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Philips HTS3544/37 (03/27/2007)

Philips HTS3544/37

Entered CNET Catalog: 03/27/2007

SKU: 0609585127784

Manufacturer: Philips Consumer Electronics

Manufacturer description

This state-of-the-art digital home entertainment system delivers powerful surround sounds and a theater-like audio/video experience. The ultimate in both style and performance. PRODUCT FEATURES: Dock included for GoGear and iPod; USB Direct plays photos and music from USB flash drives; MP3 Line-in for music playback from Portable Media Players; 1080i HDMI with high definition video upconversion; DTS, Dolby Digital and Pro Logic II surround sound; 12-bit/108MHz video processing for sharp, natural images; DivX Ultra for enhanced playback of DivX media files; Plays CD, (S)VCD, DVD, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R DL; Plays DivX, MP3, WMA and JPEG digital camera photos.

User opinions

Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
User Rating:
1.5 stars

out of 7 user reviews

Only lasted 15 months

Pros: Easy to set up

Cons: Sub-par sound. Failed after only 15 months.

Review: Would not buy this product again. WOuld not recommend it to anyone.
User Rating:
2.0 stars

out of 7 user reviews

Audio failed in 1 year

Pros: I enjoyed surround sound but after the warrenty ended so did the audio

Cons: Phillips does not stand by their product. I called customer no service and was told you have it and if you want it fixed it would cost over one hundred dollars plus shipping. I CAN BUY A NEW UNIT FOR THIS AMOUNT.

Review: AUDIO Does not work, great picture!!!!!!!!!
User Rating:
1.5 stars

out of 7 user reviews

Pathetic Customer service

Pros: Good sound quality for the price

Cons: Lots of problems with IPod Dock.

Review: I got a first piece and the socket to which the docking cable is connected to the main unit came off because of poor manufacturing. I exchanged it and got another piece and I cannot control the Ipod using my remote. If the songs are selected from Ipod and played, it plays fine, but using remote, nothing works.

When I called the customer service they always tries to put the blame on me - saying you would not have connected th system properly and the unit works fine etc. When I said I am in the IT industry and have been pulling and pushing chords and plugs for 15 years and I need no special training to fit a music system, the answer I got was 'probably your Ipod is not working properly'.

Its a joke to have such a customer service where they dont understand the customer and always tries to put the blame on the customer. Hence I give a poor rating.
User Rating:
3.0 stars

out of 7 user reviews

Not bad, but I was a little disappointed in the clarity of the subwoofer and the rear speakers.

Pros: Great treble, front and center speakers, easy to mount on walls, looks good

Cons: Rear speakers sound like a 1930's radio, skip some, Subwoofer has a grainy sound

Review:
User Rating:
4.5 stars

out of 7 user reviews

AMAZING!!! WHAT MORE CAN I SAY?

Pros: Very good price, great sound, DVD player plays almost any format, very small, pretty easy to use, easy to mount

Cons: hard to setup speaker sound/configuration, the speakers do not hook up to any other blu-ray or hd-dvd system

Review: This is one great system! Excellent price!!! The best I've seen in the range. The speakers are very easy to mount. The system is very easy to setup (except for setting up speaker volume/configuration). Sound is amazing, including the sub woofer. The manufacturer says the power output is 1000W max, but doesn't go that high, maybe half the volume of that. Compared to other systems it is pretty small and no large amplifier to deal with. The sound compared to Sony or Pioneer does not equal, but it is still excellent quality. The only trouble I STILL have is to setup the configuration of the speakers. I mean the volume of the back speakers, centre speakers or front speakers. It still doesn't sound right; I will have to play around with the configuration until I get it the way I like. Too bad you can not adjust the volume of the individual speakers when a movie is on, which I do not like. It plays almost any format of DVD, including AVI. Also one other thing I do not like with this system is if you decide to buy blu-ray or hd-dvd system I don't think it can hook up to the speakers because this system does not have an amplifier, but I may be wrong. Otherwise, it’s an excellent system and I prefer it over RCA or Venturer or something similar. Philips is a great name.
User Rating:
4.0 stars

out of 7 user reviews

Very good for the price

Pros: Slim design for having both DVD/CD and AM/FM functions. Has sleep timer, ipod dock, very functional remote. Speakers are small but powerful.

Cons: No headphone jack, front L & R speaker wires aren't that long, volume at lowest setting is sometimes still too loud.

Review: You can't beat what this system offers for the price. I've been looking for something that's a DVD/radio combo that also lets you hook up an ipod to it for some time. These are selling at Target for $199, but I got mine on sale at Best Buy for $150. There's 2 things that keep this from being great: First, there's no headphone jack. I didn't even think to check this out prior to purchasing and found out the hard way when setting it up. The second thing is the ipod dock. When everything's on, the ipod runs off the same power the stereo's using - your electricity. Now I like to listen to some playlists on my ipod as I go to sleep. Although you can set the Philips system to shut off after a specific periods (15 min, 30 min, 60 min), once the system powers off the docked ipod begins running off its own battery. Unless you want a dead ipod a few hours later, that's not good. I did some research and found that ipods also have a sleep function. So, I've got to set the sleep function on both the Philips system AND the ipod to keep the ipod's power from draining overnight.

Nevertheless, the headphone jack and the ipod dock power issues are small potatoes compared to what this system offers for the price. The sound is excellent with just the right amount of bass (lots if you want it!). Bottom line: It's a good buy.
User Rating:
4.5 stars

out of 7 user reviews

EXCELLENT PLAYER BUY IT!

Pros: AWESOME SOUND, Many inputs, SPDIF in support for digital audio from computers, plays AVI files from disc

Cons: Pain to change sources without remote, bass a little weak, but fine for me

Review: This is an amazing set of speakers, each one is PLENTY LOUD. I'm a college student with a fairly small room, but I usually keep the volume to what is pretty loud in my room (People upstairs Identified we were watching 300 from just the sound) at volume levels 8-11, out of 40. Great player overall, but when the remote disapeared, it takes a few mins to go through all the sources from the unit... but that's not philips fault.

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Philips HTS3544/37 specifications

  • General
  • Product Type Home theater system
  • Dimensions (WxDxH) / Weight DVD player / AV receiver : 17.1 in x 12.2 in x 2.2 in / 8.8 lbs
  • Audio Features
  • Components Speaker system , DVD player / AV receiver
  • Surround System Class 5.1 channel
  • Amplifier Output Details 250.0 Watt - 4.0 channel(s) , 125.0 Watt - 2.0 channel(s)
  • Sound Output Mode Surround Sound
  • Built-in Decoders Dolby Digital , Dolby Pro Logic II , DTS decoder
  • Digital Sound Processor (DSP) Yes
  • Output Power / Total 1000.0 Watt
  • Additional Features USB direct input , iPod ready
  • Inputs & Outputs
  • Headphone Jack Yes
  • Coaxial Digital Input Yes
  • Equalizer
  • Equalizer Yes
  • Speaker System
  • Speaker(s) 4.0 x Center channel speaker - External - -19850.0 Hz - 3.0 Ohm - Wired , 1.0 x Subwoofer - External - -110.0 Hz - 6.0 Ohm - Wired , 1.0 x Satellite speaker - External - -19850.0 Hz - 3.0 Ohm - Wired
  • Tuner features
  • Type Radio tuner - AM/FM - Digital
  • Preset Station Qty 40.0
  • Turntable
  • Type None
  • DVD/Blu-ray features
  • Type DVD player
  • Media Format CD-R ( NTSC ) , CD-RW , DVD-RW , DVD-R , DVD+R , Video CD , DVD+R DL , SVCD , DVD , DVD+RW , CD
  • Video D/A Converter 12bit / 108MHz
  • Audio D/A Converter 24bit / 192kHz
  • Supported Digital Audio Standards PCM , WMA , MP3
  • Supported Digital Video Standards MPEG-1 , DivX , DivX Ultra , MPEG-2
  • Upscaling Yes
  • Output Resolution 1080i , 720p
  • Additional Features JPEG photo playback , Progressive scanning
  • CD System
  • Type None
  • Digital Player (Recorder)
  • Type Digital player
  • Supported Digital Audio Standards WMA , MP3
  • MD System
  • MD system type None
  • Remote Control
  • Remote Control Remote control
  • Miscellaneous
  • Included Accessories iPod cradle , 8 iPod dock adapters , Digital player docking station
  • Cables Included Audio cable
  • Power
  • Power Device Power supply - Internal
  • Dimensions & Weight (Shipping)
  • Width (Shipping) 21.9 in
  • Depth (Shipping) 12.4 in
  • Height (Shipping) 19.4 in
  • Weight (Shipping) 35.1 lbs
  • Manufacturer Warranty
  • Service & Support 1 year warranty
  • Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year