Panasonic intros 2.1-channel Blu-ray home theater
updated 06:50 pm EDT, Wed September 9, 2009
Panasonic BD system delivers 7.1 virtual audio
Panasonic on Wednesday said it will soon release its first 2.1-channel Blu-ray Disc home theater system, the SC-BTX70. The upright system uses a proprietary Panasonic technology that can reproduce virtual 7.1-channel sound in Dolby's TrueHD and DTS-HD virtual 7.1 formats. The two speakers, made of bamboo, have a top-mounted design for better sound dispersion. The system is rated at 375W of power, with each speaker and the subwoofer getting 125W.
Apart from Blu-ray, DVD and CD playback, the system also sports an iPod dock, SD memory card slot and a USB port for hooking up thumb drives or digital cameras. With compatibility to Panasonic's VIERA Link, users can navigate the system via just one remote. An Ethernet connection and Panasonic's VIERA CAST feature lets users watch YouTube and Picasa web albums. There is also access to Amazon's video-on-demand service, and there is full support for BD-Live, for access to online features on a Blu-ray disc movie.
The SC-BTX70 will be out later this month, priced at $1,000.
