Should I retire my Toshiba SD-6200 DVD? (1 Viewer)

[Albert C]

Hello! It has been over two years since I purchased my Mitsubishi WS-65857 65" widescreen and Toshiba SD-6200 progressive scan DVD player (the hot progressive DVD player at the time). I gained valuable information here back then in making the purchase decision. I have enjoyed this system ever since.

I'd like to know if my SD-6200 is now out-of-date performance wise. I have nothing to compare it to so I am at a loss in this regard.

Would I get noticeable improvement with the much talked about Panasonic RP-82? Anyone else made this switch?

Thanks.

Albert

 

[Jack Briggs]

If the 6200 is performing as nicely as it ever did, you're doing just fine. Switching to a more recent player won't make that much of a difference, and nearly anyone—enthusiast and casual viewer alike—would be hard pressed to detect any difference in image quality. Your Toshiba player is as good as it ever was, which is very good. (A friend is still using her 6200 with a Toshiba 56H80 widescreen RPTV, and it looks simply fabulous.)

 

[Duvall]

I have relegated my 6200 to our dinky setup in the living room, as the Marantz DV8300 Universal player is residing in the big rig upstairs. The Toshiba unit has the better picture, but not by such leaps and bounds that I'm making room for it in the larger system.

I do like the convenience of the one box universal setup, but would forgo that convenience if the quality was not acceptable for both audio and video. The Marantz is meeting my expectations, though I do have a Kimber PowerKord and PSAudio P300 powering it.

See ya. Dave

 

[Dave Scarpa]

I was able to buy a 6200 for a great Price (as of then) from Obi here, I never regretted it. The performance is still excellent. And I cannot see replacing it unless it breaks.

 

[Scott Wong]

No problems with my SD-6200 either. It's excellent!
Scott.

 

[Neil Weinstock]

It's a fine player if the following all hold true:

1) you have either a widescreen TV or standard set with a proper squeeze mode. The 4:3 downconversion algorithm in the Toshiba is poor, resulting in a lot of artifacts when the DVD player performs the letterboxing. Not an issue with widescreen TVs.

2) You don't find the player combing often. The old Genesis chipset combs a lot with some poorly-mastered material, but if you don't encounter it often enough to bother you it's not an issue.

3) The chroma bug doesn't bother you.

In my case, #1 was the reason I upgraded to a new Panasonic CP-72 (plus the desire for a changer). I got #2 and #3 fixed in the bargain, though neither was a big issue for me. The downconversion in the Panasonic is not perfect either, but a definite step up from the Toshiba.

For a lot of people there's no real reason to change.

 

[Ravi Chopra]

I've also just (today) made the switch from a 6200 to a Panny RP72, and so far, no regrets.

The combing, particularly with TV-origin-material DVDs was really starting to drive me up the wall.

The Panasonic really does have a spectacular picture with no discernable combing and no chroma bug. I was concerned that it doesn't have a 4:3 aspect progressive mode like the Tohibas (I have an older Pioneer elite set that locks into full when fed a progressive signal), but I'm not bothered anymore. The interlaced picture quality from the 72 is truly spectacular.

What I don't like about the Panasonic is the lousy remote and having to scroll through several menus to switch from progressive to interlaced - it should be switchable from a single button on the remote. I'd also like to be able to set the black, white, tint, hue, and sharpness levels in the player like I could with the Toshiba.

I'll still probably get a Sage/Faroudja chipped player with Toshiba-like aspect control once the next gen players come out with that capability at a reasonable price. For now, though, Panny's players are very reasonably priced and provide a spectacular picture, even if you have to watch interlaced.

-Ravi

 

[Albert C]

I really appreciate the responces. My over two year old SD-6200 continues to pump out great movies. The chroma thing is a minor drawback (which I rarely catch) and doesn't justify a new purchase. The combing issue would be a greater concern if I viewed much video based DVDs, but my collection as all film material. Of course, some of a film's extra features video content do comb (I just realized it was a flaw from these posts and a little research). I'll put up with that for now.

I did just purchased "The Outer Limits - The Original Series" DVD set and, to my surprise, I see no combing.

Thanks!

Albert