audio can also deliver up to six channels of full-bandwidth audio and still provide advanced resolution far superior to that of CD for multichannel programs. The surround-sound result is sonic purity and performance that are absolutely faithful to the multichannel digital masters--and total immersion in the music.

Our test material was a reissue of Fleetwood Mac's timeless Rumours and a fresh release from the former Toad the Wet Sprocket singer Glen Phillips. The sound on both was indeed spectacular, offering the perspective of being in the middle of the musicians with the Fleetwood Mac disc, and of being seated in the room near the musicians on the Phillips album, which was, in fact, recorded with all the musicians in the same room.

For full appreciation of the SD9200's audio capabilities, you'll need to hook it up to a surround receiver offering six-channel analog inputs (left, center, right, left and right surround, and subwoofer). You'll need the analog inputs because the resolution of the DVD-Audio signal is incompatible with current receivers' digital-audio inputs. Getting the full sonic benefits therefore requires using feeds from the player's MLP-decoded analog outputs--making the use of good analog-audio interconnects a must.

The conventional stereo sound, from standard CDs to both types of DVD, is astonishingly rich and detailed, thanks in part to the player's HDCD precision filtering and decoding. The HDCD (High Definition Compatible Digital) decoding process provides true 20-bit resolution from the growing number (5,000+) of HDCD-enhanced discs, which all play on standard CD and DVD players, but offer enhanced playback with the proper decoding. The patented precision filtering enhances the playback sound of conventional CDs, too. (The only drawback is, the player itself utters a small click when it encounters an HDCD signal, so if you make mixed CDs with HDCD and non-HDCD tracks, you might want to consider housing the player in an enclosed shelf to keep the clicking from interrupting playback.)

Now let's talk about the video performance. The SD9200 came through beautifully, with sparkling clarity and impressive color fidelity, whether we used the ColorStream Pro progressive-scan component-video outputs on a high-resolution screen or standard composite-video outputs on a standard TV. Images were clear and sharp, colors rich and true, and we detected no artifacts during fast-motion sequences.

Even without using the progressive-scan feature, the player's 540 lines of horizontal resolution bring noticeable, if subtle, improvements over standard, 500-line DVD players. The image is further bolstered by two levels of "3D digital noise reduction" and 10-bit 54 mHz video DACs. A fun strobe feature shows a desired sequence of a DVD frame by frame for careful analysis, while "capture" lets you sample a frame to use as a background image on your TV.

The only corner Toshiba seems to have cut in this design is in skipping out on DTS 5.1-channel decoding. This means that to enjoy movies or music CDs with DTS soundtracks--which sound, on the whole, better than their Dolby Digital counterparts--you'll need to feed a digital-audio output to a DTS-decoding receiver (take your pick of either optical or coaxial connection types). And this means that you'll have to switch between your receiver's multichannel analog-audio input for listening to DVD-Audio programs, and the receiver's digital input for listening to DTS-encoded DVDs and CDs. Not an ergonomic nightmare, but definitely an inconvenience.

Still, with the SD9200, Toshiba has outdone itself in audio quality, video quality, product appearance, and build quality. Should you buy one? Only if someone else doesn't buy one for you! --Michael Mikesell

Pros:

• Stunning sound and picture
• Sense of ease in audio presentation--the sound just is
• Loaded with minor niceties (strobe, capture, etc.)
• Sturdy, elegant build
• Fast disc-read time on CDs and CD-Rs
• Dolby Digital decoding
• DVD and CD Text compatible

Cons:

• Unit clicks audibly (in the room, not in the speakers) every time it senses an HDCD signal
• Long skip time between songs on DVD-A
• No DTS decoding (requires use of both analog and digital outputs)

From the Manufacturer

Toshiba, the first manufacturer to introduce a Super Progressive Scan DVD-Video player with DVD-Audio capability, has always made an effort to exploit the full potential of the DVD format. DVD-Audio benefits from the mass data capabilities of the optical DVD disc to produce spectacular, advanced-resolution two-channel or multichannel music, accompanied by value-added features, including text, video slides, and more.

According to Toshiba, the vast majority of hardware manufacturers and software studios have expressed support for the DVD-Audio format as the next-generation standard for delivering high-resolution audio content on optical disc.

What makes DVD-Audio sound so good? DVD's inherent advantages in high-density media storage makes possible a higher level of digital-audio performance than any other packaged medium previously available. Toshiba DVD-Video/DVD-Audio players are equipped with leading-edge 24-bit/192 kHz digital-to-analog converters from Analog Devices, designed to deliver the full sonic benefits of a two-channel DVD-Audio performance. With its astounding 144 dB dynamic range and a frequency response from approximately 2 Hz to 100 kHz for two-channel stereo audio, DVD-Audio marks a significant milestone in the quest for audio perfection.

DVD-Audio can also deliver up to six channels of full-bandwidth content. In this mode, the DVD-Audio format utilizes Meridian Lossless Packing (MLP) decoding for ultra-high resolution (24-bit/96 kHz) multichannel DVD-Audio programs. During playback, the MLP function "unpacks" the data and outputs it in its original bit-for-bit high-resolution form for sonic purity and fidelity that is absolutely faithful to the original multichannel digital master used to author the disc.

The effect is one of total immersion in the music. Listeners have compared the experience of DVD-Audio to being present in a concert hall where they can actually "hear" the air in the room, with every nuance of the musical performance, including subtle harmonics and hall reflections re-created in vivid detail.

For added flexibility, Toshiba DVD-Audio players also include built-in Dolby Digital decoders.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best DVD-A Player Yet, November 11, 2001

By 

Geoff Martin (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toshiba SD9200 Progressive-Scan DVD Player (Electronics)

I love this machine. It looks great. The slide down display that conceals the tray. The simple facia and clean lines make it stand out in my rack. But most importantly, the quality. The picture is brilliant. Rich deep colors and no obvious digital artifacts as seen in earlier players. Sound quality is second to none. I now us the Toshiba as my CD player. It's that good!!! The sound from both DVD-A & CD's is excellent. You would have to spend a lot more money than what is being asked here to improve on this unit. My only complaint is with the remote control. It could have been laid out better and include built in backlighting. But my universal remote solved that problem. I would recommend the Toshiba to anyone looking for a 1st rate DVD player & the capability to play all current CD formats including MP3's with the same, if not better, quality of other flagship models.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still ticking after all these years, October 10, 2007

By 

G. K. Oldham (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Toshiba SD9200 Progressive-Scan DVD Player (Electronics)

I've been enjoying my SD-9200 since 2001 and it plays as well today as the day I brought it home. It is built extremely well. I use it for both DVD's as well as music playback with DVD-audio and CD's. Not quite a universal player (no SACD), but very close to it. The quality is far and above 95% of what you will find on the shelves of most big box electronics stores. If you find one used (and not abused), it would be a great buy, even today.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Absolute Steal, June 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Toshiba SD9200 Progressive-Scan DVD Player (Electronics)

Your old CDs and those HDCDs never sounded so good. Throw in the new DVD-A format ... and you have a winner.

Buy This Player !