Page 1 of Panasonic Home Cinema in a box - SCHT-70

I am new to this forum - just registered today - so hello everyone.

Anyway, i am looking at buying a DVD player and surround speakers.
I have a PS2, but the DVD player with this is ok, but not spectacular.

I have seen the Panasonic `Home Cinema in a box` (SCHT-70 - see www.panasonic.co.uk) and wondered if anyone has one, knows what the unit is like - good/bad etc.

The package is £499.99 - is this a good starter kit? or would you recommend something else?

Please help!!

£500 ???!!!
Starter Kit ???!!!!
Good god no !
You can spend a third of this and get a surround sound system. Look at other older threads on this forum and you`ll see systems like by makers like Yamaha/digitheatre etc. that are miles cheaper than that.
For £500 you could buy a proper DVD player AND a surround kit and use the PS2 for games only, which is the only thing it`s good at. It`s mince as a DVD player. You`d notice how bad it is if you saw a proper player doing it`s stuff. Sony only plugged the DVD bit to justify the ridiculous price, but then I see it`s already down to £199 already. Tenner says it`s down to £150 by xmas.

Yeah - i reckon so too - X-Box will be out so Sony will try to compete..

The Panasonic includes 4 speakers, a centre speaker, a sub, and an intergrated Amp/dolby Pro Logic processor/DVD/CD player (5 Disc) all for £499 - i dunno though......i will look at some of the other threads as u suggested. Thanks man!!!

Panasonic sounds pretty good for the money, sony,pioneer and a couple of others also do a similiar piece of kit for around the same money.
If not it might be worth looking at buying the set up seperatly , checkout somewhere like richer sounds www.richersounds.co.uk they put together packages, are cheaper than most and have been helpful every time ive spoke to them. hope this helps.

Clio16V - I`m sorry. I didn`t fully understand your message. I didn`t realise that the package actually included the DVD player.I suppose that makes the £500 price a bit more realistic, but I still reckon you`re better off going the ` seperates ` route. I don`t mean amps and stuff necessarily.You could get what`s regarded as one of the best DVD players for around £180 (the toshiba 210) and then you could get either the Yamaha surround system or the digitheatre system for around £250. These surround systems have their own built in amps ( powered sub woofers ), and offer 5.1 sound.That makes them far more attractive to me, simply because you don`t have a bulky amp spoiling your view.You can hide the sub woofer and use the remote.
By the way - If you`re a fan of the Clio16V get yourself a 172 man ! I just got rid of one because I need 5 doors, but what a machine ! Not as fast as the press releases suggested, but still very very quick.

Thanks for the info - i am checking out some gear today in my local hifi store. I am gonna see if i can get some demo`s of some equipment. I will keep an eye out for the equipment u guys mentioned above - thankx again.
>Bowf - i have a `95 Clio 16V - the one with the air intake in the bonnet and the flaired arches. The 172 is a nice car - faster than mine - im after one next or maybe a Williams 2 or 3.

I`ll quickly mention this before we get into trouble for using the forum for non-dvd related messages.
I`ve seen 1 year old 172`s on the net for less than 11K, and I`ve seen brand spanking new ones for not much more. That is a bargain. I paid 16K for mine, but it was a company car so I didn`t have to shop around for a deal. They are light years ahead of the Williams models and with the current interest rates around the extra money needed might not be as expensive as you think. Williams are going for too much IMHO.
If you want to find 172`s cheap try www.autotrader.co.uk and if you want an idea for cheap loans try www.ukloansguide.co.uk.
Good luck and have fun. Watch the wet though ! Understeer city !

I know - they have come down in price a lot - i wanted one from day one, think they were around 15k. Cheaper now though - lotta car for not a lotta money - and the understeer in the wet is the same with my 16V - too much power - the tyres wont grip! - i`ve tried my hardest to get the back end out on a couple of occasions but no result. ah well.

By the way - this was the Panasonic system i was looking at:

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/nw/products/product.asp?c=SCHT70

How do i tell if its a multi region player?
Will it affect my choice of DVD`s? (i only buy from HMV etc at the moment)

In my honest opinion, but I`m far from an expert, I wouldn`t go for this. As I stated earlier any tests that I`ve read of ` all in ` packages have said that the players are definitely the weak link. In my experience of stereo systems as well, multiplay players are a nightmare. God knows what the point of them is really. How much effort is it to change a bleeding disc ??
There`s little spec for the player in the link you gave. Doesn`t say if the player has RGB output for one. This is a must have option for best picture quality. I would doubt it`s multiregion as standard. Not many are, but multiregion is not a ` must have ` for me as I rent/buy all my discs here.I can`t be arsed saving a few quid by ordering from abroad.
Tell you what mate. Go into www.empiredirect.co.uk and look at the following ideas.
1/ The Toshiba 210 for £189. Great great player. Superb picture and sound. Then go into ` Hi-fi seperates ` and then go into ` AV speakers `. In there you`ll find
2/ The Sony HTK215 home theatre kit for £281.
That`s £470 for 2 of the most highly rated and spoken about pieces of equipment currently available. No compromise and no more difficult to set-up or use than the all in one Panny thing.
Ok it`s only £30 of a saving but the point is you`re getting a set up that half this forum, including myself, would love to have.I`m saving up for the Sony HTK215 and I already have the Toshiba 210. I haven`t seen the Panny system mentioned at all here before, and that says it all I reckon.

Bowf - thanx mate - u have helped - i know a little more now - i suppose its just like buying hifi seperates - i wouldnt touch a multiplay cd player either.
Anyway -i really apprciate your help - hopefully make my purchase tommorrow - there is a Richer Sounds store a few miles away from me, so i pay them a visit, aswell as checking out the sites you suggested.

>RGB...
Is this the red/white/yellow audio + video lead?

Is this better quality picture than S-Video lead?