Customer Reviews
Great sound but locks up more often than not 
2007-10-13
The unit looks slick, sounds great, has 80GB hard-drive so I can store more music and books than I can think of,etc,etc. However, just like other two reviewers have said, it locks up more often than not - especially when I click "open" while in dvd/cd mode. I really hope panasonic will have a software patch to fix this problem.
So far so bad. 
2007-09-19
I purchased the SC-PTX7 back in August but only recently hooked it to my 58 PZ700U via HDMI last week after the addition to my house was completed. So far it's locked up on me three times. The unit freezes up and four dashes appear on the display with nothing happening, no sound, no video and unable to change function or turn the unit off. I tried the STOP/>10 to reset the unit without success. I called the Panasonic help line and once I got a human the service was acceptable, a technician told me to unplug the unit then plug it back in while holding down the power button to reset it, easier said than done around the sides of a 58 inch plasma sitting on a 72 inch credenza. Finally I pulled the plug at the rear of the unit with a little finagling inside the shelving. I plugged it back in while holding down the power button and the unit reset then worked as it did before. I wonder how long this fix will last as the technician I spoke to had no clue as to why the unit was freezing up. When the unit is working the sound and video are great but if there is a software problem it certainly isn't Premium as it's name implies. I also don't like that I must have the television powered on to use the CD player (the television comes on automatically when I power up the unit and select DVD/CD). If I turn off the television the home entertainment unit powers off. Will keep everyone updated regarding any future problems.
Re-initalize often 2007-09-13
I really like my HTIB, but it has one major problem. Every now and then the unit doesn't respond. According to Panasonic, you must re-initalize the product by holding down the STOP and >10 buttons at the same time. This happens at least twice a week for me. Especially when I select cd/dvd. I would hope that Panasonic would come up with a software patch, but I got a feeling there's not a lot of these out there.
For a small unit, music does sound good. I don't really notice much for surround sound effects when watching movies, but I didn't expect much from a two speaker system. My main purpose in buying it was to get nice quality when listening to music from a reasonable priced system.
Great System for the Price 
2008-03-12
I was looking for a complete system with virtual surround (VSS), I looked at everything from Bose to the Sony systems. They all had two similar problems, 1. You could not add your own sub woofer. - The systems are closed. 2.Except for the Bose GS 123 system, the sub woofer was very poor. Additionally Bose system did not support upconverting dvds.
I had almost given up when I saw the Panasonic SC-PTX7. It was sleek looking and had everything that I wanted including "Upconvert", VSS and tons of other stuff. What I really liked about this system is the ability to change the sub woofer out. This is where this system becomes very interesting.
So after adding my 12inch JBL sub, the whole system rocks. My friends are in awe. Adding the sub is very easy, just cut the ends of the wire that connects to the crappy sub that comes with the system. Now, connect them to your POWERED SUB and you are in business.
NOTE:ONLY USE A POWERED SUB, if you don't you can burn the receiver out.
DISCLAIMER:I accept no responsibility for anything. Try at your own risk.
In regards to the other issues mentioned in the reviews I am yet to experience them - maybe panasonic finally fixed them.
Hope you enjoy.
George Richardson
Several Problems Ruin This One 2007-12-12
I went trolling for after Thanksgiving returns and found this for $275 with no box. The store was listing it at $799, so I thought I was getting a great deal. Even at that low price, I have just returned the product and moved on. The negatives on this unit didn't justify me keeping it even at that price. The most significant are as follows:
(1) Uploading a music collection onto its 80gb hard drive is absurdly difficult in today's plug-and-play world. The Panasonic rep I talked to had no idea about the unit or how to upload from my Windows Media Player to the unit. Turns out, I simply couldn't do it because it requires a router with two LAN inputs (she didn't even know what LAN was!). Yes, you have to be connected to the internet and set up some complicated network just to transfer music. To do this, you have to have a router with two LAN ports, which I don't. Why not just a USB transfer at this price?
(2) One reviewer mentioned a :30 boot of the unit; I've found it to be >1 minute every time, with as much as 3 minutes! Slower than my old computer to boot up, probably because of that hard drive (which, incidentally, is why it's priced so high).
(3) Proprietary speaker jacks means you can't add any different speakers or add more speakers, other than the $$$ wireless ones.
(4) I played a Pearl Jam DVD and the sound was nice at about 3/5 max volume. CDs also sound good, but my high quality mp3 player, plugged into an auxilary jack, was nowhere near the sound I had with my old system that had its own receiver.
(5) You can't play CDs without the tv on, and, when in DVD mode, you can't turn the tv off without the whole system shutting off (so, to play music, you then have to reboot it and wait).
In short, this unit is worth neither the price (especially the list price!) nor the risk, as you will be putting all your proverbial eggs in one basket -- if the dvd player, hard drive, or speakers go bad, you're pretty much screwed.
Thumbs down.
Don't waste your time with this one. 
2007-12-11
It may be stylish and inexpensive but I'm sorry I ever bought it. When Circuit City delivered the first one, it was DOA out of the box and we had to go back to the store for a replacement. That should have been my first hint. The second one worked fine...for a day. I should mention that we had Firedog install it and also program the Harmony remote, so our problems were not due to our lack of skill or technical knowledge. We've had it for 3 days now and every morning I wake up wondering what new challenge it will give me. Virtually every time I turn on the TV, there's something not right that needs correcting. Finally this a.m. the sound decided to quit. Circuit City is delivering a new unit from another brand tomorrow and taking this back for a full refund. The sound (when we had it) was average at best. Frankly my old Sony projection TV had better sound by itself than this home theater system. This hard-drive system of Panasonic's may be an interesting concept, but it has too many bugs to be worked out. My suspicion is that it is also not totally compatible with the Harmony remote. When I turn on my TV, I want everything to work....period.
Should not be available to the public 2007-12-09
This feel like a beta release. Which would be fine if it were software, but it's hardware! My iPod sounds fine for a while, then suddenly it's very scratchy and fuzzy. The CD player locks up constantly. And finally, when you hit "power" there's a good :30 lag before it powers up. I have not done the firmware update on it. Hoping that fixes things... On a good note, the sound is nice, the remote is very well designed, and the unit looks slick.
Stay away!!!!!!!! 2007-11-24
I bought this unit 3 months ago. It freezes on me more often than not. Apparently, I am not alone. Everytime it freezes, I have to unplug and reset the unit. It happens at least 3 times a week. I was deciding between this and the Bose 3.2.1 system before my purchase. I pick this due to the cheaper price and 1080p upconversion for DVD thru HDMI. However, I regret my decision every time I have to get up from my sofa to unplug the unit due to the freezing issue. I even went as far as pluging the unit to a wall outlet rather than my surge protector just so I have easier access to reset it. I hope Panasonic is going to come out with a fix soon.
