Customer Reviews

Panasonic SC-BT200 1000W 7.1 Channel Blu-ray Disc Home Theater Sound System

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It's a crying shame that many people who plunk down their hard earned cash on a flat panel HDTV never bother to add a high quality sound system, or even attach a true high definition 1080i or 1080p source. Some are put off by the added expense, some by the complexity of setting it all up. Panasonic's SC-BT200 Blu-ray Home Theater system addresses all of these issues: it's inexpensive, easy to set up and offers full 1080p high definition Blu-ray playback with matching high definition surround sound. And I didn't even mention the integrated iPod dock or IPTV features! (OK, I did now).

This year's crop of Blu-ray HTiB (home theater in a box) systems from Panasonic, the SC-BT200 and its big brother the SC-BT300 have made big improvements over last year's more basic models, while lowering the cost of admission. The SC-BT200 under review here supports BD-Live (BD-ROM Profile 2.0), and offers excellent DVD upconversion as well as sweet sweet 1080p Blu-ray playback. If you like to get your content online, the built-in VIERA Cast feature allows you to view streaming videos from YouTube or Amazon, online photo albums from Picasa, stock quotes and local weather info. Also, almost unheard of at this price point, the BT200 and BT300 include on-board decoding of all the latest "HD" surround sound codecs, including multi-channel PCM, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio and DTS-HD Master Audio.

And unlike similar systems from Samsung and others, the BT200 and BT300 come with 7.1 channels right out of the box for the most immersive surround experience. We were surprised how good these little speakers and their matching subwoofer sounded, considering how small they are. And in case set-up and calibration seems like too daunting a task, both systems come with color-coded speaker wires of varying length (10 feet for the fronts, 26 feet for the sides, 40 feet for the rears) to make it as easy as possible to connect all the speakers. and once they are all plugged in, you can use the included microphone and auto-calibration software to set all the speaker levels and delays automatically (it's like having a geeky friend come over with his sound meter, but without having to share your beer and pizza with him as payment).

As far as connections go, this really isn't an "A/V receiver," in fact the unit's receiver doesn't have any video inputs other than the integrated iPod dock. But if you have a Wii, PS3, XBox or HD cable or satellite box you can connect the video outputs of these to your TV directly and use one of the BT200's two analog or digital inputs for the sound. This means you can get true 5.1 or 7.1 channel surround sound from your cable, satellite or over the air HD tuners, in addition to the built in CD/DVD/Blu-ray Disc player.

If you like to carry your music and iTunes videos around with you on an iPod, you'll love the integrated iPod dock which pops right out of the center of the BT200 or BT300's faceplate. While you're listening to your iTunes or watching iTunes videos on your big screen (and controlling all the action with the BT200's remote), your iPod is replenishing its internal battery with the built-in charger. As far as iPod compatibility, the BT200 will work with pretty much any iPod other than the shuffle with its non-standard pin outs. The iPhone is not officially certified, but if you put it in "airplane" mode, it will work fine with the BT200.

The system does have some limitations: there's only so loud and so deep you can get with a sub-$500 system, and some of the video processing (including noise reduction) is weaker than in Panasonic's standalone Blu-ray players. But for its price, the BT200 offers an impressive mix of performance, features and convenience. Highly recommended!

BTW, if you want something with a little more power, the SC-BT300 offers slightly higher power output, and larger, more powerful speakers for the front left, right and center channels.

A complete review of the SC-BT200 is available on Big Picture Big Sound (dot com).

SC-BT200
Sound Quality: B+
Blu-Ray: A
DVD: A+
Volume: B+
Features: A-
Setup: B
Ease of Use: A+ (viera link)

SC-BT300
Sound Quality: A+
Blu-Ray: A
DVD: A+
Volume: A+
Features: A-
Setup: B
Ease of Use: A+ (viera link)

Through an odd confluence of events, pricing, and holiday discounts, I have had the good fortune to get a good deal on Panasonic's SC-BT200, then return it for a great deal on the SC-BT300. When I first started looking at HTIB systems, I was considering both of these, and having a hard time deciding on which one to buy. So, I thought I would write up a comparison review for anyone in a similar situation.

First, let me preface this by saying that I was thrilled with both systems. The blu-ray player performs beautifully, you get an amazing amount of volume out of these tiny little speakers, and the sound quality is superb. That being said, based on performance alone, the SC-BT300 is the definitive winner, without question.

The most obvious difference between these two systems are the tall boy left front and right front speakers that come with the SC-BT300. Now as I said before, the speakers that come with the 200 perform very well, and I was quite happy with the sound that I was getting from them. They cannot, however, hold a candle to the superior sound quality produced by the 300's tall boys. The difference is definitely noticeable. This difference is increased by the fact that the 300 comes with a better center speaker (250W) than the 200 does (125W). This difference is self evident as soon as you pickup up each center speaker. The 300's is definitely heavier. Finally, the 300 also comes with a similarly juiced up (250W vs. 125W) subwoofer. This detail is probably somewhat unnecessary, as I got room shaking bass out of the 200's sub, but it is still worth mentioning when comparing the two. The rest of the speakers are, as far as I can tell, exactly identical. They do a good job of providing that beautiful, immersive sound one would expect from a 7.1 system, while still being tiny, easily hidden, and easily mountable.

While I imagine there are likely some internal differences between the two receiver units to accommodate the differences in the speaker setup, they are minimal. From an interface standpoint, the two are exactly the same. Both come with the same power supply, and my DVD's and Blu-Ray's look identical coming through either player. If there is any difference in the receiver, I would say that it is negligible.

Now, the one area that the 200 does have a distinct advantage over the 300 is required space. Make no mistake, the Tall Boy speakers are big, 3' tall with a 10" diameter base. So you will need some room to set these up. If you are in a cramped family room, or a small apartment, you might prefer the 200, simply because it is more compact. And it does still produce excellent sound quality, it's just not as outstanding as the 300. When I originally made my purchase decision, the 300 was also around $75.00 more than the 200, so cost is something to bear in mind as well. Having experienced both, however, I would tell you to go with the 300, and if there is a significant price difference between the two, keep an eye on them and wait for the 300 to go on sale.

Finally, I would like to address some complaints that I have heard about the receivers having a lack of inputs. No, there are no video inputs on the back of the receiver. However, I do not understand why this is an issue. I have a PS1, PS2, PS3, VCR, and Dreamcast all running into my television as normal, then I have the TV connected to the receiver through a digital audio out Toslink connection. The sound comes through my system for all of them. It is unnecessary to running anything else to the receiver, just run it to the TV like you normally would. You shouldn't encounter any problems.

As an aside, it is also worth noting that if you already own a Panasonic TV, the Viera Link systems works extremely well and does a great job of simplifying your life. Just another variable to consider.

So, at the end of the day, which one do I recommend? Hands down the SC-BT300. Consider the 200 if space is really tight, but otherwise you will be happier stepping up to the better system.

Here's a link to the SC-BT300:
Panasonic SC-BT300 1250W 7.1 Channel Blu-ray Disc Home Theater Sound System

I got this baby at the same time I ordered the Panasonic 50g10 plasma television. The sound is incredible, but like some of the other reviewers have said, there are certainly better sound systems, but for the money I have no complaints. I read several expert reviews that gave very positive evaluations and that was it for me. I also heard the sound it produced at couple of retail stores, and that sealed it for me. Of course Blue Ray is awesome, but frankly I think the upconverting on the DVDs are fabulous too. The speakers are really small, which I wanted. Some may prefer the extra power of the BT-300, I thought about it too, but the extra power is not needed for me. If only it were wireless, but at the price on this unit it is more than I anticipated. Really makes having a great television a very enjoyable home theater system. Very easy to unpack and hook up. Highly recommended.

I did quite a bit of shopping around and for the price, you can't beat this system!! Very rich full sound, clear as a new brass bell. Internet connectivity, Ipod dock built in, this system is wonderful. The one issue I have with this system is the same issue I have had with previous Panasonic systems, that silly proprietory plug on the chincy speaker wires provided. I have spent the money to get good, oxygen free 12 guage copper speaker wire to replace theirs, and I will have to do good soldering to attach the appropriate wire to the plugs, but I do tend to be a bit retentive. Of course I knew this is how it would be going in, but Panasonic is a great brand despite this one issue. Still all in all, a novice could set up this system in a manor of minutes and enjoy great sound right out of the box. If your going to invest in a great 1080 system, don't short the sound and, for the money, I couldn't find a better system with all the features out there.

Setting up was a little tedious but I like the auto speaker settings with the mic. Was disappointed to find out the Viera Cast only had Amazon on demand (which is great) because I already pay for Netflix and the older models such as this one dont and will not have Netflix streaming. Now my biggest issue is the sound will short out on me. It does it with PS3 on using an optical cable. I will be playing and all the sudden the volume drops from 30 to 0. It does it every 40 secs or so. Very frustrating while playing. Also does it while watching DVD's and it did it with 1 blu ray so far. The system is also very slow when switching between inputs. I wrote Panasonic about some of these issues and am waiting to hear back. Waiting being the key word. Maybe mines defective but beware. Other than all that ipod doc works great and youtube works great. Sound is pretty good but I thought 1000 watts would be louder. 1 last thing, it only has 1, I repeat, 1 composite/RCA input. I have to switch out between Wii and Xbox.That's all I got.

This DVD surround sound functioned as expected. I was looking for a decent priced all in one system. I'm not a deep into video/audio user. I have other Panosonic equipment and have been pleased with the quality and functionality. So far I have been pleased with this system. I did as much research and reviews on this as I could find on the net before I bought it. The sound quality is better than I expected. I have it attached to a Samsung LCD via HDMI and the integration works well enough. It automatically switches the TV to the DVD HDMI input when a DVD is inserted and mutes the TV speakers. When I switch the TV back to my digital TV service the TV speakers come back on. I haven't tried to program one of my remotes to manage the DVD player yet (not sure I will either) so I can't comment on that. The FM tuner works well and I get good reception even in my basement location. The internet connection function is a nice add-on for me but having wireless connectivity instead of wired would be nice. Fortunately my router is near the location of my TV. There are a whole lot of wires to connect (8 speakers, antenas, HDMI to TV, audio from cable or TV, network, maybe more - I forget) but the instructions and color coding made it pretty clear.

This is a great deal.

1. It is wireless ready but you must use 2 of the wireless tranceivers for wireless, 1 for rightmiddle/rightback and 1 for leftmiddle/leftback... it will NOT work with just one tranceiver for left/right rear.

2. It sets it's self up okay with the setup mic. First you need to set the sublevel to 4. You can adjust it through the speaker setup db setting to adjust the volume of the sub. By putting the sublevel to 4, it increases the mid-bass in all other speakers and eiminates the tin sound that occurs when the sub is adjusted below 3-4. By turning down the db setting in the speaker setup, the mid-bass of the other speakers are not effected.

3. Put the middle speakers in the correct locations. They are part of the rear sound and do not give the correct feild when in front.

4. Order a fiber optic cable to go from your tv to the system. It is the best option for sound from anything else connected to the tv. By connecting the tv with the fiber optic when the tv input is changed to any component, the sound will still be sent to the system through this cable.

I got burned last year on the HDdvd fiasco! Yes, I got my 10 free DVDs etc but I backed the wrong horse. So after licking my wounds all year I noticed that Blue-Ray HTS were becoming remarkably affordable. The HDdvd player will go on Craigslist as will the Sony 5.1 HTS that was powering everything, I'll probably get a large part of what this great little system cost while I'm at it!

Now on to a quick review. I think the point I'm making is we all have piles of old hi-fi gear, shocking amounts of cables and way too many remotes! Time to simplify; HDMI into my 40" Toshiba, 2 optical outs ($0.60 right here on Amazon!) from the TV and the Airport express for airTunes and I'm basically done (plus 7 speakers to wire up). So simple and such a nice sound quality. I actually listen to way more music than I watch TV and the surround effect sounds great with iTunes. I usually lower the subwoofer as I live in NYC but it's there when I need it. Its so sad how many people buy the big TV but don't even know about HDMI cables, optical audio and Hi-def video, why bother?

So here we have it, a simple affordable solution that really is pretty easy to set up, don't panic - read the manual, buy the cables you need (make sure you save about 90% by using Amazon's third party resellers) and ENJOY!

I just got this system today, and what can I say, it is amazing. My first 7.1 surround system with a blu ray built in. The sound is so clear and the bass is amazing. The features it has is way past my wildest dreams. I pod dock, blu ray player, and internet. Yes internet for a home theater system, thats a first for me on any surround system I have reviewed. All speakers are wall mountable with key slots, the front and center are made of a bambo material which makes the sound really good. For there small size, they belt out alot of audio, do not be fooled by there size. The subwoofer has a 10" passive driver and a 6 and a half inch driver all in one enclosure, which translates in to very deep bass you can feel. Has am/fm tuner, 2 optical in's, 1 audio in, I pod dock in front which slides out, memory card reader, easy set up for speakers with included mic and a remote control. I totally recommend this sytem to everyone looking for good audio quality blu ray home theater system solution. UPDATE: Talked about the audio performance but not video, watched pirate's 3, at worlds end, what a picture, the best picture I ever seen on a blu ray disc. Nice smooth lines and deep rich colors. Did also a firmware update to 1.6, no problems with that, just be patient with it and don't touch anything on remote or system, it takes sometime though. Highly recommended to all.

The system looks and sounds great, but it would have been nice to have some more inputs on it. It also would have been nice if it came with some longer speaker wire for the rear speakers.