Sony HTC-800DP Home Theater System

by Sony

Product Details

Product Manual [1.22mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 61 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000988XI
• Item model number: HT-C800DP
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #292,612 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 18, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Consisting of a space-saving combination DVD player and audio/video receiver powering a complete 5.1-channel speaker package, the 80-watts-per-channel HTC-800DP home theater spins DVD-Video movies as well as recordable CDs with your favorite MP3 music, filling your room with glorious surround sound. The system processes everything from DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 discrete surround signals to Dolby Pro Logic II, which generates multichannel surround from any stereo source--movie or music. The system's onboard 32-bit surround processor also features Sony's own Digital Cinema Sound System (Cinema Studio EX), broadening your surround listening possibilities.

Easy to assemble, the system includes all requisite cabling, and color-coded speaker connections simplify setup so you can enjoy your movies and music as quickly and accurately as possible.

Whether your living room is currently home to an HDTV or you're merely thinking of "someday," the HTC-800DP stands ready to deliver the full potential of your DVDs. Progressive scanning, referred to as 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts.

A composite-video input offers accompanying analog-audio inputs, accommodating most audio/video components and granting convenient AV switching: just channel the AV signals from your VCR or cable box (for instance) to the receiver, then route a single composite-video cable from the receiver's monitor output to your television.

You'll need to supply your own composite- and/or component-video cables, and keep in mind that you'll need both connections in order to appreciate both the progressive-scan feature and the AV switching--the component-video output works only with the DVD image. If you have an older TV you may require a video modulator to convert the receiver's composite-video (yellow RCA jack) signal to an RF signal (which uses a thicker, threaded jack).

The included speakers cover left, right, center, and left/right surround, along with a powerful, 100-watt subwoofer with a bass port for added low-frequency slam. A host of radio presets (20 FM, 10 AM) put all your favorite stations (and then some) right at your fingertips, and the receiver's amplifier uses discrete output transistors for clean, quality power.

Optional mounting brackets or speaker stands (models WS-WV10D and WS-FV10D, respectively) simplify speaker placement, the assumption being that you'll want to place the center-channel speaker atop your television for optimal dialogue matching. All speakers are magnetically shielded to prevent distortion when placed on or near your TV.

What's in the Box
Combination audio/video receiver and DVD player, SS-VE80P speaker package, SA-WMSP80 subwoofer, user's manual, all requisite speaker cable, and Remote Commander remote control.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid sound, great price, February 3, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Sony HTC-800DP Home Theater System (Electronics)

I hooked this system up to my TV last night and for the price, it delivers. Looks good, too! Sound is excellent, simple controls, easy to set up, clean design. The remote is a little unwieldy with too many buttons of the same size and shape. Maybe I'll get a universal. Watched MI-2 and this system rocks!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bought this system, good enough, January 12, 2004

By 

G. J. Quinn "gfryesc" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony HTC-800DP Home Theater System (Electronics)

This DVD player does have S-Video and Component inputs, though you have to buy the cables separately. I hooked it up (with the optional speaker stands that are sold separately) in good time. Sounds great (not that I'm a coniseur). I didn't give it 5 stars because they don't have optical audio inputs (I had to backtrack to Composite audio). Their remote control is pretty bad too. It lacks any kind of flair and the direction keys are tied in with the enter key, a annoyance of mine. May go with a universal remote. It was a fairly cheap home theatre from a good name.

3.0 out of 5 stars Good buy for the price, not issue free though, January 9, 2006

By 

J. C. Roth (Collinsville, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony HTC-800DP Home Theater System (Electronics)

For the price, this set up is pretty good. Sound and picture quality is great. The remote is pretty good too and was easily able to control my Sony TV. I eventually had to upgrade to a powered sub-woofer as the one included cannot handle deep bass at higher volumes.

One complaint is that I have not been able to find a universal remote that can control it. Each one I have gone through I had to custom program each button into the new remote. This is a small complaint since most integrated systems have this problem.

My biggest issue is with long term use. About 18 months after purchase (and only a 1 year warranty) I noticed the device would become sluggish after long periods of use. What I mean is the buttons would be slow to respond from the remote or on the face of the device. In an hour after this behavior starts, it progresses to be slower and slower until all buttons are unresponsive. An indicator is when watching a DVD and the time progression (HH:MM display) stops changing even the DVD is still playing. The only button that will respond is the Power button on the device -- stating Stand By on the display but either showing this message indefinitely or taking about 1 minute to power down. The only fix, verified by Sony support, is to Reset the system, which means unplugging it from the wall for 1 minute.

For watching TV it would take a couple of days of it being powered on, but for DVDs it would take around 6-8 hours of constant use. That is not saying much since it is a 5 DVD changer and in theory that may be 10+ hours of movies. It does not appear overheated, seems more like a software memory leak in the device itself.

In summary, when its working it is great, but it is hard to say how long that will last.