|
|
To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu
-------------------------------------------------------------- This story was printed from ZDNet Australia. --------------------------------------------------------------
|
DVD anywhere with SD-P1000 September 16, 2001 URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/coolgear/electronics/soa/DVD-anywhere-with-SD-P1000/0,139023382,120107451,00.htm
No other portable DVD player produces as awesome a picture as does the Toshiba SD-P1000. Comparing any other portable DVD's image with that of the SD-P1000 is like comparing an inkjet photocopy of Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" to the real thing. Thanks to the SD-P1000's progressive scan technology, scan lines are eliminated -- and with them the eye strain-induced headache that results from staring for two hours at a screen that's just 60 cms from your face. While its picture is fabulous, the SD-P1000's portable ergonomics are less so. It's as if the designers said, "Let's give 'em a picture that'll knock their eyes out. Then, after we've knocked out their eyes, they won't be able to tell that the rest of the unit isn't so state-of-the-art." Features:
The SD-P1000 can function as a portable DVD player, as a home progressive-scan DVD player, and as an external DVD-ROM drive. You'll need the optional ATAPI card if you want to hook it up to your PC or laptop. With the exception of progressive-scan technology and the smaller screen size, the SD-P1000's features are similar to those of most other cutting-edge players, such the Panasonic DVD-LV75 (2000 etown.com portable DVD Product of the Year) and the Pioneer PDV-LC10 and PDV-LC20, the company's brand-new, upgraded model. With a battery that lasts just a hair over two hours, the SD-P1000 also has considerably less juice than these other units. However, unlike most DVD players -- of any kind, home or portable -- the SD-P1000 can play back CD-Rs and CD-RWs. Connectivity
Just about every possible connection is included. There's a component cable for hookup to progressive-scan or standard (interlaced) TVs, plus a simple coaxial cable to pipe the Dolby Digital/DTS/PCM bitstream to an A/V receiver. The SD-P1000 also has a set of A/V inputs, so you can use the LCD (liquid crystal display) as a monitor for external sources. Although Toshiba provides an ATAPI cable, you must purchase an (optional) ATAPI adaptor card if you want to use the SD-P1000 as a DVD-ROM drive for your PC or laptop. Look & Feel With its iMac-like turquoise design accents, the SD-P1000 is an attractive player, albeit one that's above the norm in terms of weight and thickness. As noted, there are ergonomic problems. The biggest one is the disc-open mechanism, which is electronic rather than mechanical. That means you must first turn on the power so that you can open the lid to insert or remove a disc. Powering up simply to change a disc is annoying, especially if you're on the road and you want to conserve battery power. There are no fast-forward/rewind/scan, chapter skip or display buttons on the main unit, so you'll need the remote control (which is sized for home use, not portable) to access these common functions. Needing a remote control for travel is ridiculous given that you're usually within arm's reach of the player and, therefore, of the controls. The lithium-ion battery pack is shaped like a sausage. It hooks onto the rear of the player, an arrangement found (and since abandoned) on early generation Panasonic models, such as the DVD-L50, and on the current Aiwa XD-DW1. Today's units have much slicker-looking battery packs. Unfortunately, the battery didn't sit as securely on my test unit as it should have. I often had to reset the battery to make sure its contacts were secure so that it could recharge properly. The battery has to be attached to the player to be recharged, which also is awkward. Performance In a word: spectacular. The picture is almost indescribable -- but I'll try. The film-like image on the SD-P1000's LCD is thick, almost 3D, and as crisp and crystalline as a professional glamour photograph. The picture also is unusually bright; it shines even in sunlight. There is no flicker and hardly any motion artifacts. "Toy Story" looked like a grainy, faded cartoon on another portable DVD player with a 7inch screen. On the Toshiba, though, you are in Andy's bedroom, flying to infinity and beyond with Buzz and Woody. You're standing alongside hack actor Jason Nesmith as he gapes with wonder at the solar system from the deck of the NSEA Protector in "Galaxy Quest." You don't have to use the line doubler of your mind in a vain attempt to reconstruct the life-like image that you remember from the theater. You are further absorbed into the film by the synthetic Spatializer surround sound produced for headphones, a standard feature on current DVD portables. For some reason, the SD-P1000 had some trouble with black-and-white films, especially noir. While the images from both the rescued "Touch of Evil" and the restored "The Third Man" shone like true silver-screen classics, there was a bit more motion artifacting (a digital flicker visible on solid surfaces, such as walls or car hoods, particularly when the camera moved) than I expected. Still, this slight flaw is certainly preferable to the images from the portable DVD alternatives. Other than the adjustable black level, there are no picture controls of any kind. To me, that's a good thing, because I wasn't even tempted to tinker with the picture. Arguably the best thing about the progressive-scan picture is the lack of that subliminal interlace flickering that, after watching a two-hour film on a screen that's barely an arm's length from your face, can tire your eyes and can lead to a headache. This advantage is not something you'd notice until someone asks if sitting so close to the SD-P1000's screen makes your eyes ache -- and you realise it doesn't. The lithium-ion battery is rated at 140 minutes, or just enough to squeeze in your average two-hour movie. That's not nearly as much punch as the three-plus-hour batteries on most 7inch, non-progressive models. Like many portable DVD players, the SD-P1000's bottom gets too warm to rest on your lap for more than an hour or so. Be sure to take a magazine for insulation if you plan on lap watching. When hooked into a home theatre system, the SD-P1000 performs as well as all but the best progressive-scan DVD players. Its resolution is a solid 480 lines, as measured on the "Video Essentials" test DVD. It passes the blacker-than-black PLUGE pattern. Moroever, thanks in part to 3:2 pull-down, the Snell & Wilcox Zone Plate pattern, which is designed to reveal artifacts caused by complex motion, is very clean. It is, however, a tad busier on the Toshiba's LCD than on the RCA F38310. A comparison between the SD-P1000 and the excellent Pioneer DV-37 when playing "Starship Troopers" showed the Pioneer to be slightly sharper and more saturated colour-wise, but let me stress the word "slightly." Please note: At this stage this product is only available in Japan and the US. For any further information regarding this product please contact Toshiba directly or by visting theire website. Toshiba Product Information:SD-P1000 On-Line Stores in the USA:Etailers
Copyright © 2009 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All Rights Reserved. |
