Toshiba SD-P2900 10.2-Inch DivX Certified Portable DVD Player

Unfortunately, I bought this unit- 2 years ago. Out of the brand, new box, the unit DID NOT WORK!!! Still under warranty, I sent it back--- received a REFURBISHED one in return--- after spending the small fortune on this thing!!!

It worked for a little while--- then a year later-- after only using it about a dozen times-- it stopped working!! I did not abuse the unit, did NOT drop it, always kept it horizontal, on a flat surface, and like I mentioned only used it a dozen times, if that.

Contacted Toshiba--- they want 125. dollars to just take a look at it. Went to my local repair shop-- they said I needed a new laser assembly. They called me back-- saying Toshiba NO LONGER CARRIES THE PART!!!

I looked everywhere online... called several parts suppliers-- NO ONE HAS THIS PART!

I wonder why?? This unit is a LEMON!!! Under the law-- Toshiba must supply parts for their products beyond 2 years. This unit was manufactured in 2007!

Oh and... try calling their customer service line--- you get a run around like no other!

VERY DISAPPOINTED--- WILL NEVER BUY TOSHIBA AGAIN!

Since I specifically require a portable dvd player to watch divX files, this review is catered to that purpose.

This unit advertises divX functionality, but then completely undermines the purpose of divX with a horrible limitation. If you're not familiar with DIVX or avi files in general - the purpose is to shrink video into a small file so you can fit more movies onto the media - often at a ratio of 4:1 (even higher for animated video). This comes in handy if you've got a long drive and you can't swap disks every time your kid yells that the movie's over. A forward-thinking parent looking for a divX-capable portable dvd player might look at the P2900's specs and think it's a perfect solution for playing divx dvds. Once they got the unit, however, they would be in for a rude awakening: the p2900 does not play divX dvd disks at all. It will only play divx CD media. If you do the math - you realize that this unit completely negates the purpose of divx. This 4:1 compression technology is limited to media that is less than 1/5th the capacity of your regular disks. It won't even play divX from the SD slot. It makes you wonder why they even bothered putting divX in this unit at all. Or an SD reader for that matter.

Either way - the misleading marketing and bone-headed specs for this product forces me to limit this unit to one star. I'll revise my rating if this limitation is just for my unit (though the manual's media graph confirms that divX is only read from CDR/RW media).

Bought this to put in our SUV for the kids to view. DO NOT BUY THIS FOR VEHICLE USE! It works very poorly in the vehicle. It constantly turns off and resets itself or stops. It will only go about 4 or 5 minutes before a problem develops. On the high end, it works nice in the house and the picture is good, but so are the televisions in our house. I am sorry I purchased this item.

I love this DVD player! The picture and color are great, but I did not enjoy it for long. It worked for about a week. I had a lot of trouble when I first received it with the battery. The battery pack would not hold a charge. I wasn't happy with the customer service at Amazon. The thirty day warranty starts when you place the order. I did not receive it for 2 weeks so when I realized the battery wasn't holding a charge....Amazon would NOT help me. I really wanted the dvd player for a LONG road trip with the kids...it just did not work out!

Pro's:
The picture is good and can be formated as to the aspect ratio.
The sound is louder than just about any laptop and is loud enough to be used in a car without headphones (if not competeing with the stero).
Con's:
The software is too old to read a SD-HC card (standard SD card is fine).
I haven't found an adaquate case for the player yet. It needs a case the size of a small laptop computer to hold this large player, AC adaptor, cables, DVD's ,and seat straps.
Overall:
I'm pleased with the player enough to recomend it to anyone needing a large screen but not wanting to invest in a small laptop computer.

I have had this DVD player for about 13 months and have had no issues until the battery completely stopped charging. The moment I pull out the power cord, the DVD player completely stops. This pretty much ruins the purpose of having a portable DVD player. I called Toshiba and was told tht I would have to pay for an repairs. This battery issue seems to be a common problem with this player. If you get one without this issue, it's a pretty good player.

Just so you know, this thing only lasted 12 months before the rechargable battery stopped recharging. The unit still works if plugged into an electric outlet or car adapter, but the battery won't hold a charge. If you are looking for quality, look elsewhere - it seems like several other reviewers have had problems with this unit.

First, the good points; when I bought this player, I was very happy with it (although the buttons which looked like they were back lit when on, turned out not to be, so at night I frequently press the wrong button). The picture quality was fine for a portable and while spendy, the quality seemed to be worth it. The negatives: VERY poor sound volume unless you use the headphones. Even at top volume the dialogue is difficult to hear, especially when people carry on quiet conversations. The worst negative is that I've only had the player for 10 months and it already needs repair. The quality is worthless if the machine doesn't work.

Went for this one because of good reviews and larger screen. Have only used a half dozen times- but it does seem to make a lot of noise as it sets up to play a DVD. Lots of clanging and squeeking that makes me think it will stop playing at any moment. One DVD would not play at all- but played fine on my iMac computer later. This was a refurbished player.

This was my first portable DVD player and I love it after about 6 months of use. With the large screen, excellent picture and battery life, I don't think you can find a better portable unit. I was pleasantly surprised with the battery life. I make frequent trips to China and I can't watch movies all the way there (13+ hours, but it gets me close :) The only potential negative is that it can be a little finicky when playing some DVDs, but that hasn't presented itself as a major problem. I guess it could be perceived as being a bit bulky, but I have a separate case for it, and the large screen and long battery life make it worth it.

This player comes with a remote, which is nice, but the remote doesn't do 2 very important tasks. You can't turn the machine on or off from the remote, nor can you adjust the volume from the remote. Why, Toshiba, why? Also, this player performs very poorly after extended play times. i.e. once it gets hot it doesn't like to play smoothly. DVDs, even brand new out of the case, play really choppy and are stop and go. Lastly; the player makes terrible, almost grinding, noises when playing DVDs. These noises are sometimes so loud that you can't even hear the movie. If it were a VHS player, I would expect the tapes to come out in pieces! Not a good buy for the price I paid.

I was going on a long road trip and was really excited about buying this product. I read several of the reviews before I decided on this DVD player. The speakers are fine if you are inside watching a movie. However, if you are riding in the car it's really hard to hear the movie even if you turn the volume up all the way. Actually, I am going to send this DVD player back because the volume knob on the side of the player has a short in it. When you try to turn the volume all the way up it goes completely off. What a dud...

I liked the unit fine for the couple of months it worked, then it just stopped "spinning up" DVDs on start-up. Not worth my time. Just more disposable electronics . . . .

The DVD movies only play on a small portion of the screen. The full screen movies are only about 7 inches, and the widescreen are only about half of the screen. dissappointing.

Good product ....many pluses but one negative is that it will not take some home recorded DVD's.

My son received this player as a gift, and it's been wonderful. The screen resolution is very crisp--the sound isn't great, but since he wears earphones it's not an issue. The only thing I don't like is the way it opens. If I had chosen it myself I would have gotten one that opens up flat and could be hung on the back of a seat in the car. It's only an issue in the car, however; at home it' just fine. If that wouldn't bother you then I would highly recommend this player.

If you play a home made DVD-R the quality of the picture will be the same as less expensive players because even thought the screen is capable of higher resolution, its limited to the DVD resolution, so don't expect this player to make anything look better than the quality of the DVD its playing. I installed an SD card and after a long wait, the pictures came up and were very fuzzy. Can't recommend the slide show option on this player. The player itself seems to be of high quality and if you know the screen limitations beforehand, go ahead and get it but don't expect it to be a good photo frame. I returned mine and got the Toshiba P1900 9" player and love it, even though it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the P2900 that most people would never use.

I've owned every model Toshiba has come out with and this TOSHIBA SD-P2900 PORTABLE DVD PLAYER LCD SCREEN 10.2 is without a doubt the BEST they have come out with, and quite frankly I don't know how they are going to top it.The sound could be a little louder but I've had many people who when I eat out (everyday) have come up to me and were very impressed at the Beautiful picture it has.
It seems they know what restaurants I eat at and they all want to get the tables behind me and a couple of the owners for whom I've eaten at their restaurants for many years have had customers tell them they want the table behind me so they can get a better view. I've had them (customers) say to me where else can one enjoy lunch and a movie. This model has more features than there previous models and this model is NOT Heavy as one reviewer stated. Had they owned their first model that came out then they would know what heavy meant.This is a complete entertainment center.
If your thinking about purchasing a portable dvd player than look No further than this model!

It's the best portable DVD plyer I found; eveything else on the market is of very poor quality. I wish Toshiba would sell a unit with a higher quality LCD display.

I couldn't be happier with all aspects of this portable DVD player. I highly recommend.

Only plays Divx flavor MP4-Also has been selective about which dvd-r it likes. Same disc plays fine in Panasonic or Philips player-Not sure why.
Nice screen.

The first thing I noticed upon opening the box was that the manual was missing. After some effort, I was able to get a link to the download from Toshiba. After printing out the 88 page (!) manual, I discovered that some other items were also missing: the button battery for the remote (those things are expensive!) and two of the cables. I have returned the DVD player for a replacement from Amazon. Hopefully I will get a NEW player with all accessories included and not someone else's returned item. As for the player itself, it is ideal for our use---as an extra player at home and a travel companion for long car rides. The picture is excellent. The sound is a little tinny, but improves with headphones--2 headphone jacks make it very convenient for two people to share. The controls are easy to use. It is heavy, but again, fine for us. The remote seems useless as most often I assume one would be holding the player on one's lap, not at any distance to make a remote necessary. I would have been able to rate it higher if it had come with all of its parts.

The DVD player is very nice. HOWEVER: it came to me missing the entire recharger unit and cable. Sloppy work, Amazon! I purchased a used unit. That was a mistake. I guess Amazon/Warehouse Deals doesn't bother to look inside the boxes when items are returned to them, just send 'em back out to some unsuspecting customer. I was able to use my player for a while, but once the battery ran down, that was it. I had already contacted Warehouse Deals about the missing parts and they suggested that (1) I return the unit and reorder a new one (a hassle), or (2) they gave me a number to call to order the missing parts (the party that answered said they weren't the right place to call and gave me still another number) and the new outfit was to have ordered the correct parts which have not arrived. So here I sit with a DVD player with a dead battery and the 30-day return period has expired. This is my first experience with Amazon. It just might be my last! Don't buy a used anything from Amazon/Warehouse Deals.

After much research I ordered this player. No regrets. It's easy to use right out of the box and has amazing picture quality.

The picture is clear but the sound is terrible. I had to buy a small external speaker to go with the product. The remote control leaves a lot to be desired too. It has to be pointed directly at the right hand corner of the DVD player. The play button seems to be located in an unhandy position too. The delivery time was excellent.

I was accustomed to watching movies on my laptop but being back in school prompted me to acquire the Toshiba Portable DVD player. I bought the product and had it shipped to my home in Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. To my delight the connections worked in my vehicle, any electrical outlet available and even on my new 40" Sony Bravia TV, and don't forget that it's portable - once the battery has been charged you can watch up to two or more movies on battery power alone. My girlfriend and I are avid movie watchers and we watch movies after work. Previously accessing the movies on the laptop was a chore for her but since getting the portable player she doesn't wait for me anymore - she watches them sometime during work hours. My co-workers love it, my children love it and guess what, I love it so much I am planning to purchase another. I recommend you purchase this product. It's one of those great buys you won't regret.

Many family members have purchased portable DVD players. This is, by far, the nicest of the lot. The complaint about the battery size seems strange as we find the battery compartment to be most acceptable. If there is a complaint, it would be about the quality of audio via the speakers. This problem, however, is inherent to all portables. When connected to earphones (two output jacks), the sound quality is extremely nice. The picture quality on the 16X9 screen is better than we expected.

I purchased this DVD player six weeks ago. I selected it because of a positive comparative review. I like the 10.2" screen. If you're going to watch a 2-hour movie, it's a big improvement over the 7" and 8" screens commonly found on bargain basement DVD players. The built-in speakers aren't very impressive, and don't generate much volume, but I plug in an old pair of inexpensive lightweight headphones and the volume and sound quality are quite acceptable.

I have not found a need to swivel the screen to some unusual angle, so the lack of such a feature has not been a problem.

Picture quality seems to be very good, limited only by the quality of the disc being played. You can't expect much from DVDs you bought at the Dollar Store, ya know. A few cheapo discs which didn't perform well on this unit didn't do well on the big DVD player in the living room, either.

Navigation seems simple enough, too. The only thing that was a surprise is that plugging the headphones in does not automatically turn the speakers off. It can be done, but it's not intuitive.

I have not had the need to run it on battery power, so I can't testify to how long it will run without recharging. Likewise, weight has not been an issue as I have not taken it on any trips yet.

So far I have been pleased with this machine and do not regret purchasing it. Amazon provided next-day delivery as promised, so no complaints there, either.

I recommend this unit, the first Toshiba anything I have ever owned.

Only disappointment, is that it is noiser than I thought it should be. Extremely noisey when loading a DVD, but not bad while playing.
Minor issues. Picture is a little dark, but I have not played with any settings. Volume control is a wheel, can not adjust with remote.
Positves. I like the remote control. Large screen. Has performed very well.

I love this player. The battery runs over five hours and the picture is great on DVDs. The player lists itself as showing still photos from media cards, but they are not as clear.

It comes with lighter plug for car too. The case that is paired with it on Amazom is too tight for me, so I got a larger one.

Battery recharges in real time. So, allow about 5-6 hours to recharge.

The Toshiba 10.2 inch portable DVD player with wide screen aspect is one great player. My wife is undergoing chemo therapy and it is a big help in passing some of the long hours that chemo involves. The picture is great and the sound is excellent with ear phones. Bought the noise cancelling ear phones since it is not always quiet at the clinic. She says they really help. I did a lot of research online before deciding the purchase. Made the right decision. It is enjoyable to watch. Like a mini theater with the wider screen. Bit pricey, but worth every penny.
Tom

What a great product. I suggest good earphones if you use it on an airplane due to the excessive noise, but other than that, we love it!

Toshiba is the best in electronics! I have had 3 of their portable players. First one being SD 1400 7 inch screen, then SD 1850 8 inch screen & now the SD 2900. Each model is dependable & always gives the best picture. The 10.2 inch screen is like carrying around a tv rather than a portable device. It is the size of a laptop & will hold the stopped place on a disc when the machine is off. Battery lasts FOREVER! Went to Arizona (a 3 1/2 hour plane trip) & was able to use the battery in the airport as well as the plane without having to recharge once. A very good investment for dvd lovers.

This is a nice little unit for just watching a commercial video. The picture quality is fair and the sound quality mediocre. I sent it back because it doesn't have a USB port to connect a digital camera. When i inserted a Xd camera card, the picture quality was degraded from the quality I get from my MAC. So for kids or people just wanting to watch a video on the go, it works fine. Don't buy it for showing off your own videos though.

Great picture and features. Battery lasts forever. Volume without headphones needs a boost.

I have progressed through several evolutions of portable DVD players. This unit provides the features that I have come to expect in quality DVD players. The most important feature: restart from shutdown while viewing a DVD it returns to the exact moment of the video where it was shutdown.
Controls are easy to use. It could use a digital volume control but the manual wheel control is quite serviceable. The card slot allows me to view my digital stills and videos from my camera. Quite a boon for reducing devices needed when travelling abroad. Battery life is also well rated, I have yet to run out of battery power while viewing multiple 1 hr episodes of my DVD series I watch while on commuting flights.

This portable DVD player is the best. I looked at a lot of different portable DVD players, and am so glad I decided on this model. It's fantastic!

I read about it and thought this was the best. I bought it because it could read DivX files from an SD card which was crucial rather than burning CDs and DVDs all the time. it's a great player with terrific battery life (~5 hrs of DVD playing, I haven't tested with just DivX, but I suspect would be longer).
The screen is bright and sharp, but sometimes, the backgrounds look a little washed out--my only complaint. The remote control is nice and places for 2 headsets. I haven't tried it on a plane yet, but it may require an amplifier booster--particularly for DivX files as it may not be loud enough.
I've never owned another portable DVD player but this one is terrific (and beats using my laptop and draining its battery life on flights). My daughter loves it. Highly recommended ---especially if your'e going to use the card reading function.

A quick visit to Toshiba's site will reveal that the "list price" of this player is $299. It's a nice product, but why the need to inflate the list?

Been a Toshiba Portable DVD fan for a number of years. In fact my Toshiba SD-P2600 is still in good working condition!. My next purchase was the SD-P2800 and than finally the incredible SD-P2900 10.2" player. All the Toshiba portables are a good investment!. This latest portable has it all for me: outstanding screen resolution (almost HD quality picture), nice large screen size, speaker fidelity not bad. Plays movie where you left off. The one thing that is truly apparent for me is the detail in the picture quality. Being a 50's sci-fi movie collector I notice detail and contrast I have never seen before from viewing these old movies!!!. To me this says alot. O well one cannot go wrong with this unit.

If you want a player with a large screen, don't be surprised if the player is large. It's about two inches less deep and 2 inches less wide than a small laptop, and about the same thickness with the battery attached. It has a fantastic picture - very bright and amazing color and contrast - and an incredible battery life. To test the battery life, I played the same movie, with two headphones plugged in, at a sufficient volume level. The player lasted 7 full hours! I didn't buy it to read memory cards, but it's definitely a nice plus. It has full picture adjustments, including color, a great remote, a very nice on-screen display, a non-glare screen and a sharp look. Of course, the speakers are all but worthless, but that is what I have found on all other players I was looking at. Also, it will remember the last scene you were watching on the LAST FIVE DISCS. So you can turn off the player and not lose where you were. I am very happy with my purchase. I think you would be hard pressed to find anything similar that had the same quality and functionality.

Bought this product for the additional memory card reader so we could play photos from our camera. The unit reads the memory cards just fine and the picture quality is great, but the sort order for the pictures is odd. Its not by filename or any obvious date (created, taken, etc). If you want to make a slideshow, this doesn't work because even when you number the pictures they will not be in order! The player does have a programmable playlist, but it is incredibly slow and awkward to order and resets when you turn off the machine. I assume this ordering problem will be the same for movies and music stored on a memory card. Beware.

With an almost HD screen resolution this unit is a pleasure to watch.
No other portable unit has this magnificant picture quality. My only reservation is that there is not a last memory resume feature. .The program will resume at the point where is was stopped , but will resume at a point of earlier stoppage , not at the last stop point. This is not the way it should be. Five stars if "last memory" worked the way it should.