Philips HTS8140

HTS8140

Not a true replacement for a 5.1 system, but a fine performer that offers spectacular, hassle-free home cinema Read more

Philips HTS8140

Despite some size and cable issues, the HTS8140 is an impressively squashed down home cinema that produces the goods when it comes to both picture quality and surround sound. Its built-in upscaler means DVD pictures are pushed to near-HD standards, while Ambisound sprays audio effects to every corner of your room – a bit like your incontinent cat, only more pleasant. Read more

The inventors of construction toys such as LEGO or Meccano definitely knew about a child’s fascination and propensity to create something workable out of the few objects at hand. They simply took the fun of building a boat or a house out of a cardboard box one step further by providing neatly packaged, readily fitting pieces, allowing us to fully indulge our imaginations. Although the days of spending hours constructing miniature worlds are long gone, the cliché of... Read more

Group test: Soundbars under £500

We initially found that the higher frequencies on our test DVDs sounded a little thin, but the remote control allows you to quickly adjust treble and bass settings and it only took a few seconds to boost the treble a bit. Our only real complaint is that the 'ambisound' virtual surround sound system didn't seem terribly effective. The sound hovers in a kind of cloud between the listener and the soundbar, and doesn't really convey much sense of movement. However, versatile... Read more

Philips SoundBar HTS8140

If you're looking for a discrete budget system as equally at home with music as it is with movies then they don't come much better than the Philips SoundBar HTS8140. Read more