Toshiba SD1700 DVD Player
Couldn't Be More Pleased
I was one of those people who was going to hang on to my VHS collection of movies as long as I could, trying not to be influenced by the new DVD technology. However, I couldn't put it off any longer. I first bought a cheap APEX DVD player without researching anything. With the prices of DVD's notably higher than VHS tapes, I thought it would be smart to save any place I could. BAD mistake. Within a month, I had all I could stand with layer change pauses and total lockups with the APEX. It just ruined the enjoyment of home theatre for me. So, I went on the internet to do some research on DVD players. After many hours of reading customer reviews on the most popular brands, Toshiba was undoubtably the brand of choice, and after purchasing the SD-1700, I was not disappointed.<BR>I wanted a good basic player that could make it through a movie smoothly without pauses, glitches, or lockups. Everything I have played through this machine has for once been a joy to watch. I didn't decide on a more expensive player because I'm sure an HDTV is in the future, and that will be the time to upgrade to progressive scan etc. But on my standard 52\\" bigscreen, the SD-1700 has an excellent picture utilizing the S-video connection, and offers a more movie-like look through various options, that we all enjoy. <BR>Connecting the player to my surround receiver with DD and DTS decoder, delivers digital sound that can only be surpassed by the theatre itself. The only negative thing, and it's no biggie, is that the volume level on the 1700 is a bit lower as compared to the Apex, especially with Dolby Digital 5.1, so I have had to up the volume on the receiver a bit, but DVD's which offer the DTS option, still blow you away with plenty of volume and clarity.<BR>So far, I would recommend this player as an excellent, basic, entry level machine. After putting up with the APEX, the SD-1700 really shines.