Remanufactured Panasonic SC-HT680 5-Disc DVD Home Theater System
Good Entry Level Home Theater System
I finally decided to retire my bachelor's home theater system (5000W Denon/Klipsch system) for a unit more spouse friendly. As this sytem is only $200 (refurbished), I'll try to keep that in mind during the review.     DVD Player: The DVD player has 5 trays which load from the front.  You can load trays as a movie plays (nice touch).  Video resolution is amazing for a unit in this price range.  Additionally, the DVD player has no problems playing DVD-R/DVD+R's or CDR's.  It pixelates when playing DVD-R's made on an older Toshiba IDE drive (which play fine in other DVD players).  It has no problem playing any discs made on my more modern DVD recorders.  It also has no problems playing discs with home printed adhesive labels on them. Video output is via analog RCA jack, S-Video or component video RCA jacks.    Sound/Speakers:  You can only squeeze so much sound from a small speaker with a plastic chassis.  And, Panasonic seems to have done as good a job in this department as possible.  The output is rated as 120W Center and 55W Front/Surround.  As with most of these systems, the rating is about double of what you actually get in sound reproduction.  The Sub-woofer is not powered, but works well enough.  To get room filling sound, I have to crank the volume to at least 75% of full power. One cannot tweek the audio output much, and it's made even more difficult with the \\"busy\\" key pad on the remote control. The sound quality won't appeal to a true Audiophile, but it should satisfy the average listener.      Receiver Section: The receiver has no inputs for video, so hopefully your TV has extra inputs for your VCR/Cable box.  The receiver has a single set of stereo audio inputs. It has no audio output (other than the speakers).  The AM/FM receiver is of mediocre quality, so don't expect it to pull in anything but close radio stations with the supplied in-door antennas.  Front panel controls are few, so you must resort to the remote for most functions.  The remote controlbuttons have numerous functions and subfunctions.  It's rather difficult to use and the manufacturer's manual is of little help.  It can be programmed for your TV/VCR.    Overall: This unit is a good entry level home theater system that should satisfy most consumers.  It's easy to set up and comes with one set of speaker stands for the front speakers.      Refurbished items: I've bought several refurbished items over the years... HP computers, HP LCD monitors, Braun razors, Toshiba IDE DVD recorders, and they all have been in like new condition (probably open box returns that were never used).  When it comes to audio/video components, I've purchased a refurb'd Go-Video DVD Recorder/VCR that works perfectly, but has some dents and did not come with factory accessaries.  This Refurbished Panasonic Home Theater System also had some blemishes to include a cracked lens over the display (hardly noticeable).  So, be aware that if you buy this refurb'd, it may have some blemishes.