Panasonic SC-HT670 5-Disc DVD Home Theater System

Panasonic SC-HT670 5-Disc DVD Home Theater System
Manufacturer: Panasonic
Product Type: CE

Editorial Review:
Product Description
Panasonic SC-HT670 is Home Theater System with built-in progressive scan, 5-DVD changer, 5 satellite speakers, and subwoofer.
Amazon.com Product Description
One of the most affordable full-featured home theaters around, Panasonic's SC-HT670 home theater system includes a super-slim 5-DVD/CD changer with an integrated 390-watt (total) surround receiver and a multichannel speaker system with a passive subwoofer. Now's the time to take your TV and living room into the world of digital video and multichannel surround-sound.

The disc player is compatible with a range of optical digital media, from DVD-Video and high-resolution DVD-Audio to CD-R, CD-RW, MP3 CD, WMA CD, DVD-R, and DVD-RAM. Built-in DTS and Dolby Digital decoders deliver 5.1-channel sound from select DVDs and CDs, while Dolby Pro-Logic II generates 5.1-channel sound from any stereo (2-channel) source, whether movies, TV shows, or music.

DVD-Audio offers super high-fidelity (192 kHz/24-bit) sound. DVD-Audio discs provide multichannel and stereo sound, incredible storage capacity, and unique bonus materials not available on regular audio CDs. Perfect for high-bandwidth DVD-Audio listening, the front speakers are capable of reproducing frequencies reaching up to 50 kHz--more than extra octave of harmonic sound not found on compact discs and not reproducible by most systems.

Whether your living room is currently home to an HDTV or you're merely thinking of "someday," the SC-HT670 stands ready to deliver the full potential of your DVDs. Progressive scanning, referred to as 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts.

The DVD/CD player offers high-speed, 10-second access from disc to disc and convenient direct-access keys to quickly choose the desired CD or DVD at the touch of a button. The unit also comes with a CD Mode function, which makes the system play only CDs, a feature that comes in handy during random CD play. Panasonic's Multi Double Re-Master Processing enhances stereo CD, MP3, or WMA tracks to give them better sound.

The system decodes High Definition Compatible Digital (HDCD) media, too. HDCD is an encoding/decoding technology that enhances the sound of CDs and DVDs. Conventional CDs are recorded using a 16-bit signal; HDCD works 20-bit information into the 16-bit data, resulting in a wider dynamic range and a richer sound when heard through an HDCD-compatible player.

The SC-HT670 also features HighMAT (High Performance Media Technology) level 2 compatibility. HighMAT standards provide a convenient way for you to create custom compilations of your digital media, and compatibility means you'll be able to efficiently organize your HighMAT-generated files.

Other features include a large, easy to read fluorescent display, a universal remote control, a digital-synthesized FM/AM tuner, and a sleek, half-mirror/half-matte finish to match the design of many Panasonic displays.

What's in the Box
DVD changer, 5 satellite speakers, 1 passive subwoofer, and all requisite basic cabling.

Average customer rating: 4.0 Ancient MP3 player phone

Samsung SPHM100 Uproar MP3 Phone (Sprint) Manufacturer: Samsung Product Group: Wireless Binding: Wireless Phone ASIN: B00004YKVU

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Outfitted with a minibrowser, PIM functions, voice-activated dialing, and MP3 playback capabilities, the Uproar rolls personal features and top business communication tools into one of the coolest phones to date. The Uproar's dual-band, dual-mode CDMA electronics provides analog roaming capability and ensures a good connection just about anywhere Sprint PCS digital service is available.

At 4.1 by 1.7 by 0.9 inches and weighing 4.0 ounces, the Uproar is lightweight and highly portable. Despite its MP3 abilities and other advanced electronics, its physical design is not particularly radical. The silver flip casing--which resembles a classic transistor radio--can take a wallop, as we discovered when we dropped the phone while trying to let friends hear a downloaded song.

The bright, five-line screen (four lines of text and one line for status indicators) takes the strain out of reading e-mail and entering phone-book information. The keypad was a bit too tightly spaced for our taste, however. With its teeny buttons, especially the Menu, OK, and CLR keys, we frequently misdialed. And though we have to give Samsung credit for its icon-driven menu selections and full range of call management features, menu navigation in general could use an overhaul. Toggling back and forth between options proved to be a challenge, as the side-mounted directional keys are positioned a bit too close to the voice memo button. We often became confused about which was which, especially when not paying full attention to the phone.

Physical details aside, the Uproar gets points for integrating nearly any feature you can list. The Web browser accesses popular sites as well as the latest news, financial, sports, weather, and entertainment updates. (We also got a book into our Amazon.com shopping cart in a matter of minutes, without frustration or confusion.) You can train the phone to recognize 20 voice-activated numbers, and the voice memo recorder stores up to five minutes of messages and reminders. We found the Uproar had an easier time learning and distinguishing names than its competition; setting up voice tags was child's play, and we rarely had to repeat a name in order for the phone to recognize it.

With its event calendar, to-do list, calculator, and series of different alarms, the Uproar can double as a PDA. Other baseline features include a T9 predictive keypad, scratchpad memory, 100 SMS storage capacity, nine distinctive ringer options, four customizable ringer melodies, built-in vibrating ringer alert, 99 speed-dial locations (with 9 one-touch slots), a slew of call timers, and separate 10-number incoming, outgoing, and missed-call logs. It's worth noting that the phone book can hold 229 contacts, and each entry can store up to six different numbers. The Uproar also supports carrier-dependent features such as caller ID, call forwarding, three-way calling, and call forwarding.

Naturally, we tested its music features extensively, and found the whole process to be straightforward and fun. After loading the supplied Real Jukebox 2 and Uproar Installer software onto our computer, we hooked up a portable CD player and MP3-encoded some tracks on the hard drive using Real Jukebox 2. Then, using the included Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable, we connected the Uproar to the computer and began transferring those songs to the phone's memory. If you are a Napster fan or like to cruise other popular MP3 sites, rest assured: You can load any Internet MP3 file into the Uproar. It's worth nothing that you need a USB-capable PC. You cannot download MP3 files from the Internet directly into your phone, however.

The Uproar's 64 megabytes (MB) of flash memory will hold about one hour of music at the highest-quality compression level. One caveat worth mentioning: Listening to MP3s guzzles battery power; we suggest getting a backup battery to keep the music going.

The Uproar also offers advanced security features. You can lock both the phone itself to prevent outgoing calls except to emergency numbers, or merely lock the keypad to prevent accidental calls if the phone is in your backpack. You can create call restrictions, erase your call logs, and store numbers in a secret location.

As you would expect, the Uproar synchs with a PC or PDA via a data cable. Aside from downloading MP3 files, you can import your computer's address book to the phone, or transfer your faxes and text messages from the phone to your computer.

The lithium-ion battery is rated for 130 minutes of talk time and 120 hours of standby time. In our testing, we were pleasantly surprised when the Uproar held a call for 160 minutes, while it lasted for just under five days (116 hours) in standby mode.

Overall, the Uproar offers an unparalleled personal experience. On the down side, both keypad design and menu navigation would benefit from a makeover, and the phone itself could have a hotter look. Then again, while waiting at the airport for a flight, we listened to Low and Lazy Dog while checking our e-mail. How many phones can do that? --Thom Arno, edited by Tom Mace

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