My initial assessment of this unit was 3 stars but then the unit stopped working after three days. I called Panasonic and they had me unplug the unit and replug it in and it started working again. The tech told me it is a firmware issue that they are working on. He had no time frame for the fix. The current solution is to unplug and plug in each time it fails. I frankly don't find that much of a solution and thus have downgraded the product to one star.
This sound bar
has more heft than the Phillips that I replaced. The Phillips had a stand alone sub-woofer
which did not produce any better base tones than this Panasonic.
The setup was
not difficult but that isn’t due to the documentation provided by
Panasonic. Their little “manual” jumped
helter skelter from topic to topic.
I did not like
the fact that all commands beyond the obvious involve “hold this key for 4
seconds while simultaneously holding this key down” type of controls. That is cumbersome at best.
The sound is
adequate. It is definitely better than
the sound provided by my Toshiba 40” LCD TV but that is not a sterling
recommendation as the sound from the Toshiba is just dreadful.
I do not get a
noticeable sub-woofer impact as I get on my surround sound system on a
different unit. The remote is tiny
which seems to be normal with the sound bars.
Luckily the main unit does have some side buttons that allow manual use as the
remote is so small it may get lost in the shuffle.
I am pleased
that I was able to program the standard Comcast Remote to turn the sound bar
off, on and change the volume. You still
need to have the Panasonic remote handy for changing source or sound type. However it will be convenient to just leave
it on standard and use a single remote.
The IR pass
through works fine but the manual said it would only work with Panasonic
televisions. You need the IR pass
through because if you put any of the three styles of feet included with the sound
bar on it, you block the TV remote sensor.
If you don’t use either of the non-flat feet, the sound bar sits with its
LED light depicting modes facing the ceiling.
You will probably want to use the IR pass through.
My big beef
with all of these people is why they don’t include the optical cable to hook up
to the TV. Optical audio cables are
available at Amazon for under six bucks.
Come on vendors, include the cable or at least be up front and clearly
state that an optical cable is needed for the best sound experience.
Lastly they do
include both wall brackets and three types of feet. I would be happier with one less foot
selection and an included optical audio cable.
To summarize,
this is an adequate sound bar. The
Bluetooth connection will increase its value to many users.
Panasonic SC-HTB70 home theater system
2.1ch 42” Matching Sound bar with Built-in Subwoofer
Detachable 2.1ch speaker system configuration,
with built-in subwoofer, easily conforms to TV screens up to 42”.
Wireless Music Streaming with Bluetooth®
Stream music from your smart device.
Built-in Subwoofer with Dual Woofer Design
Powerful bass sound in a compact, flexible design.
• 2.1 Channel System
• Clear Mode Dialog
• Dialog Level Control
• Optical Input
• Anti-vibration Integrated
Subwoofer
• Dual Driver Subwoofer
• Low Power Consumption
• Energy Star® Qualified 120W
• Hairline Finish
• 2-3/16 Slim Profile
• Suitable for 42- to 50-inch
TV
• 4-way Multi-Positional
Speaker Layout
• Auto Gain Control
• IR Blaster
• Wireless Music Streaming with
Bluetooth® Technology
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