Everyone respects and recognizes Toshiba for the wonderful job they have been doing in the field of notebooks as it is one of the leading producers of top class notebooks. The type of products offered by this company swings over a wide range that include many of the electronic gadgets in the market. This said, Toshiba took a step into the emerging field of the “Blu Ray Players” and then followed a countable number of blue ray players with varying features. Toshiba has not yet acquired “The Best” tag in this new dimension, but however, it has been working out pretty decently. One of the new products to line up in the series is the 3D compatible Toshiba BDX5200 blu ray player. How different is this particular 5200 model from its other siblings? How compatible is it to 3D? Do not stop reading if you are awaiting an answer for these questions, for, here is our review on this 3D capable Toshiba BDX5200 player.

Design and Display:

Owing to the increasing competition among the various companies in producing high quality blu ray players that are affordable, it is highly essential that any nouveau player taking its first step in the market shines better than the others, because only then attention is paid to it. The midrange players can be purchased at a very nominal rate around a hundred pounds or may be little higher. This particular BDX5200 Wi-Fi Blu Ray Player model comes at this midrange price too, but then, prepares your mind for an ordinary looking product that carries no glamour and not even a tinge of specialness to it. It is nothing but simple. Designed in a rectangular geometry, the box has a black upper color and a grey finish at the bottom that looks really simple. The front has the disk ejection tray at the left and the SD/SDHC card slot at the left, and there is absolutely nothing else. The control buttons are touch sensitive buttons that are both a plus and minus. Though the touch sensitive panel saves space, the problem occurs when you are watching some movie in a dark room and need to make use of the controls in the player, you need to touch once on the reflective panel for the light to glow and then make the appropriate selection. But then, you can avoid it almost always since we most often use the remote control.

While the front offers minimal features, all the essential features can be discerned at the rear portion of the player, of course. It is better to be informed that this player from Toshiba does not include a component video out. Now there is no reason to be disappointed because most of us would be aware that most of the blue ray players in the current market are devoid of these outputs. This is because the component outputs would be able to deliver only a 480p resolution which is dreadful compared to the High definition scale of 1080p. So the companies might have probably decided that even if the component out was given, nobody is going to make use of it anyway. However, there is the composite coaxial and optical digital output that fare better and present on screen the video at 1080p resolution through the HDMI cable. There are the USB 2.0 and the LAN ports at the rear too.

Remote Control:

There could be nothing possibly exciting about a remote control of a blu ray player, unlike few players that offer remote control features on their iphones. However, this ordinary remote included in the package encloses one extraordinary feature, the inclusion of the bright red Netflix button. Netflix is one of the best streaming services and this button provides instant access and the users can watch the movies offered by Netflix at any time they want effortlessly. Otherwise, this remote is just a normal one with the open/close and the power button at the top while the control buttons are present at the centre which makes those buttons easy to use.

Features:

The Toshiba BDX5200 Built-in 3D Blu Ray Player does not offer a very good package. For the money spent on it, there are a lot of blue ray players in the market which offer better features as well as better performance. This player whatsoever ranks average in both features as well as performance. The special thing about this blue ray player is 3D compatibility. The accessories that go with this player are 3D glass and TV that is capable of playing 3D contents. There are not many movies that are available in 3D but then the 3D capability definitely adds extra value to the product. More details on the features of this product follows.

Profile, Streaming services and Upscaling Feature:

The BDX5200 model is a profile 2.0 BD Live player with the Bonus View included. By now, the regular users of blue ray players would be aware of what the bonus view and profile 2.0 means to a player. With the bonus view, the movie watchers can have the delight of watching the clipped scenes or the comments by the actors or directors which makes movie watching an interesting experience. Moreover, since this is a BD Live profile 2.0 player, the services like the You Tube, Pandora, Netflix and Vudu can be accessed and the required contents can be downloaded. However, this player does not support the Amazon, facebook, twitter or picasa while there are few players in the market that support these services. However, the users can play the video or flip through the photos of their family occasions or vacation trip in a HD TV by just inserting the hard drive or the memory card into their respective slot. One of the prominent and vital features of the blue ray players is this upscaling. With this upscaling, all movie junkies can watch their favorite old time movies that are in the ordinary DVD or CD format at high definition resolution of 1080p.

No Local storage:

The BDX5200 3D Built-in Wi-Fi Blu Ray Disc player relies only on the memory card slot and the USB 2.0 port for downloading the BD live as well as the bonus view contents. Many blue ray players of this price range offer a local storage of 1GB. If there was onboard memory, the memory card slot or the USB 2.0 port can be used simultaneously for playing the photos or videos.

User Interface:

The interface of this Toshiba player can not be expected to be as interesting or attractive as some players, for instance, the interface of the Sony blue ray players that have an interface similar to the play station interface. But then, this blue ray player has a simple interface with easy access to the internet services. Overall, the interface is friendly and simple with no appealing menu layout or design.

Audio and Video Output:

The Toshiba BDX5200 can play audio files of the format Dolby Digital, Dolby digital plus, Dolby True HD, DTS and DTS HD. The Dolby and DTS formats are important as they provide standard audio output. The player supports AVCHD playback too. To enhance the video clarity there is the deep color technology which delivers sharpness and accuracy of colors that are to be cast on the screen. The Progressive scanning which was earlier called as the sequential scanning provides better resolution and perfectness than the interlaced scanning that was used sometime back. But nowadays the progressive scanning method is only practiced because of the videos being transmitted perfectly.

Internet Connection:

This Toshiba player makes use of the Ethernet RJ45 port that is present at the back side for wired internet connection. Also, it has built in Wi-Fi. This internet connection is very essential for the player to download and watch movies from the streaming internet services like the You Tube, Netflix and Pandora.

Warranty:

The 3D compatible BDX5200 has a 1 year warranty period. This is standard for most blue ray players.

Verdict:

The Toshiba BDX5200 blue ray player is a player that is neither attractive at first sight nor does it have attractive specifications. But then for those who use their blue ray players for playing the ordinary movies and videos with decent quality and do not bother about the simple and unattractive interface. Though it has got certain complaining features, the player is not really bad at all. It is 3D compatible, has the netflix button in its remote and has an interface that provides easy access to the internet streaming services. So, those who are looking for a blue ray player that has simple features and simple looks, then this Toshiba BDX5200 can be jotted down in their list of the players suitable for them.

Toshiba BDX5200 Blu Ray Player – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer Toshiba
Model Name BDX5200
Dimensions: (W x H x D) 16.9 x 1.7 x 7.6 inches
Weight 4.1 lbs
Colour Black and Grey finish
Connection Type 1 USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet Port, 1 SD Card slot
Video Features 1080p DVD upscaling,
1080p output (via HDMI)
Audio Functions Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD decoding,
DTS, DTS HD, Analog 2 Ch audio
Playback format CD, DVD-Video, DVD-RW, CD-R, CD-DA, CD-RW,
DVD-R, BD-R, BD-ROM, BD-RE
Output Resolution 1080p output
Audio Decoders Yes
DVD upscaling Yes
Connectivity HDMI port, 1 USB 2.0, Composite Video Output,
Digital Audio Output: Coaxial Digital Audio Output,
Optical Analog Stereo Output, Ethernet, Wi-Fi
Features 3D capable, Deep colour technology, JPEG photo playback,
Progressive scanning, AVCHD playback
Remote control Yes
Power Consumption 12.9W in operation and 0.15 W in standby
Warranty 1 year

Other Blue Ray Player Reivews