I’m really excited to unveil the HT-FS1, a new 2.1 home theater package from Sony that should be a strong seller. We don’t have confirmation of regional availability, but there is a possibility that the FS1 may launch in Europe first and eventually see release elsewhere. The FS1 is nearly identical to the very popular HT-CT100 (click link for great review to give you a general idea of what the FS1 will be like), but instead of a sound bar it has two front speakers. The output of the FS1 is 200W, and the Tuner and Amp are built into the Subwoofer. The HDMI Repeater (3 in/1 out), 3 optical inputs, analog audio options and DMPORT should handle most modern small home theater configurations. As a HT-CT100 owner myself I must tell you that when you pair this with a Sony Bravia it works wonderfully and sounds fantastic, and the I/O options cannot be beat for the price.
This is a 2CH LPCM capable device, and has support for Dolby Digital/ DTS / Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Prologic (ll / llx), and Dolby Dual Mono / 96k / 24Bit PCM. The only difference known to Sony Insider between the HT-FS1 and the HT-CT100 (aside from having two speakers and therefore being a 2.1 system) is that the FS1 will include a RDS FM/AM tuner, a further indication this may be Europe-only. We’ve also spotted in the supplied FS1 picture that there is an AAC icon on the base unit, which is rather strange. Pricing information isn’t available at this time, but as the HT-CT100 costs about $299USD it would be expected to cost something similar. The FS1 should appear in Europe in Autumn, possibly next week. This information is a Sony Insider exclusive, brought to you here first.
Since the FS1 and CT100 are nearly identical, we already have a general idea what the back of the subwoofer will look like:
