At CEDIA Expo in Atlanta this week, Panasonic was showing off its new compact Blu-ray home theater system, the SC-BTX70. The unit features a sleek vertically oriented design in order to provide an aesthetic match to flat panel plasma and LCD televisions.
In addition to playing back silver discs (CD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc), the unit also plays back media (AVCHD, MP3 and JPEG files) from SD or SDHC cards or from a USB flash drive connected to the unit's USB port. The system also features an integrated iPod dock hidden away behind a motorized sliding door. iPod functions are easily accessed with the unit's remote which features a dedicated iPod button. As with all Blu-ray products in Panasonic's 2009 model line, the SC-BTX70 also features BD-Live capabilities as well as the VIERA Cast platform for access to YouTube, Amazon videos on demand, Picasa and other web-based content via the integrated RJ45 network port.
The SC-BTX70 is a 2.1-channel system features two speakers with low density bamboo drivers and a powered Kelton-type subwoofer, but it delivers virtual 7.1 channel sound dispersed through a wide listening area using Panasonic's own virtual surround technology. On-board decoders support the latest surround formats, including Dolby TrueHD, dts-HD Master Audio and uncompressed multi-channel PCM.
Video quality of both Blu-ray Discs and upconverted DVDs promises to be top notch courtesy of Panasonic's latest Uniphier processor which features PHL Chroma Processor Plus and High Precision 4:4:4 technologies.
The SC-BTX70 is expected to be available at retail later this month at an MSRP of $999.95.
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