151 of 156 people found the following review helpful:
Great Home Theater System
We purchased the Panasonic SC-HT700 last week so I can only give you my initial impressions of the machine. First let me say that we are extremely happy with our purchase. This system replaced a stereo, dvd player and sub-woofer that we had been using for quite a few years. This sound quality of this new system is far superior to what we had been listening to for both...
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
Ok for beginners
I was really impressed by the reviews for this product but I was a little let down once I had one in my home. I think if you have just purchased your first DVD player and are used to sound from your television, you will love it. If you've had surround sound for a while, this won't impress you.
Firstly, unlike most consumer electronics, the remote was not a universal...
This review is from: Panasonic SC-HT700 CD/DVD Home Theatre Sys (Electronics)
We purchased the Panasonic SC-HT700 last week so I can only give you my initial impressions of the machine. First let me say that we are extremely happy with our purchase. This system replaced a stereo, dvd player and sub-woofer that we had been using for quite a few years. This sound quality of this new system is far superior to what we had been listening to for both DVD's and Music. The system comes nicely packaged in a fairly large box, it is well organized and comes with everything you should need to get up and running. While I was shopping for a home theater system I had discovered that this unit was a bit different than most, part of the electronics for the unit apparently reside in the subwoofer, there is a special fairly heavy electronics cable that attaches the control unit to the subwoofer and then all of the speaker wires attach to the subwoofer along with the power cord, the special cable is probably about 8 feet long so if you are considering this unit you may want to keep this in mind, the sub will have to be within about 8 feet of the control unit and all of your speaker wires (including the center channel) will attach to it. Depending on your room and where you want to place your components this may or may not work for you. For me this was not a problem, I did give a bit of thought to the fact that if anything ever goes wrong with the sub it will probably render the entire unit worthless. Once I had the unit installed and the speakers all hooked up I pulled out the manual and remote control, the manual is very good, it is well written and easy to understand, the remote is a universal remote and while it will control my TV the buttons are small and it is a bit confusing. There are more functions on this unit then I will ever use. The on-line information that I found (not much since this unit just came out) while I was researching this unit was not always correct on every feature, I happen the have a VCD (predecessor to DVD) and this unit plays them fine, this was not listed anywhere that I could find. The speakers also have brass threaded inserts in them so that they can be mounted to brackets, the on-line information indicated the speakers did not have these inserts. Once again, we are quite happy with our purchase, if I were doing it again today I would purchase the same unit.
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63 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
Perfect, well almost ........, August 5, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Panasonic SC-HT700 CD/DVD Home Theatre Sys (Electronics)
During my research for a reasonable home theater system i found that this HT 700 is the best selling and highest recommended system on amazon.com is. I read all the reveiws and decided that it is the kind of middle-class system is that I would need. First the good: the system comes with everything you need and set up is straight forward and simple until you get to actually using the system first. The challenges: First, you really have to learn and closely read the manual to master all the options crammed into that little remote. Don't put that manual too far away. I am sure you will need it again for reference a few times after first learning how to use the system. Next and this is IMPORTANT !!! Earlier reveiws ahve mentioned that the HT700 is the same as the HT900, just with smaller speakers. THAT IS NOT TRUE and in between all the different smaller differences, there is one big one (at least for me) that I wish I would have known and which may have made me rather purchase the HT900 system: The HT 900 can decode Dolby Surround sound from satellite transmissions and from DVDs, the HT700 can only decode Dolby Surround sound from DVDs. So, all my DirecTV shows that I TiVo are not played back with surround sound.......the HT 900 CAN DOD THIS !! Other the differences are rather minor.more power in the HT900, but the HT700 has anyway enough power for me.......in general, I would have expected maybe a little more sound from this system. Don't get me wrong it is not disappointing, but a little more I did expect. For the price it is probably one of the best systems you can get.
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This review is from: Panasonic SC-HT700 CD/DVD Home Theatre Sys (Electronics)
My last home theatre was a Sony 5.1 Dream System Surround Sound with DTS, 300 Watts, satellite speakers, etc. After a year I needed to upgrade to another system. Here was my 3 top choices.
1. Bose 3-2-1 System... 2. Sony DAV-C990 DVD Dream System... 3. Panasonic SC-HT900... 4. Panasonic SC-HT700
After much research on all three. The Panasonic HT900 seemed to be the best choice, since that had progressive scan, 600 watts, a 5 disc changer, and great reviews on amazon, epinions, ask jeeves, and every other website. But for [the price] it was a good deal. I did not like the tower speakers when I looked at them for myself... They were made of cheap plastic and most of the tower was useless. They were lightweight and were easily toppled (especially if you have pets or kids).
The Bose had a lot of system bugs still encountered by many buyers. Bose DID NOT have progressive scan and not a true surround sound and the price was way HIGH ... I did not see a lot of good reviews on the Bose. Also no disc changer.
The Sony at first was my top choice since I knew the quality in their Trinitron TV's and because I owned an older Dream System that was great. But once again for [the price], this did not have the 5 disc changer.
Finally I checked out the little brother of the Panasonic HT-900 the HT-700. The only difference is that this system does not have the speaker towers. Instead they have the modular satellite speakers. Also at $300 it was cheaper and had all the features of the HT-900 such as the 5 disc changer, 600 watts, progressive scan, etc. I decided to buy this one.
BOTTOMLINE: This was a GREAT and ECONOMICAL PURCHASE. The sound is crystal clear, the subwoofer has active bass, and the satellite speakers give true 5.1 surround sound. I cannot rave enough of this HT-700 system. Save your money and buy this sytem instead and spend the extra $$$ on DVD's, CD's, and the component cables instead. But don't take my word on this. The Average Rating speak for themselves. Thanks
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This review is from: Panasonic SC-HT700 CD/DVD Home Theatre Sys (Electronics)
I just bought this unit for my father-in-law (Father's Day gift). The value is just incredible! A 5-disc changer, AM/FM radio, progressive scan DVD, Dolby digital 5.1, DTS, and various CD formats for [this price]! Most importantly, it's simple enough for my dad to use all the features.
It's very easy to set up and easy to use. Everything you need comee right in the box. Even the speaker wires were pre-stripped. If your TV has component video inputs, I recommend using component video cables or a S-Video cable instead of the RCA cable that was included. (Has anybody tried using a RCA audio-video cable as a component cable? Other than the color on the plugs, heavier guage wires and hefty price, I don't know if there is any other difference.) The remote control takes a little getting used to. The volume buttons are left-right rather than the up-down that you would find on most TV remotes.
There's a lot to say about the all-in-one design. Simplicity. One hint... do not connect the audio to the tv audio in. That way, when you play DVD's, you don't have to mute or turn down the TV volume.
OK. It does not give you that ear splitting train crash or the earth shaking rumble of Black Hawk helicopters. Nor do the strings of the violins in Pacabel's Canon in D Major resonate in your living room. If you want that, keep on looking, but hang on to your wallet when you see that comma in the total price of those systems.
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This review is from: Panasonic SC-HT700 CD/DVD Home Theatre Sys (Electronics)
I have had this sytem for about two weeks. It is my first home theater system and let me first say that the difference from a traditional TV set with speakers is incredible. The subwoofer is just enough for my room which is 19 x 14. The speakers, which have to be displayed around the room are nice looking and can fit on a wall without being noticed. The remote has a lot of features many of which I may never use. It took me about 5 hours to set everything up and that included running the speaker wire under some baseboards. They give you a lot of wires and verything fit nicely. I am very pleased.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
Ok for beginners, November 24, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Panasonic SC-HT700 CD/DVD Home Theatre Sys (Electronics)
I was really impressed by the reviews for this product but I was a little let down once I had one in my home. I think if you have just purchased your first DVD player and are used to sound from your television, you will love it. If you've had surround sound for a while, this won't impress you.
Firstly, unlike most consumer electronics, the remote was not a universal remote and will not operate my television and there are no codes for my particular brand. It simply will not work, forcing me to use two remotes. Not a huge deal, but a little annoying.
Secondly, there is no video input so if you want to watch VHS or cable or something besides the built-in DVD, you must change the channel or input on your TV. Again, it requires to keep your TV's remote handy.
Thirdly, the remote isn't very easy to understand. There are "shift" functions an odd abbriviations specific to this unit. It takes a while to figure out... and I consider myself fairly adept at home audio/visual electronics.
Finally, the sound quality is better than TV speakers but not at all on par with other home theaters like the Sony Dream System. DVDs sound really nice but TV, music, and VHS are only reproduced in *simulated* surround. If you've heard the real thing, you'll notice the difference. But for my bedroom, it's fine.
Over all, yeah, it's OK but I wouldn't believe all the glowing reviews on this site.
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This review is from: Panasonic SC-HT700 CD/DVD Home Theatre Sys (Electronics)
I'm not an audiphile, but this system seems to sound very good to me - especially for the price. I had been looking at systems for the last few months, and most of the lower end HTIB systems were missing one feature or another. This unit plays anything I throw at it - even plays our home-burned DVDs flawlessly. Future compatability is guaranteed with progressive outputs too. A great deal, with a full set of features for much less than you'd expect.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Buy the SC-HT900 instead!!!, November 20, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Panasonic SC-HT700 CD/DVD Home Theatre Sys (Electronics)
For $100 more you get the SC-HT900 with more power and better quality tower speakers which does not require stands. Stands will cost atleast an extra $50 a pair and that'll make up for the price difference. The digital input is the main reason to go for the SC-HT900. Unlike the SC-HT700, you can enjoy surround sound with gaming systems, direct TV or digital cable.
The SC-HT900 cost around $499 in major retailers and just recently it droped down between $399-$450 to be more competitive. But what a bargin, this systems sounds as good if not better than most of the overprices $1000+ systems offered by Bose, Yamaha, Sony, etc.
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This review is from: Panasonic SC-HT700 CD/DVD Home Theatre Sys (Electronics)
What a great package! I bought this for my bedroom, and I could'nt be happier. The dialog enhancer is great for viewing movies in a dorm, apartment or late night viewing when you dont want to disturb anyone nearby - it works great! Then there's the zoom feature, which lets you (very gradually) format the movie to your TV! So you choose how much bars to leave in your 4:3 screen - also works great! Sound is awesome, very clear! HTIB's arent the loudest but this one is one of the better ones out there. Also it plays the new DVD Audio discs! Which will soon be the main audio format, replacing cd's. Not many players do this yet. Put in a mp3 disc or two and you have enough tunes to last nearly forever...lol. I have 1 complaint: There's no digital audio input (fiber-optic or coax)! So no digital surround sound for your X-Box or DTV/DSS. I have a main bigger system in my livingroom so this wasnt a worry for me. If this is your main system you may want to consider the SC-HT900 ([money maount]more) It has this feature. This does however have 3 stereo (regular) audio inputs: TV, VCR, and Aux. I shopped and compared for weeks and found this to be the best choice HTIB for me. Also Panasonic's reliability has been great in all their products in the past.
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This review is from: Panasonic SC-HT700 CD/DVD Home Theatre Sys (Electronics)
I knew before I bought this system that it would be good, because a friend bought a similar system, the HT800 (which only really differs by the tall speakers), but I was surprised at just how good it sounded even though I didn't put the speakers in the precisely directed positions. Not having the digital audio input is a downside, because you can only get good TV audio out of two speakers, even if you have digital cable. If you try to put your tv sound on 4 speakers, the back two sound scratchy, so just leave it on "TV" mode.
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