Panasonic SC-BTT270 review
Acceptable audio, but a basic online portal and limited connectivity can't compete with better equipped sets from other manufacturers
Panasonic’s icon-based menu system is fairly basic but there are plenty of options to tweak picture and sound quality, as well as a separate menu for VIERA Cast services. There’s a reasonable amount of online content available, including YouTube video, Facebook and Twitter, internet radio and film rentals from AceTrax. However, there’s no catch-up TV from the BBC or Five.
Audio performance was a little sporadic. With its tiny subwoofer, we weren’t holding out for particularly powerful bass. Sure enough, our movie tests revealed a lack of rumble compared to rival systems at this price. The satellites fared better but the mid-range sounded slightly harsh, while high frequencies were a little thin. Positional audio was reasonable but not as immersive as other sets we’ve tried. Spatial effects in certain scenes of Casino Royale seemed to come from each speaker rather than creating an enveloping sound stage.
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Although the BTT270 is aimed at budget-conscious movie fans looking for an inexpensive way to upgrade their audio, it represents a false economy with its poor connectivity and limited online features. For an extra £50, Sony’s superb BDP-E380 sounds better, has more sockets and is overflowing with online content.
Details | |
|---|---|
| Price | £295 |
| Rating | *** |
Connections | |
| HDMI inputs | 0 |
| HDMI outputs | 1 |
| Component inputs | 0 |
| Component outputs | 0 |
| Output resolutions | 480i, 480p, PAL (576i), 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p |
| Total SCART sockets | 0 |
| SCART socket type | N/A |
| S-Video input | 0 |
| S-video output | 0 |
| Composite inputs | 0 |
| Composite outputs | 1 |
| Stereo phono inputs | 1 |
| Stereo phono outputs | 0 |
| Coaxial S/PDIF inputs | 0 |
| Coaxial S/PDIF outputs | 0 |
| Optical S/PDIF inputs | 1 |
| Optical S/PDIF outputs | 0 |
| Multi-channel input | yes |
| Speaker configuration | 5.1 |
| Main unit end speaker connection type | proprietary |
| Speaker end speaker connection type | spring terminals |
| Other connections | USB, SDXC, iPod dock |
| Wired network ports | 1x 10/100 |
| Wireless networking support | optional 802.11b/g/n |
Playback | |
| Surround sound formats | Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD HRA, DTS-HD MA |
| Optical drive | yes |
| Supported playback disc formats | BD-ROM, BD-R, BD-RE, DVD, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD, CD-R, CD-RW |
| Audio format support | MP3 |
| Video playback formats | DivX HD, XVid |
| Image viewing formats | JPEG |
| Radio | FM |
Speakers | |
| Speaker configuration | 5.1 |
| RMS power output | 1000W |
| RMS power centre | 160W |
| RMS power front | 320W |
| RMS power surround | 320W |
| RMS power subwoofer | 200W |
| Wall mountable | yes |
| Centre speaker cable length | 2.0m |
| Front speaker cable length | 3.0m |
| Surround speaker cable length | 7.5m |
General | |
| Extras | remote control, FM antenna, AM antenna |
| Size | 430x279x38mmmm |
| Subwoofer dimensions | 80x258x290mmmm |
| Centre speaker dimensions | 145x71x81mmmm |
| Front speaker dimensions | 80x71x117mmmm |
| Surround speaker dimensions | 80x71x117mmmm |
| Power consumption standby | 1W |
| Power consumption on | 26W |
Buying Information | |
| Price | £295 |
| Warranty | one year RTB |
| Supplier | http://www.amazon.co.uk |
| Details | www.panasonic.co.uk |
