Toshiba SD-1600 DVD Player
Withheld the test of time!
I am usually hesitant about rating optical laser equipment because one day they work fine and then the next day they'll break on you. I have to say though, I have had this particular DVD player for over a year now and it is performing like the day I bought it. I have friends that have purchased more expensive brands and models and have seen them constantly having to replace them because they break down. Not this puppy! I intend to watch 100s more movies with this until I'm ready to move up to a progressive scan DVD player. Importantly, this DVD player for this price has Composite Colorstream outputs which provide superb resolution and clarity. Yes, this model does not have an optical output, but it does have DTS/Dolby digital composite output. In terms of video, S-video is less than Colorstream, but in terms of audio, composite is equivalent to optical. One eensy weensy detail though...when watching dual layer DVDs, there is a slight pause on the change up. I don't really care because they usually put the change up right at a scene change. Also, the remote is a little busy with the buttons and not backlit. Other than that, this DVD is a solid winner!