Toshiba SD-3990 Owner's Thread

[jvgillow]

Didn't see a thread created yet so I figured I would start one in case anybody was looking for information.

I picked up this unit for DivX playback and as a backup unit to my Sony DVD player. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was able to handle my DivX 5 files with AC3 audio and passed Dolby Digital properly through the digital coax connection. There was no stuttering at all during DivX playback and fast-forward is allowed to let you search for a certain segment (since there are no chapters). I did not try any movies with subtitles yet but I read online that it places them in the middle of the screen.

The front display sorta sucks, with only 4 LCD digits, but then again this is a bargain player so at least it has something there. They are large and readable from a distance which is good IMO. The unit itself is thin and lightweight so if you've got heavy cables you might need to place a weight on top of the player to keep it from sliding backward.

DVD playback looked fine for the short amount of testing that I did, but there aren't any advanced adjustments aside from brightness and contrast. You can disable the digital output if desired to use just the stereo analog output, and it offers DRC on/off and PCM/bitstream selection. Best of all, response to commands is snappy as is typical of Toshiba. I've used a couple Samsung DVD players and was always disappointed with the delay between button press and command execution.

Progressive/interlaced for component output can be triggered on-the-fly from the remote control and although the user's manual doesn't recommend it, I was able to get simultaneous progressive component output and interlaced composite output. For some reason interlaced s-video output would not function if component video was enabled so my Sony has it beat in that regard. This model does require you to connect via composite video first for menu setup, then you can enable s-video/component output.

[kevin44]

Great timing I was just about to start a thread on this player. I am looking for a divx player that can fast forward quicker than my Philips 642. The 642 only goes to 8x which is pretty slow. Also I was wondering if this player had any problems reading any media. Thanks.

[jvgillow]

The 3990 will fast-forward in DivX up to 100x. It only shows about 1 frame per second at that speed but it's enough to figure out roughly where you are. The file browser lets you select the movie file you want to watch, in case the disc has more than one movie.

As far as media goes, it read my Sony DVD-R discs fine. I don't have any RW or + media to test though.

I tried out the MP3 capability today and it will read off CD or DVD media. The filename browser is limited to 16 characters for folders and files, but once you start playing music it scrolls the full track, artist, etc information at the bottom of the screen.

[kevin44]

Thank you Jeremy. I think I will pick one up and give it a try.

[noears]

Just bought one of these tonight to replace a broken Onyko (old 6 disc DVD changer that served me well).

So far so good. Its cheap, and works with Ritek DVD-Rs. Haven't tried DivX on CD or DVD yet.

I didn't get it to play a HDCD with my HK630 yet. It does show the HDCD logo on the DVD player menu with a HDCD in the player though. So not sure what its not getting passed to the AVR (I did try both PCM and Bitstream modes on the digital out).

Anyone try a region hack with this player yet?

[noears]

Update:
DivX works great and its nice to FF at 100X. Also, even though the manual only mentions playing DivX off CD-Rs, the player will play them off DVD-Rs which is a nice bonus.

Watched goldmember last night and picture quality is great.

One thing I'm disappointed in is the players ability to read scratched discs. I had read this player and Toshiba in general was one of the best at reading scratched discs, but so far I am not impressed. My old Onkyo DV-606 (which used a Toshiba DVD transport) did far better.

EDIT: It also plays DivX (and DVD) off DVD-RWs too.

[CountZer0]

I just purchased the Toshiba SD-3990 solely for its ability to play DIVX movies. It works great with AVI/DIVX files on a CD-R (Maxell), but get a "Bad Disc" error when I try to write multiple or even a single AVI/DIVX file onto a DVD-R (Maxell). I tried two different buring progs with the same results - I tried to write it as a data DVD disc.

Is there something I am doing wrong? Those of you who have DIVX files working with DVD-Rs: what brand of DVD-R are you using? What burning prog? What format? Any special settings?

I even tried to burn the DVD-R as a (large format) CD-R, but the prog would not let me.

Progs: Sonic Burn Now v. 7 & Nero Burning ROM 7

Thanks for any help!
CountZer0

[brennser]

so I bought one of these about 2 months ago and things have been so hectic I haven't had a chance to use it much

so I'm watching Battlestar Galactica on DVD tonight and theres a horrible green tinge everywhere, mainly affecting human skin

is this a DVD issue or a TV issue? (I have a 42" Panny plasma and the HD picture is fine as was the picture using the old DVD player)?

Thanks

[jvgillow]

Sounds like a player issue. Check all of your cable connections if you are using component.

[PalosPat]

My Toshiba DVD player, the SD-3990 punked out after only 14 months. It had the same problem everyone noted about the SD-3980 model which I understand Toshiba replaces, it suddenly stopped playing discs -- all discs!

It's my own fault! I swore off Toshiba after having 2 TV's in the 70's punk out after 3 and 4 years with the exact same problem, a common one according to the repair guy. It was the '90s and I don't remember the models but they were not cheap. Anyway, I wanted a reasonably priced DVX player, so I let down my guard and spent $49 at K-Mart and thought it would be ok. So much for that! I had the receipt, so I called Toshiba today after reading on the internet about how they were replacing the SD-3980 for the same problem. The lady asked a few questions and then made me a "special exchange offer" on a FD-4100. I could get it for $34 plus shipping. Wow!

14 months with a player that just stops working and they try to sell me a special deal!! The lady was very nice and said she didn't blame me for saying "You must be kidding!?" At least there is now a mass market manufacturer who provides trained grievance counselors when their products suck. Very nice touch!