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Customer Reviews for Philips SoundBar DVD Home Theater with Ambisound
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Philips SoundBar DVD Home Theater with Ambisound
Model: HTS8100/37
SKU: 8254587
UPC: 609585127272
Featuring Ambisound, this home theater system delivers full multichannel surround sound in any room. The 1-piece integrated system fits into your home with ease, providing a full home theater experience, complete with connectivity options for your MP3 player or Apple® iPod, with excellent sound and picture quality for some serious power in a compact form.Learn more about Philips Ambisound Technology.
Average Customer Rating:
4.3
out of 5
(15 Reviews) 15
Rating Snapshot 15 reviews
5 stars
9
4 stars
4
3 stars
1
2 stars
0
1 star
1
87% of customers would recommend this product to a friend
(
13 out of
15)
Customer Reviews for Philips SoundBar DVD Home Theater with Ambisound
Review 1 for Philips SoundBar DVD Home Theater with Ambisound
Great Unit at a great Price
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: Rlong006
from Louisville, Ohio
on 01/19/2009
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Appearance
5.0
Power
5.0
What's great about it: Slim Design, easy hook up and great price
What's not so great: connections between bar and subwoofer
this unit is a great deal. its got great sound and its some what compact. Also i couldnt beat the price @ 299.99. was very easy to hook up took about 15 min and i was ready to go! I had a samsung unit and it wasnt as good!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 2 for Philips SoundBar DVD Home Theater with Ambisound
WOW!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: c10bonanza
from Oklahoma
on 01/16/2009
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Appearance
5.0
Power
5.0
What's great about it: Easy set up - Bought on sale for $299
What's not so great: Only 1 HDMI connection - connections on back of subwoofer
I found this gem for $299 at my local store. What is weird is that the other 3 stores in my town had it priced at $599. Weird. Easy set-up, but only has 1 HDMI connection. Furthermore, several connections are only available on the back of the subwoofer, which has to be positioned 3 feet away from the SoundBar. Thus, you may have some cables to hide between the TV or Cable Box and the Subwoofer.
Watched Saving Private Ryan and was BLOWN AWAY by the Simulated Surround Sound (and was mesmerized by the upscaling of the DVD player). I am so glad that I didn't purchase a 5.1 system and hassle with all of the wires. This SoundBar is a great buy at $599, but an INCREDIBLE STEAL at $299.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 3 for Philips SoundBar DVD Home Theater with Ambisound
99% Perfection
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: karkar87
from LA
on 08/28/2008
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
4.0
Appearance
5.0
Power
4.0
What's great about it: Good design and good sound
What's not so great: Slow reaction to mode changes
This is a great machine that plays back DVDs at high quality. It has great bass and sound for a condensed unit. The wires are designed to be hidden so there's no mess in managing multiple wires. I have my iTunes wirelessly streamed from the airport express and controlled from my iPhone. The only problem is that it reacts really slow when the mode changes between radio/input/dvd/iPod. The sleekness of the unit and remote is another plus.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 4 for Philips SoundBar DVD Home Theater with Ambisound
DO NOT BUY
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: Pitbull
from Richmond, VA
on 08/10/2008
What's great about it: NONE
What's not so great: This sound bar STINKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had to replace the unit twice and both of them were defective.
The first unit never sunk properly with my TV. In other words, it looked like the actors on the TV set were lip-sinking due to the delay from the voices coming out of the soundbar....VERY ANNOYING!!!!! It took a week for me to figure it out. I managed this by increasing the volume on my TV while simultaneously leaving on the sound bar volume. I heard an echo because the sound bar was a couple of seconds off from the TV. I tried to use the "Audio SYNC" button on the Philips remote but was never able to sync the voices. In addtion, the remote worked only when it felt like it. I would watch a DVD and the "STOP, FWD, and REWIND" buttons would not work. I would have to walk over to the sound bar and stop the DVD manually in order for the remote to reboot. Philips' technical hot line provided little to no help and only added to my FRUSTRATION. I finally gave up and packed up the 80lbs box and lugged it back to BEST BUY for a replacement.
The remote on my second unit would not turn the sound bar "ON". I tried to reset the sound bar, checked my connections, replaced the batteries and called Philips again with no success. I went back to Best Buy and asked if I could swap out the remotes hoping that this would cure the problem. The new remote had the same issue. I will be making my third trip to Best Buy to return my second Philips sound bar.
It's not worth the time and energy. Just pay the extra bucks and get the BOSE system. I will never buy another Philips product again!!!!!!!
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Review 5 for Philips SoundBar DVD Home Theater with Ambisound
awesome sound
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: sweetnick
from melbourne, FL
on 07/20/2008
What's great about it: gerat sound, great upscaleing
What's not so great: no dig. optical in
Great looking, Great sound, Best upscaling i've seen.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 6 for Philips SoundBar DVD Home Theater with Ambisound
Good, could be better
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: tgildred
from Boston
on 07/19/2008
What's great about it: DVDs play great, slim design, looks good on wall
What's not so great: Inconsistent volume, no digital audio
When playing movies the sound is much more intense... and inconsistent. Conversations play quiet, action scenes play extremely loud. So you are constantly going to the remote to adjust the volume.
There's no digital audio input. Sound from your cable box or TV comes from the TV, which makes it little inconvenient when switching between movies and TV, you have to switch inputs on both the TV and the sound bar. There may be a better way of doing this, but I haven't found it.
But I really like the sound quality when you get the volume right (although I rarely get it past 5 or 6 and it goes much higher than that) is nice for what an all-in-one system I think, and I don't miss the clutter of my old 5.1 speaker/receiver setup.
There's no digital audio input. Sound from your cable box or TV comes from the TV, which makes it little inconvenient when switching between movies and TV, you have to switch inputs on both the TV and the sound bar. There may be a better way of doing this, but I haven't found it.
But I really like the sound quality when you get the volume right (although I rarely get it past 5 or 6 and it goes much higher than that) is nice for what an all-in-one system I think, and I don't miss the clutter of my old 5.1 speaker/receiver setup.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 7 for Philips SoundBar DVD Home Theater with Ambisound
Sound, Beauty, and Convienence all in one
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: LoveHD
from Orlando, FL
on 04/15/2008
What's great about it: Stunning looks, Mindblowing sound, ease of use, features, ease of connections to other components
What's not so great: Large cable that connects sub, location of plug for ipod dock
I was a bit skeptical of this SoundBar when I first purchased it. But boy did this thing prove me wrong. Upon getting it connected (which only took about 20 minutes) we had to throw a movie in and test this thing out. At first I didn't really hear the "surround" effect but once I sat back further I could really hear the effect (yes I even looked over my shoulder a few times). I was even more shocked when I docked my iPod and played some songs, it seriously shook my windows on volume level 25 (it goes up to 40). As far as the built in upconverting dvd player it seems to be ok, but if you can afford blu-ray, get it! I hooked up my PS3 and watched one of my blu-rays and the sound quality finally matches the amazing picture. By the way as far as hooking up the soundbar to your TV, all you need to do is goto radio shack or wherever and buy some red and white audio cables and run them from your output on your TV to the input on your sub and everything you run on your TV will play the sound on the soundbar. Just to save you some time =) I know there is a way to hook up digital sound but I have not had it long enough to work with that yet. I'm too busy enjoying this great system. This is by far worth the price, and since Best Buy has a 30 day return policy, you have nothing to lose to check it out and see for yourself.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 8 for Philips SoundBar DVD Home Theater with Ambisound
great purchase
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: tommyk
from NH
on 03/25/2008
What's great about it: easy setup
What's not so great: lack of inputs
great product. It took me about a 1/2 hour to setup to my Tv via hdmi and my sony blu ray player thru the digital coaxle cable. The sound that comes out of this soundbar is amazing. Dont get me wrong its not a true 5.1 surround sound but its pretty close. This system is also very loud I have yet to watch a movie more than half the volume. The subwoofer produces great lows and my whole room shakes. I was in the market for the bose 321 but after reading so many negative reviews i decided to buy the phillips soundbar. I am glad i did. The looks alone is worth the money. I would recommend this product to anyone that doesnt have the room for all the speakers of a 5.1 sytem or just wants to have a nice neat system. Oh i forgot to mention the dvd player thru the hdmi cable has a great picture and the ipod dock works perfect.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 9 for Philips SoundBar DVD Home Theater with Ambisound
ZOMGwtfbbqheb1604!!!haxxorz-1337
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: n00basaurusRex
from San Antonio, TX
on 02/29/2008
What's great about it: Everything!!!111one
What's not so great: cords won't allow back panel to be closed; cheap cords for $800 system
Ok, so I brought this soundbar b/c I heard it in the store and also read reviews. Plus, I love Philips products...they gained my loyalty when I got a CD player from them back in 2000 (it took nasty beatings and worked up til i sold it).
So I hook up my philips soundbar to my HDTV using the cheapy HDMI cable(will be buying a monster cable soon) and then have the audio coming in from my TV into the soundbar. One con was that it doesnt have an input for spdif digital audio cable. My TV does, but that quality will be lost when the RCA left/right cords go from TV to soundbar...oh well. still sounds great.
I installed the soundbar in my bedroom and have already used it with my PS3. ZOmg, the ambisound is crazy with these Dolby Digital Surround games...I was playing Resistance and as the bullets whizzed by my player's head on screen, I could hear them pass my ear and hit behind me...i immediately was satisfied at that point.
The bass is really great during movies, but doesnt hit as hard on the music. I have yet to play it over half the volume limit...this thing gets loud!
I watch beautiful Blu-ray movies and experience complete surround sound..what's not to love?
As for the iPod docking inserts, I have a touch pod and it didnt even come with one for it so I just have it standing in the dock freely, looks great and i'm sure the other people can do the same with their older gen iPods.
Get this soundbar if you hate cords all over the place...it is neat and efficient. Sometimes the remote has to be angled just right or it wont read it...not a big deal tho. Also, very versatile functioning: VCD, SVCD, MP3 CD, DIVX, DVD upscalling 1080, JPEG CDs, and USB-for music, pics and vids. C'mon now, lets see other DVD/Surround systems out there offer all this and look/sound as nice.
Keep it up Philips and BestBuy and i'll continue to give you my cash.
So I hook up my philips soundbar to my HDTV using the cheapy HDMI cable(will be buying a monster cable soon) and then have the audio coming in from my TV into the soundbar. One con was that it doesnt have an input for spdif digital audio cable. My TV does, but that quality will be lost when the RCA left/right cords go from TV to soundbar...oh well. still sounds great.
I installed the soundbar in my bedroom and have already used it with my PS3. ZOmg, the ambisound is crazy with these Dolby Digital Surround games...I was playing Resistance and as the bullets whizzed by my player's head on screen, I could hear them pass my ear and hit behind me...i immediately was satisfied at that point.
The bass is really great during movies, but doesnt hit as hard on the music. I have yet to play it over half the volume limit...this thing gets loud!
I watch beautiful Blu-ray movies and experience complete surround sound..what's not to love?
As for the iPod docking inserts, I have a touch pod and it didnt even come with one for it so I just have it standing in the dock freely, looks great and i'm sure the other people can do the same with their older gen iPods.
Get this soundbar if you hate cords all over the place...it is neat and efficient. Sometimes the remote has to be angled just right or it wont read it...not a big deal tho. Also, very versatile functioning: VCD, SVCD, MP3 CD, DIVX, DVD upscalling 1080, JPEG CDs, and USB-for music, pics and vids. C'mon now, lets see other DVD/Surround systems out there offer all this and look/sound as nice.
Keep it up Philips and BestBuy and i'll continue to give you my cash.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 10 for Philips SoundBar DVD Home Theater with Ambisound
awesome sound
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: melrose
from mpls.mn
on 02/20/2008
What's great about it: easy to hook up
What's not so great: the white ipod adapters
this is an excellent product very good sound quality.. it works for whatever you have hooked up to your tv as long as you do it right! my husband had trouble with our new plasma tv and getting it to work with the sound bar....but needless to say i figured it out and it sounds great!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 11 for Philips SoundBar DVD Home Theater with Ambisound
Outstanding Product
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: 099mikey
from Rochester, NY
on 12/12/2007
What's great about it: All in 1--- Sleek Elegant Design
What's not so great: Wall mount needed to be tweeked.
I'm crazy for this system!! Never had a surround before... but after purchasing a big screen, this was a no brianer. Looked for a quality and compact design--- and found the perfect match to my Philips LCD HD TV.
Hook up was no problem. The built in DVD player is better than the one I removed. I have a ton less wires behind my now smaller entertainment center. ...and I didn't need to string wires all over the room.
The sound quality is great. The bass can be adjusted so it doesn't blow you out of the room--- But it can if you want it to.
Also, as noted in other reviews, there is an issue with lips matching the voice--there is a simple adjustment for that, it can be found in the manual.
Excellent product. Very Happy.
Hook up was no problem. The built in DVD player is better than the one I removed. I have a ton less wires behind my now smaller entertainment center. ...and I didn't need to string wires all over the room.
The sound quality is great. The bass can be adjusted so it doesn't blow you out of the room--- But it can if you want it to.
Also, as noted in other reviews, there is an issue with lips matching the voice--there is a simple adjustment for that, it can be found in the manual.
Excellent product. Very Happy.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 12 for Philips SoundBar DVD Home Theater with Ambisound
Wow this thing rocks
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: soup
from Wilmington, NC
on 10/15/2007
Images for this Review
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What's great about it: Single unit with no other speakers. Ipod dock, easy to use, very clean looking, wall mountable
What's not so great: ipod dock incerts are white and everything else is black. Not easy to wall mount.
Great overall product. Sound quality is top notch. I was worried it would echo, because I have a very wide open living room/dinning room/kitchen...but the amibsound setup really has settings for pretty much every type of room layout. Beautiful design and standard DVD upsacle to 1080 is great on the plasma.
Cons - It wasn't very easy to wall mount especially with the wires in the back...however it was totally worth it. If you install the component video cables (I did for progressive scan) it is impossible to close the back cover. IPOD dock is really cool and interfaces well with the TV however it is black and comes with white inserts that lets you install all Ipod models. Not sure why they wouldn't make it all on color. Also the Ipod dock cord really can't be run behind a wall as the cord is too short (at least in my setup).... but I guess I can live with one cord. Ohya...and the wall bracket does not include screws/drywall hangers.
None of these cons are enough to take away a star or not recommend this product. I love it!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 13 for Philips SoundBar DVD Home Theater with Ambisound
Pretty good
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: 1106
from houston, tx
on 10/15/2007
to the other review discussing connectivity; you can connect your xbox directly to your tv then to your sound bar. example; have the audio out from your tv connected to the audio in of the soundbar, that way you can play your games, and watch tv both with sound from the soundbar. By including the HDMI wire connect to the tv and soundbar, you can have a clear sound coming from both tv and soundbar for every aspect of use.
all wires included for the above.
i purchased this item about a month ago
i thought the sound is amazing from the soundbar
but on some dvds, as i was watching my movies, i noticed the audio would preceed the movies displayed image
i would hear the sound before the event took place in the movie
but after i recently discovered that it was because of my current sound settings. the soundbar has numerous audio settings bulit in. consult the users manual to find which is best for you.
it takes up little space, perfect for small rooms or apartments, has neat distribution of the wiring. flat wall mount included. i couldn't use the wall mount becasue my tv is positioned in a corner of the room. even so, from the reviews that i've read for other soundbars and tvs, its best to locate your tv in a corner of the room or the center of a wall of the room.
Numerous playback formats. sadly no HD DVD, or BluRay. but of course that would jump the price. i can't be picky about that.
all wires included for the above.
i purchased this item about a month ago
i thought the sound is amazing from the soundbar
but on some dvds, as i was watching my movies, i noticed the audio would preceed the movies displayed image
i would hear the sound before the event took place in the movie
but after i recently discovered that it was because of my current sound settings. the soundbar has numerous audio settings bulit in. consult the users manual to find which is best for you.
it takes up little space, perfect for small rooms or apartments, has neat distribution of the wiring. flat wall mount included. i couldn't use the wall mount becasue my tv is positioned in a corner of the room. even so, from the reviews that i've read for other soundbars and tvs, its best to locate your tv in a corner of the room or the center of a wall of the room.
Numerous playback formats. sadly no HD DVD, or BluRay. but of course that would jump the price. i can't be picky about that.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
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Review 14 for Philips SoundBar DVD Home Theater with Ambisound
Sound varies greatly
Customer Rating
3.0
Posted by: AirWeb
from San Diego, CA
on 09/09/2007
I bought this for my husband's birthday after he'd seen it getting decent reviews online. He immediately installed it upon receiving the SoundBar and much to his dismay discovered that he couldn't hook it up to the cable box, the TV AND the Xbox 360 - only the TV and the cable box. He decided to try and figure out a way to hook it up to the Xbox too so we kept it for a couple of weeks and during that time discovered that the sound varied greatly. While watching the movie "300" the speaking parts were barely audible and the action scenes were deafeningly loud. We did like the way it came all-in-one but we ended up returning it for the reasons mentioned above.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Review 15 for Philips SoundBar DVD Home Theater with Ambisound
Smart Purchase
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: PXavier
from McAllen, TX
on 08/15/2007
The only other sound bar I have seen is made by Yamaha but this model has a DVD / CD player along with several other ports to play all kinds of different media. Together with the AM FM receiver, this is a sound system, receiver, stereo all in one sleek looking device. There are also very few wires that can easily be hidden and they are nothing like the wires needed for surround stereo speakers. About the only drawback is the fact that I have a tv room with an open area to one side which does not provide for the best ambisound but better than what I had before. I highly recommend this unique sound experience as a perfect compliment to your flat screen tv.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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