Toshiba SD-5000 1080i Upconverting DivX Certified DVD Player

I tried this model out with my Sony HDTV using the HDMI connection. Watched a recent movie with quite a few dark scenes and was surprised at how bad the picture was. It almost looked like a cartoon. At one point the playback slowed, became very blocky and froze! It was so bad I had to stop the movie and try the disk in our Sony Playstation 2. The picture from the PS2 showing the same scenes was fantastic and it doesn't do up-conversion of course. On the positive side the Dolby and DTS sound from the Toshiba was great. I returned the Toshiba and purchased the Sony DVPNS75H and now am very pleased. The picture quality on the Sony is far superior - much brighter and sharper.

I formerly owned the SD-6980, but the device failed while under warranty. I liked that device a lot, especially its card reader port. I received a new SD-5000 from Toshiba to replace the obsolete SD-6980. The DVDs upconverted to 1080i really look like the images I receive from HD cable. The SD-6980 did a good job too, but you could see grainy areas or images that weren't perfect. I love the SD-5000 . The downsides I found from this device are no Optical port for audio, and of course no card reader. I used coax for my surround sound and its fine. The quality of the picture easily outweighs the cons.
In dark scenes though, the blacks tend to pixelate...likely and upconversion issue. Also the player has an issue where it may lock up for 5-8 seconds during playback. Its annoying, but you can live with it.

I bought this nice looking, upconverting DVD player for $70 from a large electronics retailer. Thankfully, they had a good exchange program.

I was really excited about this DVD player even though I currently only have component cables and wouldn't get the full benefits of the upconversion. My old Philips DVD player crapped out after 4 years and I needed a new one so I went with the Toshiba SD5000 because it was small and inexpensive and had a sleek black glossy look to it.

I got home and plugged it in, really easy to set up and everything, watched ONE movie, and then *POOF*... the DVD player wouldn't play another DVD. Every DVD I put in after the first DVD would not be read. I tried with 3 DVDs. Exasperated, I put back in the first DVD that I had already watched and that one wouldn't work either!

Based on the other reviews, I'm guessing the SD5000 had some quality control problems and the experience has made sure that I'll stay away from Toshiba... Read more