Philips HTS9800 DVD Home Theater System Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Purchased one of these last week and am very happy with it. Setup is truly a snap and it looks like a million bucks in my living room. One minor nit to pick seems to be the unit's sensitivity to voltage flucuations in that it temporarily goes into standby when I turn on my television (even manually). I have yet to test whether this is a voltage issue or if the unit does this automatically based on an impedance load to the video output, in which case it would be intentional. So far the unit has digested all discs I have thrown at it and while it is not the speediest mechanism in the world it is very surefooted once it makes up its mind. A headphone jack, alas, is not included. I do, however, appreciate the inclusion of SACD and feel Philips should be commended for making a unit that is as easy to setup as it is beautiful to look at. The unit sounds extremely good and the dipolar nature of the radiators (speakers) means the surround tends to 'follow' you if you are not within the specific field of sound. The ribbon tweeters are exceptionally smooth (never calling attention to themselves; which is the highest compliment I can pay a tweeter) and their coaxial location helps contribute to a very palpable 3 dimensional field when listening to stereo or three track sources. This is a rare bird indeed, an (almost) all-inclusive system that performs as well for critical listening (although not at ear-splitting levels) as it does for home theatre because its DVD performance has so-far been stellar. I don't know that I want to throw away my 963SA just yet, but this is easier to use and not nearly as idiosyncratic as the old system. The owner's manual is top notch and overall build is quite convincing for a unit that might be considered mid/low level by some AV snobs. Let them snob then, it'll leave more of these for the rest of us and can be our little secret as I feel this unit must represent one of the best values in HTIB (Home Theater in a Box). And you have to admit she is a looker. Maybe in the next iteration they can make the whole front panel a menu-driven LCD touch-screen to include wireless internet, video and home control; throw in Blu-Ray and it would be downright irresistible.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Philips HTS9800 DVD Home Theater System

Crafted with artistry and precision, this home entertainment system promises unsurpassed viewing and listening experience. A streamlined design, matching any Flat TV, blends with your interior thanks to wall-mountable and wireless feature.

Click here for more information about Philips HTS9800 DVD Home Theater System

Read More...

Sony DAV-X1 Platinum DVD Dream Home Theater System Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Because I had little desire to wire my living room for surround sound (much less to convince my wife of the benefits of doing so), I researched 2.1 home theater systems to mate with my Hitachi plasma.
My first pick was the Bose Cinemate, which in a word was underwhelming. Not much kick, if any, from the subwoofer (perhaps that's why Bose clumsily calls it an "Acoustimass module" instead).And the satellites didn't provide much improvement in clarity or range over my TV speakers.
Then I got this system, and boy what a difference it made! First, I could distinctly hear and enjoy sounds not previously audible over our TV speakers, and less noticeable over the Bose. Second, the subwoofer packs quite a powerful punch despite only 40W of power. In fact, to balance the sound output between the three speakers, I had to turn down the subwoofer's level three notches. Now the system produces sound that has theater-like presence, and matches the image quality of our HDTV.
Speaking of image quality, the included DVD player outputs excellent visuals. Its upconversion of resolution to 1080i noticeably improved image quality over our one-year old (non-upconverting) Phillips player.
Set up was simple, especially using an HDMI cable (a Belkin PureAV 8' cable, which on Amazon was almost half the price at Circuit City).
I have only two niggles with this system. First, the DVD player takes a little long (about 10 seconds) initially to read a DVD. Second, because of the proprietary connections between the speakers and DVD player, if any part of the system goes, then unless Sony offers replacements a la carte, the whole system may need to be replaced. However, from several weeks of use, this appears to be a quality system, and hopefully I'll never have to look into replacement options.
One final word about surround sound. I've never been that impressed with the surround sound aspect of home theater systems. Occasionally hearing a noise from behind me never added much to my enjoyment, and in my judgment was not worth the hassle of wires and rear speakers. This system, like the Bose, purports to create simulated surround sound, but really doesn't live up well to its promise (at least not in a half open living room). Nonetheless, I didn't buy this system for surround capabilities and I don't miss it. Watching DVDs through this system still puts me in the middle of a theater-like experience, and that's what I was looking for.
UPDATE: I've had this system for over 3 years now, and it still works as well as it did on day 1. I've replaced the 42 inch HDTV I originally paired with it, but I still use it for DVDs and for outputing sounds from my PS3 (gaming and blu-ray) via my new HDTV's optical video output. Also, in 2006, I paid around $600 for this, which I thought was worth it. Now, in 2009, some vendor here is offering it for $999, which I do not think is worth it. You can get a PS3 or other blu-ray player, receiver, and stand-alone speakers to build your own "dream system" for that amount of money, or you can purchase other home-theater-in-a-box systems with a blu-ray player.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony DAV-X1 Platinum DVD Dream Home Theater System

Click here for more information about Sony DAV-X1 Platinum DVD Dream Home Theater System

Read More...

Bose Lifestyle 48 Series IV - Home theater system - 5.1 channel - black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Can't complain about the sound that this system puts out, it's great. However, one of the strong selling points of the system is the flexibility that the VS-2 video enhancer provides, which comes with several of the Lifestyle systems.
The concept of the VS-2 sounds great, but in my configuration, it's a paper weight. I have a DirecTv HD-DVR, which can output video from 480i to 1080i. However, when I hook up HDMI from the DVR to the VS-2, and HDMI from the VS-2 to the television, the only way I can get the video signal to the TV is to configure the HD-DVR to put out 480i. So, I basically have to have the HD-DVR downgrade 1080i shows to 480i, just to have the VS-2 upgrade it back. I will have to resort to using composite video from the VS-2 to the television (though I have not tried this yet)to get things to work right. Not using the VS-2 is out of the question, as I can't see the Lifestyle 48's controls (i.e. music library listing, etc...) without it. I tried to argue with the Bose installer about the HDMI incompatibility, but he said not to worry about it, and use Component video, which he said offers a much better video signal than HDMI (ya right).
So, I give it 4 stars for sound, 1 star for video, and a -1 star for false advertising regarding the VS-2 (and the installer giving me false information to make the VS-2 work)

Click Here to see more reviews about: Bose Lifestyle 48 Series IV - Home theater system - 5.1 channel - black

Get 4% OFF

Click here for more information about Bose Lifestyle 48 Series IV - Home theater system - 5.1 channel - black

Read More...

Sony DAV-FX100W Wireless Home Theater Dream System Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Overall, this is a great system. The sound is fantastic; the setup was easy, and nearly six months after I bought it, things are still working quite nicely.
Other reviewers have done a good job describing the product -- the one thing I wanted to touch on was the "wireless" aspect. The only wires this system does not have that other "wired" systems do are the ones that run from the receiver unit to the back speakers. The IR devices (one in front, one in back, which you have flexibility in positioning) transmits the signal from the receiver to the back speakers. One of your rear speakers will need to be plugged into a power outlet (because of its powered amplifier -- which, unlike other systems, allows the rear speakers to be as clear and powerful as the front ones), and you'll need to run a speaker wire (provided, of course) between the two rear speakers.
BOTTOM LINE: If you're trying to reduce clutter, this system may not be as wireless as you're hoping for (between the power cords for the IR receiver/transmitter, speaker wire between the rear speakers, plus all the normal wires save the ones running from front to back). BUT, if you don't want to run cable through your walls or have speaker wire running from the front to back of your room; then these are a great option that I would strongly recommend.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony DAV-FX100W Wireless Home Theater Dream System

Click here for more information about Sony DAV-FX100W Wireless Home Theater Dream System

Read More...