Home > Consumer Reviews > Philips HTS3544 Home Theater System with iPod Connectivity (Silver)

The Philips HTS3555 is a great system. I have the HTS3544 which is basically the same system. It gets great sound and I've had this for a few months and I just discovered the best feature about it : It can be an all region dvd player. Here is what to do : 1. Turn on system and go to DVD mode 2. Open dvd tray 3. using remote, press Stop, 7, 3, 4, 4, 6, and 6. At bottom left of screen, you'll see "region : 1" press 0. Now you've got an all region dvd player. My Model Number is HTS3544, and this one is HTS3555 and even though they are the same system, they still contain different model numbers. So, I went to my Local store, who has HTS3555 (this one I am writing a review on) on display with a remote. I tried this code out and it works on HTS3555 as well. HTS3555 and HTS3544 are basically the exact same system just with 2 different model numbers. Anyways, this is a great home theater system.

This system is a great buy overall. It includes all the standard features you'd expect from a home theater, with some nice extras. I recently started watching a lot of TV shows online, and many of them are in DivX format. The Philips HTS3544 allows me the freedom to burn the shows I download onto a DVD and watch them on my TV screen. There's also a USB port in the front of the DVD/receiver where I can plug in a jump drive or external hard drive and show my pictures on my television. Lastly, my favorite thing about my new home theater system is the iPod dock. I know this is pretty much standard now for systems like this one, but I have spent the last two years using an 1/8″ to RCA adapter on the back of my ten year old stereo (also a Philips-Magnavox). The dock allows me to control my iPod Nano with its remote control, and charges my MP3 player while I'm playing my favorite music.

Drawbacks? The initial setup was a pain in the [...], or rather the thumbs. I literally had to hammer the connection cords from the speakers into the back of the DVD/receiver. Otherwise, everything was relatively simple (plenty of cord length!). The remote is a little tricky to learn at first, especially the "dock" function, which controls my iPod. Also, the dock itself is a little flimsy in construction, and I would suggest you dig out the box your iPod came in and use the cradle adapter you got from Apple.

How does it sound? Phenomenal for the price. The dynamic range and overall volume is more than enough for my medium-sized living room/kitchen area. And the great thing (at least in my opinion) is that the speakers, though they are plenty loud, seem to only project their sound in the direction they are pointed. This means that my 2 1/2 year old daughter can sleep soundly upstairs while my wife and I watch an action movie nice and loud. The sub-woofer, of course, bleeds through walls a bit, but that's just the nature of sound (low frequency sound travels through solid objects more easily). Speaking of the sub-woofer... it's just enough for my taste. It doesn't have a separate volume control like my old system did, but I'm okay with that. Some users who like more bass (read: too much) may want to opt out on this one, but I think most everyone will be satisfied.

This system sounds more solid than it looks. The subwoofer and the satellites are muscular for their size, the sound is clear and tight, with warmer bass than I expected. My iPod Nano docks happily, and I can control it fine with the Philips remote, with no setup. It isn't very flexible, in terms of wiring, but if you just want to fill a room with good surround sound for minimal hassle, this is a great buy.

I decided to go ahead and get a Philips after reading the reviews, good and bad. One thing that struck me about the negative reviews were the complaints about the wires and how they couldn't be changed from the factory set. Well duh. This is not a theater that techno geeks would be satisfied with. If you want to complain, buy your own components from the groud up and have a ball. For most of us middle of the roaders, this is great. With the color coding on the speakers, I found it amazing how easy it was to set up. I was asking myself, "Is that all I have to do?" I think I took longer to set up because I wasn't sure it was that easy! I was watching my Liberia Angel Voices video in less than a half hour. I couldn't get over how I could hear all the nuances of their treble voices and the instrumentals.

It misses 5 stars because for some reason, the composite video cable only gave me a black and white picture. Super sound. I mean stupendous sound but for some reason, I now had a black and white TV? Before packing things up and returning the unit, I decided to splurge on an s-video cable ($5) and see what happened. Well, I got my color back. S-video gives a better signal anyway so I am happy. The dvd tray is a little flimsy but for the price, oh well.

As I said, for a middle of the road or even low end unit, I am having a blast listening to my music videos, dvd's and cd's. I also tried that little trick about changing the unit to an all region capable set, that M Felix wrote about, and to my excitement, IT WORKED! That trick is worth the price. I buy a lot of foreign dvd's and have had no problem except for the latest one. Now, I can watch it and enjoy the sound and picture quality even more.

Even though I've only had my unit for a day, I highly recommend this unit. I have no complaints, especially using the IPod dock. I hadn't used the Ipod in a long time because I got tired of the ear plugs/ear phones. Even the battery had run down from disuse. But, after connecting the dock and placing my Ipod in the dock, after five minutes of charging, my library of tunes came out crystal clear and filled the room. You gotta love that.

Enjoy yours. I know I will mine.

I have owned the product for over a month now and it is amazing. I bought it to hook it up to my computer and tv in my apartment and it does an incredible job. There is not a better home theater system out there for the price. It is by far the best deal available if you aren't a spendthrift. I have heard home theater systems from many brands including a $4000 Bose system and the sound quality of the best systems out there is not worth the price difference. The speakers on the Philips unit have more than enough wiring so they will work in any room. The sound is very crisp and the surround sound is awesome. The only thing that does not completely satisfy me is the sub woofer. It provides sufficient bass, but I am used to driving in a car with two 12" 800watt subs. For home theater sub it is still pretty good.