Compare Prices : Philips HTS 8100 - Expert Reviews

Review summary: Philips has packed a DVD player, multi-channel amp and speakers into a wall-mountable bar - but does convenience mean compromise?

Pros: Innovative, stylish and ultra practical design. Impressive picture quality with HD upscaling. Lots of features, wide and clear soundstage with movies. iPod dock included

Cons: No optical/coaxial digital audio inputs. Doesn't really deliver much surround sound information. Uses a wire (the horror!) to connect the subwoofer to the main bar

Review summary: The Philips SoundBar HTS8100 is a stylish, clean-looking virtual surround sound system with integrated DVD player. It's inconspicuous and versatile, and its image quality is impressive. The set has an expansive sound stage and does a good job with ...

Pros: Stylish, space-saving design ; fuss-free set up ; 1080p video upscaling ; versatile connectivity ; impressive image quality

Cons: Expensively priced ; subwoofer means it isn't totally discreet ; compromised sound quality

Verdict: The Philips SoundBar HTS8100 is an excellent solution for style-conscious buyers with limited time and space to set up a true surround system, but you'll have to accept a few sonic compromises

Review summary: The SoundBar itself is the width of an average 50in plasma TV and not much deeper, so it looks great mounted on the wall under your TV

Pros: Hgihly practical form factor, Genuine surround sound effect

Cons: Poor stereo imaging, No HDMI input

Verdict: Philips SoundBar is ideal for a smaller room where you want to be immersed in surround-sound style audio; and it puts its 2.1 'virtual surround' rivals to shame

Review summary: philips soundbar hts8100 review: The Philips SoundBar HTS8100 is good value for money, and able to deliver powerful movie soundtracks and excellent video quality via the HDMI output.

Pros: Excellent HDMI video, Upscaling DVD playback, Good looks, Intelligible dialogue reproduction

Cons: Audio inputs inconveniently located, Ambisound mode makes soundtracks and music thin, Cables akimbo

Verdict: The Philips SoundBar HTS8100 is good value for money, and able to deliver powerful movie soundtracks and excellent video quality via the HDMI output.