Panasonic SC-HT56 Blu-Ray Home Theater Receiver (Blu-Ray Player Sold Separately)
From Panasonic
A Home Theater in a Box will improve your movie experience on any TV. It's no wonder why Home Theaters have become so popular. The Panasonic SCH-T56 5.1 Home Theater in a Box includes VIERA Link HDAVI Control, HDMI connection, and Wireless speakers(adapter sold seperately). Panasonic offers top of the line sound quality which sounds professional and crisp; you feel as if you?re sitting in an actual movie theater. Surround sound, using multi-channel audio, encompasses a range of techniques for enriching (expanding and deepening) the sound reproduction quality, of an audio source, with additional audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. The three-dimensional (3D) sphere of human hearing can be virtually achieved with audio channels above and below the listener. The descriptions of surround sound specifications below distinguish between the number of discrete channels encoded in the original signal and the number of channels reproduced for playback. The number of channels reproduced for playback can be changed by using matrix decoding. A distinction is also made between the number of channels reproduced for playback and the number of speakers used to reproduce (each channel may refer to a group of speakers). The graphics to the right of each specification description represent the number of channels, not the number of speakers. This notation, e.g. "5.1", reflects the number of full range channels; including a ".1" to reflect the limited range of the LFE channel.
- Amazon Sales Rank: #37265 in Consumer Electronics
- Brand: Panasonic
- Model: SC-HT56
- Dimensions: 4.10" h x 16.90" w x 15.60" l, 8.80 pounds
Good value for a blu-ray compatible system
I had been using a 4.5 year old Sony HT-DDW660 Home Theater System which has worked excellently, in my 13'x13' TV room, to give me 5.1 surround sound with my DVD player and HDTV. However, I am planning to buy a blu-ray player soon and I realized that the SONY lacks an HDMI or component analog inputs which would allow me to hear the new lossless sound formats that are available on blu-ray discs. So I looked for an HDMI system that would be an easy replacement for my current HTIB. One that decodes the new audio formats is not necessary since the new BD players do that and send the resulting PCM to the audio receiver via HDMI. Well, I was in luck that 6th Ave Electronics had a special that let me get the Panasonic SC-HT56 delivered for about $200, total.
I had no trouble setting up the Panasonic. The subwoofer fits into the lower shelf of a bookcase, just where I had the SONY's. The 2 surround speakers had the same screw holes on their backs as the SONY's so I could attach them to already existing ceiling brackets. There was already wire to those brackets. The wire supplied with both the SONY and Panasonic systems seems to be the same gauge so I just used the existing wire to complete the connections between the speakers and receiver. Thankfully, the SC-HT56 doesn't use proprietary wire connectors like some other HTIBs.
The Panasonic had a microphone for audio setup. After setup, I found that the subwoofer was at the maximum which was far too much for me so, using controls on the remote, I cut the level down considerably to something easier on my ears. The Panasonic has a larger center speaker (2 cones instead of 1) than the SONY so dialog seems to come through clearer, but even here I had to cut down the level by -3dB. Sound now seems to be at least as good as on my old system.
While physical setup was easy, I found it quite difficult to understand the manual on how to actually operate the HTIB. Here is an important tip. On the back of the main unit there are 2 HDMI, 2 optical audio, 1 digital coax audio, 3 pairs of analog audio inputs, FM and AM antenna inputs. Except for the antennas, each is given one of three meaningless labels: TV, BD/DVR, DVD-P. You have three buttons on the remote labeled, TUNER--BAND, TV, BD/DVR--DVD-P. If you press TUNER--BAND once you get FM radio; if you press it again and hold for a few seconds, you get AM. It you press BD/DVR--DVD-P you get an input that is connected to one of the 3 BD/DVR terminals on the back of the receiver; if you press it again and hold for a few seconds, you get an input that is connected to one of the 3 DVD-P terminals. If you press TV, you get an input connected to one of the two TV terminals. There probably is a priority order that is used to decide which input is chosen if more than one input to identically labeled terminals is turned on. It would have saved me a couple of frustrating hours if somebody had explained all that to me.
But I am happy with the system performance and all set for getting the BD player.
A Decent Little System
I just received this a couple of days ago and installed it within two hours without too much trouble. Almost everything is painfully obvious, though it would be nice if the speaker connections in the back of the receiver were better labeled. As it is, they are only labeled with numbers which correspond to a slightly vague manual, but a little patience and anybody can work it out. Of course, this doesn't factor in the time to mount the speakers on the walls or to run the speaker wires behind the drywall, but that's hardly neccessary if you're not too picky about things.
The automated speaker setup was a breeze, though it'd be nice if the wire on the setup microphone were a bit longer. As it is, it's only about 10ft and that's just not enough to make it to the back of a moderate sized living room let alone a large one. Two HDMI inputs mean you can hook up two hi-def sources the way they were meant to, which is a definate plus. In addition, there are a number of other inputs (digital optical, stereo RCA component, etc.) for other sources if you have them.
The speakers themselves are quite small and unobtrusive, except for the subwoofer which, by neccessity, is large. It, however, can be placed just about anywhere in the room behind a couch or behind the entertainment system and still do its job well.
Once it's all set up and you get your first movie playing, it's amazing that such good sound will come out of those tiny little speakers. It's mroe than adequate for most home needs, though true audiophiles I'm sure will quibble about this and that. For the true home user with a moderate to small living room, this is the system to get. It's easy setup and very easy function make it ideal, plus the adjustment levels of individual speaker channels is so easy a child could figure it out.
Pro's:
*Easy setup
*Big sound, little speakers
*Plenty of wire unless you're expecting 30 foot wire runs
*Multiple Hi-Def inputs
*No integrated players (this was actually a big issue for me as I'm sure it is for a few others)
*Small price tag compared to the big time systems
Con's:
*The adjustment ranges for the speakers is rather small (+-6DB for the center channel) but mostly adequate unless you're looking to bother the neighbors
*HDMI has no passive pass through (if that's what it's called). You cannot, if your blu-ray is plugged into this thing, watch a movie without the surround sound system turned on without running yet more cables. For those of us with dozens of cables behind their televisions already, this is a pain in the neck.
Personal Comment: My biggest complain is that this system did not solve the problem which I bought it to address, namely that while watching blu-ray movies, the dialogue is inaudible without being utterly deafened by the music and special effects. This happens with just about every Blu-Ray disc I've put in the player before and after installing the sound system. I was told by those in the know that the reason for this was because 5.1 surround sound on the disc was trying to push dialogue to a center channel that simply didn't exist on my Aquos television. That's a reasonable enough explanation. Except the problem persists and is exacerbated by the speakers, but is absent entirely from standard DVD's with 5.1 surround sound (Iron Man for instance). The only conclusion I can reach is that the people making Blu-Ray discs are purposefully muting the dialogue channel somehow since "everybody really wants to listen to the special effects anyway."
That's really a shame since now I've decided not to purchase anymore Blu-Ray movies at all and have all but determined to box up the sound system and ship it back to amazon for what refund I can get since I don't really need or want a super duper sound system blasting noise at me when all I really want is to listen to what's being said on screen.
All that said, I still recommend this system to people looking for an inexpensive but nicely performing surround system for their home. It's not high-end by any real measure, but in terms of bang for your buck, this is the system to go with.
Best Budget HDMI switching HTIB!
PROS:
- Crisp sound with movies and music. Bass is strong but not muddy. Surround sound creates accurate 3D environment.
- HDMI switching!
- Both video and audio passes through the receiver when it is off to the TV which means that you can use the TV speakers instead if needed.
- Conventional speaker connectors which allows you to upgrade your equipment. (not proprietary like many other HTIBs)
- Supplied Speaker wires are adequate in length.
- Video/Audio Inputs are as follows: 2 HDMI In, 2 Optical In, 1 Coax In, 3 Analog In.
- $200 HTIB bought on 6Ave site! Why would anyone buy computer speakers?
CONS:
- Supplied speaker wires are 22 AWG.
- Subwoofer's speaker wire is permanently attached so it cannot be upgraded but you can buy a Powered Subwoofer to replace it. (This subwoofer is passive but I think its adequate for a mid size or smaller living room space.)
- Setup Microphone length is only about 10 feet long.
- Remote control functions are a little weird which takes time to get used to.
CONCLUSION:
- This HTIB is definitely the best bang for your money that can rival others which cost $500+. I am totally happy with the $200 that I have spent here. Worth every penny!
