TOSHIBA SD-900E :

One More Time, This Time With Feeling...

Following on from our news of 24 October outlining the jewel of the new range of Toshiba DVD players, the SD-900E, here is some supplementary information that we’ve just received. We have a photo worthy of its name of the machine..

The least we can say is that given these supplementary specifications, this "Little Audiophile Prince" risks destabilising a number of competitors on the market in the realms of reference DVD players.

First and foremost, the SD-900E turns out to be quite capable of delivering a "Progressive Scan" type video signal, via its component YUV outputs, and this, on the entire gamut of PAL and NTSC signals.

This machine will thus be the first to fully satisfy the requirements of the most demanding home cinema aficionados, if we don’t count the "CINEMATRIX" upgrade of the Sony DVP-S7700, marketed, for example in France, by BOOSTER CORP. and about which we’ll be talking in the near future. This machine thus finally offers a real interest for a purchaser of a Zone Two player, able to reconstitute a non-interlaced raster signal, which is certainly going to make some waves.

A reminder that the competition disposing of the same type of technology are only, for the moment, capable of applying it to the NTSC norm, which becomes absurd when one understands that the chip utilised is quite capable of processing the PAL format... A choice which is even more incomprehensible when the latter carries the norm applied to Zone 2 discs distributed in Europe. Is this perhaps an invitation to anarchic de-zoning and the exploitation of the incredible catalogue of Zone 1 titles? The question is no doubt valid.

Consequently, for this extremely sensible decision, THANK YOU TOSHIBA!

Another interesting fact about the decidedly attractive SD-900E: the MPEG-2 converter used may function with 10 bit resolution, but this, with a sampling rate of 54 MHz (by over-sampling of the original MPEG signal). This allows the new Toshiba to rival, yet again, with the top performing machines on the market (The Sony DVP-S9000 ES among others).

The rest appears faultless, but we’ll let you judge for yourself:

SOUND SPECIFICATIONS
- CD audio and video compatible
- Compatible with audio CD-R and CD-RW
- hi-fi stereo / Dolby Pro-Logic

Digital Sound:
- PCM Linear Sound (eq. CD audio)
- Dolby Digital (AC3 5.1)
- MPEG2 Audio 5.1
- DTS 5.1
- HDCD
- Virtual "3D" Sound
- Compatible CD/DVD text


AUDIO PERFORMANCE
- Dynamic - 120 dB
- Distortion 0,0007%
- Maximum Sampling:
192 kHz - Front Left and Right Hand Channels
96 kHz - rear, central and subwoofer

- Quantification of signal : 16 / 24 bits


PICTURE SPECIFICATIONS
- Video Format: DVD and CD Video
- Plays Double-layer DVD’s
- Processing 4 :4 :4 high resolution
- 540 lines horizontal resolution
- Standards - PAL / NTSC
- Video stream - N/A 10 bits with
- over-sampling at 54Mhz
- Video Noise Reduction (DNR 3D)


INTERFACING
- Scart with video/ S-Video/ RGB selection
- Composite Video Output (cinch)
- Component Video Output (YUV) commutable in Progressive Scan mode
- S-Video (Y/C) Output
- Audio Output -cinch (G/D + 5.1)
- Coaxial Digital Audio Output
- Optic Audio Output
- High Precision Metal Plate Resistance
- Condensor: WIMA polypropylene
- High Quality Epoxy Printed Circuit
- Toroidal Transformer with digital coaxial output
- Heavy chassis and bronzed internal structure