The Philips HT-S3544 is a five star, 5.1 home theater system. It is 1000 watts of power thanks to Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro-Logic II and DTS surround–sound. It has a progressive scan DVD player which up-converts to 1080 pixels for a HD resolution premium picture. It has an iPod docking station that charges the iPod, as well as plays your favorite movies and music. It can also display photos and play music from USB flash drives.

This system has the ability to play several different disc types including: DVD video, SVCD, VCD, DVR-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, CD, CD-R DVD+RW. It plays MPEG2, WMA, JPEG, MP3 and MPEG1 files. It has a remote control that will control all the features. It has a digital audio and coaxial inputs and HDMI, composite, component and video outputs. The AM/FM tuner has 40 presets.

The Philips HT-S3544 has a warm sound, a deep base and a super price. Another great feature of this unit is the ability to play home burned DVDs from your computer so you can watch them on your TV. This home entertainment system gives the Panasonic SC-PT460, the Samsung HT-TZ315 with tower speakers, the Sony HT-SS1300 and the Sony DAV-DZ660 with tower speakers, some stiff competition. They are all good systems but there are pros and cons to be considered when comparing systems; most of the time it comes down to personal preferences as far as extra features, the amount of base and the quality of the sound compared to other systems. Several factors should be considered like room size, the position of the speakers and how much music you listen too and how much video you watch.

Most consumers are also concerned with the amount of time it takes to set up any system; they want to do it quickly and without issues. This Philips system can be set up in less than thirty minutes, thanks to ample cord length and clear instructions. The addition of the iPod deck on the Philips system does add a lot of perceived value to this system, however some consumers say the deck is flimsy and needs support. Some reviews have mentioned the Philips HT-S3544 remote is hard to use because the buttons are too small. Other reviews point out that the sub-woofer does not have its own volume control, the bass is a little weak and the back speakers are not wireless. Another review says it needs an optical input for external players like Blue Ray and HD-DVD.

As you can see the issues mentioned are not reasons not to buy this system, they are points to consider when you shop the competition. Most of the reviewers gave this system a five star rating and the lowest rating was a four star because the review could not find the owners manual in the box.

There are a lot of choices when it comes to home theater systems. They all have great features, although some are a better value when you consider the extras like iPod decks and wireless speakers. It does make sense to shop the market before you purchase one, there are some bargains available when you know what to look for and what you can live with, from a budget point of view.