Product Description

Premium Sound Quality Use of a highly rigid bamboo material in the center speaker helps achieve an extremely pure, clean sound. A Kelton Subwoofer system with a dual diameter structure delivers a deep, powerful bass. Whisper-Mode Surround allows you to enjoy rich surround sound even when watching movies at low volume. High Quality Picture Panasonic DVD home theater products feature a 1080p up-conversion function that converts standard definition (720 x 480 pixels) images from DVD sources to high definition (1920 x 1080 pixels) images. These up-converted signals draw out the maximum performance of an HDMI compatible 1080p HDTV, giving you vivid, sharp and exceptionally detailed high-resolution images to enjoy1. Wireless Features With the included Wireless Kit for Rear Speakers, no cables means no clutter. You can also expand your music listening into three additional rooms with the wireless multi-room speaker kit (SH-FX85 sold separately). Easy Media Linking The built-in Universal Dock for iPod® gives you a great new way to enjoy music and video2. Just slip your iPod® into the cradle and enjoy. The dock charges your iPod®, allows you to use the home theater remote to control the iPod®, has on-screen audio menus, and also plays back iPod® video. Easy to Use and Set Up with VIERA LinkTM The newly enhanced VIERA LinkTM displays a menu on the TV screen, making it easier to operate your connected home theater system. For example, you can display a menu with a list of the movies or music stored on your iPod®, and use the VIERA remote control unit to select one and begin playback.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21764 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Panasonic
• Model: SC-PT956
• Dimensions: 60.00 pounds

Features

• Premium Sound 1000W DVD Home Theater System with Kelton Subwoofer
• 1080p Up-Conversion
• Integrated Universal Dock for iPod®
• 2 Tower Speakers
• Wireless Rear Speaker and VIERA LinkTM

Customer Reviews

Comparison of Panasonic, Sony and Philips HTiBs
UPDATE on Sept. 17, 2009: After 8 month, DVD player of Panasonic SC-PT956 broke. Fixed at local store for free because it is still under warranty. Would like to downgrade to 4 stars.
Among the popular brands (Sony, Philips, Panasonic) of upconversion DVD player-based home theaters in a box (HTIBs), it seems that they offer more or less comparable features. All three brands have HDMI and component out, audio in jack (at least one for TV), an iPod dock, radio (at least FM), and play slide shows. None plays DVD audio. Philips's strength is that its DVD player is more capable of playing different formats of discs/media contents (e.g., Pal/NTSC, DivX), which may be a deal maker for some people. In addition, Philips has a USB connection but no optical in or headphone out jacks, a possible deal breaker for others. Sony's and Panasonic's systems have a 5 disc changer and the higher end models offer wireless option for surround speakers. Aesthetically, I would rate the speakers in the following order (starting with the best): Panasonic, Sony, Philips. In terms of the quality of sound they produce, they should all be adequate for watching movies but also okay for listening to music. Overall, these HTIBs represent great value in home electronics when priced competitively - it comes down to the price in the end just as all other consumer products. The panasonic model SC-PT956 sells at Costco for $[...], and is on sale for $[...] in January 2009.

Great customer support
We wanted a simple system with a good reputation and wireless speakers. When we saw this one at our local club warehouse at $299, we had to get it. We needed 2 HDMI cables because we were connecting our TV, a satellite box, a PS3, and the Panasonic DVD player. We were able to get surround sound going except for the PS3. One call to Panasonic and we had an American helping us. My husband could not be happier for the price we paid.

Exactly what I wanted
Yes, this might be a bit deficient for more experienced buyers looking for a feature-rich home theater system that is beyond what I need or could even use at this point. Rather, I wanted something that was easy to set up, had some basic settings and features, and above all - sounded good. This fit all of that perfectly. It took about 15 minutes to get everything set up and it worked right off the bat. The wireless rear speakers are great and keep your room from having wires spread all over the place. I'd recommend it for people like me that want the surround sound, but don't have a degree in engineering or $1500+ to spend on a system.