Home > Consumer Reviews > Toshiba SD220 DVD Player

I got my player 2 or 3 months ago and I am mightly impressed. Picture and sound are pin sharp. The picture quailty is as good if not better than some £500+ players I have seen. Lord of the rings plays like a dream. Infact most discs do and I have had no problems with any disc's or studio's (like the matrix disc a while back).

Buy this and you will not be disappointed....I whole heartedly recommed it...!!!

This dvd player is a gem. It is slim and good looking, the build quality is excellent and the output quality is superb whether you playing a cd or ANY-region dvd you care to try !

This DVD player is total value for money and has RGB / DTS / Comp vid output built in (quite impressive for the price its on sale for !); I'll be getting a home theatre system to accompany it soon but I have it hooked up to separate amplifier with ease and it sounds amazing...

My advise to anyone concidering this toshiba sd220 is "go get one" - its a steal

Of all machines in this price range this machine compares favourably. The 200 series from Toshiba are renowned for displaying video of a quality characteristic of top quality device. The only downside, and other reviewers have alluded to this is that servo is quite noisy. This is only a problem when repeating and viewing out of order, whereupon the noise nags you to let it rest some. A straight viewing produces a quiet, rhythmic and more pleasent click every few seconds as the servo steps tracks. I would still buy this even with the prospect of dvd recorders around the corner because the laser power is better regulated in read only mode. I once had a cd-rw which destroyed a finalised cd-r disc, that drive was returned. I don't expect a problem from Toshiba as they are a big name.

The picture quality is excellent but be warned if your tv is so old that it doesn't have s-video or scart plugs you will not be able to connect! There is no composite (aerial) connector (nor will an adapter work). Also beware that dvd's have adopted widescreen as a de-facto standard and a quite silly 1:2.35 ratio which is double wide. The 1:2.35 ratio doubles the border size on a 4:3 box and makes the picture letterboxed (banded, or bordered, etc) even on a widescreen telly. If possible check the aspect ratio of any media purchase, or use a widescreen telly. I am no expert but even with the 'noisy' servo the sound quality is crystal clear.

Overall a reliable, safe, top performer.

I acquired an SD220e to replace my playstation 2 as a primary DVD player (soooo noisy - anyone who hasn't upgraded yet should do so at this price!). The picture quality of the Tosh is excellent - I recommend using a good SCART lead or S-Video should your TV be suitably equipped (I'm using a Philex Thor SCART-SCART, available from Maplin, plugged into the RGB SCART input of my Samsung TV) to get the best of the equipment. Correctly set up, the clarity and crispness of image is superb with none of the occasional pixellating and related glitches I had experienced with the PS2. Hooked up to a good AV amplifier (Yamaha DSP-AX620 in my case) via the optical digital connections (Cambridge interconnect) the sound is also superb with good, tight bass and accurate, quick steering of effects across the soundstage. I also haven't noticed that disconcerting pause as the player switches layers with this player.

It won't make a bad film good but it does help make a good film great. WIth a good TV and audio set up this player easily out-performs some rival costing up to twice as much (trust me, I spent weeks auditioning players in the price range!) A great buy. Oh, and much cheaper here than I paid! The only thing I would say is that the remote is a bit cheap and also you'll get really annoyed if you buy discs that aren't Digital or DTS encoded, such is the aural fun to be had from this player.

Make sure you use a good quality scart lead to get the best from this DVD player. I have it connected to a Toshiba Widescreen TV With Dolby Digital Surround Sound. The picture and sound are amazing. I was worried it may not be able to read my MP3 collection since the tracks are hidden in Sub-directories on each CDr, no worries it lists each track on-screen with directory path and an easy to use navigation menu to select your tracks.

Conclusion: This is a profesional piece of kit at such a bargin price.