Toshiba SD-3205 5-Disc DVD Player

• 5-disc carousel plays DVD's and CD's
• Dolby Digital decoding
• Dolby Digital and DTS output
• HDCD decoding
• Optical and coaxial-digital audio output

Load her up with music, and this beauty goes on auto-pilot for a whole night. It even automatically detects and decodes High Definition Compatible Discs (HDCD) for added enjoyment when you're listening through the stereo jacks. You can also program it to play favorite tracks from the onboard music discs, do a random play of the loaded lot, and even add or swap out as many as four other discs on the turntable while one remains in play.

DVD changing is a little stickier. With several DVDs installed, this changer went through the motions of ejecting one and starting up the next before we had a chance to load a new title. Most of the time, we had to enter some commands on the remote to get the next feature going.

Rather than trying to load one DVD while another is still in play, a better idea might be to preload a music CD into the changer along with the first DVD. That way the music title will start up automatically when the feature film ends, to keep the atmosphere charged while you're chatting with the gang about the movie you've all just watched.

There is a lot to like about this DVD/CD player. Video performance is quite good, which is to be expected from Toshiba, one of the DVD format's primary architects. You can expect realistic-looking color tones and strong blacks. The picture looked especially clear and crisp through the S-video and component (interlaced) outputs. Naturally, you'll need to have a TV display with S-video or component inputs to enjoy the advantages these formats bring.

Sound is full-bodied from a wide variety of sources. For example, you can tap into both optical and coaxial outputs that carry the pure digital version of the soundtrack for decoding through your audio-video receiver.

A pair of analog jacks carry conventional stereo signals and encoded Dolby Pro-Logic surround tracks. The analog audio jacks also distribute specially decoded versions of stereo discs mastered with the higher-resolution HDCD process. (As a point of reference, HDCD used to be available only in CD players selling for three times the price of this model.) That same stereo pair can also deliver a more encompassing, got-you-surrounded sound from just two speakers when you click on the Spatializer circuit.

In addition, the SD-3205 boasts six (5.1-channel) output jacks for exporting the Dolby Digital soundtrack, which the SD-3205 has already decoded internally. This output set matches perfectly with an inexpensive Dolby Digital-ready receiver.

It should be pointed out, however, that this changer does not internally decode the less-popular Digital Theater Systems (DTS) surround format. To enjoy films and concert discs with DTS, you'll need to get a more elaborate receiver with its own DTS (and Dolby Digital) decoding.

Front-panel controls are minimalist, but the remote control is an absolute pleasure and well laid out. We especially liked the true, four-directional joystick for getting around a DVD's increasingly deep menu of viewing choices. (Those commentary tracks, popping up on an increasing number of special-edition DVDs of late, are a lot of fun to call up the second time you watch a movie.) Once you've landed on a menu selection, just pressing down on the joystick's button top is all that's needed to issue an "enter" command, expediting the order.

There were a couple of minor annoyances that we learned to live with. For one thing, the SD-3205 has a peculiar habit of not letting go of a just-played-disc. When the tray drawer is open and you tap the stop button, then either of the disc-skip buttons (in forward or reverse direction), nothing happens. To get a previously played disc out, we had to first close the drawer, then press stop or one of the other disc select buttons. Then, and only then would the stashed disc be released.

Disc-position numbering on the tray is also illogical. The numbers are embossed in the black plastic material close to the center of the tray, in the shadows, rather than at the perimeter. This makes reading the slot position difficult unless you've got a light shining down directly on the platter.

Aside from these annoyances, the SD-3205 is a worthy entertainer. You can expect good audio-video performance and a lot of flexibility for a modest price.

Pros:

• 5-disc DVD/CD capacity
• First-rate joystick remote
• Full array of outputs for your video and audio needs
• Solid image and audio performance

Cons:

• Extracting discs is difficult
• Slot position numbers are hard to read
• Doesn't play CD-R or CD-RW discs