Bang & Olufsen’s Budget HDTV April 30, 2007
Read more Gizmodo UK , HDTV , Home Entertainment , TV
Bang & Olufsen, purveyor of high-class home entertainment porn, has added another sleek model to its stable of high-def tellys. And, with a price tag of just £1,800 [excluding stand – this is B&O, after all] this 26in HDTV is considered to be the ‘affordable’ model.
That sleek black and silver finish surrounds a display with a 1366x768 pixel resolution, contrast ratio of 1200:1, a 6ms response time and brightness of 500cd/m2. There’s only one HDMI input though, which I think is just plain stingy for a luxury TV these days. Hell, most other makers offer two now, and some, even three. There’s also no digital TV tuner.
You can expect the BeoVision 8 to sound great though, thanks to two, 2in midrange/tweeter drivers and one 4in center bass loudspeaker driver. The company says that it can even be used as a dedicated PC monitor – jump now for a photo.
Still, you don’t go for B&O for a bargain, and this is a pretty smart looking HDTV from a company with a pedigree in design and quality. You can even get that funky stand if you shell out an extra £200.-Martin Lynch
[B&O]
Editor and Contributor | Martin Lynch
RSS Feed
Comments
Hmm. Here's the thing. I've always thought B&O products were rather underwhelming. Sound is often compromised by the need for everything to be thin, and I once had a B&O employee in a salesroom agree with me that there were a whole lot of frequencies missing.
Same thing with their TVs, more or less. In the days when we all bought CRTs, all the interior designers I knew had B&O TVs, and the picture quality was always way less good than Sony.
The Apple store on Regent Street uses Sony's in its window display....
As far as B&O sound systems in televisions go, they are unrivaled. Sound is NEVER compromised in ANY B&O product. (In fact because all their speaker amplifiers are internal, it is actually superior and more efficient than most speakers) The fact that some B&O salesperson told you there are 'frequencies' missing means he should probably have been working in 'Currys' to begin with. If a i can make a suggestion? Go down to your nearest B&O dealer and have a listen to ANY of their Audio or TV systems and i gaurantee you, you will be blown away by the sheer volume AND clarity
Sorry, not last time I looked, no. I really don't rate B&O for sound, and nor do the sound mixers I regularly work with. The B&O rep was agreeing with me.
looks great but what about performance ??
Can't believe anyone could even think about talking about b&o and sony in the same sentance.
Anyone who would say that sony has a superior picture quality, must have their B&O hooked up to a portable ariel and wear 3" bifocals. Usualy people who say B&O are rubbish are people who have never heard or seen it for themselves or people who cannot afford it and therefore feel intimidated by it.
I have never seen any other tv manufacturer get anywhere near Bang & Olufsen. The picture quality has to be the closest thing to HD from an analogue signal, and the sound quality is fantastic unless of course you are tone deaf.
I can only think this sales person sees you as a complete waiste of time and therefore is just agreeing with you to get rid.
And what has Apple got to do with anything?
Justin, i have to agree with you!
Nobody feels intimidated by Bang and Olufsen products, it's just that some people are objective and can come to real conclusions based on performance and not hype. Some of their products are fantastic, but not all.
Of course some B&O products are not as good as others, well you can't be perfect all the time. I consider myself very objective and i never buy a product because of "hype", unfortunatly alot of other brand names are not built to last and therefore their performance doesn't count for much. Lets face it you get what you pay for in life! And although you don't get alot of whistles and flutes with some items, you definately get value for money in the long run. After all a tv is hopefully something that performs and lasts.
If you are the type of person that likes to buy a new tv every 2 years by all means buy a Sony.
B&O is a lot of style and a lot less substance. I agree that they will sacrifice substance for style . A £2000 b&o stereo will SOUND no better than one got for £1000 from someone else, however the B&O will look great.. if that's worth the extra grand then go for it...
I have to agree with you Justin and say that; Ben, you have to sharpen up a little. Bang & Olufsen TV speakers are all powered actively using state of the art tech. Being thin does not effect the performance whatsoever. The frequency range comment is utter drivel.
If anyone says that B&O Tvs are seconded by Sony, then they simply cannot afford the real deal.
I Bought a second hand b&o avant 32" tv, just over a year ago now for £1800 (new £5000)and the sound is well, basically "awesome" , especially for a tv with tiny speakers. i wont be buying sony or panasonic ever again "unless im bankrupt"
.
B&O equipment is high end stuff you can't really compare it to the likes of samsung and sony although their tv's do use samsung and panasonic panels, they're re worked and re engineered they also use a much higher class of electronics than other manufacturers. The design isn't just for looks, the screens are air tight sealed behind glass to stop dust from getting in, the electronics layout are far better than any other tv manufacturer plus they're not cheaply made in china they're made in denmark.
I wish to continue to use B&O remote to operate Toshiba DVD recorder, is it possible?