written by Arthur daily on 24/07/2007
My player came Locked to R2 PAL, but I found a hack that made it multi-region or Region free with no problems
written by vendrin on 10/10/2005
I bought the Toshiba SD-220/e almost 2 years ago because it did exactly what I wanted from my first dvd player - it was region and hassle free. It worked like a complete dream when I got it home and continued to do so with every single dvd I played... until yesterday. I'd just come back from the U.S with a very special edition of a dvd I'd been gagging for. I put it in my player, only for it to tell me "Disc playback not authorized. Please consult the handbook" (Or very VERY similar words to that effect). I though perhaps I'd bought a duff dvd so tried one I knew worked in my played - It was also region 1 and I'd watched it at least 3 times on the player since I'd had the dvd. Except I got the same message. Only a month ago I'd sat and watched that region 1 dvd on this region free dvd player and suddenly now it decides it can't do it? Doesn't make sense to me. It may be affordable but I don't rate it worth the hassle
written by shuttle1981 on 13/07/2005
Toshiba SD-220/e - Purchased this machine two years ago. Normal DVDs play well. DVD-R is another matter. Some work first time but MOST will not play at all!
Sound quality is very variable, some discs the sound is very difficult to distinguish.
written by voldemort on 17/05/2005
I bought this player in 2002 from my local Richer Sounds and thought it was a bargain for a multi-region model. It was easy to set up and use, but I have found the picture quality varies from disc to disc and sometimes it won't recognise the discs at all (even when they play perfectly in other players). Sometimes the picture can be grainy too. However, on the whole I'm happy with it and its performance, but I wonder if the multi-region hack is the problem?
written by Will Crabb on 16/11/2004
Had a lot of problems playing DVD-R discs resulting in the picture firstly going blocky then freezing. Some discs - it shows disc error then the same disc plays OK on another player.
written by chrism. on 07/07/2003
Some people including myself were having problems with a grainy B&W image. I found that I could cure this by removing my SCART lead, starting the DVD and then plugging the SCART lead in again. Worked a treat. Don't seem to have to repeat this for every DVD but I have had to do it again on occasions.
I can put up with this behaviour but it would be nicer if it just worked. Not sure if the problem is a shortcoming of the multi region hack or the player itself.
written by Aphrodite. on 22/06/2003
I tried to purchase a Toshiba SD220 Multiregion DVD player from Amazon in December 2002, but their estimated delivery was 4-6 weeks, so I purchased one from bargainhifi.com (Premier AV Centre Birmingham) to watch on my 28" Wscreen TV.
First the good points - slim, nice to look at, affordable, highly rated, DTS, easy to hook up.
But I had problems from the start - it was noisy from day one, so noisy, it interfered with the enjoyment of watching a film. A week or so later it started playing up. Firstly it only messed with the Region 1 and 0s - freezing, skipping, and grainy picture. Then it started on my Region 2 and 4s, though not as bad.
So I returned it (paying for a courier), and I was sent a replacement.
The noise had diminished and it seemed to be fine. But by mid-May the replacement then decided one evening to stop playing any Region DVDs other than Region 2. So once again, I have shipped it back (more courier charges). And NOW, the DVD player has gone missing. Making the whole experience a memorable one. After all this annoyance, I now have lost my money and my Toshiba SD220 DVD player. But actually I'm relieved it's gone, now I can find a decent player.
written by Robin Good fellow. on 01/06/2003
Bought this player for Christmas. Worked well since then despite all the kids and myself could load into it !
Plays Region 1 discs no problem (into my NTSC compatible TV).
Had a sync problem on some SVCD discs. Sound was about 1 second delayed. Found a "fix" on the net.
Using the remote control, press "Angle" then select "audio2" then reselect "audio1" and press "enter". Sound now in-sync at least on this disc. I guess this shows there is a firmware problem in my machine (v1.5R2 firmware, but works multi-region). Has anybody else come across this ?
written by jase. on 19/03/2003
I read all the reviews and replaced my £300 samsung and was very pleased,it played any region discs perfectly however i watched a copy of lotr on dvd-r which was perfect but the following evening it would only play r2 discs. Also would not play lotr dvd-r properly, tried zoom606zoom and it showed 1.5 r2. the only other thing i did differently was when i switched it on to watch a r1 disc i used the play button to do so on my one-for-all remote its got to be one of these,is there a way to reset? am waiting reply from amazon
Written on: 30/03/2003
Mine seems to have gone bad as well. From one day to the next it stopped recognizing R-1 DVD's. It's says Disc Error on the player and Disc playback unauthorised on the TV screen. And it was working fine just a few days before with R-1 DVDs. I have also contacted Amazon. Any suggestions? All the reviews say it should handle R-1 and even the enhanced DVDs without any problems!
Written on: 30/11/2003
Beware of the file at the tiscali.fr address - it's corrupt and may or may not damage your player. There is another instance of the sd220e.rar file on a server in Finland - Google will take you there
Written on: 07/10/2003
I had the same problem too, I found that and my problem was solved :
<br>
<br>http://sd220e.chez.tiscali.fr/
Written on: 07/10/2003
I had the same problem too, I found that and my problem was solved :
<br>
<br>http://sd220e.chez.tiscali.fr/
Written on: 02/07/2003
Thanks for the above comments.
<br>The problem was solved by amazon sending me a new machine which has been perfect so far, from other reviews I think with this machine you either get a good or bad one, so shop smart just in case it needs changing. However I am still very careful when using it, in case the problem was caused by button combinations etc.
<br>i.e I stop it before ejecting wheras in the past I would just press eject.
<br>
Written on: 01/07/2003
I have exactly the same problem.
<br>
<br>Have you found a solution?
<br>
<br>
<br>Regards
written by marvin. on 05/01/2003
I have been using this machine for a month now and found it is of exceptional quality for the price (£149 ) the only thing I have had problems with is when playing vcd's or dvd's recorded using my dvd-r the sound is always out of sync. Has anyone else had the same probs ? and more to the point can it be sorted!!
Written on: 04/04/2003
I purchased this machine fully modified from techtronics.com and I must admit I have been totally satisfied - except (and I feel that this is a 'feature' of the machine itself) it is playing my vcds and svcd out of syn (audio/video).
<br>
<br>I'm hoping someone knows why this is and has a solution.
Written on: 23/05/2003
Seems to be a firmware problem on this machine. A temporary fix that I found is - press Range - select Audio 2 -then Audio 1 again - enter. Your sound is now sync'd. However fix only lasts for this play or to next skip forward.
written by scott. on 17/12/2002
I play mine with a panasonic ptae1000 projector, and the picture quality is excellent given price of the machine. Thanks for information "zoom 606 zoom". as said earlier, mine is 1.3, and I have lots of skipping problems - try the abyss. Does anyone have a solution for this problem?????????
written by chris greaves. on 08/12/2002
Not a bad player especially for the money, but beware of the fault I have described. A bright light or flash from a gun or camera will make the picture lose it's stability for a fraction. I thought I could put up with this fault as the other aspects are very good like sound etc, but after a time it has got very annoying.
Written on: 16/12/2002
I agree 100 % with you. What I wonder is whether we both are unlucky guys with this flashing light unstability or whether it's a bad signal treatment that can be fixed. I'd like to know before to send it back to workshop.
Written on: 12/12/2003
I found that my audio output level oscillates from time to time. It goes suddenly low and then slowly goes back high, I gave to an engineer who changed 1 capacitor on this player and the fault has reappeared......
Written on: 28/12/2002
I forgot to add, the CD (Music CD) support is very basic. Only either track number or the time (running or left), although both would be possible. Only 8 characters in the MP3 name are allowed, which is a wee bit short in my eyes. And the sound of the drive itself is too loud for HiFi although much more quiet than the 99 EUR things of Plus or conrad elektronik...
Written on: 28/12/2002
I agree - SVCDs have some problems - at least one created from TV stops the motion every several seconds or a fraction of a second, then jumps to the "actual" picture.
Also, rectangular shapes at some overblendings and other irritating errors when there are fast moves make looking at that SVCD (that my computer plays without any problems) disturbing. I did not (yet) have an problems of synchronicity of voice and video, though. But it's only a few days old.
written by Dawn. on 03/12/2002
If I can manage to get it to play multi region I should imagine it will be a mean machine.
Written on: 06/12/2002
Dawn from Cornwall says she can't get a colour picture with region 1 DVDs - is it because your TV wont play NTSC format. I'm guessing it's not the DVD player but the TV which is not compatible with US discs.
Written on: 10/03/2003
I've seen this happen with an R1 disk due to my TV not handling NTSC correctly.
<br>The solution for me was to input the scart from the DVD into scart 1 of the TV which recognises RGB rather than scart 2 of the TV which is S-Video only.
<br>
<br>Apparently most TV scarts are set up this way.
Written on: 10/03/2003
I've seen two simple methods to fix the black and white problems with region 1 DVDs.
1) Don't have your DVD player linked to your TV through your VCR. If you connect via SCART to your VCR and then from your VCR to your TV try linking from the DVD straight to the TV and this should fix the problem.
or
2) Try changing the video out option in the setup. Select RGB rather than either of the other two options and it should work.
<br>
<br>Hope this helps.
Written on: 02/01/2003
As I've just said in another SD220e review isn't the multi-region thing nothing to do with "chipping" and all to do with the firmware which you can get from http://sd220e.chez.tiscali.fr
Written on: 09/12/2002
This problem is possibly caused by your TV not supporting NTSC.. I may be wrong, but Region 1 disks will play in NTS, therefore, you'll need an NTSC-compatible TV to view them properly. They'll play back poor quality and in B&W if your TV is only PAL or whatever...
written by Remi. on 22/11/2002
This is my first DVD player, so I'm not the adequate person to compare the image or sound quality. I can only say that I'm extremely satisfied for the price, except for a problem that seems to be shared among a minority of owner : - DVD player Toshiba 220Es - TV thomson 16/9 - 24 WK 22 E - linked by RVB SCART - (problem also appears with composite 16/9) When reading some DVDs, the image seems very briefly desynchronized. Sounds like a sudden change in brightness may be the recurring cause. E.g. : a white title appears, a trailer with very 'flashy effects' ('inspector gadget trailer' for instance). Viewed frame by frame (step mode), this trailer shows completely white frames that seem to be part of the effects (not a bug). The DVD player has already been exchanged by the reseller, but the problem remains. A test with an LCD 4/3 videoprojector did not show the problem. Because it was 4/3 ? Because it was LCD technology ? Other users reported similar problems between videoprojectors and this DVD player linked thru YUV output on newsgroup. 'Could be a compatibility issue between the player and the TV but thought you should be aware of that.
Written on: 06/12/2002
Too right there! However the YUV is 'component video out' and not RGB...beware, you must have a high-end tv to accept component video. i.e. a high-end toshiba or a Loewe are the only makes that allow this at present.
I bought a 32" Loewe planus the other day and this is the dvd player to get. Excellent value for money and has component out for a low price! Component out is the highest quality you can get, much better than S-Video and RGB.
I recommend plugging trying s-video or rgb outputs. It could very well be your tv scanning rate or quality just isn't up to it unfortunately.
Hope this helps
Richard Huxley
Written on: 08/03/2004
may i echo titch\'s request, any kind soul out there?
Written on: 01/03/2003
Is there a hack to be able to play vcd svcd and copy dvd on the toshiba sd220eb
Written on: 16/12/2002
Salut rémi
Maybe compatibility problem between Thomson 16/9 and Toshiba. I used a Philips DVD on my Thomson TV : no problem. But my Toshiba DVD gave two different results on two other TV brands : on sterling there is the same problem. On an other one nothing.
written by Fly Boy. on 19/08/2002
DVD Player: Toshiba SD220 E (multi-region chipped) playing through a JVC AV28CT1 16:9 via SCART, alongside a Toshiba V-852UK VHS VCR.
For the money, GBP135, I feel I've got an absolute bargain on this player. It's the third DVD player I've owned, and by far the best in terms of image clarity and colour stability - essential for losing yourself in a movie, rather than being reminded of the limitations of your DVD player.
In particular, the Toshiba SD220 is very good at retaining colour and contrast across large screen-areas of similar colours, whereas less able equipment will tend to produce blocky and pixilated chunks of only one or two colours.
In keeping with my own varied taste in movies, the Toshiba SD220 has had to cope with all sorts of genres - and has done it with aplomb!
Where crispness is indended - say in something modern, like X-Men - the SD220 produces smooth, sharp images that are neither harsh nor hard-edged. On an old movie, such as The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, the subtleties of the image are rendered clearly without being glaring or looking "digital".
The highest praise I can give about the picture quality is simply that you don't notice you are watching a DVD! You are aware of crystal clear, quality images, but you are never brought back to reality by poor textures, or signs that the DVD player has reached its technical limits.
I dare say that true aficionados of DVD would tell you that "product x", or "product y" produces better picture quality. That may be so, but will the increase in picture quality be proportionate to the increase in cost? I suspect the latter will probably far outweigh the former...
In terms of sound quality - unfortunately I've decided that my TV doesn't possess the best quality sound output from its on-board speakers, so my point of reference is not be the best.
Hopefully someone else, with access to better sound equipment will be able to add some comments? But in the most general terms, the sound quality is better from the DVD than from the VCR or broadcast signals - as you might expect!
My player was purchased from Richer Sounds and has proved to be faultless. I am aware that there was an issue with RS off-loading older machines with known firmware issues (they were shipping machines with version 1.3 that would not play The Matrix, or Planet of the Apes without skipping. Try pressing "zoom 606 zoom" without a disc inserted to check yours, or, if that doesn't work, search the internet for the right code). The machine I purchased early August 2002 had firmware version 1.5 and has played The Matrix and all my other R2 DVD discs without complaint. As yet, I don't own any R1 DVD discs to try, so can't comment on the multi-region capability.
However, I have tried VCD, CD, and CD-R (not high-quality or well looked-after discs either) - all of which the Toshiba has dealt with without incident.
I hope to upgrade to 5.1 Surround Sound in due course, and this unit appears to provide an excellent upgrade avenue. There are numerous outputs on the back of the machine, including an optical-out that should allow me to make up for the deficiencies of my TV's poor speakers.
Interestingly however, there is no coaxial (TV aerial) output, so if you don't have a TV that allows either SCART, or S-Video input, the SD220 isn't for you.
But then if you used coaxial, you wouldn't be getting the best from the machine anyway, and in the case of this extremely stylishly presented and very high quality unit that would be a crying shame - because there's a lot here to be enjoyed.
Written on: 20/09/2002
Excellent review mate, I think i'll run off to richer sounds and get me one.
<br>
<br>thanks
Written on: 30/06/2003
just google on the net, and you'll find firmware for it.
<br>
<br>Ch.
Written on: 29/06/2003
i have an early model that is only region 2,
<br>does anyone know if i can convert it to multi region ?
Written on: 18/05/2003
Great review i've just got the toshiba 220e from richer sounds for £99 pounds (multi region).when you buy a dvd you never know if you have brought the right one,does it play all the discs you want to put in to it? picture and sound live up to what you read or what other reviews say.well i am pleased to say everything does.mine plays dvd-r, vcd,svcd and mp3 on cdr and the sound and picture are great for a hundred pound player
Written on: 02/03/2003
I've had my toshiba 220 for few weeks now and I'm really happy with - I was just worried once because zone 1 wasn't working, and a friend said it wasn't because of my dvd player but of my 20 year old TV (ntc...), just need to buy a new one now !
<br>About the sound it is great, I even listen to my music CDs on my Toshiba only ! very good product - only "bemol" I wish it was DVIX compatible, for easy copying, but I've heard copying is forbidden !!
<br>
<br>Fred
Written on: 23/01/2003
My negative points:
a) has problems with my VCDs: sometimes it hangs for a part of a second, sometimes compression artefacts are shown
b) playing CDs (yes, the plain audio ones), it only shows the time played or the track number, by an old CD player showed both - the display has enough characters to display both at the same time. Thoughtless.
c) Not a quiet drive. You can hear it still when you're a meter away.
DVDs without problems yet, though. But when they offer VCDs and CDs too, it should still make sense. :)
Christian
Written on: 04/01/2003
Thanks for the great review. I'm going straight out to richer sounds (I hear they do other fantastic deals!).Thanks again!
Written on: 14/12/2002
Just bought a 220E from Richer Sounds and found the review and replies most helpful. As it's for the daughter at xmas I haven't yet tried it (multiregion version). How do I know if I have got the latest 1.5 firmware version and not the earlier 1.3. As this is our first dvd, still a bit green, what is macrovision and what are svcd's. What does pressing zoom 606 zoom do without a disc in (check firmware version?)and can anybody point me to the correct place on the net for the right code if the previous item dosen't work
Best Regards
yogibear
Written on: 05/12/2002
Was going to purchase this dvd player but because of the RCE (regional coding enhancement) it stops some multi region player from playing certain dvds , they have started to put on dvds - especially region 1 dvds TOSHIBA seem to be the only player that needs meddling with so i have decided to purchase a PIONEER DV-350 one was for sale on amazon for £119.99 delivered but richer sounds will beat that by a tenner so purchased it from www.richersounds.com for £109.99 to view it on amazon click the following link http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006AFW4/ref=sr_aps_electronics_1_1/026-7623565-6327631
Written on: 05/12/2002
Great review. I'm going to try and get one of these over here in the states.
Written on: 02/12/2002
I have used both Region 1 and 2 disks in my machine without any problems, not only that, but I have also found CD Video disks and some video encoded onto DVD Rom disks plays fine.
The only problems I have had is playing some DVD-R disks, however, the problem has always been traced to poor quality disks, re recording onto good quality disks has corrected the problem.
Are you sure your machine has been chiped corectly? + you need to check the machine has the latest version of softwere (look on the net to find out how to check this).
Written on: 01/12/2002
Good review of this machine and would like to buy one, but can it play s.v.c.d. disc's? Only thing stopping me buying one.
Written on: 30/11/2002
Clizzywizzy - is your tv NTSC compatable? as region 1 dvds will only work if you tv is NTSC COMPATABLE, hope this helps.
Written on: 21/11/2002
Hi, I am having real problems with this DVD player as I have a Region 1 disc which will not play at all. Has anyone had any success with Region 1 dvds on this machine?
Written on: 16/11/2002
Great review..thanks for the info.
FYI...amazon are knocking these out at 119.00 so have rung RS and they will give it to me at 110.00 incl free delivery....bargain!!
Written on: 04/11/2002
Good review, I am about to put this machine to the ultimate test and plug it into my NEC VT45 projector (using component in). I will post the review later.
On your review, I am pleased you withdrew from being to techi and stuck to the facts, i.e. what do the pictures look like, I hate those reviews that are full of numbers etc. All we need to know is what is the machine like to live with and what is the value for money level.
Cheers
T
Written on: 01/10/2002
Thanks for the review , very helpful.
<br>I am about to purchase the same machine as mine recently blew up in severe power surge, so the electricity company will now be paying for a better machine to go with with my dd/dts decoder.
<br>Once again , thanks .
Written on: 24/09/2002
Thanks for the review.. mine is ordered.
Written on: 22/09/2002
Excellent review mate, so much so i went out and bought myself one, really pleased with the machine. It`s played everything so far even region 1 enemy at the gates with no problems.
written by churdy. on 12/08/2002
Having seen a friends Toshiba SD-220, (multi-region, macrovision disabled, from Techtronics), in action, I decided to get one, (multi region, from Richersounds), to upgrade from my old Alba DVD 103.
Unfortunately when I got it home I found it got very hot and kept locking up on some of my DVDs. I decided it must be faulty and took it back, as all my discs play no problems on my Alba, (and even on my PC).
My friend suggested I try my discs on his Toshiba. I did, and it played them all no probs, so I went back and got another.
Unfortunately when I got it home it kept locking up on some of my DVDs. (Again! But it didn't get hot at all. In fact it stayed cooler than my friends!) So I took it back.
However, what it did play was excellent, whether PAL DVD, NTSC DVD, or CD. It even played some CD-R's, (although refused some very cheap ones, which my friends SD-220 also refused to play).
If you can get one that doesn't turn it's nose up at a little marking or scratching, then it's brilliant. If you get one like the two I got, well, I wouldn't want to keep replacing my DVDs.
Techtronics charge currently charge £150 + VAT, (about £175) for the multi-region only version, while Richersounds charged me £135. However, the fact that I've had two players with less than satisfactory performance, (very unforgiving error correction or poor laser alignment I guess), brings both the Value for money and Overall Rating scores down. Value for money I have based on a satisfactorily working multi-region player at £175. Overall Rating on a combination of the performance of all three samples.
Do you have a question about this product or company? Simply type it in the box below and one of our community will give you an answer
Once we've checked over your question we will put it live on the site and our strong community of experts will hopefully give you some great answers that you find useful.
We will email you when the question is on the site
106029_Richard.'s Response to 103204_Robin Good fellow.'s Review
Written on: 10/06/2003
Thanks for the info Robin,
<br>
<br>I got my multiregion sd220 from Amazon just before Christmas but hadn't played a region 1 disc until recently when I tried x-men. It plays.. but only in black and white :-( have you tried this DVD? Does anybody know whether this is normal or should I be getting touch with Amazon pronto.