Not one, or two but four home cinema speaker kits from Panasonic have been unveiled. Aimed at people that want to take the pain out of home cinema, these kits comprise a 5.1 speaker set-up, possibly a digital amplifier/subwoofer and some form of DVD player or recorder. The main difference is usually in the size and power of the speakers and, of course, the price.At the top is the SC-HT990, which boasts a 360 degree sound processing engine that’s meant to “enhance your appreciation of motion and space in a surround soundstage”. There’s also a Surround Enhancer to make the sound more enveloping and H.Bass for reproducing very low frequency bass sounds to add overall grunt to the movie experience. Next up is the SC-HT855, which comes with a digital amplifier, H.Bass and HDAVI support – a technology for hooking up numerous Panasonic devices via HDMI and controlling them with a single remote control.

The midrange SC-HT540 comprises thin speakers for that discreet, stylish look. Finally, there’s the SC-HT545W which is classed as a wireless home cinema system but is really more of semi-wireless offering. It uses RF technology to transmit audio wirelessly to the rear surround speakers only. All models come with a port for hooking up digital music players. No prices yet but all four systems are due to ship between April and June.

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