Bang & Olufsen is making a splash in the TV world at an unexpected venue: Milan Design Week. The Beovision Harmony OLED TV pairs a first-rate 77-inch OLED display with Bang & Olufsen's top-notch audio, combined into a stunning folding design that's as much an artistic showpiece as it is a premium TV.
The Beovision Harmony OLED TV features two rotating "wings" which make up the TV's 3-channel sound system. Housed in tastefully designed oak and aluminum enclosures, with a more subdued fabric-covered version available, the speakers provide an audio-visual feast.
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The speakers fold up in front of the display when the set is powered off and swing down into position below the display when powered on. The TV also raises up into position for viewing and down into a closed position when off. Available with either a floor stand or wall bracket, the TV can go anywhere in your home mansion.
The entire package offers a unique answer to the question of how to make TVs more attractive when not in use. “The presence of a big screen is rarely a welcoming addition to living spaces," says John Mollanger, Bang & Olufsen’s executive VP of Brand and Markets. "With Beovision Harmony, we wanted to create a meaningful object for interiors that reduces the visual presence of the TV and transforms it into something that people will develop an emotional attachment to.”
The entire Beovision Harmony OLED is built around an optimized 77-inch LG OLED display – equivalent to the new LG C9 OLED – but the addition of Bang & Olufsen's three-channel, fully active DSP-based sound system means that it will sound as good as it looks.
The set is also feature-rich, with AirPlay 2, Chromecast and Bluetooth capability built in, and uses LG's WebOS 4.5 smart TV platform to provide app support, including access to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube. The sound system can also expand to the entire room or multiple rooms, with support for up to eight B&O Beolab speakers and a built-in decoder for 7.1 surround sound.
The Beovision Harmony OLED will be available to purchase in October 2019 at a jaw-dropping €18,500, which as of this writing makes the US price somewhere around $20,850. For comparison, the 77-inch LG C9 OLED sells for a much more affordable $6999, though it lacks the Bang & Olufsen audio and kinetic design.
Credit: Bang & Olufsen
