Customer Reviews

Philips HTS9800 DVD Home Theater System

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Purchased one of these last week and am very happy with it. Setup is truly a snap and it looks like a million bucks in my living room. One minor nit to pick seems to be the unit's sensitivity to voltage flucuations in that it temporarily goes into standby when I turn on my television (even manually). I have yet to test whether this is a voltage issue or if the unit does this automatically based on an impedance load to the video output, in which case it would be intentional. So far the unit has digested all discs I have thrown at it and while it is not the speediest mechanism in the world it is very surefooted once it makes up its mind. A headphone jack, alas, is not included. I do, however, appreciate the inclusion of SACD and feel Philips should be commended for making a unit that is as easy to setup as it is beautiful to look at. The unit sounds extremely good and the dipolar nature of the radiators (speakers) means the surround tends to 'follow' you if you are not within the specific field of sound. The ribbon tweeters are exceptionally smooth (never calling attention to themselves; which is the highest compliment I can pay a tweeter) and their coaxial location helps contribute to a very palpable 3 dimensional field when listening to stereo or three track sources. This is a rare bird indeed, an (almost) all-inclusive system that performs as well for critical listening (although not at ear-splitting levels) as it does for home theatre because its DVD performance has so-far been stellar. I don't know that I want to throw away my 963SA just yet, but this is easier to use and not nearly as idiosyncratic as the old system. The owner's manual is top notch and overall build is quite convincing for a unit that might be considered mid/low level by some AV snobs. Let them snob then, it'll leave more of these for the rest of us and can be our little secret as I feel this unit must represent one of the best values in HTIB (Home Theater in a Box). And you have to admit she is a looker. Maybe in the next iteration they can make the whole front panel a menu-driven LCD touch-screen to include wireless internet, video and home control; throw in Blu-Ray and it would be downright irresistible.

Slight differences might exist between the U.S. version and the European version. I was forced to buy the European because this system can not handle dual voltage and I'm currently in Europe.

That said, the rear channels are not wireless, as the description would have you believe. While there is no need to run a wire that connects the back channels to the subwoofer (Where the front channels feed into) there are wires to a wireless reciever box, which means you have at least one wire hanging down from the rear center speaker (since there is no speaker stand for that channel) and possibly from the other two rear channels if you choose to mount them on the walls rather than mounting them on the stands (The stands then have wires which connect to the reciever box).

My speakers are also black with silver and clear trim rather than all silver like the picture currently shows. The wires that hang from the main control panel are huge and black and nearly impossible to make look neat without a rather large wire channel to camoflauge them or unless you use the stand rather than mounting it to the wall.

Now, all those nits aside, it is a fantastic sounding system. Full and rich, even though many of the movies out on DVD are not taking advantage of 6.1 surround yet, which is a pity since both it and 7.1 systems are now in production. The subwoofer can probably rattle out your fillings if you get too uppity with the bass settings.

Overall, I'm really happy with the purchase. I just wish it was a little more obvious that wireless isn't really wireless with this kit.

Edit on May 1, 2007 - After several months of using this system, I'd downgrade it to a three, maybe a little less. The wireless interference produced by this unit is insane. You can not use a wireless internet connection while the rear receiving box is operating. I've changed settings on my internet router on several occasions and have not been able to get an unconflicted setting that allows me to have this unit switched on AND surf the net and even in a three story house there isn't one spot that isn't effected by this, so even if I'm in the bedroom upstairs and my husband is watching a DVD, I can't get connected on wireless.

If this isn't an issue for you, it's a great product, but with more and more people using wifi devices shame on Philips for putting out a product that causes this sort of interference on other devices.

Too bad I can't do 4.5 stars. I picked this up a couple weeks ago and am really happy with it. The speakers are only about 1.5" thick and you can hang them on the wall to complement your 4" thick tv. The controls are a bit strange and the "On" button is different than the "off" button. The wireless is great and it's a piece of cake to put together. The screen is a little difficult to read from more than 6' away being that it's blue on black. Packaging is superb. Just pick up a HDMI cable to run from this to your HDTV and you're all set!

Edit 12/15/06 - This item causes interference with Nintendo Wii controllers! Avoid this product if you have or are thinking of getting a Wii! I'm really disappointed!!

The front speakers sound decent. The sound is quite good for speakers that are only 1" thick.

The wireless feature helps keep cables neat, but the sound quality is terrible. There is a constant computerized buzzing noise in the back channels, even when the wireless unit is placed right beside the base unit, and despite changing the wireless channel as directed in the installation guide.

The upright design of the base unit is innovative, but not necessarily functional. The unit stands a little over a foot high, so it may not fit in your standard home entertainment console. You cannot tip the unit on its side. The whole base unit is very light.

The DVD drive has trouble loading and ejecting discs. The display is virtually impossible to read in the daytime due to the glossy surface of the base unit and the dim output of the blue on black LED display.

The biggest problem is a conflict between the remote control for this unit, and the remote for my Philips TV. Both devices use the same IR codes to turn on/off, change volume, change inputs, etc. So whenever I turn on my DVD player with the remote while the TV is on, the TV turns off. Also, if I am trying to change the input on the DVD unit to play the TV audio, the TV changes to a different input (ie broadcast TV or other). Very frustrating.

And, worst of all, the documentation for the product and its remote is completely insufficient. Just as bad is the fact that their phone support is just as clueless.

You can probably find better for your money. If you are an audio afficionado, try listening to wireless speakers before you buy these.

I'm a person who usually researches my electronics before making a purchase. Took a chance with the Philips HTS9800 because of its unique design and was generally very please for the first week or so.

However, after several days of real usage, I notice two huge flaws. First, the system interferes with wireless routers, effective knocking out your internet connection throughout the house. Troubleshooted with philips' TERRIBLE customer service for over an hour to no avail. Second, the unit is very glitch, having minor difficulty rotating through different inputs and occasionally powering off upon hitting buttons on the remote control. Looks like Philips quality control is not up to par with its foreign counterparts. Product testing should eliminate any conflicts with my standard netgear equipment and I am very disappointed that I only can use the hometheatre or the internet at separate times (other solution is to unplug and cut power to the rear wireless unit)

System sounds great when in use, definitely for the price. The look is fabulous and always impresses guests, especially the blue lit touch console standing upright. Just beware of potential conflict and issues and you many still find this system to be a good value. Though I have my gripes, I havent returned it or replaced it with anything else as of yet.

After taking this product out of the packaging I was very impressed with the looks of the system. Thankfully, setting it up was also VERY easy to do. Sound quality on DVDs is great, however there is one problem I'm having that I have yet to find an answer on. My wifi connection to my laptop shuts off completely when the system is turned on. This is clearly a problem if I am thinking about using the internet while watching a movie (which I'm prone to do). Also, there is a buzzing from the rear speaker when playing xbox360, and I suspect this is either interference from my wifi router or the wireless controllers (I believe they run at 2.4ghz as well).
Looks and sound quality are top notch for a HTIB and with easy setup like this and a great price it's a pretty easy buy. Just beware video games and wireless internet is my advice. Hopefully I find a way to fix this.. :(

It gives great sound. I havent used it with a projector or other video yet, but the multi channel sacd's sound great on it.

It did jam on me once, and I had to switch it off and on again. This scared me and I hope it doesnt happen again.

I find it difficult to insert the disc into the disc-feeder

Easy to set up and operate!

The much heralded CES 2007 product of the year is a dud. I'm sure that Philips did not engineer in a breakdown of my speaker port within 15 months of manufacture. However, such a simple failure resulted in the necessity to replace the main unit at almost the same cost as originally paid for the entire system.

So, i) no courtesy warranty fix, ii) no ability to repair the existing unit and iii) exorbitant replacement of defective unit.

Bad, bad, bad.

First of all I should have stuck with sony, Phillips though the sound is good. The DVD doesn't unconvert, or if it does it won'ton my TV. My $79 toshiba does as does my Directv receiver...... Also selecting the source is a pain, it loads incredibly slow and you can't see anything on the display.

PRO's - looks and sound

Con's - price, inability to unpconvert (yes I used HDMI), Slow and not user friendly

Good: Design and appearance, overall setup is top notch.
Plays everything (avi, mpeg, xvid, divx except wmv and rm)

Bad: As someone pointed out before the rear speakers are not completely wireless. They have wires
coming out from all 3 speakers to a remote console box where it transfer frequencies to the front player.

Overall a good solid player to add it next to your shiny XBR3 (Has that similar piano black fininshing)