Toshiba SD-P101S 10-Inch Portable DVD Player

I was not allowed to register this product because my phone number was not (correct)Of course it was.Whats up with this?

This dvd player works fine. The problem is if you want a spare battery you have to buy a battery pack (toshiba & their dealer do not have a description of this) for $169. They are not avail. until Nov. 2008. For the price of a spare battery you might as well buy two DVD players or buy a different brand.

I was looking forward to getting my Toshiba SD-P101S as I thought it would make a good replacement for my aging SD-P1000. I had figured in the eight years since the SD-P1000 was made, Toshiba would have enhanced and improved upon their portable DVD players.

I was wrong.

It seems as though Toshiba went backwards in terms of features and quality. I'm quite disappointed with this machine.

The good points (give me a few seconds to think of one or two): OK...the screen can be turned from side to side. Also, unlike the older machine, you can do things like fast forward without having to use the remote control. This new machine can also play many disc formats and can handle memory cards for picture viewing.

The bad points (lots to list): While the screen is listed as having a 800x480 resolution, the picture is not as sharp and clear as the older SD-P1000 (and that has a *tiny* screen). The screen has problems towards the bottom. It's hard to describe in words, but it's kind of the same light/dark discoloration you get from an LCD screen when it's got pressure
being put on it. I'd say it's a manufacturing defect, but one I imagine might be inherent to this type of device.

The sound of the external speakers is rather flat and the maximum volume is not very loud (forget about trying to hear this thing if you are in situation where you'd want a portable DVD player). It has two headphone jacks and the volume through them isn't too bad.

The older machine has both component video and S Video outputs. The SD-P101S has neither. What's more, the remote control sensor is on the cover/screen, not the front of the unit. So you need to have the screen open to use the remote control. As a result, this machine cannot really double as a regular player. (Again, a bit more forethought by the
manufacturer would have made its functionality that much better.)

The SD-P101S is also extremely LOUD when it accesses the disc. The first time I used it I thought it was broken. It sounded like gears grinding. I wouldn't recommend using this if people are trying to sleep.

To conclude, this machine seems to be a "Made in China" OEM player that Toshiba merely put its name on. The older SD-P1000 looks to have been developed by Toshiba in house (its "made in Japan" notation would support this theory). I've seen region 2 machines sold here in Japan by other manufacturers with the same design and specs.

For the price, I think you might be able to do better elsewhere. After writing this review, I think I might just get my SD-P1000 serviced and send this one back.