Entered CNET Catalog: 05/06/2005
SKU: 0037988252565
Manufacturer: Panasonic
Manufacturer description
Panasonic's vision of the digital future is driven by the needs and aspirations of its business customers and millions of consumers around the world who use its products every day. The company shares their dream to live a fuller life by providing ways of working smarter and enjoying the rewards of technological advances. PRODUCT FEATURES: 1000 Watt DVD home theatre system; DVD Audio, Dolby Digital, dts 5.1 surround sound decoders; 5-disc DVD changer with multi-format playback capability; Advanced progressive scan with 4:4:4 video processing; Auto & manual zoom modes; 360° sound for enhanced sound movement; H. Bass for extended low frequency output; Multi Re-master for higher quality audio reproduction; Front tower speakers include speaker stands; 6 Speaker system featuring subwoofer with dual 15 cm woofers; Wireless ready rear speakers with optional SH-FX50.CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 05/09/2005
Editor's note: We have changed the rating in this review to reflect recent changes in our rating scale. Click here to find out more.
Take a gander at the DVD changer/receiver's mirror finish and illuminated volume control haloed in aqua green, and you can't help but notice the distinctive style of the Panasonic SC-HT930. Loading discs into the carousel-style changer is a straightforward operation, especially compared with the process on Sony or Sharp's slowpoke "elevator" changers. Panasonic's setup menus may be a little confusing for home-theater newbies, but once you get into the swing of things, they're not bad. The small remote crams in a lot of buttons, including a four-step subwoofer volume control.
The front left and right speakers are tallboy towers that stand 48 inches high. Assembling the stands is a no-brainer, but they won't win any awards for stability, especially when placed on carpeting or rugs. We are concerned that small children or pets could easily knock over these top-heavy towers. The owner's manual recommends securing them with a string attached to the wall. That would certainly help prevent accidents, but it's not exactly an elegant solution. Alternately, any or all of the speakers can be wall mounted. The center speaker is 12.5 inches wide, and the surround speakers are 12.75 inches tall. They're all finished in gray plastic and feature perforated metal grilles. The burly subwoofer occupies a 11.25-by-20.5-inch patch of floor space.
If you'd like to avoid some of the hassles associated with running wires from the front of your room to the left and right surround speakers, pick up Panasonic's optional SH-FX50 rear-speaker transmitter and receiver module ($199). The transmitter portion of the FX50 attaches to the back of the SC-HT930's main DVD section and wirelessly transmits the surround-channel audio signals to the 70-watt FX50 receiver, which is in turn connected to the rear speakers. The wireless system was remarkably easy to set up, but it uses the crowded 2.4GHz spectrum, which is prone to interference from some cordless phones, Wi-Fi networking equipment, and microwave ovens. That said, we found that its signals never dropped out or got noisy. Yes, you still have to plug its 4-by-8.5-by-6.75-inch (HWD), 70-watts-per-channel receiver into an AC wall outlet and run wires to the surround speakers--but at least you don't have to string wires from the front to the back of the room. In terms of sound quality, it's the best wireless system we've tested so far.
All of the Panasonic SC-HT930's speakers are two-way designs: the front and surround speakers use 3.1-inch woofers and 2.3-inch ring-type tweeters; the center speaker uses two 2.5-inch woofers and a single 2.3-inch ring tweeter.
The subwoofer features two 5.8-inch woofers and houses all of the HT930's power amplifiers: 100 watts for the front left and right speakers, 140 watts for the center speaker, 45 watts for each surround speaker, and 150 watts for the subwoofer itself. Surround processing covers the basics of Dolby Digital, Pro Logic II, and DTS. The five-disc carousel changer plays DVDs (encompassing all flavors of home-burned DVDs, including DVD-RAM); DVD-Audio; and a wide variety of CD formats, including discs encoded with WMA, MP3, and JPEG files. HighMAT discs and HDCDs are also supported.
The receiver/changer's scant connectivity offerings include composite, S-Video, and progressive-scan component-video outputs but no video inputs of any kind. We were surprised to note that Panasonic doesn't include any digital inputs or outputs--the audio side includes just three analog stereo inputs and one output.
Darkness is one of those scary things-that-go-bump-in-the-night thriller DVDs jam-packed with just about every haunted house cliché you can think of. Fortunately, the sound design is markedly better than the plot, and the HT930's prowess kept us on the edge of our seats. A lot of the action takes place on a stormy night. Coincidentally, we were watching the DVD on a stormy night, and we had a hard time distinguishing between the movie's sound effects and the real storm raising hell outside our windows! This HTIB was that convincing, and when we played it loud enough to cover the sound of the real storm, the surround effects were naturally balanced between the front and rear speakers.
What made the demo all the more impressive was that we were listening to the Panasonic SC-HT930 with the wireless SH-FX50 receiver hooked up to the surround speakers. Where most wireless systems are riddled with sonic compromises such as limited bass and intermittent sound, Panasonic's nifty new system is glitch-free. We switched over to hardwired surround speakers and heard no difference.
The DVD The Assassination of Richard Nixon stars Sean Penn in the true story of a man who planned to kill the President. It's a quiet but intense drama, and the HT930's refinement kept us focused on the unfolding story in this natural-sounding film.
Stereo listening is the toughest test of an HTIB's musicality, and the HT930 came through like a champ. Holly Cole's sultry vocals on her Temptation CD swept us away, and her bass player's deft touch was capably rendered by the subwoofer. If this were a $2,500 system with a dedicated receiver, a surround-speaker system, and a DVD player, we'd point out that its pitch definition was a tad tubby, but it's well above par for HTIBs, and the bass went nice and low. We switched over to Mark Knopfler's new DVD-A, Shangri-La, which unfurled a room-filling soundstage, confirming that the HT930 is equally adept with music and movies.
User opinions
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User Rating: 
8/10
Best deal for the $$$
Pros: Quality sound that won't break the bank and has the option for real wireless
Cons: Wireless device is 1/4 the overall cost; tray is noisy
I paid just under $400 after taxes for my system (open box buy) and it came with just about everything I needed. I also upgraded to the rear-wireless option and that added $145 to the bill. This piece of equipment is almost a third of the price of the HT. Not necessary for function but if you don't want unsightly wires running from the main unit to the rear speakers then this option may be for you. Just a note: you still have to run wires from the wireless system to the speakers so it is not COMPLETELY wireless.
The other thing that gets a little annoying but my disc tray makes a loud noise when changing from one disc to the next. Overall not that big of a deal, but it is not quiet. I realize that it is just nit-picking but it could be a little less noisy.
User Rating: 
3/10
Buy with caution
Pros: Good features
Cons: Poor quality
User Rating: 8/10
I purchased this system with some guidance from the folks at Best Buy and CNET.
Pros: Excellent value, nice design, speaker stands included
Cons: rear speaker mounts not included, DVD menu does not display the title of discs in the 5 disc changer
User Rating: 
9/10
Lots of bass!!! lots of bass!!!!!
Pros: Obviously the bass, The front speakers,The whistles and bells.
Cons: The connections go to the sub woofer,limits how far you can move the subwoofer from the system. No optical input. The adjustments for speaker volume are very limited compared to a regular reciever.
I had bought the ht 700 and was very dissapointed, But I decided to upgrade to the ht-930 and wow what a difference. Much clearer and 10 times the bass. The controls are pretty easy to understand, but not user friendly in the long run. Could use better adjustments for the rear speakers. The whistles and bells are great though. My favorite features are, Dimming the display, woofer adjustment,on tv screen level adjustment/w dvd on, easy hook-up. Overall I am pretty satisfied. It is not as loud or adjustable as my component system but it is also half the price. One really bad thing I did notice about ALL of the home theaters in a box was the THD-Total Harmonic distortion, it is a disgraceful 10% compared to the component receivers that are from .009-.9 !!! I dont know why this is, But they all should either change this problem or explain why. Anyway, The system rocks and has more bass than you will probaly need.
User Rating: 8/10
My First HT in a Box and Impressed
Pros: Great Sound, Looks Cool, Easy Setup
Cons: Rear Surround Speakers Suck
User Rating: 9/10
WHAT A GREAT SYSTEM FOR THE PRICE. IT HAS A FANTASTIC SOUND
Pros: GREAT SOUND TO IT,THE DVDS AND C.D SOUND LIKE YOUR REALLY AT ONE OF THE CONCERTS
Cons: THE SPEAKER ARE A BIT HEAVY ON THE TOP,BE CAREFULL IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN
User Rating: 
6/10
Great system, but (doh!) no digitial optical input
Pros: Great sound, Great look, Great price
Cons: Can't play TV signal in surround sound
User Rating: 9/10
GREAT SOUND FOR THE MONEY
Pros: VERY USER FREINDLY
Cons: WIRELESS SPEAKERS EXTRA
User Rating: 6/10
Economical HT system, good DVD player, good front speakers.
Pros: Nic looking,good subwoofer,wireless option for rear speakers
Cons: Can hardly hear the rear speaker, speaker volume adjustment are not great.
It was easy enough to setup the wireless unit. The volume is extremely low comparing to the front speakers and the subwoofer. The whole house was vibrating with the subwoofer. I lowered the volumes of the center speaker and increased the volume to the max for the rear speakers. It helped somewhat. But, basically you reall cannot hear much from the rear speakers. And, it seems that 'tall boys' volume cannot be adjusted. The above experience was from watching The Phantom of the Opera and Star Wars III.
But for $400 (after rebate) for this HT system with wireless receiver, I should be ashamed of myself for complaining.
User Rating: 8/10
Clear Bold Sound Worth The Money
Pros: Wireless rear speakers, strong bass, great sound with progressive scan dvd.
Cons: Lack of digital input/output.
I did a lot of research before I purchased this and just about everything I've read on cnet has been true. It was definitely worth the money and I'm glad I got the wireless reciever because the one corner of my room would require some complicated wiring to not get in the way of a doorway.
User Rating: 9/10
A great buy for great sound
Pros: Sound quality is great, enough bass to fill a large room
Cons: Overall speaker proportions a bit large, hi-light color on DVD player volume dial is annoying (design catch of the 90's)
...and no, I'm not a Panasonic Rep.
User Rating: 9/10
Outstanding quality & sound.. Best system for the price
Pros: The sound quality is superb. The powered sub makes a huge difference. the video quality & features are top notch.
Cons: Takes longer to hook up, but well worth it.
The ones that I returned?
JVC....the DVD player will not play all types of DVDs.
Sony DAV FR9 (dream system) Not! The Sony models use a 'passive" sub which sounds & feels cheap. This system is not very user friendly. If they offered a powered Sub, I might've kept it.
I highly recommend the Panasonic 930. It's the best system for the money in my book. Very user friendly & easy to understand. The subwoofer has various levels of thump that you can set. I love it!
User Rating: 
5/10
Entry Level Only
Pros: Good sound, easy setup
Cons: no digital audio input
User Rating: 8/10
Excellent Valued Beginner Home Theatre Setup!
Pros: Great speakers, compact, easy to set up system. Wonderful sound.
Cons: No digital inputs. Limited Dolby Decoding.
User Rating: 8/10
I'm thrilled with this product
Pros: Wireless rear speakers.
Cons: Have had to unplug and replug from the outlet to reset after losing power. Electric cord too short to plug in properly with my entertainment system setup.
User Rating: 8/10
Great home theater system with rich sound
Pros: The new H bass technology immerses the listener into the movie ( I had a 920 before and the bass definitely is better on this model)
Cons: Still trying to determine if the diffuser rear speakers (on the 920 model) were better than the flat 930 rear speakers. There should be a control option on the remote to open the DVD tray.
User Rating: 9/10
Great Sound For The Money
Pros: Great Sound Easy To Operate
Cons: No Digital Outputs
