Price Paid:  $450.00 from Ubid.com

Summary:
I dunno, maybe I'm smoking some good stuff, but I'm underwhelmed with this Toshiba. I bought it supposedly as a step-up unit from my "low-end" Philips to this comparatively "high-end" Toshiba.... and all I can say is this : I like the Philips unit better. The Philips reads CDRs, the Toshiba doesn't... and I didn't realize that until AFTER I had bought it. Audio performance : using my reference DTS encoded Eagles DVD there's no comparison, the Philips presents a far cleaner, more concise soundstage, while the Toshiba always seems veiled, with a shallow depth to it's overall presentation. Video performance is very similar between both machines. The dual disc tray is handy, though I rarely use it. HDCD decoding is nice if only there were more CDs that used it. The progressive scan output I have not had a chance to evaluate due to my older model television. Hope to rectify that situation shortly! Bottom line is, I should've just bought what I REALLY wanted.... a Denon. *sigh*
P.S. Anyone want a GREAT deal on a Toshiba 5109?? Includes an extended warranty too!! :)

Strengths:
Build quality, remote control, dual disc trays.

Weaknesses:
No CDR readability, audio "haziness".

Similar Products Used:
Philips DVD-825

Price Paid:  $279.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
This is supposed to have been a top of the line DVD last year when I bought it. Price was great from Best buy. When hooked up to my 60" Mitubshi composit video and a Yamaha HTR 5240 5.1 optical connection this system is fantastic. I must warn you I had to return it twice for locking up. I put in a CD-R to play some music and both times it effected the playback of DVDs to the point that it had to go back to the store. For playing ONLY DVDs it is great. I think a top of the line product should be CD-R compatable!!

Strengths:
Very good picture and sound.

Weaknesses:
Had to return it twice. After playing CDs it would lock up.

Similar Products Used:
First DVD

Price Paid:  $479.00 from onecall.com

Summary:
I bought this unit with my Panasonic PT-56WXF95 HDTV 10 months ago. The combination is fantastic. Watching anamorphic DVDs through the progressive mode is truly a movie theater experience. I have had no compatability problems with my growing collection of 80+ DVDs. I read some of the recent negitive reviews below and I have to say what are you complaining for? You, not the product, pretty much screwed yourselves. I'm not trying to be a jerk but be reasonable. Jim, you bought a refurbished model. Doug, you got it from ebay for crying out loud. Zack, an open box? You should know better. This is a good progressive scan player for the price. It's even cheaper now than when I bought mine and I thought I was getting a great deal. There are other progressive players that are better but they cost more.

Strengths:
price, dual tray, no DVD incompatability so far

Weaknesses:
poor fast forward/reverse design

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer 414

Price Paid:  $579.00 from Nebraska Furniture Mart

Summary:
Great unit for those w/HD compatable televisions

Strengths:
Progressive Scan is exceptional when paired w/my Sony 61" High Def television---at one point I had a a non-progressive Toshiba and this progressive scan unit hooked up at the same time---the picture difference was very noticeable!

Weaknesses:
none to speak of

Similar Products Used:
Toshiba SD1600

Price Paid:  $475.00 from YourInsider.com

Summary:
FIrst off, this DVD player is NOT for everyone. If you have an average and standard TV set, you may be better off savings a few hundreds dollars and buying a good DVD player in the $200-300 range. That being said, if you have a new TV - especially one with component video inputs and/or HDTV capability - this is the DVD player to buy!

I own a Toshiba wide screen HDTV, and my previous DVD player was not a progressive scan player. It gave me a fantastic picture, but when I replaced it with this 5109, I was really impressed! Until HDTV becomes widely available and affordable, I'm more than thrilled to show off what this combo can do with a 480 progressive scan signal!

The player is loaded with features, some which you may never use - like a 4X zoom feature, but who knows - better to have it available! Some features you may never be able to do without once you have them - like having two trays loaded up and ready to go for back-to-back play at the touch of a disc-swap button!

The one and only complaint I have about this great piece of hardware is that the player seems to have a hard time recognizing the remote unless its pointed right at the player. This is a tad strange since my Toshiba HDTV set remote can be angled as much as 35 degrees off the front of set and the set still responds. But again, this is a very minor compliant - so I may have to push a button twice every once in a while!

Save yourself time and money get one for $474.95 at YourInsider.com

Strengths:
ColorStream Pro™ Progressive Component Video Outputs