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Features
DVD-Audio ready.
27MHz 10-bit video DAC.
Dolby Digital decoder.
DTS decoder.
Component video outputs.
Three-D Spatialiser.
540-line horizontal resolution.
96kHz 24 bit audio DAC.
Pros
Mest vlaue DVD-Audio player on the market at present.
Cons
None
Ratings
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Distributor
Castel Electronics
Tel: 1800 800 925
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Toshiba SD-5200 DVD player
DVD Video-Audio player
Recommended retail price: $1499
(inc. GST)
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Reviewer: Richard Morgan
Toshiba invented the DVD and has been a major player in its development ever since the new technology was touted several years ago. The products emanating from its labs just keeps getting better and the new DVD-Audio ready player, the model SD-5200, is a prime example.
DVD Audio is a relatively new manipulation of the DVD (digital versatile disc) medium. It's designed to provide a high definition audio information storage and retrieval system for music and initiate the quantum leap in performance and quality in the music world as DVD-Video did in the movie arena.
The DVD-Audio medium stores more than 74 minutes of sound in one of two ways; in two channel mode at 192 kHz sampling and 24-bit quantisation, or in six channel mode at 92-kHz sampling and 24-bit quantisation. When you consider conventional CD audio uses 44.1kHz sampling and 16-bit quantisation DVD-Audio offers vastly superior performance potential.
In fact the sound quality of DVD-Audio is only rivaled by SACD (Super Audio Compact Disc), conventional storage and retrieval systems just don't cut it by comparison. The idea is to get closer to the reality of live performances, their unique ambience, ability to be emotionally involving and the sheer dynamism of hearing music 'up close and personal'.
You pay a bit of a premium for the DVD-Audio system, but I reckon it's going to be well worth it in the long run. Actually, it's not all that much extra when the new levels of potential performance are considered and in fact some would say it's damn cheap (this unit has everything and sells fo under $1500!
For good measure, compatibility with HDCD (high definition compact disc) is included. So, in all, Toshiba has made the SD-5200 compatible with DVD-Audio, DVD-Video, CD-Video, CD Music and CD-R and HDCD.
Surround sound processing facilities include built-in Dolby Digital and DTS Surround decoding and Toshiba has created a machine with decoding properties that are equal to or better than a lot of decoding facilities in mid-market AV-receivers. Plus, the unit outputs 6-channel MPEG for added flexibility.
I liked the remote handset. It's a bit larger than usual but is surprisingly easy to learn and use (I appreciated the partial illumination). The machine operates like a dream but the Spatialiser is a stop gap measure only - between a television and home theatre sound system. There are other features that'll keep many people happy for a long time.
Toshiba's has fitted the SD-5200 with its 540-line horizontal enhanced resolution. It generates additional 40 lines of horizontal resolution over conventional players but you will need a very good television to reap its performance rewards. Despite this the image quality was typically Toshiba … and that is, excellent indeed.
Video performance is top notch. The SD5200 produces rich and well detailed images with good balance and a lovely depth - whites in Snow Falling on Cedars and murky browns throughout Snatch were excellent in detail and clarity. Most importantly the player seemed to generate natural pictures that even assisted the viewability of discs that have been unfairly treated during authoring or transfer.
The company's RTD (Reflection Threshold Detection) line noise reduction system is designed to reduce video noise and leave the picture sharp and clear. I think it operates in combination with a whole bunch of other factors to contribute the outstanding
Construction quality of the SD-5200 is well up to Toshiba's high standards and while you pay a tad more for the myriad features of this machine its worth every cent. Its component video outputs are a real boon if you have the facilities and the 5.1 outputs are a welcome inclusion.
It works like a charm and simply feels great to the touch - just open and close the disc drawer and you'll understand what I mean. In fact the unit is just plain old great across the board. I like it a lot!
The SD-5200 has natural picture quality, is DVD Audio ready has functional engineering and has component video output facility and actually has a user-friendly remote. It a player with great all round performance, excellent picture reproduction capabilities and a bunch of great value added features.
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