Zenith XBS444 250-Watt Home Theater System with Progressive-Scan DVD/VCR Combo

by Zenith

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 40 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00023CFBW
• Item model number: XBS444
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,798 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

It may be small in size, but Zenith's XBS444 home theater produces cinematic and musical excitement that's larger than life. The system consists of a combination DVD player/VHS player-recorder with an integrated surround receiver and FM tuning, five 2-way satellite speakers (left, center, right and left/right surround), and a 50-watt powered subwoofer to drive home the dramatic low-end frequencies.

Whether your living room is currently home to a high-definition-ready or HDTV or if you're merely thinking of "someday," the XBS444's DVD component 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.

The integrated surround receiver decodes DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1-channel surround sound and processes stereo and music sources with Dolby Pro Logic II, generating enveloping, 5.1-channel surround from any 2-channel input. You can also choose from a suite of nine DSP (digital signal processing) algorithms to further tailor the sound to your taste or programming preferences.

This system is made to handle music, too: just pop in a CD-R or CD-RW full of MP3 music files and sit back to enjoy up to 10 hours of your favorite digital music.

The XBS444's 4-head VHS design ensures smooth slow-motion play (forward and reverse) and clear still-frame images. And, with hi-fi sound, the unit records and plays back stereo audio tracks. Its 19-micron heads deliver the clearest possible picture when recording or viewing in EP (extended-play) mode, and a handy one-touch-record button lets you tape programs "on the fly."

With 250 watts total power (40 watts per channel) and a 7-inch driver on the subwoofer, you'll enjoy dynamic, ultra-clear sound. All speakers are ma genetically shielded to prevent image distortion when placed near a television, and a .125-inch headphone jack lets you listen at night or in private. The system includes an FM antennas, and its phase-lock-looped tuner offers 30 memory presets to keep all your favorite FM/AM radio stations within a finger's reach.

What's in the Box
DVD player/VCR/amplifier unit, 5 satellite speakers, 1 subwoofer, remote control, remote batteries, a user's manual, stereo analog audio interconnect/composite-video cable, subwoofer interconnect, requisite speaker cabling, an FM antenna, foot pads for the speakers, a registration card, and warranty information.

Product Description

250-Watts of total power, this Home Theatre In a Box also boasts a Progressive Scan DVD player. Disc Playability includes: DVD, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, CD, CD-R/RW, MP3, JPEG, Kodak Picture CD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great value! Nice performance when on a budget, May 15, 2005

By 

Carolyn McKenzie "Read-a-holic" (Wauwatosa, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Zenith XBS444 250-Watt Home Theater System with Progressive-Scan DVD/VCR Combo (Electronics)

When we bought our new bigscreen TV, we shot our budget on the TV itself, and then were disappointed in the sound it produced. I checked at Best Buy, at Circuit City, and at Target, but found Amazon to offer the best value for this product, which seemed to suit my needs very well.

It arrived on two days, a nice surprise. Out of the box, the only thing it did not include was the special Y Pr Pb cable needed for my HD-ready TV, but that was easily found at the local Radio Shack. If you are buying this at Amazon, however, you might want to buy the cable at the same time.

The set up instructions were well-written and easy to follow, even for a non-techie like me. Within 15 minutes, I had Monty Python and the Holy Grail blasting in my rec room. Piece of cake!

The combination DVD/VCR saves space and offers both formats with only one hook up. This makes for fewer cables and connections. In fact, I still have plenty of connections to add a video game system and my old BetaMax (which is still in like new condition) and have a complete video system. The picture quality of both DVD & VCR is very good.

The sound quality is better than I expected for the price. Aesthetically, the unit is pleasing, and the speakers small and inobtrusive. I feel like I got a lot for my money, and if you are just looking for something to pump up the volume a little, this might be a good purchase for you, too. I am certain that a true audiophile would find fault with this, but to my untrained ear, my movies and CDs sound great!

The remote seems a bit hard to learn, but I am certain I will get used to it. All functions are menu driven, and the menu seems easy enough. It is just getting used to what button does what that I need to practice.

Overall, I can't believe that I got this much sound and function for under $200 including shipping! Looking for a home theater system that won't break the bank? You found it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Mechanical Disaster, October 7, 2005

By 

John DeBoer (Bloomington, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zenith XBS444 250-Watt Home Theater System with Progressive-Scan DVD/VCR Combo (Electronics)

Lesson learned with this item? Always buy a service plan. I bought this DVD/VCR home theatre in December 04 and Right after the warranty went out in May 05 of course the entire system broke down. The machine would turn on and after 5 minutes the subwoofer would start making a thumping sound and the whole apparatus would shut off. After being off for about an hour the whole process started over again. Luckily the parts were still under warranty so I took it to my local guy and he has had it since then (it is now October 05 of this writing) and he hasn't been able to figure out whats wrong with it. He also informed me that three other XBS444's have been turned in all of them doing the same thing. I haven't heard anything of a recall but I want my 250 investment FIXED NOW! I have had the same problem with most things I have bought at Circuit City and Best Buy, and they want you to cough up the extra 200 bucks because they won't stand behind the products they sell. My Desktop Computer in 2000, my DVD/VCR in 2004, and my Laptop in 2005 all died after 6 months to a year of use. Luckily by the time I got to the laptop I wised up to the game. Everything is designed to break once. So get a service plan. (PS when it worked the machine was fine and all the features were wonderful, however the timer on the VCR would only allow you to record one programed event, and then it would eject the tape, so you can't leave for a week and expect it to tape 7 hours of material at different times)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great features for the price!, March 1, 2005

By 

R. Fitch (Durham, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Zenith XBS444 250-Watt Home Theater System with Progressive-Scan DVD/VCR Combo (Electronics)

I bought this system for two reasons; price and features.
I can switch between DVD, VCR and radio all on the front of the machine and I can change channels and chapters. Most systems just have play and stop on the front.
The power is perfect for an apartment environment. Just enough to still sound great.
The only ding I give this unit at this time is that it only seems to decode 5.1 channel audio in DVD mode. Surround sound channels from my cable box end up only in stereo, but the MATRIX setting works OK to send sound to all the speakers.