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.

The Panasonic SC-BT300 is a 7.1 channel,  Blu-ray equipped home theater in a box system.  If you’re on a budget, but still want the full surround experience, this system should be on your list.  With 1250W of total output power, the system can pack a punch and sound good doing it.  If you want iPod integration out of the box, the BT300 has it.  If you’re looking for a network connected system, the BT300 has access to the content available in Viera Cast (Amazon on Demand, YouTube, Picasa).

Specifications

• Dynamic & Clear Sound Kelton Subwoofer, Bamboo Cone Speakers
• Smart Setup with Auto Speaker Setup
• Total Output Power of 1250W in Home Theater Mode
• Front: 125W x 2 (single 2.5″ cone, 80Hz-25kHz, 3 ohms, 10 % THD)
• Center: 250W (2x 2.5″ cone, 82Hz-25kHz, 3 ohms, 10 % THD)
• Surround and Surround Back: 125W x 4 (single 2.5″ 100Hz-25kHz, 3 ohms, 10 % THD)
• Subwoofer: 250W (single 6.5″ cone, 35Hz-200Hz, 3 ohms, 10 % THD)
• Dolby Pro Logic II for Disc/iPod/ Digital In/FM/AM/AUX (for Movie, Music)
• Super Surround for Disc/iPod /Digital In/FM/AM/AUX
• Optical Drive Compatibility: BD-Video, BD-RE, BD-R, DVD-Video, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW/-R/-R (DL), DVD+R1/+R(DL)/+RW, CD, CD-R/RW
• Apple iPod Docking Connector (Support for music, video, and photo playback)
• AM/FM tuner
• Ethernet jack for network support to view VIERA Cast content (currently YouTube, Amazon on Demand, Picasa Gallery viewing)
• SD card slot that supports cards formatted FAT12, FAT16, FAT32: JPEG, AVCHD format,MPEG-2
• Output: 1 x HDMI, 1 x component, 1 x video, headphone
• Input: 2 x optical (digital), 1 x analog (Aux)
• Wireless rear speaker ready (with additional equipment)
• Full specs

Setup

This is a 7.1 channel system, so you have a bit more to unpack – main unit, subwoofer, 4 surround speakers, a center speaker and two front speakers.  Also included are stands (round base with risers styled just like the front speakers) for the front speakers.  There are quite a few other items in the box: remote control with batteries, AM loop antenna, FM indoor antenna, all the speaker cables, auto setup microphone, screws for the speaker stands, stickers to label the speaker wires, and the user manual.

Connecting the speakers is pretty straightforward, as long as you know your colors.  The manual does a great job of explaining things, but each speaker wire connects to the back of the main unit with color-coded clips.  The other ends of the wires, that attach to the speakers, are just bare wire but all you need to do is make sure that the wire with the blue stripe goes in the blue terminal.  The manual also gives some good insight into possible configurations for speaker placement.  Fortunately, speaker placement doesn’t have to be by the book.  You can use the included auto setup microphone and the “Smart Setup” mode on the system to have it automatically level the output of each speaker for your listening position in the room.

This is a home theater system, and not just a stereo, so you’ll want to use an HDMI cable (or RCA-type video) to connect the BT300 to your TV so you can watch movies and view the menu system.  Hook up an external audio sources that you want to run through the system and you’re all set to go.  If you want to use the integrated radio tuner, you’ll need to hook up the antennas and if you want to use the system’s online feature, you’ll need to plugin a network cable.

Design, Usability, and Performance

The system is an attractive, nicely styled system. The main unit has a simple, sleek look, with minimal buttons (but there are some behind access panels) and just enough screen to be useful.  Minimal blue light around the volume dial is just enough luminance to look good and be useful.  The iPod dock is hidden in its own little slide-out tray until you need it.  The subwoofer is small enough to hide just about anywhere and it still manages to put out a lot of thump when you need it.  All four surround speakers are identical – little mesh-covered cubes (plastic housing) just big enough to contain the single speaker inside them.  The center speaker is just about exactly the same size is if you stuck two satellite speakers right next to each other.  While the front speakers come with stands, I found that in my setup (42″ TV on top of a table about 60″ wide) the front channel speakers worked well just on top of the table.  The problem with this is that the front speakers aren’t really meant to be used without the stands so they don’t feel very stable.  It would be a nice improvement to design these front speakers so that they’re stable without using the round base and extensions.

The BT300 is pretty intuitive to use.  The included remote lets you make all the adjustments that you need from anywhere in the room.  The on-screen display is intuitive to navigate, and the display on the front of the main unit has just enough characters to be informative.  The media can basically from from an external source (AUX or optical input), whatever disc you have in the system (Blu-Ray, DVD, etc), an iPod, or SD card.  The buttons on the remote make it pretty clear what you need to push to get the right mode selected.

The integrated iPod dock is a nice feature for a system at this price point.  A lot of systems leave this as an optional accessory.  Once you’ve docked your iPod, you can browse the music and video library using the on-screen display.  Both music and video can be played from the iPod, however, if you want to watch video, then you must have the composite video cable attached to your TV (you can’t use the HDMI out for iPod video playback).

If you’ve hooked up the BT300 to a network in your house (wired connection), then you can download firmware updates for the system as well as  browsing online content with the  Viera Cast feature.  Currently the only online services available in Viera Cast are YouTube, Amazon on Demand, and access to Picasa Web Galleries.  Browsing this content is very intuitive using the remote control.  While the online content is nice, in my opinion, it’s not such a huge value that this will be a major selling point of the BT300.

As far as performance, I was quite impressed with the audio that the system put out.  The higher pitches were crisp and clear and the subwoofer put out quite a bit of thump.  In fact, there are actually four levels of loudness for the subwoofer and I never set it above the second notch (second lowest).  There are also enough settings that you can tweak the audio enough for your taste.  The “Surround” button on the remote toggles through three modes: Standard, Multi-Channel, and Manual.  Within the Manual mode, you can choose between Dolby PL II Movie, Dolby PL II Music, Stereo Surround, and 2-channel Stereo.  The “Sound” button on the remote cycles through other settings for the equalizer, subwoofer level, center focus, and whisper surround.  While the “Smart Setup” feature, using the setup microphone should have automatically set the output from each channel, you can drill into the menus and tweak the settings if you like.

Start up time for the system is a bit sluggish (about 20 seconds), but once powered up, operations are pretty quick.  There is a cooling fan on the back of the system, but it’s very quiet.  While testing, this main unit was on top of a table by the TV and even outside of any sort of cabinet, I didn’t notice any noise from fan.  There is also a fair amount of load time for Blu-Ray content, but that’s pretty much par for the course.

Conclusion

For a system that can be purchased, at the moment, for just over $400, the Panasonic SC-BT300 is pretty impressive.  You get 7.1 channel surround sound that sounds great, a Blu-ray player, integrated iPod dock, the online content of Viera Cast in a system that is easy to setup.  If you want even more speaker placement options, you can invest in the wireless receivers (you’ll need two) to power the surround speakers.  The lightweight, plastic housing speakers aren’t impressive feeling, but the sound they create and the cost of the system are good enough that you won’t even think about it.

Rating – 4.5 out of 5 stars – Editor’s Choice

Panasonic is pushing the “sleek and compact form factor” pretty hard – but the SC-BTX70 has to do more than look good. It offers virtual surround sound by way of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD virtual 7.1-channel surround sound. The system’s 96-kHz Surround Re-master function enhances the sound quality of CDs and other sources and even raises the quality of the multi-channel audio data on Blu-ray Discs and DVDs.

On the video side, Panasonic is leveraging their image-enhancing PHL Chroma Processor Plus and High Precision 4:4:4 technologies deliver impressive  Blu-ray Disc playback.

And there’s the environmental message too - the SC-BTX70 is Energy Star qualified and all video signal processing circuits are on a single chip, which lowers power consumption.

The system won’t be cheap though – the Panasonic SC-BTX70 ships this month with a suggested retail price of $999.95.

The good news is that 3D is the first game-changing technology to come to home theater since the advent of the flat panel TV. The bad news is that you’ll have to replace your TV and DVD player and you’ll need to stock up on 3D glasses. Oh, and there’s the other little issue that content creators haven’t exactly figured out how to deliver 3D content yet. But don’t let that discourage you or slow the full court press that is coming to promote 3D.

Sony – 3D in 2010 or Bust

Today at the IFA show in Berlin, Sony formally committed to “lead the way in delivering new 3D viewing experiences by bringing 3D to the home in 2010.” Sony pumped their 3D compatible Bravia LCD TVs which “incorporate frame sequential display and active-shutter glass systems together with Sony’s proprietary high frame rate technology to enable the reproduction of full High Definition high-quality 3D images.”

3D requires more than just a compatible TV though – Sony also announced that it will develop 3D compatibility into other devices like it’s computers, Blu-ray players and of course the PlayStation 3. Their vision then is to not only get into 3D movies, but games as well, which potentially revolutionizes that industry as well.

Sony has even created a video to help consumers get excited about the prospect of 3D in their home theater setups.

Panasonic Launches 3D Road Show

Not to be outdone by Sony, Panasonic today launched a 3D road show. They’ll be taking three custom-built, expandable tractor trailers around the country to give the public their first demo of Panasonic’s 3D systems. Each rig will be outfitted with a complete 3D system and room for 25-35 people per demonstration. Look for the trucks at special events, sporting events, electronics retailers and the like. The tour will run through March 2010 and Panasonic hopes to demo the technology for at least 500,000 people.

“Panasonic’s Full HD 3D represents the next stage of audio-visual technologies for the home beyond High Definition,” said Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Panasonic Corporation of North America’s Chief Technology Officer. “Full HD 3D enables virtually the same quality and immersive experience as in 3D theaters. We also hope through our 3D TV truck tour to assure consumers that Panasonic is working diligently with fellow consumer electronics leaders and Hollywood to create a single open Full HD 3D TV standard.”

Not to be outdone by Sony, Panasonic also has a video extolling the virtues of 3D home theater.

The Reality of 3D Home Theater

There’s little doubt 3D is going to happen. It’s not just a Sony and Panasonic thing, dozens of companies are trying to figure out the standards for content delivery and creative ways to make this technology interesting for consumers. At the end of the day though, adoption will come down to economics. Will these companies be able to produce the technology cost effectively enough to get consumers to upgrade right away or will consumers wait a for a few iterations before they commit? And there are serious questions about the content as well. As in, who will release 3D content and how will it be distributed.

The one thing that’s not in doubt is that consumers love the idea of 3D home theater and the immersive experience it delivers. If Sony gets this into the PlayStation, there’s a shot 3D revolutionizes gaming too. The next year will certainly be interesting as these home theater companies one-up each other with 3D theater announcements.

Specifications

• Dynamic & Clear Sound Kelton Subwoofer, Bamboo Cone Speakers
• Smart Setup with Auto Speaker Setup
• Low Power Consumption – Main Unit in Stand-by: 0.1 W, Wireless System with Power off: 0.2W, Power Consumption of the Main Unit in Use: 43W (20% under previous model)
• Total Output Power of 428W in Home Theater Mode
• Front: 75W x 2 (120Hz-20kHz, 3 ohms, 1 % THD)
• Center: 105W (120Hz-20kHz, 6 ohms, 1 % THD)
• Wireless Surround: 34W x 2 (120Hz-20kHz, 3 ohms, 1 % THD)
• Subwoofer: 105W (45Hz-120Hz, 6 ohms, 1 % THD)
• Dolby Pro Logic II for Disc/iPod/ Digital In/FM/AM/AUX (for Movie, Music)
• Super Surround for Disc/iPod /Digital In/FM/AM/AUX
• Optical Drive Compatibility: DVD-Video, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW/-R/-R (DL), DVD+R1/+R(DL)/+RW, CD, CD-R/RW
• Apple iPod Docking Connector (Support for music, video, and photo playback)

Setup

Unboxing the SC-PT770 was rather simple, with one box housing all components of the stereo. Opening the box didn’t bring surprises of additional boxes; only foam strapped together that held the speakers and receiver. The only part I didn’t really enjoy was the Styrofoam tied together with thick nylon straps that needed a razor or a sharp pair of scissors to slice through. If you are the type of person that sticks with a pair of car keys to open all your boxes, this may present a problem.

The assembly stage was easy, with the front channel speakers screwed to a tower section and base, and the wireless receiver plugged into the back of the stereo. Each speaker had its own pre-cut and color matched section of wire. The subwoofer, center, and two front speakers plug into the back of the main receiver, and the rear-speakers connect to the wireless amp.

The wireless amp presented a few configuration problems; which may or may not be an issue depending on your room layout. The wireless amp is powered via a short AC cable, with 10 foot wire sections included that need to connect to each speaker. If you have a room layout consisting of chairs or a couch in the middle of your room, chances are you don’t have an outlet nearby. This is how my room is setup –  meaning I would need an extension cord strung across my living room to connect the amp to an outlet. Another option would be splicing longer speaker wire to the included sections, and connecting the wireless amp to a location closer to the main receiver. I think providing normal surround speaker hookups on the receiver itself in this case may have been the better option, though your success will vary based on room layout.

Panasonic has included a somewhat standard DVD player with the system. You don’t get Blu-ray, but you do get a 5-disk tray, which is actually kind of surprising, we don’t see many systems with multi-disk optical players. The player does support several disks though including DVD-Video, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW/-R/-R (DL), DVD+R1/+R(DL)/+RW, CD and CD-R/RW.

Once the speakers are connected and everything is powered on, you can use the Smart Setup feature to calibrate the speakers to get them all at the same volume level. Panasonic includes a wired microphone that plugs into the front of the receiver underneath an access panel. The process takes about 30 seconds after which you are ready to use the system as intended, with fully calibrated speakers.

Usability

The Panasonic SC-PT770 was designed to be easy to use for tech junkie and casual home theater user alike. The on-screen display and simple remote control layout make navigating the primary features easy. Since this home theater system isn’t designed to handle as many inputs as a larger system, you have three main mode buttons on the remote. Users can select DVD, iPod, or Ext-In (which cycles through Radio, Aux-in, and Digital-in) to go to the desired function. Depending on the item selection, the on-screen display shows relevant information for each area. In the DVD mode it waits at the screen until you insert a movie, which then it loads up the DVD-menu. In the iPod mode you get full access to the music, movies, and photos available. The radio mode shows the station that is being tuned in, as well as if a preset is selected. The auxiliary modes only show a static waiting screen, since the stereo is only outputting audio from that source.

Performance

Compared to other systems we have tested, the speaker’s build quality was’t the best. They felt incredibly lightweight, and not in a good way. The subwoofer, which is usually the heaviest component of an entire HTIB setup, was one of the lightest, not counting the surround speakers. The front speakers used metal reinforced plastic feet with hollow plastic piers, which couldn’t have weighed more than a couple of pounds. While I understand that lower cost models need to cut costs in certain places, I really feel that Panasonic could have gone with shorter satellite style speakers, giving them thicker and sturdier casings.

While the speakers could have felt or looked better, they actually sounded surprisingly good. My first test of the system was hooking my game console to it with the optical audio in, and playing Call of Duty. Gunshots and explosions sounded great; with a solid thumping impact coming through as grenades were tossed nearby or as I tripped over a Bouncing Betties. Sound quality stayed crisp even at higher volume levels that I found almost too loud to be still enjoyable. Surround audio came through clearly, with soft footsteps heard as enemy players snuck up behind me.

The next test was playing music through the iPod dock, which also sounded very good. I think the default treble setting could be adjusted down slightly, but for the most part right out of the box it sounded great. Bass wasn’t overpowering, andwith the surround speakers enabled for stereo sound, the system could easily fill most of my home with music.

iPod Support

The Panasonic SC-PT770 fully supports almost all features of the Apple iPod. In this review I paired the stereo with my 2nd generation iPod Touch. To connect the iPod to the stereo, you slide out a tray from the center of the stereo, and drop the iPod in place. The iPod Touch was a loose fit in the universal dock, but it was secure, even when I left it in a small silicone slip-case.

Panasonic really covered all their bases with this stereo, supporting music, photo, and video playback with onscreen menus. The music integration is excellent, and to date the most advanced control I have seen outside of connecting it to a computer. On your TV you can navigate down the list which includes artist, tracks, genres… basically everything you can do on the iPod itself. Once you start playing a song, it displays the title, artist, and album name on the screen with an indicator bar showing how far through the song you are. For music the onscreen display shows up over the HDMI connection, as well as other outputs.

Video and photo playback are also supported, but with limitations. Video will only output over composite video out, which is a limitation of the iPod. Another issue is mostly cosmetic, as the output resolution is limited, looking at or below standard definition broadcast quality. This is the same as if you had the iPod plugged into a dock that passed composite video out, not a problem of the stereo. You get the same playlist navigation as the music playback, but without the progress bar and other information displayed. You can use the remote to pause, stop video, rewind, and fast forward. Overall on a stereo in this price range, the iPod integration is well above what I had expected.

Conclusion

Initially the Panasonic SC-PT770 didn’t really impress me with the lightweight speakers and frustrating wireless rear surround speakers. Once I got over those issues and actually started to use the system my ideas changed, since it actually worked very well. Audio performance was very good for what could be considered a budget oriented all-in-one system, and the iPod integration was great. The onscreen iPod navigation might not have looked as nice as its Apple-designed counterpart, but it offered basically the same features, allowing you to track down the song, video, or image you wanted to play. I think you would be hard pressed to find another system in the same price-range with as many features. If you can work around the wireless surround limitations, I see no reason why you shouldn’t purchase this home theater system, as long as you don’t need a lot of high-end features.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Panasonic has pushed a firmware update out today that will enable Amazon’s Video On Demand service on its line of 2009 VIERA CAST-enabled Blu-ray Disc players which are included with the Panasonic SC-BT300 and SC-BT200 home theater in a box systems. 

Amazon Video On Demand gives customers access to a tremendous amount of content, including television shows and over 1000 movies in HD. Purchases are streamed to the Blu-ray player and consumers get access to their entire Amazon VOD library. This new service goes along with current support for YouTube, Picassa and Bloomberg news and weather information.

Thankfully Panasonic is driving down their prices on these HTiB systems, the same behavior we’re seeing from Sony and others. Here’s a rundown of the systems and when to expect them:

• SC-BT200 – 7.1 channel Blu-ray system with 1000 watts of total power, iPod dock, graphic user interface for setup and reduced power consumption – April $599
• SC-BT300 – All the features of the BT200, but with 1250 watts of total power – April $699
• SC-ZT1 – This system features 4 slim wireless speakers that have subwoofers integrated into the base. There’s no optical player, but one can be connected to the system. Initially this one was supposed to be released this spring, but it’s been delayed to the fall. No pricing has been released.

It’s hard to look at the feature set of the SC-BT200 and the SC-BT300, combined with the price point, and not get a little excited. Assuming the quality is there, which we’ll have to test, $600 on the low end for Blu-ray, 1000 watts, 7 surround speakers, subwoofer, iPod dock, VIERA Cast content network and a lower power consumption is pretty compelling. And if you need more power, $100 more gets 250 watts.

UPDATE 8/4/09 – Panasonic adds Amazon VOD support to the SC-BT200 and SC-BT300

Update – 12/21/09 – Panasonic SC-BT300 Review Posted (Also covers SC-BT200)

Panasonic’s SC-PT770 and SC-PT670 employ bamboo cones in the front and center speakers and a Kelton Subwoofer. The Bamboo Cone Speaker is made of a highly rigid bamboo material that helps achieve a pure, clear sound, while also being Earth friendly. Driven by powerful 1,000-watt output (1kHz, 3 ohms, 10% THD), this combination of Bamboo Cone Speakers and Kelton Subwoofer delivers a sensational audio performance.

In keeping with the simple setup HTiB mentality, Panasonic has included a “Smart Set-up” function that allows consumers to configure their system by following simple on-screen instructions and pressing buttons on the remote control. 

The main differentiation between the two systems is that the PT770 comes with the SH-FX70 Wireless Kit for Rear Speakers. Incidentally, these speakers can be added separately to the PT670. The wireless speakers use a 2.4 GHz frequency and a digital transmitter card with east insert adaptor terminals and a compact rear receiver. It boasts a three-position switch for flexible setting [Left Surround/Right Surround (5.1ch), Left Surround /Left Surround Back (7.1ch for 7.1ch systems), Right Surround/ Right Surround Back (7.1ch)] and an ID Set Switch.

Aside from the renewable bamboo, the SC-PT770 and SC-PT670 incorporate Panasonic’s new Uniphier, a single-chip LSI that contains the entire video signal processing circuit. This reduces energy consumption by around 20% compared to last year’s SC-PT760 and SC-PT660, while also reducing the number of parts and allowing a smaller design. All-in-all, Panasonic has taken significant steps to reduce the environmental impact of the system without giving up performance, we like the direction.

Both models will be available this spring. The SC-PT670 will have a retail price) of $299.95 and the SC-PT770 will be $399.95.

UPDATE 8/17/09 – Panasonic SC-PT770 Review Posted

The SC-ZT1 users Panasonic’s new “Sound Slim Speakers” which are engineered by arranging four speakers vertically inside a slim pole to achieve a parallel sound system. This speaker configuration, along with Panasonic’s virtual technology, lets users enjoy Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD 7.1-channel surround sound with minimal sound bounce off the ceiling and walls.  

The speakers also boast an integrated subwoofer, perhaps not where you’d expect it though. The five inch subwoofer is built into the speaker stand. Because it uses a Down-Fire structure, which releases the sound facing downward toward the floor, powerful and deep bass sounds are achieved within a compact body. It remains to be seen however, how this system performs compared to those with a more robust dedicated subwoofer.

The SC-ZT1 will be available in the spring. Pricing has not yet been announced.

In addition to the BD-Live content and extra goodies from Blu-ray disks, both systems can connect to the Amazon VOD service and users will have access to the other partners in the VIERA Cast network including videos from You Tube, access to online photos via Picasa Web Albums, financial information from Bloomberg News, as well as local weather updates.

From a performance perspective, Panasonic has created front and center channel speakers that are made with a bamboo diaphragm, which provides a tightly intertwined fiber to deliver greater rigidly and accuracy, resulting in clear reproduction of sounds over a wide frequency range. The subwoofer features a Kelton system with a dual diameter structure to deliver a deep powerful bass.

The systems are also easy to setup, thanks to Panasonic’s “Smart Setup” guide that uses graphical navigation to allow users to set up their SC-BT200 or SC-BT300 home theater for optimum performance.

The BT300 and BT200 offer improved environmental performance too. Refinements to the power board dramatically reduce power consumption in standby mode. And by adjusting power consumption as the audio signal changes, these models save power during operation as well. As a result of these improvements, the BT300 and BT200 consume about 20% less power than last year’s SC-BT100 Blu-ray theater system.

Both models will be available this spring but pricing has not been announced.

Update 3/11/09 – Pricing and Availability have been released

Update – 12/21/09 - Panasonic SC-BT300 Review Posted (covers SC-BT200 also)