Entered CNET Catalog: 05/18/2006
SKU: 0037988254095
Manufacturer: Panasonic
Manufacturer description
Get a great-sounding home theater up and running quickly with this DVD home theater system. Hook it up to your TV, and you'll have everything you need for the full theater experience: a DVD recorder, home theater receiver, 5 surround sound speakers, and a powerful subwoofer. All you have to provide is the movie and the popcorn - Panasonic'll handle the rest. Incredibly versatile and format friendly, this DVD recorder can record to and play back just about any DVD you can throw at it. Specifically, it can record to and play back DVD-R/-RW/-RAM/+R/+RW discs. It can also play back many more disc formats, including: DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, DVD-R(dual layer), DVD+R(dual layer), CD, CD-DA, and CD-R/RW(including MP3, JPEG, and DivX files). With a Panasonic DVD recorder, never think twice about what disc you need. This DVD recorder can record an amazing 500 lines of horizontal resolution in LP Mode, which is twice the 250 lines of resolution offered by conventional LP Mode recording. What does this mean? It means you can fit up to 4-hours of recordings on one DVD (4.7GB capacity) and still enjoy the crisp, vibrant images with exceptional detail that 500 lines of horizontal resolution deliver. When connected to an HDMI-compatible TV via an HDMI cable, this DVD recorder can up-convert the DVD content that you? re watching to 720p or 1080i resolution (depending on your TV? s display capability) so you can enjoy beautiful, high-quality imagery in high definition. The amplifier built into this home theater system pumps out high power levels for driving Panasonic speakers at satisfying volumes with low distortion. You'll feel like you're in the front row at your local multiplex as the sounds from Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks travel all around you. The goal of any playback device should be accurate reproduction of the original content. In the case of DVDs, most of that content is film-based. Utilizing advanced progressive scan1 playback techniques and very accurate MPEG video decoders, this home theater system provides an image that faithfully represents the image you see at your favorite movie theater. The speakers included with Panasonic's home theater packages come in all shapes and sizes, from slim tall-boy tower speakers to unobtrusive bookshelf satellites, so they'll fit into your room no matter what your space restrictions may be. Feel free to put the center channel speaker on top of your TV and the left/right speakers close by. It won't cause any problems because Panasonic speakers feature magnetic shielding that prevents the magnets inside your speakers from affecting your TV's image. When compressed digital audio such as MP3s and movie soundtracks is created, higher frequencies are lost due to limited frequency response. Most of these frequencies can't be heard by human ears, but their presence conveys subtle nuances. When they're missing in a digital recording, it doesn't quite sound the same as the live performance. Panasonic multi re-master feature examines the audio signal and helps compensate for these lost frequencies, providing sound quality closer to the original performance.CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 07/27/2006
Operationally, the DVD recorder works similarly to a VCR. You schedule record times--date, start, stop, and channel--much the same as a VCR. We found the onscreen programming logical and easy to set up and use. That said, anyone who's familiar with a cable, satellite, or TiVo-style DVR will miss gotta-have features such as an onscreen electronic programming guide and dual-tuner recording--the ability to record one channel while watching another.
Mounted on their stands the front-left and -right towers are 53.25 inches tall, or if you don't have the room, they can be wall-mounted sans stands, which shaves 14 inches off their height. The center speaker is 12.5 inches wide; the surround speakers--which are also wall-mountable--are 10.6 inches high. The SC-RT50's molded-plastic subwoofer feels a little cheesy; it's 9.25 inches wide, 17.5 tall, and 15.5 deep, and it weighs 14.8 pounds; we expected something with a bit more meat from a $600 system. The digital amplifiers of the Panasonic SC-RT50 deliver 105 watts per channel to the front-left and -right speakers, 220 watts to the center speaker, 90 watts to the two surround speakers, and 190 watts to the subwoofer. Those power ratings seem completely outrageous to us but are certainly in line with other brands' far-fetched HTIB power specs. The A/V receiver's surround processing covers the usual Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, and DTS options.
The system can play back a wide variety of discs, including DVD video, DVD-Audio, audio CDs, and MP3 and JPEG discs. On the recording front, the RT50 can burn to all types of discs: DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, and DVD-RAM. The SC-RT50 also features flexible recording length. This option allows you to specify exactly how long your recording is, so you can completely fill the DVD, maximizing video quality.
On the connectivity front, the SC-RT50 is pretty underequipped, especially considering the fact that it's a DVD recorder. The highlight is an HDMI output, which offers the ability to scale your DVDs to 720p and 1080i resolution. In addition to the usual assortment of DVD video outputs--composite, S-Video, and component--the system offers two sets of A/V inputs with S-video: one on the rear and one on the front panel. There's also an additional analog stereo (red and white RCA) input, but no digital audio inputs or outputs. In addition to the RF input and output (for direct connections from analog cable or antennas), the only other notable features are the 1/8-inch Music Port on the front panel, for easy connection from the headphone jack or 1/8-inch line output of portable music players; a FireWire port, for dubbing from DV camcorders; and an SD slot. One thing we did like: in addition to displaying your DVDs to HD-friendly 720p/1080i resolution, the scaling also works for whatever video source you have plugged in.
The center and tower speakers are bona-fide two-way designs employing two 2.5-inch woofers and a 2.3-inch tweeter; the surround speakers get by with just a single 2.5-inch woofer but no tweeter. The subwoofer has a down-firing 6.75-inch woofer.
Panasonic 2006 HTIBs compared:
| Model | Quick take | Included disc player? | Wireless rear speaker? | Price |
| Panasonic SC-HT40 | Panasonic's entry-level HTIB. Best for: bargain hunters who are happy with their existing DVD player. |
None | Optional | |
| Panasonic SC-HT440 | Basically identical to the SC-HT40 but includes a built-in five-disc CD/DVD changer. Best for: bargain hunters who want a complete home-theater system, including a built-in DVD changer. |
Integrated five-disc CD/DVD changer | Optional | |
| Panasonic SC-HT640W | This includes the same receiver/five-disc changer as the SC-HT440, as well as the SH-FX80 wireless rear speaker unit. Best for: style-conscious buyers who want surround sound with as few wires as possible. |
Integrated five-disc CD/DVD changer | Included | |
| Panasonic SC-HT740 | This step-up from the SC-HT440 adds HDMI output and front tower speakers. Best for: HDTV owners who like tallboy speakers. |
Integrated five-disc CD/DVD changer | Optional | |
| Panasonic SC-HT940 | In addition to the HDMI output and the front tower speakers of the SC-HT740, the SC-HT940 adds larger surround (rear) speakers, more power, and HDAVI Control compatibility. Best for: anyone interested in the SC-HT740 who wants a bit more power and features. |
Integrated five-disc CD/DVD changer | Optional | |
| Panasonic SC-RT50 | The SC-RT50 offers the same speakers and power as the SC-HT940, but it includes a built-in single-disc DVD recorder rather than a five-disc DVD player-only changer. Best for: video pack rats who enjoy archiving their favorite TV shows--and watching them in surround sound. |
Integrated single-disc DVD recorder | Optional |
| Model | Quick take | Price |
| Panasonic SH-FX60 | Compatible with all of the above home-theater systems (except the SC-HT640W), the SH-FX60 is a wireless module that connects to the two surround speakers in the back of the room, obviating the need to run cables from the system's main head unit to the speakers in the rear of the room. | |
| Panasonic SH-FX80 | The SH-FX80 is a relatively compact wireless speaker module that can act as the two surround speakers when paired with a Panasonic home-theater system. It can also be used as a wireless B-speaker system to broadcast audio to a second room. The SH-FX80 is included with the SC-HT640W, but it's compatible with all of Panasonic's 2006 HTIB systems. |
$34
Moving onto music, the guitars and drums on Yo La Tengo's "Sugarcube" sounded hashy and a little crude. Lacking bass and treble controls, we experimented with the SC-RT50's various EQ settings and turned the subwoofer volume to max, but the thinness of the sound was hard to ignore.
Rock music clearly wasn't cutting it, so we next tried a late-1950s Billie Holiday CD, Songs for Distingué Lovers, and we a little happier with the results. We could hear every note on the stand-up bass, and the piano accompaniment sounded decent. Holiday's vocals were clear and true. Summing up: we imagine most SC-RT50 buyers will be swayed by the DVD recorder because Panasonic's sonics aren't all that exceptional. But unless you really value the space-saving of an all-in-one design, you'd probably be much better served by one of the more affordable sibling models--such as the Panasonic SC-HT940--paired with a nice DVR of your choice.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3
User Rating: 
8/10
Good sound for a budget
Pros: Great sound & sleek design
Cons: Lack of DVD's inputs
User Rating: 8/10
Unique feature set for the price.
Pros: DVD recorder. Upconverts connected video source!
Cons: Avarage sound quality.
User Rating: 
9/10
modern.great & nice
Pros: new shape good first look
Cons: nice,great biger, more good powerfrom panasonic
