Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic SC-PT960 Deluxe 5 DVD Home Theater System

Yes, this is a pretty decent home theater in a box solution to getting the home theater experience, in fact it's one of the BETTER "instant" home theater systems available. Especially at this price. The optical connection is a step up from the older models (PT750), it's a much better connection than even HDMI to get better sound with less distortion and interference out of your speakers. Setup is very easy, there are plenty of options with the speakers (for instance, you can use the base to make the front speakers tall-boy type or not use the base and keep them shorter, same with the surrounds), and there's enough power to put out the sound 95% of users are looking for. I had considered the PT760 since it also has the digital optical port, but I wanted the extra wattage of the PT960 and the tall-boy speakers. If you're considering the PT760, be aware that the front speakers on the 760 serve as the surround speakers on the 960, there's that much difference.

Anyone who's done even basic research knows that any HTiB is going to give up something in the way of power and flexibility compared to putting your own system together from components. And anyone who wants ease of use and setup, good performance, good sound and a system that meshes seamlessly with and looks as good as their new flat-panel tv is probably going to be very happy with the Panasonic PT960. The DVD player upconverts DVD's very well. I added this system to my Panasonic 46" plasma, and with the Panasonic Vierra-Link feature I can use one remote to control the tv and the sound system components. Pre-programmed codes are installed in the 960's receiver to allow this function with a host of other brands, so you don't HAVE to be using it with a Panasonic tv. My entire cabling "mess" consists of the cable coax connected to my tv, an HDMI cable from the 960's main unit to the tv, and a digital optical cable from the tv out to the main unit. That's it. Those with cable or satellite boxes will have other cables, but it's still a clean setup.

Overall it's hard to go wrong with this system. Pure audiophiles will have complaints, but if you compare it to other HTiB's and not component systems you'll be impressed with the features, looks and performance of the PT960.

i own a 67inch samsung tv. my family refers to it as our imax. so i decided it was time for us to get our first home theater system. i did a little reserch and landed on this one. it was a definite upgrade from the tv speakers. it made watching movies way more fun... BUT i'm pretty into sound, and i was a little dissapointed with the limited tweeking the system gives you esp with eq. i was also suprised that the systems volume limit isnt higher. they told me at the store it would get louder with better speaker wire. there is also limited inputs... so for these reasons i took it back. for me its worth spending potentiall another 500 to 1000 to get a more... but for the money if your on a budget, i think its a good system. especially if this is your first, or you havent had one. the bass is good and you get good sound. the rear wireless speakers is a plus to me. when you upgrade to better systems you lose that feature.

so i liked it, but didn't love it.

As others have pointed out, this is not the best system around, but for ~$400 it is a good value. The sound is good enough for most people in most places. Volume levels for all speakers are good, including the rear wireless, and no hissing. The wireless does not interfere with my home wireless 802.11g network. I also have the SH-FX85 extra room speaker kit whose sound is very good.

My biggest complaints are the setup menu and the remote.

The setup menu cannot be accessed unless your input source is DVD/CD. That means if you are listening to anything else (iPod, Digital-in, Radio, Aux), you must first select DVD/CD, and wait for a disk to load (a slow process). This is very annoying.

The remote cannot be programmed to control your TV (on/off, input source, etc.) unless you have a Panasonic brand TV. That is horrible, and panasonic should be providing basic universal remote functions.

Other points:

Although there is an iPod port, there is not a generic MP3 player port/input. There is an unamplified Aux port that can be used with adapters. But c'mon Panasonic - iPod has the marketing power but other brands have better quality and value.

I have my HD-TiVo connected into the optical Digital-in port. The sound from digital & HD recordings is very good.

The Good:
The quality for the price. For around $400 it is a good system: 5.1 surround audio, good bass, wireless rear speakers, iPod docking station, FM/AM, Aux, digital optical audio input (Toslink), 5-disk CD/DVD changer, multi-format CD/DVD player, good highs/mid/lows in music, lots of options on configuring the system, good directions.

The Bad:
Only 1 HDMI output (no HDMI input!), non-universal remote (I hate using multiple remotes too, GRRR!), WEAK rear speakers, DVD upconverter sucks, waste of space with front speakers (only 50% of the tower is actual speaker).

I was so happy to get this unit knowing all the options it had, especially wireless rear speakers. Not having the hassle of running wires was great, but those rear speakers are weak. I have the decible output to the rear speakers max'd out and it's still not where I'd like it. I WISH I could use the remote to operate the TV, or have another remote to operate this home theater system but no luck :(

My only other gripe is the upconverter. I played around with it on a few movies and I noticed they looked better in 480p. In 1080p the movies have too much visual distortion/noise. I've been playing most of movies in 720p.

I am very pleased with the amount of bass the unit puts out. The overall quality of music very good actually. The iPod docking station is a very nice feature.

If this were a high end system I would be disappointed, but this was only $400, which is considered entry-level, and because of it I am very pleased.

Looked at this system awhile ago offline and it was almost $600. Did some internet research and it seemed to be a good beginner system for those of us who arent looking to commit a spend a fortune but want a better HT experience. When I found it on here for such a low price I went for it.

I'm so glad I did. It came yesterday and I hooked it up last night- myself. And believe me, I am not the most technically adept person. I was really impressed with the difference it made and I tested dvds, running my tv audio, cds, and ipod- everything worked awesome.

I'm going to take a guess and say that a true audiophile might find somethings that need improvement, but for me, I think I will be satisfied with this system for a long time.