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The wiring restricts the positioning of both soundbar and sub. And that wire is conspicuous in white. Verdict Because the HTB20 has an HDMI input and output, it is capable of accepting and passing through not only a 1080p signal, but also a 3D one, complete with an Audio Return Channel (ARC). It has support for Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby Virtual Speaker and DTS audio formats - sorry, no Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio here. It can also accept and downmix up to 7.1 channels of Linear PCM audio via its HDMI input. Use the store finder below and find a PANASONIC SU-HTB20 service centre nearby and drop off your Audio Hi-Fi Equipment. It’s possible to adjust the tone on the little credit-card-type remote control, but this doesn’t take us much nearer to a sound that we’d be happy to live with. There are some basic controls mounted on the top edge of the Panasonic SC-HTB20’s subwoofer to turn the system on and off, adjust the main volume level and change inputs. It also comes with a small, credit card sized remote that has three dedicated buttons for switching inputs, along with volume controls for not just the main volume, but also for controlling the subwoofer and dialogue level. The remote is a little bit on the small side — we could see it frequently getting lost down the side of a sofa — but the button are at least responsive and the remote isn’t overly directional, so you don’t always have to point it directly at the unit to get your commands to register.
The TV volume controls show the "Home Theatre Volume: [--------------- ]" bar but it has no effect. I get sound and control via the ARC link on HDMI 2 even when using HDMI 1 and 3 and I also now magically get CEC control of the rPi over HDMI 1 which I didn't used to get. It also delivers good, clean dialogue, and the Clear-Dialog Mode gives you pretty precise control over just how loud the centre channel sits in the mix. It’s especially handy for pumping up the dialogue a bit when you’re watching TV with the sound turned down low at night so as not to disturb other members of the household. However, although this system produces mid-range with plenty of presence, it’s not quite as rounded or as accomplished in this regard as Panasonic’s HTB-550, which has an extra mid range speaker driver. Highs are pleasingly energetic, though. Surround sound systems are great if you’ve got the room for lots of satellite speakers, but anyone with limited floor space can still upgrade their listening experience with a slim-line sound bar. Panasonic’s HTB520 is a mid-range 2.1 model that combines two 60w speakers into a bar designed to sit above or underneath your TV with a powerful subwoofer to provide the bass. These options are shown via blinking lights on the Dolby Digital, DTS and PCM indicators, even though the modes don’t refer to these actual sound formats. For example, when Dolby Digital is lit up, it means the system is applying 3D effects to all sources, when the DTS indicator is lit up it’s applying it only to multichannel sources, while when the PCM effect is lit up it’s not applying 3D effects to any source. This seems to us like a clear case of Panasonic’s enthusiasm for cost reduction getting in the way of the system’s usability.
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The two stereo speakers are joined by an active subwoofer and, unlike the Panasonic HTB550 that we reviewed recently, the HTB20 doesn’t have an external processing box. Instead the amp and processor are actually built in to the subwoofer unit. The soundbar doesn’t have any kind of display. Instead there’s a row of small LEDs across the top of the subwoofer that are used to indicate which input is active and the volume level. There are six of these LEDs in total. The first three are for the TV, BD/DVD and Aux inputs, while the last three are for Dolby Digital, DTS and PCM modes. TV is set using "Viera Link" to use Home Theatre speakers and 90% of the time it all works flawlessly. Most of our PANASONIC SU-HTB20 Audio Hi-Fi Equipment services come with a minimum of three-month warranty which you can extend to a one year warranty for complete peace of mind and customer satisfaction. Overall sound quality was decent, with plenty of volume for a fairly small room. In larger spaces some of the finer details were lost, but the system should be well suited to most living rooms. We had to turn the subwoofer up to its maximum setting to get a satisfactory amount of bass when watching movies; at the default setting, explosions and gunshots had little presence, but increasing the volume improved things noticeably. Even so, the virtual surround sound effect couldn’t match the accuracy of a dedicated 5.1 system.
This is made possible by putting the drivers at the extremities of the soundbar, emptying out the middle, and letting a wired subwoofer handle all processing and connections (HDMI in, two optical digital in, HDMI out). The blinking lights combo system is key to changing sound modes or audio outputs, and requires repeated examinations of the instruction manual. Simple tasks are turned into frustrating chores. Get a Free Estimate or request a Audio Hi-Fi Equipment repair and receive a free prepaid post label within minutes for your PANASONIC SU-HTB20 repair near you.This process is made more frustrating by one of the most convoluted blinking-light systems we’ve seen.
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