Gadget Reviews: Toshiba SDP93S

Product summary

The good: Large 9-inch screen with 800x480-pixel resolution; SD card slot; MP3, WMA; DivX playback; decent speaker performance.

The bad: No USB port; included remote is a tad large.

The bottom line: A high-res 9-inch screen, solid battery life, SD card slot, and DivX playback make this portable DVD player easy to recommend.

Specifications: DVD type: DVD player ; Form factor: Portable ; Sound output mode: Stereo

Price range: $154.95 - $202.12 check prices

Reviewed by:
Jeff Bakalar
Reviewed on: 08/04/2009
Released on: 03/15/2009

The last Toshiba portable DVD player we looked at--the SD-P71S--didn't do enough to impress us. Its file playback was limited to just JPEG, MP3, and WMA files and we were less than pleased with its picture quality. With the SDP93S, Toshiba has redesigned its portable DVD player, and for the better.

The SDP93S has a very modern, smooth white plastic encasing with a black frame surrounding the screen. Among the recent players we've tested, it's by far the best-looking design out there. Weighing in about 2.4 pounds, it's not the lightest player we've seen, but you shouldn't have any issues brining it around with you.

The impressive 9-inch screen bests most of the players we've seen recently, with most of the help coming from the high-resolution 800x480-pixel screen. The screen itself can swivel around and fold back on the base of the player in order to become a handheld device.

DVD playback functionality is spread evenly across the bottom of the screen, giving you access to most of the player's options. We definitely preferred this layout over the Sony DVP-FX930 touch buttons. The included remote has a nice design; we just wish it were a bit tinier.

On the right side of the player, you'll find two headphone jacks along with an AV in and out port. Toshiba includes breakout composite cables that can function as input or output wires. Also bundled is a cigarette lighter adapter for charging it on the go.

Its battery performed well. On a four-hour charge, we netted about five and a half hours of nonstop playback, though this number will probably change depending on what you use the device for.

We tested the SDP93S with Jonathan Coulton's live DVD "Best. Concert. Ever." and was impressed with the overall picture quality especially since the movie mostly takes place in a poorly lit venue hall. If we had to rank the player's picture quality among those we've recently looked at, it would fall in a close second place behind the Sony DVP-FX930. While most portable DVD player speakers leave much to be desired, the SDP93S was tolerable.

On the left side of the player, you'll find the SD card slot that can read MP3 and WMA audio files along with most DivX movie files. We should note that DRM-protected DivX files will not work on the player. That aside, we were impressed with the onboard interface and had no problem playing various files off our SD card. All of the files can also be played from a recordable DVD-R or CD-R disc as well though photo files are limited to CD-Rs.

The addition of an SD card slot really extends the usability of the player.

Overall, we were impressed with the new offering from Toshiba. Its feature set is among the best out there and it's available online for as low as $160. For that price, there isn't another current portable DVD player out there that we'd recommend over the SDP93S.