Toshiba BDX2000 review

On the plus side, the BDX2000 manages to do a superb job once the Java interactive features are loaded. Another of our test discs, Zombieland, was responsive to our navigation commands, and we were more than happy to flick around the various menus.

BD-Live: an ongoing disappointment
The BDX2000 can competently handle BD-Live functionality. Unfortunately, BD-Live is a dead loss, because no-one seems to be producing anything of any value for the online streaming services. Like all the players we've tested, the BDX2000 was slow to load the Sony Internet gateway page, and, when it was loaded, moving around the menu proved arduous in the extreme. Even when you've finally managed to navigate to what you're interested in, the chances are it won't work anyway. Is any of this Toshiba's fault? Not really, but we mention it because we want you to understand that Blu-ray is still not working as promised.

Toshiba is to blame, however, for not including enough built-in memory so that you can use the BD-Live functionality without adding an SD card. This displeases us greatly. It's a damn cheek, frankly.

Elephantiasis of the remote
It's very disappointing when a piece of AV gear arrives for review looking like it's got some sort of disease. The BDX2000's remote is one of the most hideous things we've ever seen. Most of the buttons are small, and there are far too many of them. And what possible reason is there for putting the numbers one to nine on the remote in this day and age? Does anyone select a chapter like this when Blu-ray discs offer a graphical pop-up system that's much better?

Also, why are the play and stop buttons right next to each other and exactly the same size? That's going to be a problem when you're watching a film in the dark and want to go from pause to play, and instead hit the stop button. You're going to yell with frustration, especially given the BDX2000's sluggish load times.

Super-sharp zombie destruction
We were very satisfied with the overall quality of the images produced by the BDX2000. When we plonked in Zombieland, we were greeted by an exceptionally sharp picture with tonnes of detail. We noticed features on Woody Harrelson's face that you'd have no hope of seeing on the DVD version of the film. Blood spewing from zombies also looked superb, and the colour was impressive and true to the source material.

If you opt to use the DivX-playback capability, prepare yourself to waste some time. The BDX2000 doesn't seem to really want to be involved with playback of these files. When we could persuade it to load something from an SD card, a reliable and pleasant experience generally didn't ensue. If you're buying the BDX2000 to play DivX files, we'd urge you to think again.

The BDX2000's audio quality is perfectly good via the stereo downmix the player outputs to standard TVs. When it comes to lossless audio from the Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA formats, then you'll be relying on your AV system to produce the audio, from the data stream. However you listen to this player's output, though, you're ears will be satisfied with what they hear.

Conclusion
The Toshiba BDX2000 is a good player at a reasonable price. Sony's likeable and similarly priced BDP-S360 is a slightly better player, but doesn't come with the LoveFilm deal that makes the BDX2000 such good value for money. We prefer the BDP-S360's performance, and it's certainly quicker, but the choice, as always, will come down to your personal preference.

Edited by Charles Kloet