Looking for an all-inclusive 7.1 channel home theater Blu-ray system? Panasonic has two new offerings for you to consider – the SC-BT200 and SC-BT300 – each of which feature seven speakers, support for VIERA Cast Internet technology, and include a Universal Dock for iPod.

The front and center channel speakers for both systems are made with a bamboo diaphragm, while the subs feature a Kelton system with a dual diameter structure.

Content wise, both systems support Panasonic’s VIERA Cast functionality which provides access to Internet content such as Amazon VOD, YouTube, Google Picasa etc.

Specific features of the SC-BT200 include:

• 7.1 channel system with 1000 watts of power
• Smart Setup Guide for easy home theater settings
• BD/DVD/CD player
• 1080p DVD upconversion
• Wireless ready for rear speakers
• iPod dock for audio and video playback
• VIERA Cast support
• SD card slot for AVCHD video and JPEG playback
• Six matching speakers

Specific features of the SC-BT300 include:

• 7.1 channel system with 1250 watts of power
• Smart Setup Guide for easy home theater settings
• BD/DVD/CD player
• 1080p DVD upconversion
• Wireless ready for rear speakers
• iPod dock for audio and video playback
• VIERA Cast support
• SD card slot for AVCHD video and JPEG playback
• Two front tower speakers and four matching surround speakers

The SC-BT200 will have a suggested retail price of $599.95 while the SC-BT300 will have a suggested retail price of $699.95. Both models will be coming out next month.

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Technorati Tags: Panasonic SC-BT200, Panasonic SC-BT300, Blu-ray Home Theater Systems

Sony expanded their home theater product lineup this week with the introduction of five new systems – the HT-CT500 home theater sound bar, the HT-SS360 home theater system, the DAV-HDX285 DVD home theater system, the DAV-HDX587WC DVD home theater system, and the DAV-HDX589W home theater system. Here’s what you need to know about each of the new systems.

Sony HT-CT500 Home Theater Sound Bar:

• 3.1 channel system consisting of two pieces – a sound bar and a subwoofer – all connected by a single wire
• 400 watts (RMS) of total power
• A/V receiver built into the subwoofer
• Three 1080p HDMI inputs and one HDMI output
• Two component inputs and several audio inputs
• Slim speaker form factor designed to match the BRAVIA W5100 and XBR9 TV series
• Supports 1080/60p and 1080/24p video and Deep Color and x.v.Color
• Multi-room ready via S-AIR which can transmit wireless audio up to 164 feet
• Digital Media Port (DMP) for external audio sources
• Icon-based menu
• Faroudjas’ DCDi Cinema chip for upscaling of all video to HD qualities via HDMI
• Available in June for around $500 dollars

Sony HT-SS360 Component System:

• 5.1 channel system with component A/V receiver
• 1000 watts (RMS) of total power
• Three HDMI inputs and one output
• Supports 1080/24p and 60p video as well as LPCM audio
• Center console designed to match BDP-S360 and BDP-S560 Blu-ray Disc players.
• Digital Media Port
• DMPort Booster technology enhances sound quality of all audio and video
• Available in May for around $350

Sony DAV-HDX587WC home theater system

• 5.1 channel system
• Includes “easy setup” disc for step by step instructions on how to set up everything
• iPod cradle for audio/video playback via Digital Media Port
• DMPort Booster technology
• Sony S-AIR technology for wireless audio transmissions up to 164 feet
• Includes S-AIR multi-room listening station (model AIR-SA10)
• Upscale DVD video to near HD via HDMI
• Digital Cinema Auto Calibration, Portable Audio Enhancer and Dialogue Enhancer technologies
• Available this month for around $430

Sony DAV-HDX589W home theater system:

• 5.1 channel system
• Includes “easy setup” disc for step by step instructions on how to set up everything
• iPod cradle for audio/video playback via Digital Media Port
• DMPort Booster technology
• Sony S-AIR technology for wireless audio transmissions up to 164 feet
• includes S-AIR wireless rear speakers (model WAHT-SA10)
• Upscale DVD video to near HD via HDMI
• Digital Cinema Auto Calibration, Portable Audio Enhancer and Dialogue Enhancer technologies
• Available this month for around $430

Sony DAV-HDX285 home theater system:

• 5.1 channel system
• iPod cradle, Digital Media Port, and DMPort Booster
• Movie/music mode automatically detects what is being listened to and optimizes audio accordingly
• Includes “Easy setup” disc
• Upscales DVD to near HD via HDMI port
• S-AIR ready – you just need to purchase additional S-AIR speakers
• Available this month for around $300

Technorati Tags: Sony, Sony HT-CT500 home theater sound bar, Sony HT-SS360 home theater system, Sony DAV-HDX285 DVD home theater system, Sony DAV-HDX587WC DVD home theater system, Sony DAV-HDX589W

Above is the new LG HS33S home theater system with built-in iPod dock. Features of the HS33S include 5.1 virtual surround sound, playback of MP3s, DVDs, and DivX encoded videos, as well as HD video upscaling of DVDs.  The system will also rip CDs directly onto connected external USB drives.

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Technorati Tags: LG Electronics, HS33S, iPod dock

Not interested in spending thousands of dollars for your next 5.1 channel home theater system? Then you’ll be interested in three new 5.1 speaker systems coming out from Klipsch over the next few months. Here’s the lowdown of the new speakers:

On the high end, there’s the HD Theater 1000 priced at $899.99. Specs include:

• Five identical speakers – each with dual 2.5 inch fiber composite woofers and a MicroTractrix Horn-loaded 0.75 inch aluminum dome tweeter
• Each speaker stands 8.6 inches tall and can be mounted or placed on a stand
• Subwoofer has 10 inch fiber composite driver and digital hybrid subwoofer amp

The mid-range HD Theater 500 goes for $599.99 and features:

• 2.5 inch IMG woofer and MicroTractrix Horn-loaded 0.75 inch aluminum dome tweeter for front and rear speakers
• Dual woofers for center speaker
• Class D subwoofer amp and down-firing 8 inch driver

Finally, there’s the affordable $499.99 HD Theater 300. Specs include:

• 2.5 inch IMG woofer and 0.75 inch MicroTractrix Horn-loaded textile tweeter in main and surround speakers
• Center channel is similar except it’s also magnetically shielded
• Class D subwoofer amp and down-firing 6 inch driver

The HD Theater 1000 is due in February, the HD Theater 500 in March, and the HD Theater 300 in April.

[Check it out via SlashGear]

Technorati Tags: Klipsch, HD Theater 1000, HD Theater 500, HD Theater 300, 5.1 channel speaker system

On the mini-home theater front, JVC unveiled three 5.1 home theater systems at CES 2009 – the TH-G31, TH-G41, and TH-G51. These three systems are 1000 watt, 5.1 channel systems which also include a progressive scan DVD player, 5 speakers, and a subwoofer. Here’s what you need to know about these three home theater systems:

TH-G31:

• HDMI output with 1080p upconversion
• Front aux input
• Dolby Digital and DTS decoding

TH-G41:

• HDMI output with 1080p upconversion
• HDMI input with repeater
• Front aux input
• Dolby Digital and DTS decoding
• iPod/iPhone music and video playback via connected dock with control play, pause, and skip functions controlled through the home theater system’s remote. An on-screen display is also available via connected TV

TH-G51:

• HDMI output with 1080p upconversion
• HDMI input with repeater
• Front aux input
• Dolby Digital and DTS decoding
• iPod/iPhone music and video playback via connected dock with control play, pause, and skip functions controlled through the home theater system’s remote. An on-screen display is also available via connected TV
• Wireless rear speakers

All three systems feature a glossy black low-profile receiver with illuminated function keys. Here’s the price breakdown with availability dates. The TH-G51 will be available in June for $429.95. The TH-G41 will be available in May for $329.95 and the TH-G31 will be available in April for $249.95.

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Technorati Tags: JVC, 5.1 home theater system, TH-G31, TH-G41, TH-G51, iPod dock, CES 2009

The new JVC NX-T10 2.1 channel home theater system is a unique low profile system consisting of a main unit, two compact omni-directional main speakers, and a powered subwoofer. The real claim to fame the system is with the main unit which can be placed flat, or stood vertically, or even hung on the wall.

Features of the NX-T10 include:

• DVD receiver
• Pair of repeater HDMI inputs
• HDMI output with 1080p upconversion
• HDMI CEC compatible
• Dolby Digital and DTS decoding support
• DivX playback
• iPod dock
• System video output allows playback of iPod stored video
• USB Host for playback of music files stored on a USB mass storage device or for recording CDs directly onto a USB storage device

The two compact main speakers can also be wall hung and feature an omni-directional design – each containing one forward firing driver and a second upward-firing driver with a diffuser. This upward firing drive creates a simulated surround sound effect without the need for additional rear speakers. The subwoofer cabinet has five separate amps – main left, main right, surround left, surround right, and subwoofer.

The JVC NX-T10 will be available in May for a price of $599.95.

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Technorati Tags: JVC, NX-T10 2.1 channel home theater system, CES 2009