Rating: 
Summary: Great Value, Top Notch Performance
Review: As most of the reviews indicate, this is a very good DVD player at a bargain price. I auditioned players from Samsung and Panasonic in the same price range. Although both of those brands performed adequately, each was deficient in at least one critical area. The Samsung had a tendency to randomly skip over seconds worth of movie; this was true of every DVD disc I played in the two-day period, ranging from recent sci-fi (Lost In Space) to an old classic (Casablanca). The Panasonic was considerably more in price, had more features on paper, but it's performance was not up to the task. Although it had no problem playing the discs, the video quality was not as impressive as even the cheaper Samsung. In addition, at least one of the remote functions seemed to not work (VSS, to enable the virtual surround sound feature). Finally, in order to change settings you have to locate the proper icon (which are almost as intuitive as ancient hieroglyphics) from a series of display menus. Those items not accessible from the display menu have to be accessed through an "action" button. So finally to the Toshiba. I went to Amazon to read customer reviews, and noted that this Toshiba was both the top seller, and also garnered the most positive reviews. Satisfied that this component had potential, I went to a local Best Buy and asked the sales person his recommendation. Without hesitation he recommended the Toshiba for it's top performance at a very reasonable cost. While there are other models out there with seemingly more bells and whistles, this unit will play movies flawlessly, and has the most useful features for the average consumer. Finally, Toshiba has a reputation for designing and manufacturing top-notch home electronic components. This DVD player is no exception to that rule, and furthers Toshiba's reputation as a leader in home audio/video components. The only slight I can find with this model is the size of the remote buttons; for the average male, the buttons are much too small and close together. But once you get past that small inconvenience you appreciate how good this player really is.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Performer - Great Buy
Review: The other reviewers are correct, the buttons on the remote are pretty small. I was concerned with this but it is a very minor problem. On the plus side, after looking at several brands, Toshiba and Sony stood out. I went with the Toshiba because it offers ZOOM capability in my price range. Sometimes letter-box format is just plain annoying (I have "The Matrix" which is extremely wide and tiny even on a 32" TV). Toshiba fixes this little problem by allowing 4 zoom settings from normal wide-screen to 4:3 cropped that we are used to with normal videos. I've had this unit since mid-June 2000 and it has performed flawlessly. The picture quality is fantastic, the menus are easy to use and it has provided good value. The only drawback is the lack of fiber optic audio output (it uses coax only; make sure your audio system supports this interface; most do). Some have rated this box a good "starter" unit. I'm not sure exactly what that means but I won't need another DVD player any time soon.
Rating: 
Summary: Rob
Review: This player had good picture quality and sound, however, the unit boke just over a year after purchase. The picture still works but the audio no longer comes through. It is going to cost $150 to repaire and the warranty just ran out. Needless to say I will not purchase a toshiba as my next player.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Good DVD Player. Well Worth The Price.
Review: I made the mistake of purchasing a Samsung player, which basically died within 2 months. While doing research for a replacement, I noticed that lots of people had wonderful things to say about the Toshiba brands. So I decided to purchase one and hope for the best. Well I've got nothing but good things to say. This little player is really light, but don't let that fool you. It has played all my DVDs with perfection, and hasn't failed me yet. The picture is wonderful, and the sound is pretty good as well. A couple of my discs that would freeze or skip on the Samsung player, work just fine on the Toshiba. That was when I realized that I made a good choice. I love the on-screen setup menus, which allow you to see the picture on the movie that you're watching while adjusting the settings. It's a nice little drop down menu from the top of the screen, with very nice icons that are easy to understand. Other players (*cough* Samsung *cough*) just blank out the picture while the setup menu takes up the entire screen. You can imagine how frustrating it can be when going back and forth repeatedly from the picture and setup screen, while fine tuning the settings. Many people complain about the remote control that comes with this player, but I don't really have a problem with it. Any remote that doesn't use that annoying little joystick is alright with me. Actually, Toshiba has a SD-1600 model, which, I believe are exclusive to wholesale club type stores. It's basically the same as this SD-1200 model, but with a better remote control. Try to find that model if the remote is really an issue for you, or just pick up a universal remote right here on Amazon for a few bucks. This is good player to buy if you're new to DVD, or are looking to add a low-cost reliable system to another room in your home. Toshiba is known for great picture and sound, so you can't go wrong with them. As an added bonus, they've got a good warranty for it. It's good to know that I can get my player repaired for free at a local Toshiba certified service center if anything happens.
Rating: 
Summary: solid performer
Review: I have been reading lots of reviews before I purchased this DVD player a month ago. I agree with most of them - it's a great player and I do recommend it. However, I cannot comment on other players, like those from Sony or Pioneer etc. I wonder how people who purchase one product can say that other ones are not as good as this one. Back to SD 1200. Good panel, great performance, horrible remote. I would recommend to either use remote that came with TV or receiver, or purchase universal remote. You will be frustrated trying to zoom, pause etc. in the dark. Nearly impossible! Rows and rows of same size tiny buttons; Pause button is not even next to Play. I noticed that Sony has by far the best remotes on their DVD players. I purchased Toshiba because I had very good experience with their products so far. Bottom line: 4 stars for great performance and unacceptable remote.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent entry level player
Review: I've had this player for a month, and this is an excellent machine considering the price. In fact, within its price range, I would rate it at 5 stars. Pros: low price, handles both Dolby Digital and DTS, has both component and S-video outputs, plays even "difficult" discs like The Matrix without any problems, excellent audio and video quality. Cons: remote is not as intuitive as it could be, the only digital audio out is coax (no optical output) so make sure your receiver can accommodate a coax input (or willing to buy one that can), can't play CD-R discs, S-video and coax digital cables not included, menu access only from remote. For a DVD player under $300, the SD1200 is unbeatable.
Rating:
Summary: Over 2 1/2 years old and still plays like new!
Review: I bought the SD1200 over 2 1/2 yeaers ago and was immediatly impressed with both the picture and sound quality of this unit. The ColorStream output is spectacular when using component video cables. When hooked up to my home theatre system with an Onkyo receiver, the digital 5.1 and DTS modes are simply awesome. This DVD player has played 99.9% of all disks Ive put into it error free. My only complaints are the lack on an optical output and the small buttons on the remote. If not for these minor issues I would have given it a 5 star rating! As far as durabilaty, my player has for sure played at least 500 dvd's, and still performs as good as the day I bought it. I paid around [$$$] for this player back in 2000, but to get it now for [$$] is just too sweet!
Rating: 
Summary: Lemon
Review: I ordered my Toshiba SD 1200 in August of 2000. It was broken out of the box. After 6 weeks of waiting, I got it back and it never quite worked properly after that. Nothing you could take it back for -- it was quirky and unreliable, deciding on one day that it could not handle layer changes, on others that it would not read a disk that it read fine the previous day. Well, last night when I ejected a disk, it literally flew out of the tray, still spinning. Now the unit won't do a thing except sit there. The warranty has expired, of course. I will never buy a Toshiba product again. If nothing else, they have quality control issues.
Rating: 
Summary: Affordable, but lacks good user ergonomics
Review: The principal point I wish I'd heard before buying this generally excellent player: You can't play most DVD's without the remote. So if you've misplaced the remote, no movie. Most of us just put in the disc and hit play, so one more button (enter) on the player would have made such a difference in convenience. The mentioned remote is itself poorly designed. The buttons are all small and black and mostly rectangular, poorly revealed by a flat dark surface and even smaller type, whereas most remotes now are multicolored and contoured for comfort. The DVD's response time to commands is only OK. The single biggest factor in our choice was price, and it plays DVD's fine and hasn't broken in a year. But for a modicum of effort and minuscule cost Toshiba could have made the player much more pleasurable to use. If necessary, I would spend an extra [money] to alleviate these noted concerns.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Connect Through VCR
Review: Some useful advice I'll give to all DVD player owners is to connect your DVD player directly to your TV and not through your VCR. I was initially disappointed by a picture that fades to dark, brightens, then repeats this cycle. However, I then learned that this behavior is caused by a copy protection scheme incorporated into many DVD discs. It is called Macrovision and is not a problem with the DVD player. After connecting my SD-1200 directly to my TV, the picture stabilized and has been beautiful ever since. I've owned my SD-1200 for nearly two years and have enjoyed it both as a DVD player and a CD player. With reasonably clean media, the player has always performed admirably. My only complaint is with the remote, which could have been designed much better for use in a darkened room.
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