We have several televisions in the house, like most families...but we have the "A" System in our Basement Den. That's a Sony 51" Widescreen TV, and various components that make up an outstanding, full blown 5.1 system. We have a smaller 32" Widescreen TV in our living room, which had just a DVD Player and a Super VHS Player hooked up to it with no surround system at all.
About a week ago, our DVD Player went on to the scrap heep...and I thought I might as well look at various Home Theater In A Box (HTIB) systems with a built in DVD Player. My daughter and I visited several stores, but we both knew that my wife wanted no wires hanging around the living room. So we either had to get something with wireless surround speakers or a 2.1 system that simulated 5.1. After not seeing anything we liked, I did some research and found this system at Amazon...and boy, am I glad we bought it!
The sound that comes from this system is just *phenominal*, and is an outstanding substitute for a full blown 5.1 system. The speakers are small and compact, yet deliver quite a punch; the sub-woofer delivers great lows as well. We tried it out with the opening scene from "Revenge of The Sith" and were absolutely blown away...it really did sound like a true 5.1 system with sounds all around you.
Next I tried out various formats (music DVDs, CDs, my iPod via the MP3 Direct connector, and various modes of Dolby Digital and DTS surround modes). They all worked *flawlessly* and produced superior sound and vision. I cannot tell you how impressed and happy my whole family is with this system, especially my wife who has no wires hanging around the TV or the living room.
While I don't have an HDMI interface on the TV for this system, here's what I used to get the most out of it. Since we have a digital cable box, I used the s-video out from that box into my TV and connected the Digital Coax output to the proper input on the Philips system. I also used the component video outputs on the Philips and hooked them up to my TV. The speakers and subwoofer were a breeze to set up as well. After making the recommended adjustments by Philips to make the set up work for my living room, it was on to some great entertainment!
The remote is easy to use, and going from one input/output in the system to another is a snap. Other reviewers may have problems with the sound, but if you follow the instructions and adjust the surround experience to the proper type of music and/or DVD Theme (Action, Sci-Fi, Drama, etc) you will be delighted. Another plus for this system is the fact that it plays PAL DVDs from Europe and converts them to NTSC format flawlessly. Caveat: They must be Region 0; however, there is a work around via a handset hack which will allow you to play any region and make this a true multi region/format player as well. Just do a Google on the topic, and you'll find out how to do this. It works, too! I also purchased an extended warranty from Philips which adds another two years to the existing warranty for about $50 USD.
This system is perfect for small rooms in the house, a dorm room, or if you want no cluttering of wires with amazing sound.
Highly recommended!