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We’re used to seeing all-in-one Blu-ray systems that include a set of 5.1 surround sound speakers, but it’s less common to find 2.1 systems, which makes Panasonic’s BTT362 something of a surprise. It comprises a Blu-ray player, a compact subwoofer and two tall satellite speakers. There’s no surround sound, then, but this system should still make a welcome upgrade to the integrated speakers on the average TV.
Both the subwoofer and satellites connect to the main unit using proprietary connectors. The subwoofer cable is non-removable but the satellites use standard spring terminals, which should make it slightly easier to extend the 2.9m cables if required.
As well as the speaker connections, there’s a reasonable number of ports on the back of the main unit. Two HDMI inputs are ideal for attaching a games console or set-top box, while analogue and optical digital inputs accommodate other audio devices. There’s an FM antenna socket for analogue radio stations, and a USB port supports Panasonic’s Skype camera for internet video calling. An integrated iPod dock to the right of the disc tray is another welcome inclusion.
There’s another USB port and an SD card slot on the front underneath the flip-out faceplate, but format support was disappointingly limited. Only JPEG image files and MP3 audio files are supported, and video support isn’t much better; we could play DivX and Xvid files but our MKVs refused to play, despite claimed support for this format. WMV and MP4 videos didn’t even show up in the list of available files. The same was true when we tried over the network using DLNA, so this isn’t the ideal set for anyone with a large multimedia collection.
We were also disappointed by the lack on online features. YouTube video streaming and movie rentals from AceTrax are welcome inclusions, but we would have liked to see some sort of catch-up TV service such as BBC iPlayer.
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Putting a Blu-ray disc into the tray, we noticed the lack of surround sound straight away. Although it tries to create a virtual soundstage, the BTT362 is no match for a dedicated 5.1 speaker system. That isn’t to say the speakers are poor quality; they sounded clear, with a solid mid-range and surprisingly detailed high frequencies. The subwoofer also impressed us with the amount of bass it was able to pump out, considering its size. Even so, there’s no getting away from the fact that movies sound better in surround sound.
Music was much better suited to the 2.1 setup, with crisp high frequencies and a solid mid-range. We had to increase the amount of bass to make rock and electronic tracks sound weighty, but acoustic songs were handled well.
Overall, the BTT362 was disappointing. It costs more than Panasonic’s entry-level 5.1 systems, yet lacks surround sound and many of the online functions we would expect to see. It’s certainly a step above the integrated speakers inside most TVs, but a home cinema system should be able to handle movies just as well as music. Although the BTT362 copes well, it’s no match for true 5.1. Even if you lack the space for a full surround sound system now, it would be better to buy one anyway and keep the rear speakers poised for action when circumstances allow.
