V592 vs. V593... what's the story?  

Because of the copy protection rules neither player will upgrade over component. Both players are made by different OEM suppliers for Toshiba. The V592 is made by LG and there is a new firmware upgrade for it. The 593 seems like a much cheaper player and does not have the same processor as the 592. It is made in Thailand for Toshiba by an OEM manufacturer and seems like low quality.

The V593 is made for Toshiba by Orion. Big difference in quality between the two.

The 593 uses the cheap Zoran chip while the 592 uses the faroudja chip. See story below about Orion. They make the TV's Dvd players and VCR's

Here's what I know that Toshiba never wants you to ever know in your whole life, but I am throwing out Toshiba's television production secret to the public:

All Toshiba CRT televisions that are 30" or smaller (26HL84 and 30HL84, for example) are not made by Toshiba, but made by Orion Electric Co. in Thailand. All parts, including the TV tube, are assembled by Orion. Orion is the OEM maker for many Toshiba CRT televisions we have in our market today. Whatever Toshiba asks for the exterior design and features for its CRT televisions, Orion is glad to produce and supply Toshiba for its televisions within its specifications. Toshiba has already stopped producing its own smaller-screen CRT televisions since 2000 and some larger-screen CRT televisions since 2002. Although very very few people have heard of Orion, Orion is actually more a generic brand producing low-end products to the market. Orion currently produces electronic products under the Orion, Durabrand, Memorex, Sansui, and Broksonic brand, but majority of what Orion produce is under the Toshiba brand. Orion Electric Co. is originally a Japanese company, but it moved all its plant and operations to Thailand more than a decade ago, so it now feels more like a Thai company than Japanese. Unfortunately, Orion does not make the most reliable TV on Earth. Every products that Orion make are pretty much average reliability. They are not the worst and certainly not the best.

On the other hand, any Toshiba CRT televisions that are 32" or larger (34HL84 and 34HLX84, for example) are actually made by Toshiba in USA, not Orion. These are the real Toshiba sets with real reliability, feel, and quality, and probably will last you for more than 10 years. Model 30HL83 was also made by Toshiba.

I wrote this post, but there is a change here:

Beginning in 2005, Toshiba no longer manufactures any CRT televisions. All Toshiba CRT televisions, regardless of what size and price, are now made by Orion for Toshiba.

Oh, by the way, the model numbers are supposed to be HF, not HL.

The difference...

SD-V592 was made by LG Electronics in Indonesia. SD-V593 is made by Orion in Thailand.

As some of you will know, I had to send my sd- v592 back for warranty which Toshiba replaced with an "upgraded" v593. I would say that Toshiba deserves some recognition for replacing the unit just outside of their stupidly short 90 day warranty but not for the "upgrade".

I am very disappointed with the v593 when compared with the v592. This is not an upgraded unit at all and in my amature opinion, the upscaling on this unit sucks. After some comparing, the Panasonic AE700U that I'm using for display, does a better job of upscaling.

I did my research when I bought the v592 and despite some relatively small short-comings, the picture quality was very good. Toshiba has traded my good upscaling DVD player with a piece of low end crap and I feel ripped off.

Some might say, "be thankful you got anything", however a namebrand DVD player should last more than 90 days. I think of my dad's reel to reel player built before I was born with a million moving parts that is still working today. Toshiba is unreasonable to offer less than a year on modern electronics.

With respect to the v593, the only upgrades that I see are the added function that they have put on the remote control (HDMI resolution) and the card reader. The card reader is clunky to use and slide shows are pretty lame on so it is no great reason to buy. It will also stretch photos so they look bad if you don't adjust the aspect and will not rotate photos.

I will be attempting to get a v592 back in place of this unit. Wish me luck. :o

S.

The 592 with the new firmware is a good machine. The 593 is something else. Don't accept the 593 as a replacement for the 592.

To my suprise, after explaining my disatisfaction with the upgrade to the v593, the CSR "found" a v592 and are exchanging it! :) Now to check the firmware when it arrives. Has anyone written down the button sequence?

Toshiba just offered me the same "upgrade" for my malfunctioning v592. I pleaded with them to send me the same model but they claim they don't have any. I warned them that I will post my experience if this v593 isn't as good and their response was "that's fair". I guess I have to go through with the exchange in order to convince them I don't want the v593.