Bang & Olufsen has unveiled the new 32-inch BeoVision 10-32 and a new sound system called the BeoSound 8 at a press conference in Bang & Olufsen’s Kongens Nytorv, Denmark flagship store. The presentation was focused on the new BeoSound 8 system , but B&O also talked about the new 32-inch member of the BeoVision 10-family.

In this article we give you our first impressions with the BeoVision 10-32 that has a few technical differences compared to its two bigger brothers in 40 and 46 inches. We also take a look at the new BeoSound 8 that was the product that B&O teased in their invitation. Finally we take a quick look at the new B&O BeoPlayer App for Apple devices. You can also watch videos of the new products in this article.


BeoVision 10-32 impressions
In October 2009 Bang & Olufsen launched their BeoVision 10 TV that proved to be a huge success. In March 2010 the larger 46-inch BV10-46 arrived and now the smaller 32-inch BV10-32 is here.


B&O BeoVision 10-32

At the press conference the public could experience BeoVision 10-32 for the first time. The smaller TV has the same design as the 40 and 46-inch models, but some technical differences. BV10-32 uses 100/120 Hz (instead of 200/240 Hz on the 40-46-inch models) and it has a built-in stereo amplifier (surround amplifier in 40-46-inch models). On the other hand an additional HDMI input has been integrated which means that BV10-32 has a total of 3 HDMI inputs.

The design is identical, but the visual expression is slightly different. Due to the smaller dimensions, BV10-32 looks visually"flatter" than two larger models that are"higher." This is a deliberate move by the designers from B&O that has put a lot of effort into the frame design. Naturally, the BV10-32 comes in both black and white, just like the larger TVs. Buyers can also customize BeoVision 10 using the loudspeaker-grille filter that are available in black, white, silver, dark gray, blue, and orange.


B&O BeoVision 10-32

You can choose to hang BeoVision 10-32 on the wall or place it on a stand. Below you see the TV on a stand and B&O adds that “BeoVision 10-32 offers a wide range of placement options, including motorized stands for floor and table placement, two different brackets for placement close to the wall, and one wall bracket that allows for manual turn and tilt functionality.”


B&O BeoVision 10-32

We took a closer look at BeoVision 10-32 in the Bang & Olufsen store, and the picture quality on BeoVision 10-32 is very close to the larger TVs. The smaller 32-inch format naturally makes HD images less impressive but the difference between 100/120 Hz and 200/240 Hz is not of great practical importance. This means that picture quality on BV10-32 is generally beautiful and put into perspective, it’s hard to find competitors in the 32-inch segment that has the same nice picture characteristics. Today most manufacturers are focusing on the 40-inch and above sizes.


B&O BeoVision 10-32

The speakers are still powerful and bass is convincing. B&O was forced to change the bass port in BV10-32 a bit compared to BV10-40 and BV10-46 due to the smaller frame. This makes the bass port a bit weaker but in practice it’s not that huge of a difference.


B&O BeoVision 10-32 on a wall

The BeoVision 10-32 is suited for the kitchen, the bedroom, the office, or smaller living rooms, B&O says. The uniqueness of BeoVision 10-32 is the combination of picture quality and great speakers. Most 32-inch TVs today have very poor speakers, meaning that you need a separate sound solution – at least if you want to listen to your music, too.

And if you still want to connect external speakers, you can do that. BV10-32 comes with a built-in stereo amplifier and 2 Power Link outputs that support both B&O speakers and subwoofers.


B&O BeoVision 10-32

BV10-32 is also replacing the 32-inch BeoVision 8-32, that has been discontinued. I think most of you guys would probably agree that this is a fair trade-off.

BeoVision 10-32 will be available in stores in a few weeks. The price is around 4000 Euro which includes the Beo 4 remote and DVB-HD module.

Learn more at www.bangolufsen.com or read FlatpanelsHD’s BeoVision 10 review here. You can also take a look at the video below, for a BeoVision 10-32 demonstration.
 

BeoSound 8 impressions
This is not an in-depth look at the BeoSound 8 as we were most interested in the new BeoVision 10-32. But since FlatpanelsHD were amongst the first to experience B&Os new BeoSound, we thought we would share some of our first impressions with B&O’s new iPod-dock.


B&O BeoSound 8

Bang & Olufsen describes BeoSound 8 like this:
- " BeoSound 8 delivers breathtaking sound performance and offers elegant design and a simple user interface. It is a fantastic solution for enjoying digital music either from your iPod, iPhone, iPad, PC or MAC. Simply by connecting a device to BeoSound 8, digital music can be unfolded to its true potential." and continues:
- "The light and characteristic design of BeoSound 8 makes it highly flexible in use; it is perfectly suited as a music system not only in a main room, but also in the kitchen, on the patio or even at the summerhouse. BeoSound 8 can be placed on a wall bracket or any flat surface and still deliver fantastic premium quality sound."


B&O BeoSound 8

In short BeoSound is a sound system with speakers that uses music from external devices and sources. B&O is also focusing on the Apple intragration as BeoSound 8 supports all of Apple's iPhone, iPod, and iPad products.

BeoSound 8 enables you to connect it to a PC or Mac, as well as using it with Apple's Airport Express functionality (Airplay). AirPlay is Apple’s streaming solution for streaming music from iPods / iPhones / iPads or a PC/Mac with iTunes installed to for other sound solutions.


B&O BeoSound 8

BeoSound 8 is available in black and white and you can also choose between various soft colors for speaker grilles to match the interior design. These include: Black, white, yellow, green, purple and lavender, and more should follow later on.


B&O BeoSound 8

The cone-shaped speakers give BeoSound 8 a discreet appearance. The design of the speakers also ensures that BeoSound 8 can be placed in a 90 degree corner – for example in the kitchen.


B&O BeoSound 8

BeoSound 8 will be available from Bang & Olufsen’s many worldwide stores in a few weeks. It costs $999. 
Learn more about BeoSound 8 at www.bangolufsen.com. You can also see the video presentation here.

Remote control and new App
With BeoSound 8 B&O has bundled a tiny remote control that takes care of the most basic functions. But BeoSound 8 is also compatible with Beo5 and Beo4.

With the introduction of BeoSound 8, B&O has developed an App for Apple devices. It’s called BeoPlayer and will be available for free download in the Apple App Store soon.

With this App users can access different Internet radio stations, but the App also serves as a clock and alarm. Before Christmas a new version of the BeoPlayer App will be released and support more than 10,000 radio stations. The updated App also lets you browse and your entire music collection in iTunes and play the songs on the BeoSound 8. The Christmas update is not free.

That’s all for now. Share your opinion about the two new products from Bang & Olufsen in the comment form below.

Remember you can find all FlatpanelsHD’s articles and reviews about B&O (or other manufacturers) in our coverage pages here.