Panasonic Announces Home Theater Systems, Soundbars
Written on Jan 7, 2010 by Charles Jefferies and filed under News, Panasonic
CES 2010 – Panasonic introduced several audio products including Blu-ray home theater systems and a soundbar with integrated subwoofer.
HTB1 Soundbar
Panasonic HTB1 Soundbar w/ Integrated Subwoofer
The HTB1 soundbar audio system features an integrated subwoofer and is essentially an all-in-one home theater system that sits in front of a TV. It features bamboo cone speakers and connects to TVs using HDMI cable. This marks Panasonic’s first entry into the soundbar space.
Blu-ray Home Theater Systems
Panasonic BT730 5.1 Home Theater System
Panasonic has also introduced several 5.1 home theater systems with Blu-ray disc players: the BT730, BT330, and BT230. Each model is wireless LAN ready (a USB wireless adapter is required) for VIERA CAST (supports Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube, Picasa Web Albums, Bloomberg News, and a weather application), has a universal dock for iPod/iPhone, and “True To Cinema” sound, advertised to make a movie watching experience as realistic as possible.
The BT730, shown above, is the highest-end model and offers bamboo cone front and center speakers along with wireless rear speakers and a compact Kelton-style subwoofer. The mid-range BT330 also offers the Kelton-style subwoofer but does not have as powerful of front speakers or the bamboo cone center speaker. The entry-level BT230 model oddly enough features the bamboo cone center speaker but its front speakers are not tall models like the BT730/BT330s.
The Panasonic HTB1 soundbar and BT730/BT330/BT230 home theater systems do not have announced prices or release dates at press time.