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Philips HTL9100 SoundBar announced with detachable speakers for 5.1 surround

Philips brings the Fidelio seal of quality to its first home cinema soundbar - the HTL9100 can detach its satellites to create a wireless 5.1 setup

Philips has expanded the Fidelio high-quality audio brand to its home cinema range with the launch of the HTL9100 sound bar. It has a hybrid design that lets you detach the far left and right speakers to create a 5.1 speaker system.

Sound bars that turn into surround sound systems are nothing new, but Philips has an ace in the hole with the HTL9100 – the detachable satellites have integrated batteries, which means you can place them anywhere in a room for up to ten hours at a time, without needing to re-wire the system or find extra plug sockets. When reconnected to the main sound bar, they recharge automatically.

The separate subwoofer also uses the same wireless connectivity, letting you plug it in on the other side of a room to the sound bar itself. As long as you have power, you’ll be able to pair the two.

With two HDMI inputs, the sound bar has room for a Blu-ray player and set top box, or two games consoles. It also includes Bluetooth wireless music streaming, letting you pair a smartphone or tablet for cable-free playback.

We think wireless satellites are a fantastic idea, as it means not having to worry about cables when you want to watch a film or enjoy a game in true 5.1 surround sound, but revert back to the sound bar layout for watching TV or listening to music. We’ll be taking a closer look as soon as we get an HTL9100 into the labs.

The HTL9100 will is on sale in the UK now, with an RRP of £699, although we’ve already found it on Amazon for less.

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