OTHER TECH

Panasonic SC-HT1000Panasonic bolts from the gate with the SC-HT1000 ($1,000), which doesn't just play DVDs - it records them, too. To make the most of that ability, it includes a TV tuner with VCR Plus+ and an auto-setting clock to assist programming the recorder. The system records on both write-once DVD-R and rewritable DVD-RAM discs (either bare or in a cartridge). DVD-RAM provides much of the flexibility and "trick play" features - like pausing live TV or beginning playback of a show while it's still being recorded - offered by hard-disk video recorders, while DVD-R gives you maximum compatibility with other DVD players.

The SC-HT1000 offers five recording levels (comparable to the recording speeds on a VCR), trading picture quality for recording time. At the highest-quality XP setting, single-sided discs can store an hour of video. At the longest-play EP setting, you can cram 6 hours on a disc, but quality is comparable to what you get with the slowest speed on a VCR.

Setting up the recorder is akin to setting up a VCR. Tell it whether you receive programming via an antenna or over cable, and the channel-set feature does the rest. While programming for unattended recording is identical to a VCR, manual recording isn't - recording starts and stops almost instantaneously, and you can view the results immediately without rewinding. I made a few recordings from analog cable on both disc formats using the SP (normal) setting. DVD-RAM recordings were nearly indistinguishable from the original. But freeze frame did show a little noise, and there was some jerkiness with rapid motion on the DVD-R recording.

For DVD-Rs to be compatible with other players, they have to be finalized, which takes about 15 minutes. Once a disc is finalized, you can't add anything. And, like other DVD recorders, the Panasonic won't let you copy commercial DVD movies.

The SC-HT1000 has matching, height-adjustable stands for the slender, columnar L/R front speakers. The center speaker is small, thin, and horizontal, the surround speakers are trapezoidal, and the subwoofer is tall but narrow. The rear-ported, side-firing sub, which holds the system's amplifiers, connects to the control center via a thick, multiconductor cable.

You get both a clearly written and illustrated eight-page foldout guide and a beefy, dense manual, though things are practically plug-and-play as far as basic operations. The control center has only a few front-panel buttons, but the remote, which can also operate a TV, bristles with keys. Even so, you still have to press a shift key to access some piggybacked functions.

The SC-HT1000 includes some digital signal processing (DSP) tricks like Multi Rear Surround, which creates the illusion of multiple surround speakers from just the supplied pair - a subtle yet desirable effect. There's a Virtual Rear Surround mode if you have to position the surround speakers forward of your listening position. And a Seat Position adjustment compensates for off-center listening.

Viewed on my 42-inch Toshiba widescreen HDTV monitor, Seabiscuit had fully saturated colors at the Normal (U.S.-standard) black-level setting and looked smooth and natural. The movie is filled with ripping fast motion, horses flying through the foreground or with the camera following them, causing the background to whip by. The latter is a good DVD-player torture test - which the SC-HT1000 passed admirably. The picture didn't break up or show digital block distortion either in the background scenery or the shots of fan-filled grandstands.

DVDs also sounded natural, with firm, crisp transients. And the system went from hooves on soft grass to hooves pounding down the home stretch without apparent strain. Voices were realistic, without sibilance or chestiness, and the subwoofer helped to complete the illusion of horses running. Volume was ample, but it could have used more muscle in the bass.

Playing CDs, the Panasonic put up a detailed stereo image with a wide and deep illusion of voices and instruments, while the tonal balance and timbre sounded very natural. For example, I spun pop singer-songwriter Lucy Kaplansky's new CD The Red Thread. Having heard her in person several times, I know the Panasonic was true to her voice. And just to expand the music spectrum, I listened to the Super Bit Mapped remastered CD of Miles Davis's Kind of Blue. Although the sub couldn't reproduce the lowest notes on the double bass with authority, the instrument was definitely there. And the percussion sparkled without shattering.

Panasonic's SC-HT1000 packs a whole lotta features into a single package. It can't match the volume capability of a full-size system, but it's the first HTiB to throw a DVD recorder into the mix, and that definitely makes it worth considering. PDF: Key Features PDF: In The Lab