A few squacks that I have heard that I have to take exception with:

- Speaker wires too short? They were plenty long for my 25 deep room. Remember that the surround speakers dont go on the back wall, they go towards the back of the side walls, facing each other. If the wires are still too short, your room is probably too big for this system.

- Hum at low sound levels? Never heard any, and I was listening for it. Get a good home theater surge protector / line filter...P>- Progressive scan doesnt make a difference using S-Video? This is by design. You have to use component video connections to reap the benefits of progressive scan.

- Surround volume too low? Try watching Ice Age, and see if you still think so. Most movies dont use the surrounds that much. Its not a problem with the unit as far as I can see. You can increase the rear volume a little, if you want, by using the Seating Position control.

Some squacks I agree with:

- Problems playing MP3s. If I put in an MP3 CD with 150 tracks, the player shows about 220 tracks. Also, you have no option but to play the tracks sequentially, or recall them by number.

- Display is a bit hard to read from a distance.

- The speakers sound good, but look cheap/plastic-y. This system was not designed by an interior decorator.

In summary, if this is your price range, you wont do any better than this system. Im very satisfied with mine. The quibbles are all minor.

Sound: This unit provides great sound even at its 500W peak, its clear and powerful. My system has no humming as other reviewers have reported.

Progresive Scan: I own a 48" JVC HDTV Widescreen TV and the image on that baby is unreal as it is, with the progresive scan the image of all objects and characters improves making them more crisp and sharper, but at the same time in order to notice this youll have to get close to the TV screen and switch between progresive scan out on and off and you will see it. Keep in mind progresive scan out only works with component video cables as per owners manual.

Looks: Looks nice, the color matches w/my TV. On the front speakers you can even rotate the Panasonic label to better read it if you decide to mount speaker vertically. Main unit is kinda heavy, I suppose because all the features this system has.

Features: Fully loaded, Tuner picked up all the radio stations available and I didnt even have the antenna on. The remote is loaded with features, you can even use it as a universal remote. The main unit has enough slots to plug TV, VCR and an extra set of input slots. The 5 disc changer is a little slow when seaching for a DVD, but only if you dont know in what slot you placed a specific DVD, not a biggie for me. I actually like the fact the it is a one slot tray which shuffles 5 cds instead of a primitive and gigantic 5 disc tray.

Overall: This is a great unit, its fully loaded with all kinds of features, great image and sound quality and best of all, you get so much for so little. I think it is very hard to find a 500W system of this quality at such a low price. I definitely recommend this product to anyone.

Some of the glitches were noted (mp3, faint buzz,..etc.) but negiligiable.

However, the major complaint for this system is the volume discepency in the rear speakers. I cranked the volume up considerably the rear speakers just wouldnt catch up in volume. I wished theres power amplification for rear, or volume adjustment.

Aside from that the system is exceptionally clear in sound definition. for mid-sized room it has plenty of power.
But spaces larger than 15X15 the sound will start to thin out.

I spent many an hour checking online reviews and checking other customer reviews on many different systems. I knew my price range, which was about $400. Finally, after the advice of a salesman at a local store (he mentioned that anyone who buys the Sony systems almost always returns them), I decided to get this system from Panasonic. The setup was pretty straightforward, and I managed to hook up the TV, cable box, and VCR without much difficulty.

When I popped in a DTS encoded DVD, I saw why this was such a good system. The speakers are clear and crisp, and the subwoofer, although a passive sub, was distinct and deep. For a budget system, this is about the best sounding package I had ever heard. Music plays well through the speakers, and it has enough power to fill a medium sized room with sound.

The 5-disc changer is a huge plus, although it has a somewhat noisy and slow moving changing mechanism (not that I care as long as it works). The display is bright and readable, although the surface reflects much of the light and can be a bit rough to discern at times. Some other reviewers have complained of humming from the speakers, but its not due to the speaker quality. That is caused by electromagnetic interference, which creeps in when you plug the unit straight into the wall, or use a cheap and shoddy surge protector. Having used this system extensively, I have yet to hear any humming.

While there are far better home theater packages out there, I gave this unit 5 stars because the combination of sound quality, ease of use, wealth of features, and bargain basement price make this Panasonic a value nearly impossible to beat.

With all of that said, I dont think there is another system FOR THE PRICE with the same features or capabilities, which is why I gave this 4 stars. If this was more expensive, I would not recommend it. There are not many 5 disc, progressive scan systems that play MP3s and CD-Rs/CD-RWs.

For the money this system is excellent...progressive scan, lots of power, and easy setup.

For [the price], its hard to beat!

- I coundt play my MP3s. Strange sounds and "jumps". I tried different Panasonic in the store, and it is always the same. Its a problem with the model. Dont buy it if you want to play Mp3s with your Home Theater.

- Horrible interfase (GUI). Tiny icons on the screen.

- When you try to change from one disk to another it takes a l[o]t of time.

Finally, I changed the Panasonic for a Sony DAV C-770. It is SO... cool!

The initial setup went over fairly smoothly, with a very handy users manual. I had the main unit and all of the speakers set up with my satellite tv and ps2 in a little over an hour. The quality of the parts was impressive at the low price range, the parts were solid and attractive, and the speakers were clear and distortion free, even at maximum power.

Although my analog tv is not compatible with the progressive scan capabilities of the player, the picture is clear as can be and I look forward to enjoying progressive scan with the purchase of an HDTV.

The included speakers play very well, thay have quite a lot of depth, and reproduce very true sounds. They play well at all sound levels, although it would be nice if the amp drove them a little harder. It plays plenty loud for most people in a small to midsized room, but I go by the adage "more is always better!"

The subwoofer to plays very well, it rumbles well and sounds remarkably tight for a ported woofer. 180 watts makes alot of sound here.

All in all, I would not hesitate to recommend this setup to anyone seeking to add a home theatre system to there house with relative ease, although for the true audiophile, a component setup is a better choice.