Panasonic SC-HT800V Home Theater

I was in the market for a VCR/DVD combo and a rece ...

Strengths: Feature packed(VCR, DVD, FM/AM Receiver, Home Theater), Solid, 400W, Great Sound, Universal Remote.

Weaknesses: Some remote functions require two hands. Wish it had more audio inputs and a better amplifier.

Summary: I was in the market for a VCR/DVD combo and a receiver/amplifier at the same time. An ad for a home theater with DVD player caught my attention and got me wondering if I could find one unit that would replace my VCR and DVD while adding a quality home theater/sound system.

The Panasonic HT800V is almost a perfect match. It has a 4-head Hi-Fi VCR and a progressive scan DVD, Dolby Sound, five speakers and a subwoofer. On top of what I expected, there is the added bonus of an AM/FM tuner. The Universal Remote packs a lot of functions into a little space. Set up is simple and the sound is incredible. Everything you need is in the box(except for aTV). There are several preset equalizer modes to suit your mood. The speaker housings are solid and slick looking.

It has two sets of outputs for the VCR and DVD and one set of inputs. I was hoping to be able to connect standard audio components to the input to utilize the speakers for my tunes. I hooked my laptop up to the input and used the "AU" channel in the VCR mode that allows for auxillary input. My iTunes sound incredible through the HT800V. I was blown away. My turntable will need a preamp for best sound quality.

The only weaknesses I can think to mention are that two of the rubber feet on the bottom of two different speakers just broke in half when I was unpacking the unit. It was nothing that a little crazy glue cound not handle(but a little annoying). Also some of the functions, like open/close/eject, on the remote require two hands because of the shift.

Overall, this is a great unit for the money. I caught the HT800V on sale with a rebate for $200.

Please note: I realized after the fact that there is a 500W version of this unit, the HT810V, that includes speaker stands.

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This replaced my VCR, DVD player and stereo. Inste ...

Strengths: All in one unit. Pretty good price.

Weaknesses: DVD output does not use the RF port.

Summary: This replaced my VCR, DVD player and stereo. Instead of 4 remotes, I now use only one remote (since its remote also works for TV). It has pretty good sound and DVD picture is very good. Since this is my first and only home theater, I can't compare with others.

One thing to watch out: This has an RF input and output. Since my TV has only RF input, I thought I would be able to use this without an external device. I was wrong. For DVD video, RF output does not work. RF input output is for only VCR. I had to buy an RF modulator/selector to connect it to my TV.

A very nice feature is that it can play MP3 CDs in the DVD player in addition to regular CDs.

I bought this for only $199 from Fry's and this is really a good bang for the buck.

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