I had never thought much about Toshiba until Stereo review rated the sd-2108 the best dvd under
$1000.00, and it was way under($399). I decided to test out several Pioneer, panasonic, and Sony.
All single disc w/similar features, and the Toshiba won hands down in my opinion. It has now been in my HT for 1 1/2 years w/out a single problem . My brother purchased the sd3109 and it also seems to work very well. the remote is very easy to use, and both have lots of cool features.
As far as wondering whether or not to go with Yamaha- I'd have to pass that one up. Not trying to offend anyone, but it seems that the you are paying top dollar for mid grade quality. Let Yamaha do what they do best-Home Theater receivers.