Toshiba SD4990US DVD Player
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- Number of Discs: 1
- Progressive Scan: With Progressive Scan
- Playable Disk Types: DVD Video VCD DVD-R DVD-RW CD (Audio) CD-R CD-RW
- Playable File Formats: DivX MP3 WMA JPEG
- DVD Type: DVD Player
- Video Upconversion: 720p (HDTV) 1080i (HDTV)
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User ReviewRead All Reviews »
Great at 480P - Beware at 720P or 1080I
Pros
Great picture even at 480P - Easy set-up and menus - Lots of FX.
Cons
Freezes, locks-up and pauses in 720 or 1080I. Poor customer support.
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
Fine for use at 480P. Avoid if you want to use the HDMI output or get used to the lock-ups. Wait for the next generation for a firmware fix.
I purchased this DVD player as an upgrade to another Toshiba player that I never had any problems with. When I got it, my Main TV was a 32" High-Def Samsung CRT which didn't have the necessary HDMI input, but I was soon to be upgrading that to a 52" Panasonic DLP.
I ran it at 480P on the Samsung, (720 and 1080 are only availible through the HDMI out) and never had any issues and in fact was quite impressed with the improvement over my (slightly) older Toshiba. The picture was sharper and richer and for the moment I was quite pleased.
As soon as I had my new Big Screen set up, I played a DVD at 1080I, and, while the improvement was quite visible with some DVD's, on others it was not, or the quality was a bit less. OK, I can live with that.... Then then...the freeze-ups started.
At first I thought the issue was with the DVD's because, as a Netflix subscriber, one of the trade-offs with getting unlimited rentals is that you sometimes get a defective DVD or two. An acceptable trade off. But then, I would play some of my own DVD's which I keep in pristine condition, and these too would lock up, freeze, not load, or pause for no apparent reason.
None of the remote buttons would work, nor the on/off switch. Unplugging and replugging the unit simply got it stuck in "loading" mode. You couldn't even eject the problematic DVD. Finally I accidently "hit" upon the quick fix. It seems if you pick up the left side of the unit about 1-2 inches and it "slips" from your grasp... the DVD can then be ejected or will start playing again. (this could however void your warranty)
With a little research I found that Toshiba is having this problem with ALL of its High Def DVD players including it's top of the line $800.00 HD-DVD model. They released a patch for their high end players as they are internet capable, and will send a CD firmware fix to those without. Whether they are willing or even able to upgrade the firmware on these lower end models, we will wait and see. In the meantime I picked up a new Panasonic DVD-R on EBay.
I ran it at 480P on the Samsung, (720 and 1080 are only availible through the HDMI out) and never had any issues and in fact was quite impressed with the improvement over my (slightly) older Toshiba. The picture was sharper and richer and for the moment I was quite pleased.
As soon as I had my new Big Screen set up, I played a DVD at 1080I, and, while the improvement was quite visible with some DVD's, on others it was not, or the quality was a bit less. OK, I can live with that.... Then then...the freeze-ups started.
At first I thought the issue was with the DVD's because, as a Netflix subscriber, one of the trade-offs with getting unlimited rentals is that you sometimes get a defective DVD or two. An acceptable trade off. But then, I would play some of my own DVD's which I keep in pristine condition, and these too would lock up, freeze, not load, or pause for no apparent reason.
None of the remote buttons would work, nor the on/off switch. Unplugging and replugging the unit simply got it stuck in "loading" mode. You couldn't even eject the problematic DVD. Finally I accidently "hit" upon the quick fix. It seems if you pick up the left side of the unit about 1-2 inches and it "slips" from your grasp... the DVD can then be ejected or will start playing again. (this could however void your warranty)
With a little research I found that Toshiba is having this problem with ALL of its High Def DVD players including it's top of the line $800.00 HD-DVD model. They released a patch for their high end players as they are internet capable, and will send a CD firmware fix to those without. Whether they are willing or even able to upgrade the firmware on these lower end models, we will wait and see. In the meantime I picked up a new Panasonic DVD-R on EBay.
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