1. ( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Mar 12 2008

   I was looking for a complete system with virtual surround (VSS), I looked at everything from Bose to the Sony systems. They all had two similar problems, 1. You could not add your own sub woofer. - The systems are closed. 2.Except for the Bose GS 123 system, the sub woofer was very poor. Additionally Bose system did not support upconverting dvds. I had almost given up when I saw the Panasonic SC-PTX7. It was sleek looking and had everything that I wanted including "Upconvert", VSS and tons of other stuff. What I really liked about this system is the ability to change the sub woofer out. This is where this system becomes very interesting. So after adding my 12inch JBL sub, the whole system rocks. My friends are in awe. Adding the sub is very easy, just cut the ends of the wire that connects to the crappy sub that comes with the system. Now, connect them to your POWERED SUB and you are in business. NOTE:ONLY USE A POWERED SUB, if you don't you can burn the receiver out. DISCLAIMER:I accept no responsibility for anything. Try at your own risk. In regards to the other issues mentioned in the reviews I am yet to experience them - maybe panasonic finally fixed them. Hope you enjoy. George Richardson

2. ( 2 of 3 found this review helpful ) Posted: Dec 12 2007

   I went trolling for after Thanksgiving returns and found this for $275 with no box. The store was listing it at $799, so I thought I was getting a great deal. Even at that low price, I have just returned the product and moved on. The negatives on this unit didn't justify me keeping it even at that price. The most significant are as follows: (1) Uploading a music collection onto its 80gb hard drive is absurdly difficult in today's plug-and-play world. The Panasonic rep I talked to had no idea about the unit or how to upload from my Windows Media Player to the unit. Turns out, I simply couldn't do it because it requires a router with two LAN inputs (she didn't even know what LAN was!). Yes, you have to be connected to the internet and set up some complicated network just to transfer music. To do this, you have to have a router with two LAN ports, which I don't. Why not just a USB transfer at this price? (2) One reviewer mentioned a :30 boot of the unit; I've found it to be >1 minute every time, with as much as 3 minutes! Slower than my old computer to boot up, probably because of that hard drive (which, incidentally, is why it's priced so high). (3) Proprietary speaker jacks means you can't add any different speakers or add more speakers, other than the $$$ wireless ones. (4) I played a Pearl Jam DVD and the sound was nice at about 3/5 max volume. CDs also sound good, but my high quality mp3 player, plugged into an auxilary jack, was nowhere near the sound I had with my old system that had its own receiver. (5) You can't play CDs without the tv on, and, when in DVD mode, you can't turn the tv off without the whole system shutting off (so, to play music, you then have to reboot it and wait). In short, this unit is worth neither the price (especially the list price!) nor the risk, as you will be putting all your proverbial eggs in one basket -- if the dvd player, hard drive, or speakers go bad, you're pretty much screwed. Thumbs down.

3. ( 4 of 4 found this review helpful ) Posted: Dec 11 2007

   It may be stylish and inexpensive but I'm sorry I ever bought it. When Circuit City delivered the first one, it was DOA out of the box and we had to go back to the store for a replacement. That should have been my first hint. The second one worked fine...for a day. I should mention that we had Firedog install it and also program the Harmony remote, so our problems were not due to our lack of skill or technical knowledge. We've had it for 3 days now and every morning I wake up wondering what new challenge it will give me. Virtually every time I turn on the TV, there's something not right that needs correcting. Finally this a.m. the sound decided to quit. Circuit City is delivering a new unit from another brand tomorrow and taking this back for a full refund. The sound (when we had it) was average at best. Frankly my old Sony projection TV had better sound by itself than this home theater system. This hard-drive system of Panasonic's may be an interesting concept, but it has too many bugs to be worked out. My suspicion is that it is also not totally compatible with the Harmony remote. When I turn on my TV, I want everything to work....period.

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