Pioneer HTZ-101 Home Theater System Review

Let's say you have a large living room with comfortable seats and a huge flat screen TV resting on the wall. You turn it on and figure out that you need something better, especially when it comes to sounds and the ability to play different types of media. You are probably thinking of installing a home theater system. My mom's birthday is coming up and since she likes to sing Karaoke songs, we thought of buying a Home Theater System and we came down to one choice, the Pioneer HTZ-101 Home Theater System.

Based on the explanation of the sales agent who sold us the unit, the system has a power of 3,000 watts PMPO (or roughly 300 watts RMS although I don't really know yet if they can be converted between one another) which is quite powerful and can really wake up your neighbors even at half the volume. It includes the video player, 5 satellites (1 center, 2 front and 2 back) and a subwoofer.

The interface is pretty easy to use. There are functional buttons on the player itself and the remote, even though there are a lot of buttons, is quite easy to get used to. The same thing applies for the GUI or graphical user interface. It's easy to navigate through the menus and choose the media you want to play. As for the power connection, it auto volts to 110 to 240 so it can be used almost on any outlet.

The player can play different types of media such as music CDs, MP3s, DVD/VCD videos, avi files, and mp4 files and so on. However, if you want to play ultra high definition videos such as mpeg-2 ts and tp files, you'll need a more expensive blu-ray player. I tried to play a 1 GB .tp file which is a 4-minute music video and it didn't play. Don't worry though, the player will show you which media types it can play when you put a disc in. It can also act as a karaoke machine if you like to sing along your favorite songs. It has a jack for a microphone and you can easily set it up.

Another very neat feature of the HTZ-101 is that when it comes to video it can upscale the resolution so that it will be more detailed especially on large TVs and monitors. So if you have a VCD movie, which has a low video resolution, it will increase the resolution of the video making it more detailed. Without up scaling, you'll usually see more blocks or pixels. But this one to work, you have to use an HDMI connection. It supports up to 1080p resolutions.

The audio is really good. You won't regret it especially if you love to watch 5.1 surround sound videos. It has different preset equalizer modes depending on your preference or the media that you are playing.

The system comprises of the player, 5 satellites and the subwoofer wherein each of the speakers have their own channel at the back of the DVD player. It's quite easy to set up the player itself. There are audio cables provided and all you have to do is match the color then clip them onto the terminals. The main challenge is placing the speakers in your room.

To be able to take advantage of the 5.1 surround sound, you have to strategically place the speakers around the room. Place the 2 back speakers behind you and the 2 front speakers at the front and the center speaker by the TV. You can just place the subwoofer anywhere you like but it's probably better at the center and on the floor for good base distribution. As for the looks, it's all in black and the design is pretty basic.

It's around $325, converted from Philippine Peso. It usually comes with a 1 year warranty for service. However, there may be an option for an extended warranty which covers 3 years full parts and service. You just have to add around $50.

So if you want a fairly affordable and excellent home theater system, the Pioneer HTZ-101 will deliver. With excellent audio and reasonable video playing capabilities, you most likely won't look for another home theater system. Plus, the price is right on the budget.

Sources:
HTZ-101DVD
http://www.pioneer.ph/ProductDetail/default.asp?ProductId=1076&CatId=64,8,13