Toshiba SD-V392SC DVD Player / VCR Combo

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I recently purchased a Toshiba 46" HDTV (see my review) and needed a DVD player to go along with it. I eventually decided to go with a DVD/VCR Combo for space saving reasons because my TV has a small storage space for AV Components.

I started my search looking at Sony and Toshiba because my new Home Theater is from Sony and my new TV is from Toshiba. Not that brand compatibility truly matters but it is nice to know that the systems are consistent. The two combo sets that were in my price range by these manufacturers are the Toshiba SD-V392 (also available in black/silver) and the Sony SLV-D350P.

The Sony unit looked like a better combo at first blush until I started researching. The unit seems to be higher technology touting Dolby Digital and DTS Decoding where as the Toshiba (according to bestbuy.com) does not...until I went to the store. Right on the box the Toshiba showed it does have these options including simulated surround and dozens of other acronyms to lengthy to list here. In addition, the sales person informed me that the decoding happens in the receiver so these are just used as marketing ploys.

BOTH UNITS have: analogue inputs and output for cable TV and VCR functions, Stereo RCA/Video outputs for the DVD and VCR, 2 Digital Video outputs for the DVD - 1 S-Video and 1 Component Video (Red Blue Green, and two digital audio outputs - 1 optical and 1 component. I can not speak for the Sony but the Toshiba has the handy feature of hardwiring the DVD and VCR to the Standard Video output (the one that has a yellow video cable and a pair of white and red audio cables) allowing for one set of wires to hook up the total system to your television. If you have a High Definition television you can get near High Definition viewing from the DVD player by using the Component Video hookup. My Toshiba TV has Crystal Scan up-conversion to 1080i making it as close to true High Definition as possible with out a High Definition source. By switching to component cables the picture was AMAZING and I am hard to impress. It was almost like looking through a glass window at Harry Potter...but I digress, back to the review.

Looking at the build quality you will see that the Sony is much larger (2X taller and longer) and heavier (2X heavier) leading me to believe that the Sony has better build quality. This may be true if you are planning to abuse your system or you have children. But again when I started researching I found that the Sony System has problem with reading DVDs and many people have reported the dreaded CH:13:00 error code. This code apparently happens when the player has trouble reading disks and many consumers complained that the player would shut down in the middle of a movie and not resume play. Google CH:13 or CH:13:00 for more details. So the Sony may stand up to your three year old trying to insert a cheese sandwich into the cassette slot but what does it matter when it (may) have trouble just reading a DVD. The Toshiba has no reported problems and it has performed flawlessly so far.

The Toshiba Retails for 119.99. The Sony for $149.99 and from what I can tell the only thing you get for the extra money is the extra weight & size and a better warranty. The Sony's warranty is one year parts and labor and the Toshiba's is three months parts and one year labor. I guess that would explain the weight difference...the Sony is clearly made of more metal components and the Toshiba plastic. I found the Toshiba for $99.99 at best buy on sale. At $100.00 if this thing breaks with in the next year I will just buy a new one. If not I come out $50.00 ahead.

One final note...Toshiba offers a DVD/VCR Combo with HDMI High Definition output for $199.99. The reason why I did not consider this unit is two fold: 1) As I mentioned, my TV already converts the signal to 1080i so the only benefit would be having the conversion at the source rather then the TV...this can help clean up some of the digital "noise" that can happen on HDTV sets. 2) It costs $150.00 for an HDMI Cable at Best Buy and $120 for them online. This would have made the effective cost for the player $350.00 and the benefit did not out weigh the cost.

...........

Well...I got a chance to test my theory. After 84 days with the unit I started having problems with the DVD player. First it would not fast forward through movies. When I tried to scan a DVD it would lock up for about 2-3 minutes and then jump to the next scene. Then after a few days it would not jump to a scene from the chapters index of any movie. Finally, a couple of days ago it would only play the previews of a DVD, would not let me skip to the menu and would lock up after the previews.

So...I called Toshiba America Customer Support Center. After about 5 minutes of requisite wait time, a nice young gentleman listened to my problem and asked me to try unplugging the unit for about 15 minutes to "Clear the Memory" and call back if that does not work. It did not work. I called back, this time less than a minute wait time. A new kind young man looked up my file and said that Toshiba would exchange the unit with a Brand New one. All I had to do was send the old one to Lebanon, TN. The post office charged me $13.95 for 2nd day air with arrival tracking. I could have shipped it Ground for about $9.00 but I figured the faster I get it to them the faster it will get back.

When they send me a new one my effective cost will be $113.95 still less than retail and still $36.00 less than the Sony. My experience with Toshiba Customer Service(so far)has been first rate. I believe the problem with my DVD player is an anomaly and will not happen again. When all is said and done, I believe it was still the right choice over the Sony.

DJ

One more note - After 90 days they will exchange a broken unit for a "nominal fee" shipping...no idea what that amounts to.

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Update II

Been about six months with the new unit Working flawlessly. The Toshiba system hooked up to the Toshiba 46" HD TV is a joy to watch. The Sony Surround sound completes the experience. I have quit going to the movies and now enjoy DVD's in my very own theater...at home.

Thanks for reading!

DJ

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Update III

It has been a little more than a year with the replacement unit. I still agree that the Toshiba is a better choice than the Sony. In fact I purchased a second one for our family room TV.

If I had one more small thing to add it would be that the lens/reader is pretty sensitive to scratches compared to my last DVD player (Phillips/Magnavox) which would play almost anything no matter what condition. This complaint is probably nit picking as I have a six year old, a two year old, a 1 year old and a new born living with me so our DVDs get abused.

Everything works like the day i got it...I would HIGHLY recommend this unit.


DJ