Philips goes full frontal with full-HDAmbisound Home Theater SystemCompared with the HTS8100, the latest HTS8140 Sound Bar definitely has a more updated and polished look. But beyond the cosmetic makeover and reduced bulk is a near-identical 2.1-channel virtual surround sound system, which explains the kit's close model numbering. Nonetheless, it comes with a bag of new tricks such as touch controls, value-added MP3-enhancing FullSound processing, added WMV playback support, and the previously mentioned HDMI/EasyLink-compatibility.The above may be insignificant to warrant an upgrade from its predecessor, though both are still equally relevant with a highly integrated design currently matched only by Samsung's HT-X810. This level of uniqueness is courtesy of an onboard 1080p-upscaling DVD player and iPod dock. For jaggie-free pictures, video deinterlacing and scaling are offloaded to a high-performance Faroudja DCDi processor, while surround sound is handled by its in-house Ambisound technology. If you care less about the integrated iPod dock, you could also check out the HTS6100 which looks like a near-clone of the first-gen HTS8100. It's designed for pairing with smaller 37- to 42-inch panels and delivers most of the flagship's inbuilt functionalities. Then there is the HTS6515 with a streamlined console and an amazingly cool pop-out rotating disc drive door. Wow factor aside, its unique form factor is perfect for hassle-free wall and table-top installation, too. These Ambisound systems could have been even better if only there were some HDMI inputs to go with the settop boxes, gaming consoles and Blu-ray players out there--a tall order that has proven agonizingly elusive, yet again. On a separate note, the company was showcasing its BTM630 Bluetooth micro hi-fi. What's really cool is its ability to stream music from portable devices wirelessly. This ranges from Bluetooth-enabled mobiles to its latest wireless media players, etc. |
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mikeed says...
I bought a HTS8100 in the Philippines and its been a big disappointment. Everytime I try to watch a DVD, it delivers a blank screen unto my Philips LCDTV, to correct it, I have to unplug the unit, wait ten seconds and replug it and only then will the unit deliver a picture. I have to do this everytime I want to watch DVD. The problem is not the type of cable used, I tried it both for HDMI and RGB input, I have to uplug unit everytime I want to watch a DVD.
May 23, 2008 13:43
I bought a HTS8100 in the Philippines and its been a big disappointment. Everytime I try to watch a DVD, it delivers a blank screen unto my Philips LCDTV, to correct it, I have to unplug the unit, wait ten seconds and replug it and only then will the unit deliver a picture. I have to do this everytime I want to watch DVD. The problem is not the type of cable used, I tried it both for HDMI and RGB input, I have to uplug unit everytime I want to watch a DVD.
May 23, 2008 13:43
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