Audio Video News

Some people like their home theater components big and imposing. Some like them small and cute. For the latter demographic, Philips has introduced the CinemaOne.

Very round and very cute, the CinemaOne contains a CD/DVD player, iPod dock, USB input, five-channel amplifier, six speakers and a 4-inch subwoofer. All that fits into "a single stylish box the size of a football" (since Philips isn't an American company, I assume they meant soccer ball). In any case, for the sports impaired, the unit measures 10.75 inches across, and 6.75 high.

How do you get surround sound from a central point?

Philips claims it provides "a great surround sound experience caused by six precisely angled speakers which are positioned around the body of the CinemaOne." Moreover, it uses Philips' proprietary sound and array processing technology "to create a realistic and immersive cinema sound effect with distinct and clear dialogue, a convincingly wide sound stage and powerful deep bass."

In other tech news, the DVD player reads DivX, MPEG-4, and WMV, and upscales to 1080p over HDMI; the CD player can read MP3. The unit can process Dolby Digital, DTS, MPEG2 multichannel or stereo sound tracks. The iPod can be controlled via the unit's remote control while all track information can be accessed via the TV screen. It also offers the display of jpeg photos and includes flip, rotate, slideshow and zoom functions.

Did I mention it's cute? -Ken C. Pohlmann