A home cinema ‘system' typically consists of one main unit featuring a DVD player, radio tuner and amplifier plus a set of surround sound speakers. Just add a TV and you're ready to go, using the minimum of cables, remote controls and accessories. Obviously, the idea has a lot of appeal if you're pushed for money or space. A system may not match the floor-shaking oomph of a separates setup, but in many cases this is no bad thing, as not everyone has understanding neighbours…
Until a few months ago, home cinema systems seemed to be the great white hope of manufacturers fed up with being undercut by supermarkets offering budget-priced DVD players. As ‘added value' packages, systems promised good sales with decent profits. But recently the market has thinned out, with some manufacturers pulling out altogether, and others offering cheap systems, but not the mid- to premium-priced types we're looking at here.
Bypassing the real budget offerings, we have chosen four systems ranging from $599 to $1999 that we think will satisfy the masses while not offending the home cinema purist. Let's get wired up...
Panasonic SC-HT995W | $1099| 
| www.panasonic.com.au
For: Affordable; handles visuals well; expensive-looking design
Against: Limited connectivity; sound lets the picture down
Verdict: Well worth considering for the money
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One of the more affordable of the four home cinema systems from the brand, the SC-HT995W slots into our roundup at a price of around $1100.
One improvement on previous models in the Panasonic range is the fact that this kit comes with a wireless transmitter and receiver for wireless communication from the centre unit to the rear speakers so there is less deterioration during transmission.
Styled to match the Viera range of TVs, the SC-HT995W consists of a main unit with DVD-style controls and a big amplifier-style volume knob, with a built-in AM/FM tuner and music port for connection of portable audio devices.
Round the back is a basic collection of sockets. Considering this basic connectivity, this Panasonic system has an excellent range of setup settings. These include options for picture contrast, brightness, sharpness, colour, gamma and depth; interlaced or progressive output modes; auto detection of NTSC material, dialogue enhancement, a form of smoothing for MP3 and WMA sound, manual and auto aspect ratio options and field or frame still mode.
Level and delay are adjustable for each of the speaker channels, and there are several sound enhancement functions including pseudo surround modes, and an H-Bass system which is designed to achieve an ultra low-frequency bass sound deeper than the speaker's theoretical reproduction limits.
The front and surround speakers can be wall-mounted, shelf-mounted or placed on their columnar stands. They look great, if a bit imposing.
Nonetheless, the speaker system seems well specified. The front speakers are of two-way bass-reflex design, while the surrounds are a full-range single speaker 6.5cm cone type. The subwoofer is a bass-reflex type with a 16cm cone. The result is a very involving sound field – not overwhelmingly exciting, despite its claimed 1000W output, but rich and detailed, and not too boomy.
Picture performance is well up to scratch, with a sharp, colourful and involving image. There's even an HDMI output.
Conclusion
This is a good-looking system which does more than its specification may suggest, though its minimal connectivity and lightweight speakers set clear boundaries. It certainly looks more expensive than it is, and its performance won't give away its relatively low price.
