Tosh SD3900 [ Region Free ] discussion
06-19-03, 10:20 AM
#51
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Because the Cyberhome is a dreadful player
I actually picked up the Toshiba 3900 at Target based on the reviews here, basically because it's a brand name player that I thought I'd use as my new "primary" player due to its region free "capability." As a side note, however, I found out the hardware inside is actually pretty skimpy for a brand name (it's manufactured in China like all of these "low cost" machines), so I'm not even sure it's so much of an upgrade from the Cyberhome or Norcent (talk about an "inflated price for a chipped player").
I also completely disagree that it's "not a pain in the ass" in terms of getting international discs to play. After a few days of testing, the 3900 gave me problems on several R2 PAL discs *and* one R3 disc. Two of the PAL discs didn't play AT ALL (as echoed by others here in the forum), and the R3 disc took several menu combinations to work. Sure was quite a chore that no other region-free machine necessitates that I've seen.
For $100 -- and if you're buying it for region free -- I didn't think it was worth it at all, so I returned it. I would go with the Cyberhome or Norcent, at a fraction of the cost and with far more compatability from a region free standpoint.
06-19-03, 11:48 AM
#52
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I've got to wonder what discs you've been playing then,
HockeyMan2000.
I have both the 500 and 3900. I've had the 500 since December as well. Both are hooked up to a Sony Wega via component cables. Here is my experience with the 500:
-Can't do black, at best does a dark gray.
-Doesn't keep accurate color levels. I used it to calibrate my TV with Avia. Put in another disc to watch, and everyone looked sunburnt. Put the Avia disc back in, lo and behold, the color was off again. Tried various tests like with this and the player would randomly change color output.
-Automatically plays subtitles on certain DVDs, most notably all Vista Series discs.
-Locks at the beginning of older Anchor Bay titles during the logo screen.
-Very slow response to remote and front panel buttons.
-Stuttered playback and shows subtitles after being paused longer than a minute on any disc.
-Overly soft picture.
-Washed out picture.
This is just off the top of my head. The 500 is a decent player for the $60 I paid for it, and it does remarkable anamorphic PAL conversion. It's a good region free player for the money with an easy hack.
However, the 3900 has none of those problems at all. It's PQ is far beyond that of the 500. Yeah, the 3900 can be a bear at times as a region free player, but that's the only advantage the 500 has over it. Everything else being equal, the 500 is definitely not as good as the 3900 in most regards to playback quality.
Here's a thread on many of the discs the CH 500 won't play:
http://www.nerd-out.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26295
HockeyMan2000.
I have both the 500 and 3900. I've had the 500 since December as well. Both are hooked up to a Sony Wega via component cables. Here is my experience with the 500:
-Can't do black, at best does a dark gray.
-Doesn't keep accurate color levels. I used it to calibrate my TV with Avia. Put in another disc to watch, and everyone looked sunburnt. Put the Avia disc back in, lo and behold, the color was off again. Tried various tests like with this and the player would randomly change color output.
-Automatically plays subtitles on certain DVDs, most notably all Vista Series discs.
-Locks at the beginning of older Anchor Bay titles during the logo screen.
-Very slow response to remote and front panel buttons.
-Stuttered playback and shows subtitles after being paused longer than a minute on any disc.
-Overly soft picture.
-Washed out picture.
This is just off the top of my head. The 500 is a decent player for the $60 I paid for it, and it does remarkable anamorphic PAL conversion. It's a good region free player for the money with an easy hack.
However, the 3900 has none of those problems at all. It's PQ is far beyond that of the 500. Yeah, the 3900 can be a bear at times as a region free player, but that's the only advantage the 500 has over it. Everything else being equal, the 500 is definitely not as good as the 3900 in most regards to playback quality.
Here's a thread on many of the discs the CH 500 won't play:
http://www.nerd-out.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26295
06-19-03, 05:51 PM
#53
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Yeah, the 3900 can be a bear at times as a region free player, but that's the only advantage the 500 has over it.
Well, this forum is about international discs and the ability to play them, is it not? What I said was -- in terms of region free, I'd take the Cyberhome over the Toshiba.
As far as the PQ goes, to each his own. I'm running composite as well and wasn't blown away by the Toshiba nearly as much as you were -- at least not enough to keep it at 2X the price of the Cyberhome. I agree the Cyberhome has its quirks, but having to turn subtitles off on Buena Vista discs is nowhere as much of a pain as spending several minutes futilely pressing the Toshiba remote trying to get a PAL disc to play.
Again, this is from the region free angle here. I don't agree that the Toshiba is worth $50 more when it won't even play half of the R2 PAL discs I own.
Well, this forum is about international discs and the ability to play them, is it not? What I said was -- in terms of region free, I'd take the Cyberhome over the Toshiba.
As far as the PQ goes, to each his own. I'm running composite as well and wasn't blown away by the Toshiba nearly as much as you were -- at least not enough to keep it at 2X the price of the Cyberhome. I agree the Cyberhome has its quirks, but having to turn subtitles off on Buena Vista discs is nowhere as much of a pain as spending several minutes futilely pressing the Toshiba remote trying to get a PAL disc to play.
Again, this is from the region free angle here. I don't agree that the Toshiba is worth $50 more when it won't even play half of the R2 PAL discs I own.
06-19-03, 08:28 PM
#54
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Yes, in the beginning, there was the Toshiba 3900 and it took several minutes pressing buttons to get a very few discs to play. But after the learning curve is over, which now is very short thanks to the help of forums like this, it only takes at most several seconds to play any disc in my collection.
I don't own and have never used a Cyberhome player, but I have read enough to be convinced that if you have a quality TV and are using component cables, the Toshiba will be a big improvement over the Cyberhome as far as PQ is concerned. Well worth the extra $50 for anyone with a larger size TV and component inputs. I have also looked at the Cyberhome units several times and the build quality does not seem to be even close to the quality of the Toshiba's, or even my Malata N996 for that matter.
For someone with a smaller TV and S-Video or composite inputs, the Cyberhome would probably be the way to go, if it can be picked up for $50 less than the Toshiba. But if the difference is only $20 or $30, I would recommend the Toshiba over the Cyberhome to anyone. That's only the cost of 1 DVD!!
Oh, by the way, I have already seen the 3900 discounted to $79.99 for an open box unit at Best Buy, with all accessories included.
If only the Toshiba had the X/Y scaling feature of the Malatas I would be in foreign DVD heaven.
I don't own and have never used a Cyberhome player, but I have read enough to be convinced that if you have a quality TV and are using component cables, the Toshiba will be a big improvement over the Cyberhome as far as PQ is concerned. Well worth the extra $50 for anyone with a larger size TV and component inputs. I have also looked at the Cyberhome units several times and the build quality does not seem to be even close to the quality of the Toshiba's, or even my Malata N996 for that matter.
For someone with a smaller TV and S-Video or composite inputs, the Cyberhome would probably be the way to go, if it can be picked up for $50 less than the Toshiba. But if the difference is only $20 or $30, I would recommend the Toshiba over the Cyberhome to anyone. That's only the cost of 1 DVD!!
Oh, by the way, I have already seen the 3900 discounted to $79.99 for an open box unit at Best Buy, with all accessories included.
If only the Toshiba had the X/Y scaling feature of the Malatas I would be in foreign DVD heaven.
06-19-03, 09:04 PM
#55
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Originally posted by mapson
Sounds like the PAL discs are the "problem" discs. How does the NTSC discs from other regions fare on this Toshiba?
Sounds like the PAL discs are the "problem" discs. How does the NTSC discs from other regions fare on this Toshiba?
I have had no problems at all playing Region 3 NTSC discs. In many cases, the Region 3 discs loaded up on their own with no need to press any button combination.
06-20-03, 08:50 AM
#56
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Originally posted by HockeyMan2000
Well, this forum is about international discs and the ability to play them, is it not? .....
As far as the PQ goes, to each his own. I'm running composite as well and wasn't blown away by the Toshiba nearly as much as you were...
Well, this forum is about international discs and the ability to play them, is it not? .....
As far as the PQ goes, to each his own. I'm running composite as well and wasn't blown away by the Toshiba nearly as much as you were...
Also, note that I said I was using component not a composite connection. If you're using a composite connection you probably wouldn't notice that much of a difference in picture quality. Component is leaps and bounds above composite, and the CH 500's PQ with component leaves something to be desired.
Like I said before, the CH 500 is a decent player. Just don't be fooled into thinking it's the best player on the market. At it's price point it may have been a couple of months ago, but not anymore.
Last edited by renaldow; 06-20-03 at 08:54 AM.
06-20-03, 09:14 AM
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And yes, this forum is about international discs and the ability to play them. The 3900 plays them at a much higher quality than the CH 500.
I can perform the 5 button presses and have the disc playing on the 3900 quicker than it takes the CH 500 to recognize, load, and then respond to the DVD and remote commands.
Also, note that I said I was using component not a composite connection. If you're using a composite connection you probably wouldn't notice that much of a difference in picture quality.
Like I said before, the CH 500 is a decent player. Just don't be fooled into thinking it's the best player on the market. At it's price point it may have been a couple of months ago, but not anymore.
But the fact that it doesn't play every disc -- I think that's a big issue if you're buying a lot of R2 PAL titles that many folks do here on the forum. That's not just my isolated experience, it seems to be a problem for most who've used the 3900 and play a lot of R2 European titles.
06-21-03, 01:10 AM
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Anybody looking for more information on the 3900, the July/August 2003 issue of DVD ETC. that just came out has a rave review. They give it a rating of 97. The highly touted Denon DVD2900 only gets a 95 in the same issue. Of course, price factors into the ratings, thus the higher rating for the Toshiba at a list price of $149 over the Denon at a list price of $999.
The reviewer also does a direct comparison between the Toshiba and a much more expensive Intregra Research DPS 8.3 and the Intregra only beats the Toshiba by a "subtle" amount for picture quality. In conclusion, the reviewer says, "At $149, quite frankly, I am amazed at how good the picture quality is."
The reviewer also does a direct comparison between the Toshiba and a much more expensive Intregra Research DPS 8.3 and the Intregra only beats the Toshiba by a "subtle" amount for picture quality. In conclusion, the reviewer says, "At $149, quite frankly, I am amazed at how good the picture quality is."
06-21-03, 02:21 AM
#59
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Well I tried my Toshiba 3900 out today for the first time. I finally got my 28 days later dvd.
I thought the picture was fine on my HDTV.
Strange thing is that the movie froze at the end of chapter 28 or the start of 29 and refused to go past that point. I finally got it to go past that point only by advancing quickly to the last chapter then going back to right before it froze. I also was not able to get to the menu at first. However after doing this and watching the end of the movie i was able to get to the menu and watch the deleted scenes and other special features.
Maybe I did something wrong the first time although it did play fine till then
I used the menu 1 play hack.
I thought the picture was fine on my HDTV.
Strange thing is that the movie froze at the end of chapter 28 or the start of 29 and refused to go past that point. I finally got it to go past that point only by advancing quickly to the last chapter then going back to right before it froze. I also was not able to get to the menu at first. However after doing this and watching the end of the movie i was able to get to the menu and watch the deleted scenes and other special features.
Maybe I did something wrong the first time although it did play fine till then
I used the menu 1 play hack.
06-21-03, 10:14 AM
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Maybe the Cyberhome CH 500 "plays" every non region 1 disc with greater ease than the SD 3900, but I've got a list of discs several dozen high that the CH 500 plays with bad pixellation (MOST UK Carlton discs some French discs) or VERY choppy motion (as if some frames go by faster & then some slower in a random sequence), NONE of which affects the SD 3900. And that's leaving the unstable colors and red push out of it.
The Malatas have different strengths and weaknesses (and greater playback flexibility), but don't necessarily offer better pure video quality in my opinion. And they also involve considerably more outlay of cash.
Perhaps part of the adventure of playing non region 1 here is the may be no single solution to the player that plays everything and does everything. I have a Malata hooked up to my 16:9 tv because of the x-y scaling and flexible zoom functions. I now have the SD 3900 hooked up to my 4:3 Sony XBR and find that's great for 4:3. The CH 500 is now in the bedroom is just fine for that set up. Hey, I'm just glad to retire the Apex AD-600 finally!
The Malatas have different strengths and weaknesses (and greater playback flexibility), but don't necessarily offer better pure video quality in my opinion. And they also involve considerably more outlay of cash.
Perhaps part of the adventure of playing non region 1 here is the may be no single solution to the player that plays everything and does everything. I have a Malata hooked up to my 16:9 tv because of the x-y scaling and flexible zoom functions. I now have the SD 3900 hooked up to my 4:3 Sony XBR and find that's great for 4:3. The CH 500 is now in the bedroom is just fine for that set up. Hey, I'm just glad to retire the Apex AD-600 finally!
06-21-03, 01:00 PM
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Originally posted by gcribbs
Well I tried my Toshiba 3900 out today for the first time. I finally got my 28 days later dvd.
I thought the picture was fine on my HDTV.
Strange thing is that the movie froze at the end of chapter 28 or the start of 29 and refused to go past that point. I finally got it to go past that point only by advancing quickly to the last chapter then going back to right before it froze. I also was not able to get to the menu at first. However after doing this and watching the end of the movie i was able to get to the menu and watch the deleted scenes and other special features.
Maybe I did something wrong the first time although it did play fine till then
I used the menu 1 play hack.
Well I tried my Toshiba 3900 out today for the first time. I finally got my 28 days later dvd.
I thought the picture was fine on my HDTV.
Strange thing is that the movie froze at the end of chapter 28 or the start of 29 and refused to go past that point. I finally got it to go past that point only by advancing quickly to the last chapter then going back to right before it froze. I also was not able to get to the menu at first. However after doing this and watching the end of the movie i was able to get to the menu and watch the deleted scenes and other special features.
Maybe I did something wrong the first time although it did play fine till then
I used the menu 1 play hack.
06-21-03, 04:44 PM
#62
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My thanks to everyone that contributed to this thread because it made me so curious about the Toshiba SD3900 that today I went out and purchased. I was so anxious to find out for myself if this was comparable to my other DVD players including the Malata N996 that I immediately installed it and guess what..... OUTSTANDING, simply OUTSTANDING. Without even remembering the instructions provided by renaldow and others, I was able to easily get all of my "test" dvd's to play. I tested various regions, PAL and non-PAL. Everything worked. So far so good what a bargain! so, thanks renaldo and all the other folks that took the time to create awareness of the product!!!!
I can't wait to get my "28 Days Later" DVD to enjoy on the SD3900.
I can't wait to get my "28 Days Later" DVD to enjoy on the SD3900.
06-21-03, 05:02 PM
#63
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Originally posted by Furious
It's probably a dud disc. I have the same film and had no freezing issues. You may want to try giving the disc a quick clean and see if that remedies the problem.
It's probably a dud disc. I have the same film and had no freezing issues. You may want to try giving the disc a quick clean and see if that remedies the problem.
Ok tried it again. This time without even cleaning the disc it worked fine this time. The last time it went right to the movie instead of the menu. This time it went to the menu first then it played right thru to the end. I wonder if it did not work right the first time because i did the hack wrong.
Last edited by gcribbs; 06-21-03 at 07:49 PM.
06-21-03, 11:25 PM
#64
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Well, it took me three stores to locate a 3900 in stock but I found one. Great find, right now it is a slight pain to enter the codes each time but I expect it to be second nature in time.
I had read about several other players that can be made region free such as the Memorex, RCA, and Philips but this Toshiba seems to have the most followers so that's the one I gambled on.
Thanks to everyone's contributions!!
I had read about several other players that can be made region free such as the Memorex, RCA, and Philips but this Toshiba seems to have the most followers so that's the one I gambled on.
Thanks to everyone's contributions!!
06-23-03, 09:24 AM
#65
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**edited because i looked up the answer to my own question**
Last edited by kefrank; 06-23-03 at 09:39 AM.
06-24-03, 01:48 PM
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Toshiba: 3900 Flash Gordon: no forced subs!
Halt Lizard Man!
Last night I popped in my french Region 2 Flash Gordon and sure enough like I have read on this site (and others) the french sub-titles appeared when I chose the 5.1 English track. I knew it would happen and they were not that annoying but I'm stubborn.
So, I tried a few procedures (mostly what I read on this forum) but to no avail. The movie continues on and I'm really enjoying the hell out of it...it has been a long time...anyway, here is where it gets good: I press the set up button (while the movie is playing) and I am in the PLAYER set up menu. Although subtitles are off I click on it anyway and press play....the french subs are still there...I should stop, right? Nope, I did the same thing 2 more times (a total of 3) and on the third try I pressed play and the movie came on...with no sub-titles. Just the glorious 5.1 english track! At exactly 10:00 minutes into the movie. I watched the rest of the film with no problems but with about approximately 10 minutes to go I fell asleep and woke up this morning on the couch...I had to get ready for work so I was not able to repeat the process but I will when I return home tonight...I will probably watch it again!
A
Last night I popped in my french Region 2 Flash Gordon and sure enough like I have read on this site (and others) the french sub-titles appeared when I chose the 5.1 English track. I knew it would happen and they were not that annoying but I'm stubborn.
So, I tried a few procedures (mostly what I read on this forum) but to no avail. The movie continues on and I'm really enjoying the hell out of it...it has been a long time...anyway, here is where it gets good: I press the set up button (while the movie is playing) and I am in the PLAYER set up menu. Although subtitles are off I click on it anyway and press play....the french subs are still there...I should stop, right? Nope, I did the same thing 2 more times (a total of 3) and on the third try I pressed play and the movie came on...with no sub-titles. Just the glorious 5.1 english track! At exactly 10:00 minutes into the movie. I watched the rest of the film with no problems but with about approximately 10 minutes to go I fell asleep and woke up this morning on the couch...I had to get ready for work so I was not able to repeat the process but I will when I return home tonight...I will probably watch it again!
A
06-24-03, 05:25 PM
#67
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Originally posted by HockeyMan2000
Well it'd be great if it played EVERY disc, but there are plenty of R2 PAL discs many of us have failed to play at all on the Toshiba, regardless of the "learning curve." I do think that's a major problem..
But the fact that it doesn't play every disc -- I think that's a big issue if you're buying a lot of R2 PAL titles that many folks do here on the forum. That's not just my isolated experience, it seems to be a problem for most who've used the 3900 and play a lot of R2 European titles.
Well it'd be great if it played EVERY disc, but there are plenty of R2 PAL discs many of us have failed to play at all on the Toshiba, regardless of the "learning curve." I do think that's a major problem..
But the fact that it doesn't play every disc -- I think that's a big issue if you're buying a lot of R2 PAL titles that many folks do here on the forum. That's not just my isolated experience, it seems to be a problem for most who've used the 3900 and play a lot of R2 European titles.
Keep in mind that the CH 500 can't play many R1 titles, which I find to be an even bigger problem. Yes, this is the international forum and we are discussing the merits of region free players, but c'mon... I live in R1, and the bottom line is that I'd like a DVD player to be able to at least play all of my R1 discs, something the CH 500 is unable to do.
When I first got the CH 500 I was one of it's most vocal supporters. But after using it for a few months the inadequacies and inabilities of the player started to show through. I would definitely reccomend the CH 500 to someone wanting an inexpensive secondary player for region free movies, but with it's quirks and unpredictablity I can't say it should be used as a main player by anybody.
Maybe you don't mind the schizophrenic color destabilizations or having to turn off the subtitles when the CH 500 automatically turns them on, or the fact that on some R1 discs it just locks right up at the logo screen because it has difficulties decoding dolby digital sound streams. To me though, the occasional [menu] [1] [play] [display] [display] is much easier to live with.
06-25-03, 01:08 AM
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I tried it again once I got home from work and found a much easier method:
Press play...while the movie is playing press Set Up button (this takes you to the DVD player set up menu...scroll down to the Disc Subtitle option and click on Original...press Play...movie resumes but with french subtitles still on...now press set up button again...choose Disc Subtitle...now click OFF...press PLAY...subtitles should be gone...
I hope this works for everyone...this movie looks and sounds great!
A
Press play...while the movie is playing press Set Up button (this takes you to the DVD player set up menu...scroll down to the Disc Subtitle option and click on Original...press Play...movie resumes but with french subtitles still on...now press set up button again...choose Disc Subtitle...now click OFF...press PLAY...subtitles should be gone...
I hope this works for everyone...this movie looks and sounds great!
A
06-25-03, 04:55 PM
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Finally got rid of mine as well by pressing the set up menu, then stop, selecting no subs repeatedly and then used the "T" button to access the start of the movie. Voila, no subs.
