Philips MCD735/37 HTIB By John Higgins   •   December, 2006

• $250
• 12-bit/108-MHz video processing
• DVD, (S)VCD, MP3, WMA, CD(RW), and Picture CD
• 200 watts RMS total power

Very often, home-theater-in-a-box speakers are something to be hidden on the shelves or, at the very least, put by a work of art that takes the visual emphasis away from the silver plastic box. With the Philips MCD735/37 Micro Theater, that work of art will have some fierce competition. All of the speakers—four satellites, a center, and a subwoofer—have a wood finish that adds a warm feel to the unit and might blend into a room more easily than the usual silver found with most systems. Adding to the distinctive look is the two-module component setup. The system comes with a top-loading DVD player that is designed to sit on a separate power amp. Included is a stand meant to minimize vibration and overheating from the player and the amp. When a disc is playing, a blue light illuminates the disc. While it's elegant looking, the extra light could be a distraction while you're watching a movie, so you'll need to take system placement into consideration. Another reason placement is an important consideration is due to the top-loading DVD player. The player's clear lid stylishly swings up to allow access to the disc but requires space above the unit for the lid to open.

The DVD player won't read all types of burned discs, but it can recognize Picture CDs, MP3s, and Windows Media CDs. You can send the video to your display through component cables—unfortunately, there are no digital video outputs—and the player can send the sound out digitally through coaxial or optical outputs. At higher volumes, the sound through the speakers gets a little crunched in the middle, and the bass at times is overbearing. But, at lower listening levels, these issues are not as apparent.

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