True Progressive Output, Has menu and navigational buttons on face of unit.

Switching time between discs is slow, Remote will not operate TV set.

I have this unit hooked up to a Mitsubishi WT46805 digital ready TV set and was amazed by how well the line doubler in the Toshiba works. I have the unit hooked up via progressive component video and interlaced S-Video, so it is easy to compare progressive and interlaced, and also it is necessary so watch nonanamporphic DVDs.

Once I started using the progressive player, it is hard to watch interlace. Colors seem more accurate and there is little to no dot crawl at all. One of the easiest places to see the differences are when you watch the closing credits to a movie. Colored letters seem to have colored speckled in them, the words seem to jitter to the top of the screen. These problems are all erased by the SD5109. To see a great example of these, I played the closing credits from the Wedding Singer. The credits are light blue letters on a black background. You will see that the lettering on the interlaced input has colored dots crawling around, solid light blue in progressive.

I compared the DVD of Lethal Weapon IV in progressive with the High Def HBO feed from DirecTV (via an RCA HD decoder) and was shocked by how close the SD5109 can come to the HD broadcast. HD still seemed to have a little more detail but color resolution was even.

In closing if I had $500-$700 to spend on a piece to improve the quality of my digital ready TV, I would, with no hesitation spend it on the Toshiba SD5109 DVD player.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVPS7000, Pioneer DVL919, Panasonic DVDLV75, Proscan PS8610P

Progressive scan for less, ability to play DTS encodd discs,
ease of use and flexible output options for component/S-video/RGB, etc.

Holds only 2 discs, remote works better on DVD's than on
CD's. Possible recall for problem playing certain discs.

I have this player mated to a new top-of-the-line Mitsubishi WS-55905 rear projection HDTV and it produces an exceptional picture on all DVD's I have run through it. While there are more expensive players from Pioneer, and even Toshiba, available, I believe any more than this player represents the point of diminishing returns!

I also have auditioned the new DTS-encoded BoyzIIMen C.D. and it does an excellent job sonically as well, even though the skip function works only forward, not backwards on the C.D. Naturally, it helps to have a Yamaha DSPA1 with DTS
decoding in it, not to mention an extensive surround system,
but credit must be given to the SD5109 as the first link in the equipment chain.

Although listed at $ 1000, I paid $ 628 new, including shipping from a reliable web source, and it is a steal at that price for a progressive scan.

Although I have heard there may be glitches with some Toshiba DVD players, I have experienced no problems so far.

Similar Products Used:

None.

Very good picture quality!!! DTS and HDCD

Some motion artifacts in some anamorphic DVDs

I have a Mitsubishi VS50805 which is a HDTV ready set. The picture quality when hooked up via the pregressive outputs is very very good. It looks alot more sharper and smoother then previous dvd players. The picture is also less jumpy. It's also very feature packed. The dual tray is a very nice feature but I don't think I'll use it though. I like the remote a lot but the only thing missing is a open/close button. I guess my only real gripe is that with some anamorphic movies ex. Notting Hill & Armaggedon Criterian Edition that are some artifacts when the dvd is set the 4:3 or 4:3LB but if the DVD is set to 16:9 the picture is flawless. But overall this is a great dvd player and is worth buying.

Similar Products Used:

DVDA300, SD3109

Incredible picture quality when using progressive scan outputs.

Remote

The picture looks stunning! (with TW65X81)

You can literaly watch anamorphic DVD's at 3 feet away. I now wish Toshiba would make a larger 16x9 RPTV.

Don't waste your money on the high-end SD9100. When using the progressive outputs, the picture quality features are apparently identical in both units.

Build quality, remote control, dual disc trays.

No CDR readability, audio "haziness".

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!! :)

Similar Products Used:

Philips DVD-825

Excellent picture, great features, competitive price for those strengths.

No playback of CD-R media, somewhat clunky remote.

First off, I bought one of these players last Christmas, 1999 and it lasted about 2 1/2 months before it stopped working. I was played the Criterion DVD, "Armegeddon" and as it was about an hour into the movie, the picture froze and severly pixelated into large squares. After that, the player wouldn't play any media of any kind. I was able to get a replacement unit (Thank God for warranties) and the second player has performed flawlessly ever since.

The picture quality is stunning even on a regular monitor. However, on a progressive scan monitor it is fabulous. The player is loaded with a lot of cool features for someone to play with in addition to the more standard multi-angle, freeze frame, etc. You can zoom in to a picture and use a virtual 3-D sound expansion feature if you're only using 2 speakers.

The player's two disc feature is a nice bonus that I didn't really consider at first but now take full advantage of during those long, sleepless nights when I want to watch a couple movies in a row or have a couple CDs to listen to. Speaking of CDs, it's a nice feature to have the HDCD decoder built in. I recently bought a lot of the Warner Bros. remastered CDs including all the Van Halen and Dire Straits album and notice a huge difference between the sound on this player and my older Pioneer CD player.

The audio output quality is exceptional. I've played quite a few DTS encoded DVDs and they generally have a natural sound with clear separation between the various channels.

A couple minor quibbles. The fast forward/reverse function on the remote is terrible. You have to point the remote while holding the proper button just so, or you'll accidently advance to the next chapter instead of speeding up the movie 2X, 4X, 30X, etc. One button covers both features and it's just a bad design flaw IMO. Also, as noted above, you cannot play any type of CD-R media.

All in all, a great DVD player that I hesitate giving a full 5 star rating because of the first player crapping out after a couple months.

Similar Products Used:

2nd gen Pioneer DVD player (forgot item number)

Excellent picture quality with progressive scan, dual tray

Cannot play CD-Rs, average sound

The first player I got had to be returned due to pixelation problems. The second player was in good working order. Coupled to a Sony KP-53HS10, picture is crystal clear and color is rich. Sound is average whether with DVD movies or CD music. I bought this model because of it's progressive scan capability and from this perspective, I am happy with the purchase. However, there is quite a price premium for progressive scan players, so the expectation has to rise accordingly. From this perspective, I can't give it a 5 because, but for the progressive scan feature, it's pretty average.

Picture quality, dual tray

Cheap remote, light weight construction, in your face sound quality, high price

I purchased this unit to replace my 18 month old Sony 7000. I paired this unit with my Sony 61HS10, ISF calibrated HD ready TV, and Sony 9000ES proc. I immediately noticed a smoother and more colorful images. It was not like day & night compared to my Sony7000, I should say. Using video essential, I realized that the color setting was higher than it should be (a few clicks) and resolution right at 480 just like the Sony. So what was better about this player vs. the Sony. The moving diagonal lines did appear as a solid line and near zero motion artifacts. The Sony, however, held itself very well considering it is an interlaced unit. The Sony images showed a little jagged line but not to point of other interlaced players. On the audio side, the Toshiba, while plays all sort of formats, it has the "in your face" sound quality. It gave me the impression of a low cost CD player, say in $200~$300 range. It is sad that Toshiba retails a unit for a $1000, but cut corners from the audio. It just does not have the sweet & detailed sound of the Sony player. If you own good audio set up, you might be disappointed with sound quality of this player. In fact, I bought the SD-6200 later and was returned for the same problem. I guess I will wait for a better player a little longer. I believe a product should be balanced piece of equipment. Perhaps I will get the Toshiba SD-9200.
Or just use the Sony with an external line doubler.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba SD-6200, Sony DVD-S7000, 850D mega changer

Progressive Scan output, Dual tray design, Price (when compared to other Progressive Scan DVD players)

I can't believe that nobody has mentioned that this model will not play CD-R discs!

Nice unit that won't play CD-R! Toshiba's response was that of "we offer a DVD player with CD-R playback feature... model #SD-6200". What a load of CRAP! I never once thought that I would have to specifically look for CD-R compatability! Lessen learned! Read the fine print before purchasing. Anyone interested in this slightly used Progressive Scan DVD player (orig. boxes w/documentation etc.) may e-mail me. I will undoubtedly be selling it, in favor of a DVD player that will play CD-R!

I have half a dozen or so custom mixed music CDs, and some CDs that I have created in an effort to archive some old LP recordings of my highschool choir. I am unable to play these on this Toshiba's wonderful new DVD player! Toshiba must have gone out of their way to do this, as I have not heard of any other DVD manufacturers taking technological steps backwards, to purposely be incompatible with CD-Rs!

Okay, I'm off of my CD-R soapbox. Other than the lack of CD-R playback, the DVD player is great. I may follow up with a later review of the progressive scan picture clarity after I get my WS-HD set in September!

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer DVD/LD/CDV/CD player.

Picture clarity, numerous features ( including built in DTS, Dolby Digital and 5.1 decoding ) and most importantly.. Progressive Scan

None thus far

I'm completely amazed by the previous reviewer's low score of this fabulous DVD player. One can only assume that his television is unable to correctly display a progressive scan signal ( likely ), or else he's been unfortunate enough to purchase two defective units.

I've had the opportunity to view many *higher* end DVD players, which fall short of the Toshiba 5109. Bottom line.. for the price and the features, this one absolutely can't be beat in any way, shape or form.

The progressive scan signal is ten times sharper and more colorful than the interlaced signal. Don't let anyone try and tell you otherwise. Comparing PS to interlaced is akin to comparing a beat up 1978 Pinto to a 2000 Lamborghini Diablo. It's just ludicrous to even suggest such a thing. Be FOREWARNED.. not every television with progressive scan capability will be able to display the picture correctly. Strangely enough, the Toshiba projection tvs have a rather difficult time at doing this.

I own a Sony 53 inch HS10 DTV and, let me assure you, progressive scan on this baby ( with the 5109, anyway )rips a hole in the wall. It's *that* good.. honestly. The picture is clear, crisp and vivid.. the colors are fabulous and the entire presentation just gives you that magical feeling of watching a movie in the theater. Need I say more?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to beat a drum for Toshiba. Certainly, they've produced some superior quality electronic items ( such as this DVD player ).. but I wouldn't touch one of their televisions with a 10 foot pole. Of course, this is the nature with most electronic companies. Sony produces great tvs, walkmans and recievers.. but their DVD players are among the worst in the business. Go figure.

Similar Products Used:

Too many to mention