Toshiba Sd-3990 Divx Pal/ntsc DVD Player

Used it very lightly, only for DVDs outside our region, but it still died in less than a year. We keep getting the message "no disc."

This is the second all region player I have owned. This one worked fine for over a year and then the picture began to stutter. My last one had this problem too only it went out much earlier after I bought it. If you read reviews of all region players it seems many of them from all companies often don't work for long periods. I now have to go on to another one as this one no longer does subtitles as well. I had a phillips before so I am hestitant to buy one of those again either. So I would say if one of these becomes available try a different model.

It's an excellent dvd player that will play almost any format - my only complaint is the time it takes to start up and load a movie. I also read most of the complaints about it not lasting more than 6 months but I have not experienced any issues and I've had it for more than a year now. Best value!

I purchased this unit about a year ago because I was in serious need of a DVD player that could play non-American DVDs. A number of my favorite movies and TV shows aren't available in the American, Region 1 format, and some movies that are available here aren't sold domestically in widescreen. After a year, I can honestly say this player gets the job done well.

The unit has no difficulty playing any DVD I've thrown at it, be it Region 2 or 4. It comes ready, right out of the box, to play any format. It plays any domestic DVDs just fine, as well. For years prior to this, I've more or less been forced to rely on a lackluster DVD player built into my television that suffered from glitches on a rather constant basis. This player is a massive improvement for me, and material I view in the player very rarely skips or glitches. And if it ever does, it's usually just an issue with the disc. The unit is also Divx and DVD-R compatible, which only contributes to the unit's overall usefulness. The remote included is easy to use as well. But the best part? This comes at a low price. You get all these different format compatibilities for a price that is actually LOWER than a lot of domestic-only players on the market.

The unit has a few minor flaws, and it's not quite a five-star player. My big issue, and this honestly probably won't even matter to most of you potential buyers, is that the LCD only lists the DVD chapters, and not the time the disc has been running for. I myself like to keep track of how long I've been watching a movie or a feature on a DVD, as this comes in handy for the movie reviews I write. Additionally, the fast forward/rewind speeds you can do are 2, 8, 30, and 100. Seriously, when are you EVER going to have to speed up at at 100X? That's why DVDs have chapter selections. One other little issue is that the player is lighter than it looks. Not a big deal in most cases, but I don't have a lot of space in my bedroom. I can't put it under my TV because it could crush it, but if I put it on top, due to the TV not being perfectly flat on top, it could easily fall off (I temporarily solved this issue by taping it to the top of the TV, though.) But don't let these little issues steer you away!

Overall I give this player my recommendation. It's cheap, and above all, it's effective. If you're scouting out multi-region DVD players, this one gets the job done and then some.

Thumbs up

It worked fine, played all formats but lasted only 6 months, now I have to look for a new DVD player.

Just like most of the other 1-stars this machine died after 11 months. A machine this relatively simple should work for many years without problems. Cheap price became expensive lesson. Do not buy this!

My husband and I moved to the US from the UK and needed to find a DVD which played our region 1 & 2 DVDs. This product does that and it is very inexpensive. Highly recommend.

i bought this dvd player december 20th,2006.sometimes dvd skipps,
but it was fine until today which is the end of december 2007.
if i try to buy dvd player,i was hoping to last more than 2years.
it didn't happened.after using 1year and i had to buy another dvd player,
this is not good.don't buy this one.

After 1 year of use I can put it in the garbage! It first started to give error message "Bad" and then "no".
Toshiba has had this pb with other DVD players but does not want to exchange it...

I have to agree with the numerous negative reviews of this player, all having to do with short lifespan. I have been extremely disappointed with Toshiba products lately - this dvd player, returned a laptop, etc. I now feel bad about recommending Toshiba to friends based on experience from years ago when Toshiba was at the top of their game. Anyway, this was a great player for one year, then it died. It really kind of boggles me because basic DVD players have matured, and you should be able to buy anything off the rack and it should just work for years. Toshiba has cost me some money because I now have to shell out another $70-90 for some other machine.

This is a very good DVD player, very good quality, multiregion support and good funcionalities. Great deal for its price. However, it does not last very long: I had it for less than a year and it does not read DVDs anymore.

Toshiba US will only replace Region 1 Players so if it goes wrong they will not assist you.

This model DVD player, whether hacked for all region play or not, has some serious durability issues; take a look at the reviews for the SD-3990 elsewhere on the site and you'll see that an alarming number of reviewers found that the unit failed within six months. Mine packed up after seven months of light use; the laser array failed, meaning that it could not read any disc at all, and the part could not be replaced because Toshiba doesn't make spare parts for this model. That should tell you that this is a cheap player manufactured in the expectation that it will fail in short order. Not really acceptable for a company of Toshiba's standing.

Sure, it worked fine for a while, but don't buy this model unless you're happy to take a 50-50 that it'll break within six months. You could ship it back to Toshiba, but aside from the cost and inconvenience, when I did that I got a different model that was not all region. So all of my UK DVDs are now worthless. Steer clear unless you want to buy a disposable DVD player.

I have had this player for about a year. It has worked like a champ! I am SO pleased! I order Region 2-coded DVDs all the time off the 'net, in order to get videos from Europe that are not available here in the U.S., and it works beautifully! I don't know why others have had such a problem. I LOVE my machine! And I am NOT technologically inclined! Just pop the disc in the machine, and it works spectacularly. I am very grateful to have this lovely little machine!

Pamela, Age 60

This was a warrantee replacement for another Toshiba DVD player, which also died young.
Toshiba sent a new one at no charge, but I had to ship the defective one back. That cost about $20.00.
I'll just put this one in the trash and save some money. Toshiba was good stuff at one time but now based on this experience, it's JUNK.

Sure it is great, when it works. We've had problems with this product sporatically since purchase. Now, 5 months after purchase it is incapable of loading a DVD altogether. It looks like other customers are having the same problems. With almost $50 in shipping, this DVD player cost us more than $20 a month for it's life.

I got this from Sears for $59.99 and it failed just outside the warranty period (which is 90 days). When I put a DVD in it says loading and then "no" - which means it can't read the disc.

We watch maybe three or four DVD's a week and I am truly disappointed with the purchase. The machine was easy to use with a good remote control and is also slim (which is a nice feature). I was hoping to have this for a few years but it is not going to happen.

this dvd player stopped working shortly after purchase and there was no warranty nor reimbursement!!!!!! please do not buy it!!!!!

I have many DVD's from Zone 1 and 2 - all are played seamlessly and without problems errors and other interruptions.
I play burned CDs and DVDs in various audio and video formats with no problems at all.

I'm seriously thinking of buying another one for my other TV.

This is my third Toshiba DVD and so far I was always pleased with their products that work well and just last and last

This Region Free DVD player was a great purchase for the price. Simply plugged it in, followed the same wire connections that were used on the DVD player that was being replaced, sat back and have enjoyed watching all of my locally purchased and UK purchased DVD's without any problems what so ever. If you're looking for a basic, simple Region Free DVD player without a mess load of bells and whistles I highly recommend this model.

A life saver. Played our burned out-of-region DVDs and others that wouldn't play on any of our other options. Glad we got it!

I had an American-system Toshiba DVD player, so I just took the connecting cords out of that and put them in this multi-region player, and it was good to go. So far, it's played American and British DVDs perfectly.

I purchased this DVD player on top of my existing VCR/DVD combo to play my many British (PAL) DVDs. It attached easily to my very unsophisticated TV Set, and played my British DVDs instantly. Like the look - thin and lightweight - and the remote is also nicely designed in my opinion.

This is a steal for anyone considering purchasing a multizone dvd player. The only problem is that you will need a later model TV for better compatibility.

This unit was so easy to set-up. Basically it is plug & play. I have British imports that play well on this unit. The picture is sharp & clear. I have no complaints!

At last, a multi-zone player that really delivers, and with no fuss and bother. Connection was a simple plug and play exercise and I now play from my collection of DVD's from Regions 1,2, and 3 without even checking to see where they are from. Picture quality and other features are all first-class.

We spent some time researching options, and after discovering that our local Best Buy doesn't seem to sell the multi-region dvd players anymore, we opted for this machine.

We have had it for 2 1/2 months and use it several times a week, using Region 1 and Region 2 dvds, as well as using it as a CD player. We have had no problems, and are completely satisfied with this unit.

For three months this DVD player worked fine. It's made by Toshiba but modified by a 3rd party - in this case, Northstar Electronics. They modify it so it will play all regions. In the first 90 days we used the player about a dozen times when it suddenly ceased to operate for no reason whatsoever. I tried to use it one afternoon and it just wouldn't work anymore. The player turns on, and the drawer can be opened and closed, but otherwise it will not play any disc from any region, nor will it play CDs. After some research I discovered that faulty modifications often result in this kind of problem with a player. I cannot recommend this product or Northstar Electronics. I suggest spending more and getting a player that has not been modified in-house, but instead was manufactured specifically to play multiple region DVDs.

This dvd player works great. It does everything everybody claimed it would do. No complaints.

Generally, this is a good player. My only problem with it is horizontal motion. On some Region 2 discs, I've found that there is a slight stuttering or jerkiness during horizontal motion. It doesn't show up all the time and it's more evident on some discs than others. Also, it doesn't output component video straight out the box. I had to hook it up composite and then change some menus to get it to output component. The component output is much superior.

As an english person living in america i cant watch my region 2 dvds but now i can, also expand my american dvd collection. i can also use this dvd player in england. Also not having to change the region manually is a god send. Awsome product. A must buy!

I wanted to get some Pal DVD's and this was the most reasonable DVD player I found available. It was very easy to install with a s cable and it plays perfectly. I would have given it 5 stars except that I had to purchase the s cable separately but for less than $80..00 that was a small problem.

I looked through several stores for a multi-region DVD player and only got blank stares; I feared the worst. I looked onto Amazon and got an excellent machine for an excellent price, it plays everything I put into it with out missing a beat...I am quite satisfied!

It is cheap, small, gives a great picture and shows multi-region dvds. So is great!

If you are looking for a solid Region Free (aka, Multi region) DVD player then this choice is a great one. Sleek desgin, no hassle setup and great features contribute to this wonderful package. There is no need to enter any code to enable the region-free capabilites, they are native out of the box. So if you are tired of being told how to play movies you own buy this little guy. It might cost more then other models but in my experience, with DVD players, you get what you pay for.

Unit arrived defective, wouldn't play any of my DVD's. Plus design and construction is very cheap compared to my current player. Will choose a Pioneer unit as a replacement.

I bought this product to use with many movies I bought here and movies I bring from my country. This DVD player can play all of my movies. Thanks a lot.

Bought this as a second player for my kids' German DVDs. Very sleek design. Light-weight, easy to move, takes up little space. Have not "played with" any extra functions (not even the remote), just plugged it in (no programming necessary)and watched DVDs since. Very good picture quality; you cannot tell that they are PAL movies. 4 (instead of 5) stars simply because of the flimsy tray. Would give 4 1/2 pts if possible.

This DVD player worked right out of box just as they said it would. I poped a region 2 DVD into it and it played it. I did have to set some settings in the menu for my setup as you would with any player first,but it's a great player. Excellent picture quality.

Excellent - worked perfectly right out the box. For the first time I'm able to play region 2 DVDs!

The only and a little grave problem with this product is that there is no search by scene with a region free dvd You have to fast forward through the whole thing in order to find what you are looking for. Overall, it was a great purchase and maybe I could have searched more for one that had this feature. Still, I am happy with my region free dvd player. Thanks

I have now joined the real world of music. Felt like I was a idiot for not realizing they were available in the US. If you like European metal or music like I do this is the deal for you. Now I can play all the PAL dvd's that were not released NTSC. The player works great and I have no complaints besides the fact it's a single disc player, but for $80 or whatever I paid I'm very satisfied.

To say that I am very happy with the Toshiba Sd-3990 DVD player is a big understatement; this is a great product! I am not really a "hi-tech" kind of guy so I have been putting off buying a "region free" DVD player for a while now, but my collection of foreign DVD's had been growing steadily and I had no way to watch them, I most definitely needed to make this purchase. What I got with the Toshiba Sd-3990 was a player with great picture and sound quality and it plays everything that I have thrown at it so far including European, Japanese, Hong Kong and Australian DVD's and home made DVD-R's too. If that wasn't enough setup was easy and fast (even I could hook it up in under 5 minutes!) and it also has pretty straightforward controls. The only complaints, and they seem minor at that, are the display, which only shows you the chapter but not the time. Also the DVD tray seems a little on the flimsy side, but knowing this up front and taking just a little extra care it shouldn't really be a problem for anyone. All in all the Toshiba Sd-3990 is a great little player for anyone wanting a DVD player that can play just about anything thrown at it and is also easy to use and affordable too!

I bought this unit. It promised me it plays any region. But I had a simple region 2 DVD from England, it and it didn't recognize. I contacted Toshiba's joke of a customer service desk by email and they gave me a lame excuse that since it is marketed in America, it won't play other regions.

False advertising. The Toshiba SD-3990 is just an expensive DVD player. Save your money and buy something else.

It works great. I can watch my dvd's from England no problem. Well worth the money. I got it two days after I ordered, very fast delivery.

I wish I could reveive this, but it never arrived and the shipper has done nothing to find it or send me another one. This is terrible service. Since they are on your site, and I sent the money to you, I think you are obligated to intervene on my behalf. Either refund my money and I'll go elsewhere or have them send me a replacement. They should insure their mail or at least be willing to trace it to see where it went. This stinks.

We are very pleased with the Toshiba Multi Region Code Free Multi Zone DVD player! It is easy to install and easy to operate. The slim line makes it easily fit in spaces that are already crowded with audio/visual items.
The quality is wonderful and we highly recommend it if you are searching for such an item.

Just browsing through these reviews, I tend to notice that they seem staged or sort of insincere. I click on the reviews and the majority of the authors have never written another review besides this one... only like 5 of the 34 reviewers have written another review, and of those few half of the reviews were negative.

Maybe I'm being a little paranoid here but I for one am not going to trust these reviews. I'm picturing a scandelous little company doing shoddy modifications to the players and then setting up a bunch of email addresses to write glowing reviews with.

I could be wrong though... just really look at these reviews and judge for yourself.

The Toshiba Sd-3990 is a product that delivers what it describes - I play my DVDs from regions 1 and 2 without any problems. It's easy to operate, reliable and thus far without any glitches.

This is an excellent product. It provides a crystal clear picture and maintains that quality regardless of the region of the DVD. If you are looking for a good, basic DVD player for your region 0-6 DVD's you will not be disappointed.