Philips HTS6515

...purchased this to replace my Philips HTS3357 as I wanted to downsize (the rear speakers were huge).

One of the reasons I opted for this particular model was the fact that it is a stunning piece of kit. I have wall mounted it below my 42" LCD TV and it looks fab. The DVD draw design is equally impressive the way it swings round, although how durable it is remains to be seen! The whole thing is glossy black and the DVD tray has a ...
...Unfortunately it also leaves it prone to scratching and finger marks, so keep a lint free cloth close by to keep it looking nice and shiny.

My first impressions were mixed, my older player upscaled to 1080i, whereas this upscales to 1080p. To be honest the picture on this isn't as good, and is a little disappointing as I was expecting an improvement over one of their older models. The picture isn't quite as 'clear' (slightly grainy) ... more

I purchased this to replace my Philips HTS3357 as I wanted to downsize (the rear speakers were huge).

One of the reasons I opted for this particular model was the fact that it is a stunning piece of kit. I have wall mounted it below my 42" LCD TV and it looks fab. The DVD draw design is equally impressive the way it swings round, although how durable it is remains to be seen! The whole thing is glossy black and the DVD tray has a halo of light around it when switched on, very futuristic! Unfortunately it also leaves it prone to scratching and finger marks, so keep a lint free cloth close by to keep it looking nice and shiny.

My first impressions were mixed, my older player upscaled to 1080i, whereas this upscales to 1080p. To be honest the picture on this isn't as good, and is a little disappointing as I was expecting an improvement over one of their older models. The picture isn't quite as 'clear' (slightly grainy) and the colours looked a little 'washed-out' with some skin tones particularly affected. Don't get me wrong, the picture is still crisp in comparison to most players, and the colours don't 'run' into each other (had this problem on a different player), but compared to the HTS3357 it is not as good.

Although this is advertised as giving a 5.1 surround sound from only 2 speakers, I never expected it to deliver in this area - I wasn't disappointed. There is no 2.1 system available that can deliver a true 5.1 surround experience, so if that is what you are after I suggest you look elsewhere.

This gives an improvement on the sound on your TV, and that is how it should be viewed. There is plenty of bass from the rather large woofer (could use it as a small coffee table) lol. The 2 speakers give a nice well-defined sound with clear, crisp tones that are pleasing to the ear, with no distortion evident. The sound is well-balanced and there are some audio options available in the menu.

The remote control is as black and glossy a the player, a little narrow and long for my liking and easily dropped as it's so shiny. Definately room for improvement there.

Overall this is a good quality product from a well-trusted brand. If you can get one of these relatively cheaply then go for it, otherwise wait until it's replacement is here (sometime in June I believe), the price will almost certainly drop then. This would get 11/10 on looks, however that would make my review a little biased. 8/10 only losing marks for the picture quality. 

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