Customer Reviews Of PHILIPS HTS8100 SoundBar DVD Home Theater

Customer Reviews

Customer Reviews for PHILIPS HTS8100 SoundBar DVD Home Theater
Newegg.com's Product Ratings and Reviews feature enables Newegg.com customers to help each other make informed buying decisions.

Review Summary (20 Reviews):
Excellent	10ReviewsExcellent	50%
Good	3ReviewsGood	15%
Average	2ReviewsAverage	10%
Poor	2ReviewsPoor	10%
Very Poor	3ReviewsVery Poor	15%
Excellent	0Reviews	0%
Good	0Reviews	0%
Average	0Reviews	0%
Poor	0Reviews	0%
Very Poor	0Reviews	0%
Excellent	5ReviewsExcellent	62%
Good	3ReviewsGood	38%
Average	0Reviews	0%
Poor	0Reviews	0%
Very Poor	0Reviews	0%

Reviewer	Product Review
allan45 Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 week to 1 month This user purchased this item from Newegg	1/23/2010 12:27:04 AM Great Product Pros: - Great sound with movies - Quick Setup - Stylish Design - Fast shipping with Newegg Cons: - No optical or HDMI audio in for the device, you can purchase an optical to coaxile converter for under $20 to receive digital sound. - Issues with DirecTV remote setup, the device is not supported by DirecTV remotes so you will have to use two or splurge for a logitech harmony remote. - Sound for music is average to mediocre Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
N/A Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 month to 1 year	12/31/2009 8:52:06 AM Your Ears Will Love You!!! Pros: This is one amazing sound system. It has 6 speakers and 2 tweets in the bar. The speakers are flat in the front and curve around to the ends, so you get great deflection for a full surround sound experience. The best part is the dvd player with full 1080p upvert (hdmi). DVDs look amazing, I will never buy another Blu-ray again for my PS3. The usb port works great for external audio and video (hdd). Oh yeah, the bar looks awesome wall mounted underneath my plasma (mounts included)! Cons: No wi-fi or internet connection for video streaming. I guess the PS3 still has a purpose other than gaming. Other Thoughts: I bought this bar over 8 months ago in a retail store, at twice the price Newegg is selling it for now. I might just buy another one for the bedroom at this price! Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
N/A Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 month to 1 year	12/31/2009 8:51:36 AM Your Ears Will Love You!!! Pros: This is one amazing sound system. It has 6 speakers and 2 tweets in the bar. The speakers are flat in the front and curve around to the ends, so you get great deflection for a full surround sound experience. The best part is the dvd player with full 1080p upvert (hdmi). DVDs look amazing, I will never buy another Blu-ray again for my PS3. The usb port works great for external audio and video (hdd). Oh yeah, the bar looks awesome wall mounted underneath my plasma (mounts included)! Cons: No wi-fi or internet connection for video streaming. I guess the PS3 still has a purpose other than gaming. Other Thoughts: I bought this bar over 8 months ago in a retail store, at twice the price Newegg is selling it for now. I might just buy another one for the bedroom at this price! 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
N/A Tech Level: somewhat high Ownership: 1 month to 1 year This user purchased this item from Newegg	12/26/2009 7:07:12 PM Great for some things Pros: Sound quality is great. The Ambisound and Multichannel splitting of stereo inputs is great. You can clearly tell the difference between the stereo and multichannel settings. PS3 audio is amazing. Volume will go up high enough to anger the neighbors without a problem. The subwoofer does its job well. iPod dock works perfectly. Cons: If you are buying this to use as a DVD player, DO NOT. It exhibits several glaring problems. 1) The sliding DVD cover is frequently non-responsive and tends to try and close on me while I am loading a disk. 2) When playing DVDs it tends to not completely decode the picture leaving it excessively grainy and with little blue vertical lines throughout the picture. I suspect that this is the symptom of a bad codec, but not sure. 3) When the DVD playback is viewed through the HDMI cable, the HDMI cable does not transmit the audio. Might not seem like a big deal, but depending on your home theater setup, it might be. 4) Remote doesn't have a menu button, only disc menu. Other Thoughts: Very robust packaging. Even if it was severely mishandled (mine arrived perfectly) the unit would most likely arrive completely undamaged. I purchased this item from newegg, shipped and arrived very quickly; 4 days. 1 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
The Kid Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 month to 1 year	12/19/2009 5:21:16 AM Great for a small area Pros: Small with big sound Easy setup All in one solution for a small room Cons: A wireless sub would have been a plus, especialy if you paid full retail. Other Thoughts: At this price, this system can't be beat. There are a few nickle & dime problems that I'm sure the next generation of sound bar tech will solve. In the mean time, this is the best $$$$ to performance all in one I'v heard. 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
N/A Tech Level: average Ownership: 1 month to 1 year This user purchased this item from Newegg	9/15/2009 5:15:12 AM Sound bar Pros: So easy to install. The very BEST sound quality. Would buy this again and recommend it highly. Cons: None! 0 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Arielmdz Tech Level: somewhat high Ownership: 1 week to 1 month This user purchased this item from Newegg	9/1/2009 7:18:12 AM GREAT SYSTEM by PHILIPS Pros: Very easy to setup, clean and modern design,sound quality is very good for surround speakers of this price range, no cable clutter since there is only the speakers/DVD player bar and the Sub. It's got a connection for Ipod and radio source, remote works great and easy to use. Try the Ambisound bar is great in mimic surround sound. Great for a studio or a small room or bedroom. Cons: No compatible W/ Iphone, will be nice to have the Sub connect via wireless. Will not replace a FULL 7.1 surround system but this is not the idea behind this design. Other Thoughts: Newegg deliver extremely fast, order on Wednesday and have it by Friday. If you have a plasma try to installed on a wall on top of Tv, the speakers will be at ear levell , it makes a big difference when listening 2 music and movies. THANKS NEW EGG keep the GOOD work. 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Arielmdz Tech Level: somewhat high Ownership: 1 day to 1 week This user purchased this item from Newegg	8/30/2009 11:40:05 AM GREAT SOUND Pros: Easy & simple to set up, very few cables to conect and great surround sound and also play my ipod music very good. Very cheap for what they offer, includes a CD/DVD player, very stylish and modern design. Cons: Won't replace a full 5.1 or 7.1 surround or a bose sound system. Other Thoughts: Super fast delivery by Newegg.com order on wednesday have it by Friday afternoon. If you were looking for a surround sound for a room or a small studio apartment, this is the one to get. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Mr. Palmer Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 month to 1 year	8/8/2009 9:20:37 AM HTS 8100 Pros: Perfect size and width for my 42" Phillips Flat screen! The sound is better understood if you look closely at the speaker directions. Phillips has taken the time to directionally project sound for all to enjoy! IT'S GREAT! I agree with most reviews...the sound levels never need to be greater than 10...so 40 is WAY too loud (not sure why they thought it was a good idea) Cons: For those who think that the lack of an optical input is BAD...look at online auctions for a converter! E*!! You can go optical in- to digital out (on the back of the sub) and you will lose NO sound quality! I'm running TONS of optical inputs to this sound bar (Ps3, Computer, 42" TV) and the sounds are AMAZING! Nothing better than getting sucked into my Ps3 while playing the lastest game supporting 5.1 surround sound! Other Thoughts:** If you want plug and play sound...GRAB THIS! I do agree that the dvd player is sub-par, but who really buys an ALL-IN-ONE and expects greatness all around? We all know we are electronic GREEKS and most of us own far too many other components to support blu-ray! Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
N/A Tech Level: average Ownership: less than 1 day This user purchased this item from Newegg	7/27/2009 6:02:30 PM Check your connections beforehand Pros: Haven't found one yet Cons: Doesn't support optical connection - won't work on newer LG TVS 0 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
whoisbambam Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 month to 1 year This user purchased this item from Newegg	5/30/2008 5:41:20 PM superb sound for the price Pros: anybody can install this thing. if you dont have a dvd player, you want to upscale standard DVDs, you have a high def TV, and you dont have a sound entertainment center, then this thing is the way to go. You know how good AEROflux, BLADE series and die hard series sounds on this thing? The windows shake, and it has trippy sound effects......sometimes the sounds appear behind me....it can bounce realistic sound around the room like no single device i have ever come across. Cons: wish it was blue ray. 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
jimmy Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 week to 1 month This user purchased this item from Newegg	5/7/2008 10:33:46 AM jawed Pros: no worth of this system to west of money more better to by any system to $ 149.99 may work more better Cons: dont buy Other Thoughts: must be read before buy this system and also not customer servise from philips 1 out of 17 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Squad Tech Level: somewhat high Ownership: 1 day to 1 week This user purchased this item from Newegg	4/9/2008 4:52:59 PM excellent Pros: First off newegg is the best ordered on a sunday on tuesday at my house. Was a bit iffy but after installing and placing under my lcd tv on the wall put on a movie and was immpressed wished the subwoofer had a bit more power but good enough. Wife is happy no more cables running around in the bedroom. Easy setup. Cons: The subwoofer needs more punch Other Thoughts: If u looking for something for a small room without the hassle of cables this is it. 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Harold Tech Level: somewhat high Ownership: 1 month to 1 year This user purchased this item from Newegg	3/25/2008 12:10:49 PM Cool design - Sound needs some tweaks Pros: Looks really good mounted just below your flat screen. Pretty good sound quality when using the built in DVD player. I was impressed with the quality of upscaled DVDs playing on this unit. Cons: Very flat, tinny sound quality when using either the analog or digital audio inputs. My ear needed to be a few inches from the sub-woofer to hear the lows. Other Thoughts: If you add a graphic equalizer between your satellite/TV and this unit you can greatly improve the sound quality. The tone controls built into the speaker system have very little effect. I was ready to ship mine back until I pulled an old equalizer out of the attic and hooked it up. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Shavuoth Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 week to 1 month This user purchased this item from Newegg	3/4/2008 5:17:16 AM Pros: It is does produce an acceptable picture at 1080i, and it does have a slim design. This is the only reasonable item I've found on the market that incorporates a wall mounted all-in-one. Design (space saver) is the only feature this has that the others don’t. Cons: The sound produced is cheap sound when compared to Bose system; the DVD doesn’t support HD or Blu-Ray. Furthermore, my system won’t upscale to 1080p. When I called Philips the told me it was my Sony TV. When I called Sony they told me it was the Philips Soundbar. Finally Philips said they'd create a ticket for me. That was last week and Philips has taken no further action. I've already thrown the box away or I'd just pay the 15% restocking fee and send it back to Newegg. Other Thoughts: Don't fool yourself for the cheap price of a dual tasked component. Don't put all your eggs in one basket - spend the extra money and get a good Blu-Ray player along with a Bose surround sound system. It'll be worth it in the long run. I'll think twice before doing business with Newegg again. There is something to be said for a local store where you can just run across town and take back the defective equipment. I gambled this purchase would be a quality product and lost. Essentially I’m out $570. 1 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
builder Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 day to 1 week This user purchased this item from Newegg	2/16/2008 6:53:55 AM Phillips HTS8100 Pros: I think reviewers sometimes miss the point of a given product when they pit this speaker against a dedicated 5.1 system. This speaker is geared toward space saving and covenience in an all in one package. It does this without flaw. Potential buyers should be aware that this system will not blow you away with sound, but that is not what it is meant to do. Phillips has done a great job of giving a stylish speaker bar that will mesh well with most LCD and Plasmas on the market. Don't pass up this product at this price. HDMI upconversion (not full HD but admirable), IPOD dock, USB and wall mount bracket included. Can't say enough good things about the product. Our company has installed these units in many of our spec houses and the feedback has been great. Cons: bulky wire to sub will have to be fished behind wall. Sub and speaker connections on back could have been placed better. DVD movable panel would cause concern for malfuction down the road. Bass does not keep up with main bar on occasion (again, not a dedicated home theater). We install all of these units in our hearth room NOT the home theater room. Other Thoughts: for $569.00 with free shipping, HDMI cable included, ipod dock and wall mount. Don't hesitate if your were on the fence about this product. Just keep in mind what you should use it for. 4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Chris Tech Level: high Ownership: less than 1 day	12/27/2007 3:26:32 PM Great Looks - Poor Sound Quality Pros: Basically this is for people that care about how their speaker system looks more than how it sounds. For them, its perfect. Women like it. Cons: Very mediocre sound, high price. Not true surround sound. Faux surround. Other Thoughts: Buy 5 REAL speakers and a dedicated subwoofer if you want a real surround setup, not this or some similar garbage. Remember the bigger and heavier the speaker, the better it will sound. The smaller and lighter it is, the more it rides the suckmobile. 0 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
hdfanatic Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 month to 1 year This user purchased this item from Newegg	12/19/2007 7:47:53 PM Great sounding system, but it has its flaws Pros: For my situation, this soundbar fit perfectly. I initially only needed a surround sound-type system with a subwoofer that was capable of upconverting my DVDs to look good on my 42" plasma. Its ideal if you want the surround sound effect without having to mount rear speakers. It looks sexy, and sits well above my plasma on the tv hutch. The ipod dock works great, and even works with my iphone for playing music. The highs are really clear, and the woofer does an amazing job, even at half volume. Cons: Here's where my troubles began. As soon as I wanted to upgrade from the built in dvd player to a separate HD DVD player (but keep the soundbar digital ambisound), I ran into some concerns. For one, there are limited outputs and inputs on the back of this soundbar, so it really limits what you can do pertaining to upgrades or add-ons. There are NO HDMI inputs, and there is a CABLE digital input on the back of the subwoofer. Unfortunately, many HD DVD players (like the one I purchased) only have OPTICAL digital outputs and HDMI outputs for digital sound. So, go figure. I ended up finding an OPTICAL to CABLE digital converter on a competitor's website for about twenty dollars, so it wasn't a big deal. Now I am able to have digital sound from the HD DVD player and HD quality video to my tv. Other Thoughts: My personal advice: if you want something that's small and will be your stand-alone DVD player, than its perfect. However, if you're planning on eventually upgrading to HD DVDs and want digital sound, make sure you know what you're getting yourself into and wait for the next generation soundbar to come out. Hopefully Philips will update the available inputs and outputs. 1 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
MACK Tech Level: average Ownership: 1 week to 1 month This user purchased this item from Newegg	10/6/2007 9:35:37 PM PHILIPS HTS8100 AMBISOUND Pros: The Philips Ambisound Bar is sleek and compact and definitely packs a punch. For those who are spatially challenged this, at first glance, would appear to be the product for you, with the HDMI imput, this product is idiot -proof. The sound is rich and full and comparable to that of Bose, (my sound deck was relegated to the bedroom). Cons: I cannot comment on the DVD feature as I was not able to get it to work; however, the I-Pod dock, a peripheral, was functional and the sound was impressive, still the unit is a glorified single speaker and sub-woofer. I cannot recommend this product and urge you to wait for the next generation, this novelty HTB is flawed. Other Thoughts: I would love to give this unit a passing grade but I feel I would be doing you a disservice in doing so. 8 out of 21 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
way cool Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 week to 1 month	6/22/2007 7:58:39 PM amazing sound Pros: WOW...amazing sound..Effects will make you jump at times.. The volume goes up to 40 but at less than 10 is loud enough for most tv shows. I wall mounted it under my 40" lcd with the enclosed bracket. Sideways sliding dvd cover is cool. Ambisound is realistic and in my room it projects the sounds as if I had speakers behind me. The powered sub shakes all my walls! I can easily hear this system running from my neighbors house at half volume. Cons: The only con I can think of is the wire running from the wall mounted speakers down to the sub. It is thick, heavy and ugly ( the wire) It would not be a problem if you ran it inside the wall, or chose not to wall-mount it. Other Thoughts: Well worth the money. I was considering a bose system, but this one sounds just as good and was less than half the price. 15 out of 17 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!