The Blu-ray equipped SC-BT100 HTIB system Panasonic showed onstage at their CES
press conference is set for US release in the same "spring"
timeframe as the
DMP-BD50 standalone Blu-ray player.
HTIB systems are all about convenience, so rest assured that Panasonic threw in some niceties for your other gear: iPod dock, an SD card slot and
AVCHD support for your videos shot (hopefully) with a Panasonic video camera. If the 5.1-channels you get out of the box aren't enough, you can add one additional pair of speakers with an optional transceiver unit. All in all, it looks like a pretty good HTIB system: 5-disc changer, Blu-ray final standard (1.1), DTS-HD MA and Dolby TrueHD and 5.1 channels (with wireless surrounds) for $1000. We would advise, however, you take the 250-Watt power rating with a grain of salt.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dave @ May 11th 2008 2:29AM
Yeah, definitely great product. Nice SUB too :)
GhostDoggy @ May 11th 2008 8:24AM
I'm guessing this is targeted to someone that doesn't have speakers, multi-channel receiver (audio amplification), Blu-ray, etc., but I pause at something like this.
First, why does Blu-ray, the last remaining high-definition format, have to be made as a discount, low-price tier solution? Anyone can buy a $400 HTIB (I did originally, before upgrading). I would rather tell friends to buy a HTIB for $600, and then buy a PS3 for $400.
In fact, I probably consider them buy a $400-600 Sony AVR capable of HDMI 1090P pass-through along with a $400 PS3 and then take their time buying some decent used speakers.
BTW, not advocating the PS3 as a gaming console. I own a PS3, will be owning a second PS3 in time, but I have never played a game on any Playstation (360 by choice).
HDpurist @ May 11th 2008 11:04AM
This package from Panasonic is awesome - it would be perfect for my parents and grand parents as they havent got on the BD bandwagon yet. For me, I would also skip it though and go the PS3 or S500 and a separate but better (perhaps even lower cost) speaker set up like the Logitech Z-5500.
Ken @ May 11th 2008 12:47PM
PS3 + Yamaha HTiB (as in, real receiver with HDMI switching) and you will have change left over for a nice dinner...
But as someone who sells this stuff, people want small and all-in-one.
Oh well...