Tag: AllPlay

Panasonic continues with a CD-capable multi-room system that respects most of us who keep CDs

Article – From the horse’s mouth

Panasonic

SC-ALL7CD Music System

Blog Post

Press Release

Specifications

My Comments

Panasonic are still furthering the QualComm AllPlay multi-room audio platform, this time with another music system that can share CDs or broadcast radio to other AllPlay speakers. Here, they are underscoring audio-content formats that may not be considered the way to go in these days thanks to Internet-derived audio services.

The Panasonic SC-ALL7CD can be set up to be a content source for the AllPlay-compliant speakers by offering CDs played on the integral CD player or recorded on the integral 4Gb storage, content held on a USB memory key, broadcast radio from FM or DAB+, Bluetooth A2DP from a smartphone or similar device; or this same system can be used to play anything offered up by other AllPlay sources on the same home network.

As for network connectivity, this music system which looks like the traditional clock radio is able to be connected to your home network via 2.4GHz or 5GHz Wi-Fi wireless or wired Ethernet which also allows it to work with HomePlug powerline networks when you use it with a “homeplug” adaptor. As for file-based audio, it can handle FLAC Hi-Res audio files and can work with most online audio services as long as you use the Panasonic-supplied AllPlay app on your mobile device.

The integral storage capacity is rated at 4Gb and you can store up to 5 CDs at best quality or 25 CDs at a normal quality, with the ability to have them play sequentially or in random order.

The Panasonic SC-ALL7CD is rated with a power output of 20 watts per channel (1 kHz, 8 ohms, 10% total harmonic distortion) and plays the music in to a stereo speaker setup which implements a 2-way speaker arrangement for each channel.

But this system is about continuing the ability to link a multi-room system based on the Qualcomm AllPlay platform with legacy sources like CDs and traditional radio, something that I see only Panasonic doing. This is unless others contribute integrated music systems to this platform that maintain one or more similar sources.

Panasonic launches network-capable stereo equipment with full multiroom streaming

Article

Panasonic SC-ALL5CD CD/FM/DAB+ AllPlay-capable one-piece music system press picture courtesy of Panasonic UK

Panasonic SC-ALL5CD CD/FM/DAB+ AllPlay-capable one-piece music system can stream CDs or the radio to AllPlay-capable wireless speakers via your home network

Panasonic has a second go with multi-room, streams CD and radio | Gadget Guy Australia

From the horse’s mouth

Panasonic Australia

Press Release

My Comments

Panasonic SC-PMX100 CD/FM/DAB+ AllPlay-capable 3-piece music system press picture courtesy of Panasonic UK

… as can the Panasonic SC-PMX100 CD/FM/DAB+ AllPlay-capable 3-piece music system

Panasonic has pushed on the Qualcomm AllPlay specification as a way of having your favourite music or TV audio streamed around the home network to AllPlay-compliant Wi-FI wireless speakers. This takes advantage of new functions added to this specification such as streaming Bluetooth, line-in or other local audio sources to these setups or setting up a group of speakers for stereo or surround-sound reproduction with improved separation.

Panasonic SC-ALL70T AllPlay soundbar press picture courtesy of Panasonic UK

Panasonic SC-ALL70T soundbar can stream TV audio to your AllPlay-compatible wireless speakers via your home network

They have released the SC-ALL70T soundbar and SC-ALL30T TV speaker base which enhance your flat-screen TV’s sound but they can do more than what a soundbar or speaker base can do. If you use the newer SC-ALL2 wireless speakers, you can upgrade these speakers to become a full 5.1 surround-sound system with the front left, front right and centre audio channels coming out of the soundbar or speaker base. As well, if you connect your flatscreen TV’s headphone or analogue line-out jack to the soundbar’s or speaker base’s AUX input, you can set it up to stream the TV content’s sound to all of the AllPlay-compliant wireless speakers on your home network.

Panasonic SC-ALL2 wireless speaker courtesy of Panasonic UK

Panasonic SC-ALL2 AllPlay wireless speaker

Those of you who love local broadcast radio or buy your music on CDs can have these sources streamed around your home network to AllPlay-compliant wireless speakers courtesy of two new stereos that Panasonic has released. Here with these systems, you don’t have to be in a hurry to “rip” that new CD you bought from Amazon or JB Hi-FI to have it come through your wireless speakers around the house.

These are the SC-ALL5CD single-piece music system and the SC-PMX100 premium three-piece micro system, which have a CD player, FM and DAB+ broadcast-radio tuners along with Bluetooth connectivity and an aux input all able to be streamed across your home network. Most likely, you would use the Panasonic iOS or Android remote-control app on your smartphone or tablet to change tracks or stations that you hear when you listen from other speakers.

Let’s not forget that the Panasonic SC-ALL2 speaker, which has an integrated alarm-clock display, can be paired with another of these speakers for improved stereo separation. Here, it is pitched for bathroom, bedroom or similar “auxiliary” speaker use, but shows that Panasonic could take this concept further.

For example, they could pitch a three-piece micro music system similar to the SC-PMX100 but equipped with a Blu-Ray player. Then an AllPlay-compatible wireless subwoofer and the SC-ALL2 speakers could make for a surround-sound system for a master bedroom or small lounge area with the SC-ALL2 speakers able to provide “close stereo” sound suitable for listening to music in bed.  Similarly, these could go with a Smart TV like one of the Panasonic VIERA models, offering to provide increased stereo separation or a full surround-sound setup again suitable for the small lounge area.

These stereos and speakers will still play music from the online music services of the Spotify ilk, the “new short-wave” that is Internet radio as well as music that is piled up on a NAS and made available via its DLNA media server.

What is showing is that Panasonic, a mainstream consumer-electronics brand, is still demonstrating faith in the Qualcomm AllPlay network-based wireless sound distribution platform rather than going for systems that are totally focused on equipment sold by that same vendor.