By Tim Pecunia 
Specifications:
The central unit of the Philips HTS3544 home theater system is both an AV receiver and a DVD player (with 720p, 1080i output resolution). This set consist of 4 satellite speakers, 1 center channel speaker and 1 sub-woofer. It is a 5.1 channel sound system and produce audio with 1000w of power. It also comes with a radio tuner that can save up to 40 radio station presets.
Design:
The Philips HTS3544 home theater system comes in silver and black. Except for the central unit/DVD player, the coloration of both models is similar (black). The front of the DVD player has a glossy surface. In the silver model, the surface has an almost mirror-like appearance. The speakers sport a very simple and minimalist design, rectangle in shape with black mesh in front. In fact they were so simple that I wish Phillips would add a little edge to it. Nevertheless, the design is practical and can easily blend in with other designs.
Features & Performance:
One of the biggest selling factor of the Philips HTS3544 home theater system will have to be its iPod dock. My iPod fits perfectly with the dock and it charges my iPod too while it is docked. The audio produced while playing some music directly from the iPod sounds great. In fact, we were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the audio produced by the Philips HTS3544 home theater system considering the price of this model. It can easily fill a small or medium sized room with rich and clear audio. I noticed that the sounds produced by the speakers are quite focused on the direction that the speakers are pointed. This is great as it prevents the sound from traveling into other parts of a house while it is on high volume. The DVD player also up-scale DVD movies to 1080i.
Overall:
For a home theater system that costs around $130 each (at the time of writing), the Philips HTS3544 home theater system proves to be a great buy, giving you great value for your money. If may not have some of the features found on $800 systems, but the audio quality produced is comparable to more expensive, high-end sound systems.
