Enjoy the cinematic experience from the comfort of your own home with the Panasonic SC-BT230 home theater system. It’s a nifty home theater in a box that offers additional perks to the already feature-loaded main functions.
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Panasonic SC-BT230 5.1 Surround Sound System List Price: Sale Price: $359.97  Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days 4 new from $359.97 2 used from $230.00  |
Powerhouse 1000 Total Watts in a Small Convenient Package
The Panasonic BT230 has 1000 watts of total juice running through its components: 125 W each for its 2 front speakers and 2 rear surround speakers and 250 W each for the center speaker and subwoofer. In only an 80 by 118.5 by 68 mm housing, the front and rear speakers pack a powerful audio quality that is crisp, rich, full, and smooth. The subwoofer with its built-in digital amplifier blasts solid bass that blends beautifully with the overall 5.1 channel surround sound.
Its powerful wattage gives its speakers a loudness that you won’t believe comes from something so compact. But power isn’t all the Panasonic SC-BT230 boasts – it also features flexibility with independent channel settings that allow you to change the speaker’s volume independently of the entire unit.
Dual Digital Signal Processing for Dolby and DTS
The development of surround sound technology has given a competitive aspect to the industry. The Panasonic BT230 caters to two of these competing companies as it is installed with both a Dolby Digital decoder and a DTS decoder. These formats not only provide for a true 5.1 surround sound, but it also accommodates for 7.1 channel virtual surround, combining both for the most dynamic and holistic surround sound experience.
The system is capable of decoding Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, and Dolby Digital Plus as well as DTS Digital, DTS-HD Master Audio, and DTS-HD High-Resolution Audio. With its whopping surround sound capability, this receiver will have you constantly at the edge of your seat.
Hear Dialogues Clearly with Advanced Bamboo Cone Technology
The center speaker at front is fitted with Advanced Bamboo Cones that greatly enhances the clarity and crispness of dialogues in your movies. They make the sound more responsive, purer, and easier to understand. Even soft whispers will be heard with striking clarity; there’s no need to strain your hearing.
Watch the Best Movies in Blu-ray Media and HDTV
Enjoy watching the best and most explosive Blu-ray movies in full high-definition. You’ll never be jealous of the theatrical experiences ever again when it comes to the best video and audio quality as you can get both without having to leave the house.
And if you don’t own Blu-ray media, that is not a problem at all. The Panasonic SC-BT230 up-converts standard-definition DVD (DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, and DVD+R DL) or CD media into full progressive scanned 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution high-definition! Get twice the video quality with virtually non-existent scan lines and jagged picture edges from your ordinary DVD’s!
All you’ll need for the upscaling is an HDMI cable wired to your HDTV and you’ll be experiencing full details, true-to-life colors, and clarity beyond expectations in their full glory. If you have PS3 or Xbox game console, you can connect it to your receiver via optic cabling to play Blu-ray media from there was well.
From the Customers’ Reviews of Their Own Panasonic SC-BT230
“Panasonic's SC-BT230 is a vertitable jack-of-all-trades…”
“It sounded so nice, smooth, and complete. I'm totally happy with this system. “
“"Avatar" on Blu-ray was a sonic and visual splendor with this system…”
This product received 39 5-star ratings and 28 4-stars out of 84 reviews at Amazon.com. The main issues revolved around slowing performance over time and poor firmware update processes. See All the Reviews.
Hi-Tech Connectivity with HDMI and Fiber Optics
One HDMI cable will work wonders for you, as the Panasonic BT230 is compatible with several features that will make your home entertainment experience a convenient and truly enjoyable pastime.
One of these features is the ARC (Audio Return Channels) wherein you can eliminate a second wire connection while utilizing the one HDMI cable connected to your HDTV for a contrasting function. Where the HDMI sends audio and video data to your HDTV, ARC-compatibility allows sending of audio data FROM your HDTV to your receiver. Of course you will need an ARC compatible television for this but the convenience factor here is an attractive plus.
Don’t despair if you do not own an ARC-compatible TV. The hope for heart-meltingly beautiful audio stays alive with the system’s fiber optic audio inputs. Optic cables can transfer a large amount of data without interference leaving only high quality sound.
Another feature is having the power of simplicity with one Panasonic HDAVI Control 5 remote control combined with VIERA Link. With this feature, you can access all key functions of your home theater – receiver, speakers, tuners, and television – from one remote control. VIERA Link is an HDMI-CEC industry standard that allows control of all your home theater components that are connected through HDMI cabling.
Access the Internet through VIERA Cast
One of the most attractive features, if not THE most attractive, of the Panasonic SC-BT230 is its internet-streaming capability. Hook up your receiver to your home network via an Ethernet cable or a USB Wi-Fi dongle and gain access to VIERA Cast online streaming content. This amazing feature lets you stream videos, movies, and albums from Netflix, Fox Sports, YouTube, Picasa, and Pandora among others. This opens up a novel channel for the most complete home viewing experience.
iPod Connectivity for Music and Video Playback
Panasonic takes a step further in the trend direction with the Panasonic BT230 built in iPod connectivity via an integrated universal dock for iPod and iPhone. With the popularity of iPods, having iPod connectivity is almost becoming a standard for and audio or video electronics. In this regard, this receiver does not fall short.
Just simply connect your iPod or iPhone and the screen displays a slick menu that lets you choose your next action. Be it listening to your favorite songs or browsing through your videos. It couldn’t be much easier than that.
Take Advantage of the Additional SD Memory Card and FM Radio Perks
Sometimes the little things are taken for granted. However, it’s these little things that we find are the simple joys time and again. The Panasonic BT230 sports a 30-preset FM radio with an attachable antenna. When your internet is down for maintenance or when you don’t have any other media source available at the moment, turn on the radio and listen to your favorite local channel.
You can also view your SD memory card’s content through the SD card slot. If you have pictures taken from a digital camera, then you can reminisce and invite nostalgia as you view them on-screen.
Some Important Things to Note
VIERA Link is the commercial HDMI-CEC name for the Panasonic line of products. In order to make complete use of this feature, you’ll need a Panasonic HDTV. Otherwise, the remote won’t be able to control your television and you’ll be forced to use two remotes for your entire home theater system.
The list of VIERA Cast content is not as flexible as some people would have liked. For one, only Pandora is so far online for audio streaming. Video streaming lacks Hulu, Crackle, and MLB.TV to name a few.
There have been some complaints as well with the firmware updates for when some of upcoming streaming contents become available. Apparently it shows a blank screen with “SRD” displayed and a green blinking light for around 15 to 30 minutes. However, after that time, everything works fine as well as the updates.
Where to Buy
At the time I did this research Amazon.com was the lowest priced option. In my personal experience they offer the best customer service, some of the quickest shipping, and have always allowed things to be returned when I was not happy.
Disclaimer: This review is based on my research and not me owning it. Purchasing this item through the links above allows me to fund this site and to take the time to do honest research so you do not have to. Any comments please use our contact form. Thank You.