Rating: 
Summary: Stay away from Panasonic!
Review: Customer Service - the Panasonic website claims this is very important to them. I had my home theater only 3-4 months when a VCR tape got stuck. I has now been at the service center for almost 4 months! When I am lucky enough to get a response from Panasonic (which is rare), they make promises of completion and/or replacement. But promises won't play the DVD's my family would have liked to watch together over the holidays. When we finally got through to the customer service center on the phone, they had the nerve to hand up on us twice. IF YOU WANT A COMPANY TO STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCTS - STAY AWAY FROM PANASONIC!!! I have truly given up hope of even getting my home theater back from the Panasonic service center.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent value
Review: I have owned the SC-HT810V for four days now, after a month-long decision making process. That's the same as this model, with a little more output power, and with table stands for the speakers. The only reason I got that model rather than the 800V was that I stumbled across it at Fry's Electronics for $249 -- cheaper than the HT800V, anywhere! Otherwise, I don't really care for output power that much, the 800V has plenty to fill up even larger rooms.Compared with some of the other models I looked at, these are its strengths: * Compact, includes DVD, VCR and FM/AM Radio in one small unit. * Plays a multitude of disc formats (incl. DVD-A, VCD, and Panasonic/Microsoft proprietary HighMAT discs). (Compare to the Zenith XBS344 and XBS245, which only play DVD Video and CD Audio). * The sound quality and surround effects are, ahem, awesome. Now I just wish more DVDs (including children's, cartoons, etc) had surround sound. A few things that did not quite appeal to me: * No digital audio (5.1) input. (Unlike the Zenith, or the Philips LX3750W wireless theatre). This means that I cannot get surround sound input from my Comcast HDTV converter. (But who watches TV these days anyway?) * With the DVD progressive scan enabled, thin lines, text, etc flicker a bit. It turns out that my Panasonic (CRT) HDTV in some ways does a better job of de-interlacing the standard (480i) signal (whether through component or composite cables) than the unit does, despite the D->A->D->A conversion. * Operating the unit (+ the remote) is a bit cumbersome. For instance, to switch to the external sound input, you need to press the DVD/VCR toggle button to VCR mode, change to channel 2, then press CH- (channel down). This is only the sound - you also need to switch your TV to the appropriate input source. Basically, you need a good universal remote control - be sure to get one with plenty of macro capability, such as the One For All/RadioShack Kameleon. And because the DVD/VCR button is a toggle, you first need to press the FM/AM button, then DVD/VCR, after which it always comes back in VCR mode. (OTOH, if you don't have an external input source such as a digital cable box, you can get by quite easily using this unit's built-in TV tuner). That said, with a good universal remote, this unit is a real, real good buy, especially considering Panasonic's attention to durability and quality. You will not be disappointed. One thing to be aware of is that unlike most others, the subwoofer is the only speaker that is directly connected to the unit (via a 4m = ~13ft cable); the other speakers is wired to the subwoofer. The subwoofer requires external power.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent value
Review: I have owned the SC-HT810V for four days now, after a month-long decision making process. That's the same as this model, with a little more output power, and with table stands for the speakers. The only reason I got that model rather than the 800V was that I stumbled across it at Fry's Electronics for $249 -- cheaper than the HT800V, anywhere! Otherwise, I don't really care for output power that much, the 800V has plenty to fill up even larger rooms. Compared with some of the other models I looked at, these are its strengths: * Compact, includes DVD, VCR and FM/AM Radio in one small unit. * Plays a multitude of disc formats (incl. DVD-A, VCD, and Panasonic/Microsoft proprietary HighMAT discs). (Compare to the Zenith XBS344 and XBS245, which only play DVD Video and CD Audio). * The sound quality and surround effects are, ahem, awesome. Now I just wish more DVDs (including children's, cartoons, etc) had surround sound. A few things that did not quite appeal to me: * No digital audio (5.1) input. (Unlike the Zenith, or the Philips LX3750W wireless theatre). This means that I cannot get surround sound input from my Comcast HDTV converter. (But who watches TV these days anyway?) * With the DVD progressive scan enabled, thin lines, text, etc flicker a bit. It turns out that my Panasonic (CRT) HDTV in some ways does a better job of de-interlacing the standard (480i) signal (whether through component or composite cables) than the unit does, despite the D->A->D->A conversion. * Operating the unit (+ the remote) is a bit cumbersome. For instance, to switch to the external sound input, you need to press the DVD/VCR toggle button to VCR mode, change to channel 2, then press CH- (channel down). This is only the sound - you also need to switch your TV to the appropriate input source. Basically, you need a good universal remote control - be sure to get one with plenty of macro capability, such as the One For All/RadioShack Kameleon. And because the DVD/VCR button is a toggle, you first need to press the FM/AM button, then DVD/VCR, after which it always comes back in VCR mode. (OTOH, if you don't have an external input source such as a digital cable box, you can get by quite easily using this unit's built-in TV tuner). That said, with a good universal remote, this unit is a real, real good buy, especially considering Panasonic's attention to durability and quality. You will not be disappointed. One thing to be aware of is that unlike most others, the subwoofer is the only speaker that is directly connected to the unit (via a 4m = ~13ft cable); the other speakers is wired to the subwoofer. The subwoofer requires external power.
Rating:
Summary: Good System
Review: I just bought this system, and my wife and I both like it very much. It has great sound and is pretty easy to hook up. It also has many nice features. Learning to use the remote takes a bit of study. When the sound volume is adjusted up, the corresponding numbers on the display decrease and vice versa for adjusting the volume down. I thought something was wrong so I called Panasonic and was told the reaction is correct. Also, if your TV has picture in picture (PIP) you will have sound from both the main screen and the PIP when the PIP is activated and you swap screens.
Rating: 
Summary: High Quality at a low price!
Review: I just got this baby at Sears for only $299.99! What a deal! $100 lower than most places. Great speaker system works at 6ohms for high-quality sound. It is plenty powerful too. Only drawback is only one extra video/audio port instead of two or three, but because it's a DVD and a VHS, most people like me only need the one extra port for like their Play Station 2 or X-Box system.
Rating:
Summary: Super Value and Super Sound
Review: I'm very satisfied with this product, giving it 4 stars only because I don't have a lot of comparisons. You get a lot of features for dollars in the $300+ range: DVD/VCR, 5.1 surround, 6 speakers, a multitude of custom settings, auxillary inputs, component video output, S-video output, progressive scan, MP3 capable, 220 watts of power, and more. I recently had Terminator 3 in the DVD player, and really rattled the room. I have mine hooked up with a DISH Network box and frequently play the digital music channels through the surround speakers. I also use the MP3 feature, and have put several of my favorite albums on a CD-R in MP3 format and let it spin for hours. The picture quality with CVI outputs looks great. All in all, this is a great value for a theatre system, the only thing better would be to spend more and get a 5-disc changer. I'm very happy with the purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Super Value and Super Sound
Review: I'm very satisfied with this product, giving it 4 stars only because I don't have a lot of comparisons. You get a lot of features for dollars in the $300+ range: DVD/VCR, 5.1 surround, 6 speakers, a multitude of custom settings, auxillary inputs, component video output, S-video output, progressive scan, MP3 capable, 220 watts of power, and more. I recently had Terminator 3 in the DVD player, and really rattled the room. I have mine hooked up with a DISH Network box and frequently play the digital music channels through the surround speakers. I also use the MP3 feature, and have put several of my favorite albums on a CD-R in MP3 format and let it spin for hours. The picture quality with CVI outputs looks great. All in all, this is a great value for a theatre system, the only thing better would be to spend more and get a 5-disc changer. I'm very happy with the purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Buyer beware
Review: If you purchase this product, I hope you are completely satisfied. It is my opinion that the reliability of Panasonic products has slipped in recent years, and this was confirmed to me when a product I purchased quickly failed. The reason I'm posting this is to warn you that the warranty that accompanies Panasonic products only has value if the company chooses to stand behind it. In my case, they weaseled out of it, leaving me with a total loss and no further recourse. Good luck with your decision.
Rating:
Summary: Stylish and Crystal Clear!
Review: Sound Quality: Crystal clear (even with the provided speaker cables), but subwoofer is far too weak (THX lovers look for some other system) Style: Perfect fit and finish silver parts. Speechless. Ease of installation: 1hr / Easy (Instructions are clear with pictures) Conclusion: Stylish clear sounding system, but lacks bass. DVD player works with ALL of my DVD's and the features are sufficient.
Rating:
Summary: Stylish and Crystal Clear!
Review: Sound Quality: Crystal clear (even with the provided speaker cables), but subwoofer is far too weak (THX lovers look for some other system) Style: Perfect fit and finish silver parts. Speechless. Ease of installation: 1hr / Easy (Instructions are clear with pictures) Conclusion: Stylish clear sounding system, but lacks bass. DVD player works with ALL of my DVD's and the features are sufficient.
| 
