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The new Bang and Olufsen TV: Yours for only £5,000.

By: Elizabeth Hands on April 21, 2013 @ 8:59 pm.

Danish electronics firm Bang and Olufsen is well known for producing gizmos at the very high end of the market, that grace the homes of celebrities, the mega rich, and 5* hotels.beovision-11

So, the company’s latest television set was never going to come cheap. The BeoVision 11 comes with a £4,000+ price tag. So, just what do you get for your money?

Well, you get Bang and Olufsen’s very first foray into the world of internet-connected TV for a start.

Makers of the BeoVision reckon they’ve future-proofed the set because it supports hybrid broadband TV, or HbbTv to give it its shorter title, which is widely recognised as the European standard for smart TVs.

It also uses DLNA, Digital Living Network Alliance technology. Started by Sony in 2003, the DLNA defines standards which allow devices to share the likes of photos, videos and music with each other, meaning you should easily be able to pull content from iPlayer or YouTube.

You can also use your iPad or Android tablet to control your TV by using the BeoRemote app.

And, given that Bbeovision-11-againang and Olufsen is renowned for producing equipment with superior sound quality, it comes as no surprise that the BeoVision 11 comes with impressive on-board speakers.

If you’re wondering why the BeoVision is square rather than having the standard widescreen-type appearance, it’s because custom-made left and right channel speakers sit directly below the screen, each offering a three-quarter inch tweeter, two-inch midrange and four inch bass speaker. They also come with changeable covers so you can match your television set to your décor.

You get different pre-set picture modes depending on whether you are watching movies or gaming and, in a nice touch, when you hit standby, your picture appears to slide shut from either side, giving the effect of an old-style cinema or theatre curtain.

The company, which launched in 1925, will be very much hoping the release of the new BeoVision 11 marks a turnaround in its fortunes. Clearly even the super rich are feeling the economic pinch as sales of the firm’s high-end audio and video devices have fallen by a fifth, according to latest figures for the quarter from June to August.beovision-11-and-again

But Bang and Olufsen’s new Play brand, launched at the start of this year, is showing promise. It’s kind of the equivalent of when a fashion designer does a cheaper range for a younger market. Victoria Beckham has just done it with her Victoria by Victoria Beckham dress line.

Bang and Olufsen Play product sales have risen 95 per cent in that same three-month period, although clearly the soaring figures are in no small part down to the fact young professionals haven’t had a range like that to choose from previously.

For those who do have some serious cash to spend on their new TV, the BeoVision comes in a choice of 40-inch, 46-inch or whopping 55-inch screen sizes and there is a choice of six fabric colours for the speaker sets on the front. The smallest model will cost around £4,995.

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