Features and Performance
Now, when you are splashing the cash for a soundbar that costs
Around $979 USD, then it is to be taken for granted that you are expecting some exciting features, top-notch connectivity options, and some awe-inspiring performance.
Thankfully, the designers at Philips also seem to have given these factors some thought, which is why this section of the review will probably be the longest.
Let’s first talk about the connectivity options. The PHILIPS FIDELIO B97 7.1.2 CHANNEL SOUNDBAR comes with the following connectivity options – The physical sockets run to a couple of HDMI in- puts and an eARC-enabled output – and there’s 4K HDR passthrough capability here too – plus a digital optical input and a 3.5mm analog socket. Where wireless is concerned, the Philips has Bluetooth 4.2, Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Play-Fi, and Spotify Connect all covered rest assured, no matter the kind of content you enjoy, the Fidelio
B97 soundbar has got you covered.
Now, let’s come to the feature set.
Philips has made it a point to highlight the feature set of the PHILIPS FIDELIO B97 7.1.2 CHANNEL SOUNDBAR and for good reason. Starting off, we have the DTS Play-Fi compatibility. For those of you who are new to this, DTS Play-Fi is basically an interoperability standard that allows you to perform multiroom streaming and high-res audio playback. At the time of writing this review, the DTS Play-Fi standard has great traction with US-based services, but support for other services should be expected in due time. An interesting thing to note here is that TP Vision, the organization that owns the Philips brand, has put a lot of weight on this DTS Play-Fi standard in their television lineup, so it remains to be seen how relevant they wish to make it in devices like this soundbar.
