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Home Theater


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Things To Know

Looking to upgrade your home entertainment?
This guide will help you figure out what home theater system is right for you.

What is a home theater system?

A home theater system includes all the equipment required to add surround sound to your TV and/or AV setup. Whether you're watching a great movie or a big game, a home theater enhances your experience. Some systems include additional features, such as wireless speakers and iPod^® docking stations.

The main elements of a home theater system are:

A receiver that connects to your TV, DVR, and DVD or Blu-ray Disc™ player and decodes multi-channel audio signals, then delivers them to your speakers.
A home theater system may have 1 to 5 DVD playback.
Speakers that provide up to five channels of audio (left and right front speakers, one center speaker, and two surround speakers).
A subwoofer, which reproduces bass frequencies at high-power levels.

The sensation of multiple speakers puts you right in the action by turning your living room into a cinema.

Why do I need a home theater system?

If you own a big-screen TV and are using the small speakers built into it, you're not getting the full sound experience. A home theater system provides 360-degree sound, giving you a greater sense of depth and motion. No matter how great your TV's picture, you need surround sound to enjoy truly cinematic home theater. A home theater system allows your favorite movies, TV shows and sporting events to sound as good as they look. You can fully immerse yourself, and let the hyper-realistic sound effects fly right past you.

What kind of home theater is best suited for the set up of my home or office?

There are several questions you should ask yourself when choosing a home theater system. Consider the room in which your home theater system will live. Do you have room for five speakers, or would you be better served by twin-center speakers, which duplicate the surround sound experience with two speakers? Will you need additional wireless speakers, to bring the music to other parts of your home? Is all your music on your iPod? If so, you should make sure iPod connectivity is on the system's feature list.

Can a home theater system improve my TV picture quality?

Yes, when it comes to watching DVDs on your High-Definition TV. With 1080p up-conversion¹ and an HDMI connection, the image quality of your DVDs can be upgraded to High Definition. Footnotes 1. Video sources up-converted to 1080p High Definition, while of high quality, will exhibit somewhat lower subjective image resolution than true, native 1080p HD sources such as Panasonic Blu-ray Disc™ players.

What's the difference between the various surround-sound formats?

Dolby Pro Logic:

Dolby Pro Logic is a surround decoding system that works with everything. Dolby Pro Logic generates front left, front right, center, and surround outputs. Whatever home theater system you purchase should include at least Dolby Pro Logic.

Dolby Pro Logic II:

This is an advanced version of Dolby Pro Logic that is gaining momentum. It provides superior surround decoding with stereo surround output. It can also generate five-channel surround from two-channel stereo music recordings, such as CDs.

Dolby Pro Logic IIx:

This upgraded version of Dolby Pro Logic II is capable of providing 7.1-channel output. This is only necessary if you're able to put additional back-surround speakers in the room.

Dolby Digital:

For multi-channel Dolby Digital soundtracks delivered as they are on DVD, HDTV, and some satellite transmissions, this format can be used. But it serves no purpose for VHS releases or analog TV programs that can't carry Dolby Digital but can deliver Dolby Surround.

Dolby Digital EX:

The enhanced version of Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX allows back-surround channels in soundtracks in addition to the usual left and right surrounds. It's nice to have if you can accommodate the extra speaker or two at the back, but it's not a requirement.

DTS:

This is another surround encoding/decoding format similar to Dolby Digital, but is not widely used.

5.1? 7.1? What do all these numbers mean?

Surround sound formats are defined by a numerical system, which is determined by the number of speakers. Dolby Surround is a 4.0 system. This means it has front left, front right, center and mono surround channels. Dolby Digital is a 5.1 system – center, left and right surround, front left and right and low-frequency (bass) effects channels. In this case, the low-frequency channels are where the ".1" comes from. Speaker systems classified as 6.1 or 7.1 add one or two back-surround speakers, with the ".1" referring to a subwoofer.

Can I control my whole system with just one remote?

By using HDMI and EZ Sync, you can control your entire home theater system with one remote. With HDMI, one cable carries the video and audio signals between digital components. When using compatible Panasonic components, you can turn on the power for your entire home theater with the touch of a single EZ Sync button, and begin playback immediately.

Can I listen to satellite radio through a home theater system?

Certain systems can receive satellite radio signals, if you are a subscriber to the content provider (Sirius or XM). This means you can listen to hundreds of satellite radio channels (music, sports, talk, comedy and more) that have crystal-clear reception without running multiple wires or bringing an additional stereo into your house. Look for the "XM Ready" feature.

What are some additional optional features?

You can enhance your system through a variety of the following features, some of which will come standard on certain models:

Internal music hard drive.

Allows you to store digital music directly inside your home theater. For easy access, your music is categorized by song title and artist name.

5-DVD changer.

You can have hours of your favorite movies ready for playback at the push of a button.

Multi-room speaker kits.

Multi-room speaker kits let you meet the demands of your living space without the clutter of cables. By adding this feature, you'll be able to play music in any room in your home with your receiver – allowing you to enjoy the high-quality audio of your home theater without being confined to one room.

Wireless rear speakers and wireless subwoofer.

With wireless rear speakers there is no need to run wires through the room. Add a wireless subwoofer for even easier home theater setup.

iPod connectivity.

Play your digital music through a home theater system by connecting your iPod^® directly to a docking station. Panasonic iPod docks charge your iPod and also allow you to play, stop and skip tracks, all with one remote.

Twin-center speakers.

Dolby Virtual Speaker technology makes it possible to enjoy natural, realistic 5.1-channel surround sound from just two stereo speakers. Each twin-center speaker projects sound in two different directions, simulating the sound of four speakers. If space is an issue for you, this is an excellent feature.

Blu-ray Discs (BD)

Blu-ray Discs (BD) are high-density optical discs that store digital media, most notably High-Definition video. They are gaining in popularity due to their superior image quality and their ability to hold substantially more data than standard DVDs. Blu-ray Discs use a blue-violet laser instead of the infrared lasers used for DVDs and CDs.

1080p

1080p is a High Definition (HD) video mode with 1,080 lines of vertical resolution, normally presented in 16:9, widescreen format. The letter "p" stands for progressive scan, or non-interlaced, which is an image display method that yields faster, more detailed pictures than those on standard televisions, which are subject to occasional flickering or distortion.

HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface)

HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) is a new high quality standard digital connection between A/V devices, such as a cable TV set-top box, DVD player or A/V receiver, and a digital television. HDMI offers exceptional video and audio quality with a single quick-disconnect connector. It supports multi-channel digital audio transmissions and component video color spacing for true rendering of HD video. HDMI supports the HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) standards, allowing transmission of copy-protected digital content to your display.

HDMI cable

EZ Sync™ HDAVI

EZ Sync™ HDAVI is an exclusive Panasonic feature, whereby multiple compatible components, linked through an HDMI cable, are turned on with the touch of a single remote control button, providing immediate playback. This eliminates the need for multiple remotes. Panasonic products equipped with EZ Sync™ HDAVI offer an easily located EZ Sync™ remote control menu button.

Satellite Radio

Satellite Radio is a subscription-based radio service sent via satellite to cars, homes and public locations for subscribers who have special radio receivers equipped to receive the signal. Sirius and XM are the two current providers of satellite radio in the U.S. Both providers offer over 100 channels of radio (the majority of which are commercial-free), including music, talk and traffic information stations.

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