Panasonic introduces a pair of Blu-ray 2.1 home cinema systems

We first got wind of Panasonic's new Blu-ray in a box systems at the company's European press launch back in February.

Now there are two more models headed to the UK, in the shape of the SC-BTX77 (£500-£550) and SC-BTX75 (£400-£450). Both are 2.1 channel designs with two slim front speakers, a subwoofer and a centre unit housing the electronics.

Open the sliding door on the unit's front panel and you can insert a blu-ray disc or, alternatively, an iPod.

The SC-BTX77 has networking capabilities so can be connected to Panasonic's Viera Cast web portal, giving access to YouTube, Picasa and the like, as well as BD-Live content on Blu-ray discs.

An SD memory card slot and USB socket on both models enables playback of photos and videos taken on a digital camera or camcorder.

Video processing is handled by Panasonic's PHL Chroma Processor Plus and Precision 4:4:4 technologies.

And Viera Link compatiblity means the systems can be controlled using the remote control of a similarly-equipped Viera TV.

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