Features:
- Dual-disc capacity plays DVDs and CDs
- Built-in Dolby Digital decoding
- HDCD decoding and precision filtering
- DTS and Dolby Digital output
- Optical and coaxial-digital output
Description:
Not long ago, we would have considered Toshiba's SD-2200 a steal. After all, this DVD player performs flawlessly when it comes to audio-video processing, resulting in good picture quality and dynamite sound. The SD-2200 also has dual-disc capacity, includes a built-in Dolby Digital decoder, and plays High Definition Compatible Discs (HDCDs). However, other manufacturers have caught up to Toshiba's lead in the DVD player arena, producing players of equal quality and reducing the SD-2200 to a good value rather than a steal. Toshiba has taken a step backwards in the SD-2200's design by offering a joystick-style remote control that inhibits your ability to easily access menus and perform setup functions. If the presence of a built-in Dolby Digital decoder appeals to you, however, the SD-2200 is worth its weight. In addition to offering 5.1-channel audio jacks, it has optical and coaxial digital-audio outputs, as well as composite-, component-, and S-video outputs. The front array of buttons and LEDs center around the disc tray, which loads a single disc at a time. We found the tray mechanism to be somewhat flimsy and prone to breakage. The automated mechanism also makes a disturbing humming noise for several seconds as it goes through its motions. A pair of open/close buttons--labeled 1 and 2--are on the right of the disc tray. (Curiously, there are no matching open/close disc buttons on the remote control.) A pair of LEDs flanks the left side of the disc tray. With two DVDs in the machine, a red LED indicates that the first disc is in standby or play mode, while a green LED shows that a second disc is "on deck." Combined with the red power indicator, we found these lights distracting in our darkened home theater. Given the fact that the SD-2200 has a front-panel display-off switch, it seems counterproductive for Toshiba to include three brightly colored LEDs. Other front-panel operating buttons include play, pause, stop, skip, and a redundant disc select button. Unfortunately, there is no menu access button in case the remote is lost or rendered inoperable. We also wished this unit had a headphone jack. The onscreen setup display is identical to other Toshiba models. A button on the remote brings up a bar at the top of the display device that hosts icons for language, picture, audio, display, and operation. Although all of these setup functions are intuitive, the remote makes it difficult to easily access them. The remote's "joystick" is actually a small toggle button that's designed to replace the standard up/down and left/right arrow buttons on most remotes. The toggle switch is overly sensitive and, when you are moving inside a given menu, it tends to move on to the next icon or accidentally select the wrong setting. For example, in picture setup, each time we attempted to select the 16:9 aspect ratio, we inadvertently moved over to the audio menu without completing our mission. Fortunately, once we completed all our menu selections and dimmed the lights, the SD-2200 exhibited the usual high-quality sound and image we've come to expect from Toshiba. One of Toshiba's best selling points is the company's unwavering focus on accurate gray-scale levels. The company adheres to the philosophy that faithful colors begin with a video decoder's ability to produce true black and the SD-2200's image quality shows this philosophy. Dark scenes were well defined instead of murky, while bright scenes showed off the player's ability to offer good edge definition, resulting in a more three-dimensional image. We were also pleased to see that the SD-2200 showed no digital artifacts during problematic action sequences with high data compression. Plus, we loved the onscreen meter, which allows you to monitor the bit-rate allocation for a given scene. Few manufacturers compare to Toshiba when it comes to offering superb digital-to-analog audio converters. With the SD-2200, explosions punched through the air with high velocity, while ambient sound effects trickled across the room with an eerie realism. Of course, there are many factors that contribute to a home theater system's ability to immerse the audience in a bug-infested jungle setting or to plop them down in the crowded streets of New York City. However, we have found that DVD players with inferior audio components invariably fail in this regard. Unlike lesser models, Toshiba's SD-2200 brought out the best in our test system. The SD-2200 scored high on music reproduction as well. On well-recorded, standard CDs, the SD-2200 reinforced the notion that a good DVD player is more than capable of doubling up for music listening. Dynamic range--the ability to reproduce the highest highs and the lowest lows--was clear and relatively distortion free. On High Definition Compatible Discs, the SD-2200 kicked into cruise control and delivered satisfying renditions of everything from grunge guitar to slow sax. If you're impartial about HDCDs and you already have a home theater system with Dolby Digital 5.1-channel processing, Toshiba's SD-2200 probably isn't a practical choice for a DVD player. After all, there are less expensive, single-disc players without built-in decoders, as well as higher-priced machines with more features and better build quality. If you want a DVD player that's well equipped for today's audio-video formats and does all the important things right, however, the SD-2200 is a good choice. --Eric Gill Pros:
- Versatile array of audio-video outputs
- Built-in Dolby Digital decoder
- Excellent digital-to-analog audio converter
Cons:
- Build quality isn't on par with players that cost only slightly more
- Joystick-style remote makes it difficult to navigate onscreen menus
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