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Panasonic SC-PT950 Home Theater System

Sat, Jan 5, 2008

Panasonic SC-PT950 Review:

The Panasonic SC-PT950 Home Theater System ensures you get wireless freedom, intensely rich sound, and an amazingly vivid picture. The 1080p up-conversion function converts standard definition images from DVDs to high definition. You’ll get the most out of your HDMI-compatible HDTV with sharp and exceptionally detailed high-resolution images. And unlike ordinary video up-converters that produce images with thicker edges and decreased sharpness, the HD Enhancer keeps edges crisp and clear for outstanding detail. Super Surround puts you in the action with lifelike sound from every angle, and a Four-Step Subwoofer Level Control puts you in command with rich sound effects you can hear and feel. Panasonic SC-PT950 also comes equipped to deliver exceptional sound quality from portable audio players and other new music sources. Go ahead and listen to music on your iPod by using the included Universal Dock for iPod, or tune into your favorite XM stations with the integrated XM tuner.

Bought Panasonic SC-PT950 2 weeks ago. My experience is mostly in component systems, not HTIBs; I bought this unit based on online reviews from this site and others. Here are my observations:

Strengths: Sound quality was good. Decent clarity at both low and high volume levels. Bass from subwoofer was well matched, not overwhelming. More than enough power from speakers to fill an apartment, or small-mod living room/TV room. Easy setup — only had to look at the manual once for the wireless surround setup. Yes, you CAN adjust both time delay and volume of all speakers.

Weaknesses: User interface and iPod interface. In the attempt to make the UI menu-driven, many functions that are single button-pushes on component systems (subtitle, language) require 3-4 buttons to operate. Kind of a drag if the lights are down low and you’re fumbling with the remote. Speaking of the remote, it’s not very well set up — I keep on having to refer to the print manual to find out what the buttons do. Would love to have some TV channel controls so I can toss out my TV remote. Finally, the iPod interface is definitely something that was obviously rushed to market. The Panasonic SC-PT950 (and 953 and 1050 for that matter) is ONLY capable of playing the entire library by artist IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER. No playlists, no menus, no nothing. Just linear play. Quite a pain when you have 500-1000 songs on your ipod.

Have not tested: HD video output (only have a 480i TV).

Overall, would definitely do a bit more research before buying again. Sound quality is quite good, but the user interface is annoying for technical-minded people.

—– By Matthew C. Jeong

Panasonic SC-PT950 Features