Toshiba SD4200 Digital Progressive Scan DVD Player
My less-than-enthusiastic review is based on what my expectations for the player were, not on its actual performance.
I needed a cheap DVD player to go with a cheap TV I have that only takes S-Video input. So I bought this Toshiba SD4200 DVD player specifically because, at least at the time of purchase, both Amazon and the Toshiba website indicated that it had S-Video output. When it arrived, however, I discovered it did not (only component and RCA). A Toshiba rep confirmed the website error and apologized. To compensate, I had to buy an RCA to S-Video adapter, which luckily only cost about $10.
Unfortunately, this was not my only disappointment. The image of the player on both Amazon and Toshiba would lead you to believe that the display includes track timing, when really the only thing that shows is the track number. Given that track timing and S-Video were the ONLY requirements I had in mind before buying a DVD player, I was rather irked to discover this. Another strange feature I’ve never seen before is the lack of track buttons on the player itself; you can only skip between tracks using the remote control. I should have noticed this before buying, since it’s right there in the pictures, but it just didn’t occur to me. This is only a minor annoyance, but it’s still something that probably would have led me to purchase a different player, especially given the large number of available options.
These problems could all have been avoided had I looked at the actual user manual from Toshiba online, which gave proper information and images. So I’ve learned to check the manual before buying electronics online, rather than just rely on basic information from the vendor and/or the manufacturer.
As for the performance of the player, thus far I’ve not had any trouble with either CDs or DVDs (about two months of use). Overall, with the RCA/S-Video adapter in place I’ve grown content with the unit. I’ve had good experience with two other Toshiba products (portable hard drive, portable DVD player) and therefore anticipate this one will also wear well.