Panasonic SC-BTT590 review

Streaming video is great, but for the best experience you need a Blu-ray disc. The BTT590 took an average 13 seconds to load a 2D disc and a leisurely 24 seconds to load our 3D discs, but there was plenty to keep us entertained. The huge array of image quality options lets you adjust everything from brightness, contrast and colour to high-definition upscaling, noise reduction and white balance. You can also adjust the strength and type of 3D effect used for 3D Blu-ray discs, which is useful if your TV can’t switch between side-by-side and top-and-bottom modes. This made a noticeable difference to our test scenes, which looked crisper and smoother than on other Blu-ray players that lacked their own image processing techniques.

DVDs upscale nicely with added sharpness, although this does add a degree of noise. It’s only really noticeable when you pause a film, however, so it shouldn’t be a major problem.

The sound options are limited to speaker distance, dynamic range compression and digital audio output choice, but there was very little need to change things around. In their default configuration, everything we played through them sounded superb. Almost every scene had plenty of warmth, with just the right amount of bass. It never felt overpowering, but the more explosive action scenes still produced a powerful rumble. Even at maximum volume, we couldn’t hear any distortion across the frequency range and the surround sound effect was nothing short of enveloping.

For less than £500, the BTT590 looks to have it all: excellent multimedia support, integrated Wi-Fi, online services and plenty image customisation options. There’s also little doubt that the premium speaker materials produce some very high quality sound for an all-in-one system. If you don’t fancy the idea of choosing home cinema separates, this is a fantastic choice.