Bang & Olufsen have thrown their hat into the 48-inch OLED market, and they’ve added their own unique twist to it.
The Beovision Contour follows in the footsteps trod by LG, Philips and Sony by introducing a 48-inch OLED TV to the market. 48-inch OLEDS have only become available in 2020 thanks to a new manufacturing process, bringing the size of OLED – which had been restricted to 55-inches and above – to a more accommodating size.
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Similar to Philips, B&O has integrated a speaker with the Beovision Contour, with the sound system based on technology used in the Beosound Stage Atmos soundbar.
B&O claim that the the Contour can be placed anywhere in the home “for optimum décor integration”, whether that’s the kitchen, bedroom, living room or on a table or wall. If you can fit a TV into a kitchen then yours is definitely much bigger than ours.
Designed in collaboration with Torsten Valeur, the Beovision Contour’s outline is shaped by an aluminium frame that inspired the ‘Contour’ name. Available in silver, black, Anthracite or in a Gold Tone, it comes with a matching fabric or wood veneer finishes for the front speaker cover. Cables are routed through the centre rear of the TV and hidden from view, with the Beovision Contour offering a “holistic 360-degree design” so the TV remains visually appealing from any angle.
There are three stand options to choose from: option one, an aluminium floor stand that can be manually turned 180 degrees. Option number two is to wall-mount it and option number three is a tabletop stand made from a solid, rectangular aluminium billet to ensure the Contour can sit on a shelf or floor. To spare no expense, the Beoremote One is crafted a from single, extruded piece of aluminium.
Contour with Table Stand attached
The integrated speaker system features eleven speaker drivers and amplifiers with tech cribbed from the Beosound Stage. Also included is a 4 x 4-inch bass drivers custom designed with a focus on creating bigger cone movement for improved bass response down to 30Hz.
The Beovision Contour wasn’t B&O’s only announcement. The Beovision Eclipse is now on its 2nd gen version, available in 55- and 65-inch sizes with a screen based on LG’s GX series OLED. It features a built-in surround sound decoder so it can be connected to external speakers for an even more effective sound. There’s also a motorised floor stand and wall bracket.
The Beovision Harmony – the TV that ‘unfolds’ when turned on – has got a new motorised floor stand in silver, brass tone, bronze tone and gold tone to match the speaker covers. That TV covers sizes from 65-inches to 88.
Christoffer Østergaard Poulsen, SVP of Product Management at Bang & Olufsen, said: “We are excited to launch Beovision Contour, a screen viewing experience that doesn’t compromise on quality or design aesthetics despite its size. Our customers tell us there is a need for a mid-sized screen solution with flexible placement options built to the highest standards of performance and design, which is why we made Beovision Contour”.
The B&O Beovision Contour (inc. wall bracket) costs £5,150, so you may want to break open that piggy bank. The Beovision Eclipse 55-2nd gen model with the motorised floor stand costs £8,650. They’re both available online and in stores in Europe from November 2020. Global availability will be from February 2021.
The Beovision Harmony (£15,100) is available online and in stores now.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
