Philips Soundbar HTS8140

Its been a while since we reviewed a Philips product. Of course, that doesn’t mean we've forgotten the company, considering its reputation as a brand. Indeed, I have here with me a cool-looking innovative home theater system. This single ‘Soundbar’ (model HTS8140) is a horizontal speaker system with an integrated DVD player, and that pretty much makes up the full HTS. Oh, there's a huge subwoofer too.

Design and Build
The system comprises two units: a sturdy, heavy subwoofer and a broad horizontal unit that has the DVD drive in the centre and the speakers on the sides. The sub is a straight-edged rectangular unit, with the top surface sporting a glossy black finish. The sides have a soft cloth wraparound finish that stops short about two inches from the top panel. These top two inches have a brushed metal finish.

The unit looks very stylish; even the rear is covered in cloth, concealing the driver. The unit is backward firing, and the reflex port too is positioned on the back panel. The overall finish is superb, and once you look at the Soundbar, it only get better.

The speaker grilles are neat and seamlessly merged on to the unit on its sides, while the center has a glossy control panel. Once switched on, it acts as a touchscreen surface for various control buttons like volume, eject, source select etc. This full panel slides to the right when ‘eject’ is pressed, exposing the vertically mounted DVD drive.

The Soundbar exudes style, and the white touch-sensitive buttons on the smooth black surface only makes it look classier.