Home cinema system<TEST

Panasonic SC-PT850

With its muscular black nish and tall boy speakers, the Panasonic SC-PT850 makes an imposing statement in the living room. The four oorstanding surround speakers are easy to assemble, and they can also be wall-mounted (via keyhole slots at the back) or perched on a table-top. Theres an automated speaker setup facility with supplied plug-in microphone to ensure that the system is giving its best at your favourite seating position, but its rather a simplistic procedure and only really seems to check that the speakers are correctly connected. The head unit contains all the surround sound amplication, and speaker connections are made at the back. Video connections are geared for HD-Ready atpanel owners, with an HDMI output and 1080p upscaling capability onboard. High quality analogue video connections are made using progressive scan capable component video sockets, and theres an RGB-enabled Scart socket. There are no dedicated S-video or composite video connections here.
Connectivity impresses with an HDMI and progressive scan capable component video outputs

RATINGS

STYLE EASE OF USE FEATURES PICTURE SOUND VALUE OVERALL
This cracking home cinema system will nd a perfect partner with Panasonics latest generation of atscreen TVs

TEST SCENE

>Notes on a Scandal
Tried and trusted design makes it easy to use
PROCESSING THATS USUALLY RESERVED FOR HIGH-END DVD PLAYERS IS INCLUDED
brands high-end DVD players, and images look reassuringly solid with our test DVD of Notes on a Scandal. Colours are realistic and details are well resolved via the HDMI output. Only smoggy scenes over London show signs of minor instability, and theres little discernable improvement when images are upscaled to 1080p. Surround sound performance is spectacular, but the slender, tallboy speakers arent any substitute for
well-designed speaker models. The sound hangs together well, and only the centre speaker gives us any real cause to grumble, making female voices sound thin and wispy.

Potent brew

The subwoofer can get a bit thumpy, but it has a potent sound for its size and works well with CD and DVD-A music. With its matching styling and Viera Link compatibility, the SC-PT850 is better suited to the latest generation of Panasonic atscreens, and makes a great partnership at the price
Images are awless, with good colours and solid details, although theres little discernable improvement with upscaled images

AT A GLANCE

FEATURES 576p/720p/1080i/1080p upscaling Dolby Digital and DTS decoding Dolby Pro-Logic II processing Progressive scan Auto speaker setup DVD-Audio playback MP3, WMA and JPEG playback DivX playback FM tuner CONNECTIONS HDMI output Component video output Scart (RGB-enabled) Stereo analogue audio output Optical digital input 3.5mm jack audio in (front) USB port 3.5mm headphone FM antenna connections www.panasonic.co.uk 08705 357357

Slipped disc

Despite its HD aspirations, the SC-PT850 cannot play hi-def discs. Nevertheless, its disc spinning capabilities are impressive and include DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, DVD-RAM, DVD-R/RW as well as discs containing MP3, WMA, JPEG and DiVX content. Both Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound decoders are built-in, and Dolby Pro-Logic II processing converts stereo material into a convincing surround sound performance. Viera Link means that you can hook the SC-PT850 up to a compatible (2007 range only) Panasonic atscreen and control both components, allowing simultaneous switch-on and off, auto input switching and speaker control via the TVs remote handset. Theres also a music port socket on the front panel and a USB port, providing convenient hookup from external music sources like an iPod or USB storage device. The SC-PT850 has a raft of picture processing usually reserved for the
HDMI output with 720p/1080i/1080p upscaling for todays atscreen TVs
Bland styling disguises a exible and powerful home cinema system
Viera Link allows you to control the home cinema system from a compatible TVs handset

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6/7/07 10:21:02