The Toshiba SD-P1900 is a functional rather than spectacular portable DVD player, but for the price, we rate it as a solid buy for budget consumers. This compact device features a 9-inch widescreen TFT LCD display, yet sits a little over one inch thick and weighs in at 2.2 pounds with the battery attached. We like the sleek lines and polished black casing, although this does collect fingerprints quickly. With a resolution of 480x234 the screen won't display fine detail, but for keeping kids entertained on long trips it will certainly prove sufficient. The SD-P1900 offers twin headphone jacks so two people can listen at the same time without disturbing those around them. The unit's 3-D virtual surround sound feature simulates 5.1-channel sound over either the headphones or the built-in twin speakers. A common complaint with many portables is that the volume level, especially over the built in speakers is not loud enough. That holds true with the SD-P1900 when there is a lot of background noise. Using a set of noise canceling headphones will help address this problem.

The rechargeable battery promises up to five hours of continuous playing time, depending on the brightness and volume levels selected. While this might be optimistic for most settings, the SD-P1900 should deliver at least 3.5 hours--enough to enjoy a movie or two. This portable player also includes AC and car adapters so you can keep the entertainment rolling just about anywhere. Utilizing the unit's A/V outputs you'll also be able to hook this portable DVD player up to a TV at home or in a hotel room. You'll need to keep an eye on the remote though as you'll need this to access a number of the unit's menu and set up functions.

One of the high points of the Toshiba SD-P1900 is its disc compatibility. As well as the usual selection of home burned DVDs and CDs, including DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD-R, CD-RW format discs, the SD-P1900 also plays discs loaded with MP3 and WMA digital audio files. If you like to download video content from the Internet, you'll appreciate the unit's ability to play discs loaded with DivX and AVI content.

Neatly styled with good battery life and excellent disc compatibility, the Toshiba SD-P1900 is a good value portable DVD player that outperforms many similarly priced units.

Pros: Reasonable price; solid construction; good battery life; supports DivX and AVI.
Cons: Only average audio quality; noisy when loading; cluttered remote.

Warranty
90 days, labor; 1 year, parts