Hands on: The Philips CinemaOne home theatre

We reported yesterday on the new Philips CinemaOne home theatre systems, which it claims is one of the smallest complete home entertainment centres in the world.

TechRadar had a chance to get a decent hands-on with the little tyke, and found a box-ticker in nearly all departments.

Well, it certainly is tiny, and to be honest, does indeed punch above the weight you'd expect from a box the size of two dog dinner bowls stacked on top of each other.

The bass from the built in four inch sub-woofer is pleasant if not spectacular, and the four speakers do create a wider feel of sound than a single device would suggest.

All directions

However, given Philips' efforts into virtual surround sound, you might expect better from the omni-directional device.

But with a price tag of just £320 for a whole cinema system, there's very little criticism you can throw at this little system.

It would be, without a shadow of a doubt, perfect for a smaller room or budget, where cost or space won't allow a full 5.1 set up.

Add to that the array of connectivity in the HDMI port, iPod dock, USB 2.0, 3.5mm jack and DVD player, along with the standard analogue inputs too, and this would be great for someone who bought a HD-Ready TV and then thought: "Hmm...now what?"

Available from September, box-room owners should run out and get one ASAP.