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Panasonic SC-HTB1

(Credit: Panasonic)

LAS VEGAS--Sound bars have been around since the Yamaha YSP-1, which won a CNET Next Big Thing nomination at CES 2005. Panasonic is a major manufacturer of home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) systems, but the company is making its first entry into the sound bar market with the SC-HTB1. The press release highlights its "Clear-Mode Dialogue" feature and advanced bamboo cone speakers, but the most interesting announcement to us is its compatibility with ARC (audio return channel), allowing you to "connect it to the TV with just one HDMI cable."

An audio return channel is one of the new features of the HDMI 1.4 standard, and theoretically you could connect all your components directly to your HDMI 1.4-compatible HDTV with just a single HDMI cable sending the audio back to the sound bar.

Great in theory, but we won't know how well it works until we actually get our hands on a review unit. We imagine there could be challenges with analog audio sources that would need to be converted to ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog

Panasonic SC-BT730

(Credit: Panasonic)

Home-theater-in-a-box systems often get flak for the integrated components that don't work as well as separate components do, but with Blu-ray HTIBs we've generally found that the built-in disc player works as well as standalone units. Panasonic announced three new Blu-ray HTIBs for 2010, adding the similar features (Wi-Fi, Netflix) to the product line as the company did with its mainstream Blu-ray players.

Key features of the Panasonic SC-BT230:

• 5.1 home theater system
• Built-in Blu-ray player
• PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus video processor
• Bamboo cone speakers in the center channel
• Supports Panasonic's VieraCast streaming content portal, which will feature content from Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube, Picasa, Netflix, Pandora, and Twitter
• Wi-Fi ready, requires USB Wi-Fi dongle (sold separately)
• iPod-iPhone dock
• No release date or pricing announced

Key step-up features of the Panasonic SC-BT330:

• Tall-boy front speakers
• Kelton-type subwoofer
• Note: The BT330 lacks the bamboo cone speakers on the center channel available on the BT230
• No release date or pricing announced

Key step-up features of the Panasonic ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog

LAS VEGAS--We knew 3D was coming, but we didn't expect it to be integrated into a home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) system this quickly. Sony announced the BDV-HZ970W, a home theater system that features an integrated 3D Blu-ray player and a 5.1 speaker system with wireless rear speakers.

Key features of the Sony BDV-HZ970W:

• Integrated Blu-ray 3D player
• 5.1 speaker system with wireless rear speakers
• Multiroom functionality utilizing Sony's proprietary S-Air wireless audio products
• HDMI 1.4 output
• Access to the Bravia Internet Video platform, which includes Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube, Pandora, Slacker, and NPR streaming capability
• Wi-Fi capable with included USB dongle; Ethernet also available
• DLNA compliant; capable of sharing photos, music and videos from a connected PC
• Front panel USB port
• SACD-compatible
• Onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio
• No release date or pricing announced

The BDV-HZ970W reminds us a lot of the Sony BDV-E500W we reviewed in 2009, which was a solid Blu-ray home theater system, but we felt it didn't offer enough to justify its ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog

LG LHB975

(Credit: LG)

LAS VEGAS--Blu-ray home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) systems surprised us in 2009, because not only did they offer Blu-ray at an affordable price, but most of them actually sounded pretty good. LG has announced three new Blu-ray HTIB systems for CES 2010, with some key step-ups from 2009's offerings like built-in Wi-Fi and more HDMI connectivity.

Key features of the LG LHB335

• 5.1 home theater system
• Built-in Blu-ray player
• LG's NetCast suite of streaming media services, including Netflix, Vudu, CinemaNow, YouTube, Pandora, Picasa, and AccuWeather
• One HDMI input
• USB port capable of playing photos, movies and music
• Onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio Essential
• No release date or pricing announced

Key step-up features of the LG LHB535

• Built-in Wi-Fi
• Two HDMI 1.3 inputs
• DLNA-compliant, allowing you to stream music, photos, and videos from a connected PC
• No release date or pricing announced

Key step-up features of the LG LHB975

• Wireless rear speakers and subwoofer
• Tall and slim front speakers
• No release date or pricing announced

The ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog

Don't let the ho-hum looks throw you, the HT-BD1250's sound will knock your socks off.

(Credit: Samsung)

Sad but true: Great sound and home theater-in-a-box systems rarely go together.

HTIBs are the province of "good enough" performance and features, but I'm totally jazzed about these two exceptional models: Samsung's HT-BD1250 and Onkyo's HT-S9100THX.

Looking at the Samsung HT-BD1250 Blu-ray Home Theater System ($550 MSRP) it doesn't exactly stand out in a field of black plastic HTIBs. But once I listened to the thing I knew Samsung had a real winner.

The HT-BD1250 sounds great on music and movies, with remarkably good clarity, bass extension/definition, and low overall distortion. Even high-impact, special-effects driven flicks didn't betray the wee speakers and subwoofer weaknesses. Sure, play a Blu-ray really loud or try to fill a very large room and the HT-BD1250 will cry uncle. But in average size rooms, the HT-BD1250 should satisfy most home theater fans.

Rocking out with the Rolling Stones "Shine A Light" Blu-ray the band's punch and impact came through like gangbusters. The HT-BD1250 sounds noticeably less dynamically compressed than HTIBs with similarly sized speakers and subwoofers.

Few HTIBs of any size can sound credible with solo piano CDs, but the HT-BD1250 truly shined with Joel Fan's excellent "West of the Sun" release. The naturalness of piano tone was striking, and even the lower register keys had just the right weight. I credit that to the HT-BD1250's subwoofer, its refined sound perfectly matched the satellites. The sats kept up their part of the bargain, delivering effortless midrange and treble resolution.

Read the full CNET review of the Onkyo HT-BD1250 to learn more.

When Blu-ray HTIBs first hit the market, they really didn't make sense as a product type. They were slow, and the value just wasn't there, as it was easy to put together superior systems from separate components.

One year later, everything has changed; there are several excellent HTIBs with integrated Blu-ray available for prices comparable to those of standalone Blu-ray players. The LG LHB953 is one of the better systems on the market, and a lot of that is due to its unparalleled streaming content options--Netflix, Pandora, YouTube, and CinemaNow augment its disc-playing capabilities. It also handles the basics with above-average finesse, with solid sound quality and excellent image quality on Blu-ray movies.

Our complaints with the system were largely aesthetic; the speakers are a bit bigger than average and the main AV receiver/Blu-ray player lacks style, especially with its perpetually glowing volume knob. Also, the competing Samsung HT-BD1250 is a slightly better system, especially sonically, but its street price is about $70 more.

If you can't swing the extra dough the Samsung or don't need its perks, the LHB953 delivers much of the same performance and more streaming features for less.

Read the full review of the LG LHB953.

LG LHB953 photos

DVD home-theater-in-box systems seem to offer a lot of value from the spec sheet, but are often seriously disappointing in use, with lackluster audio and video being the norm.

So far, our experience with Blu-ray HTIBs has been the exact opposite; almost all of the systems we've tested this year offer a legitimate home theater experience. The Samsung HT-BD1250 (street price as low as $500) is the best budget system we've seen.

We were fully expecting lifeless sound after our review of the Samsung HT-AS730, but the HT-BD1250 proved our prejudice wrong, offering credible sound quality even with stereo music--a tough feat for HTIBs. Its built-in Blu-ray player is as good as the standalone Samsung BD-P3600 and streaming options like Netflix and Pandora will complement your physical media collection.

We had our quibbles about the usability of the design (although the system looks good) and, like all Blu-ray HTIBs at this price, it lacks HDMI inputs--you'll need to step up to the Samsung HT-BD3252 or LG LHB977 if you want HDMI connectivity. But these shortcomings are outweighed by the systems strengths.

Yes, it's a little more expensive than competing budget systems, but if you can spare the extra bucks, the Samsung HT-BD1250 is well worth it.

Read the full review of the Samsung HT-BD1250.

Samsung HT-BD1250--photos

Although the technology debuted in 2006, for many consumers Blu-ray still feels like brand-new tech. That's why home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) systems like the Panasonic SC-BT200 and SC-BT300 feel like such an incredible deal--with a street price as low as $450 for the SC-BT200, you get a 7.1 speaker system plus a slimline AV receiver with an integrated Blu-ray player.

The biggest knock against both of the systems we reviewed is that that competing HTIBs offer better streaming media options; both the Samsung HT-BD1250T and LG LHB953 have both Netflix and Pandora streaming, which we prefer to the Panasonic's YouTube and Amazon Video On Demand streaming.

On the other hand, both the SC-BT200 and SC-BT300 offer sound quality darn good for the price, with the SC-BT300 sounding slightly better thanks to more power and tall-boy front speakers. Although we haven't done hands-on testing with its competitors yet (coming soon), there's no doubt that Panasonic Blu-ray HTIBs are well-thought-out systems that offer a legitimate home theater experience on a budget.

Read the full review of the Panasonic SC-BT200
Read the full review of the Panasonic SC-BT300

Panasonic SC-BT200--photos

Panasonic SC-BT300 photos

Onkyo HT-S7200 home theater system

Onkyo's home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) systems tend to be everything HTIBs usually aren't: big, boxy, and they actually sound pretty good. Today the company rolled out two new 7.1 HTIBs, HT-S7200 and HT-S6200, which are step-ups to the existing HT-S5200 and HT-S3200 (full review).

Onkyo's new HTIBs have several upgrades, but the first thing we noticed is that the systems aren't stuck with the same "pass-through-only" HDMI inputs that plagued the step-down HT-S3200 and HT-S5200. Both the HT-S7200 and HT-S6200 can accept audio over HDMI (you don't need to run separate cables like on the step-down model), and have onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

The included receivers also have Dolby ProLogic IIz decoding, which enables the use of "height" speakers placed above your standard front speakers. You can read our experience with the technology, but the short story is we didn't feel it was worth the hassle.

Onkyo HT-S6200

The included AV receiver looks to be nearly identical on both systems, with the major exception being the HT-S7200 has five HDMI inputs, while the HT-S6200 has four. Otherwise, both systems have 130-watt receivers that come with Audyssey 2EQ automatic speaker calibration, plus two Audyssey sound processing modes: Dynamic EQ and Dynamic Volume. The included AV receiver also features Onkyo's propriety universal port connection, which works with the included UP-A1 iPod dock.

The other major difference between the two systems is the included speaker package. The HT-S7200 features two tall-boy speakers (dual 3.25-inch woofer plus a 1-inch tweeter), plus surround bookshelf speakers, a center channel, and a 230-watt subwoofer with a 10-inch woofer. The HT-S6200 includes nearly the same setup, except trading the tall-boy speakers for another pair of bookshelf speakers. The speaker package included with the HT-S7200 will also be available separately as the SKS-HT870 with $500 list price.

Both the HT-S7200 and HT-S6200 are currently available, with list prices of $900 and $700, respectively.