Bang & Olufsen intros Beolit 12 AirPlay speaker, plasma TV
updated 02:40 pm EST, Wed January 11, 2012
TV integrates 7.1 sound amplifier & center speaker
Bang & Olufsen (B&O) has used CES as a launchpad for several new products including a plasma TV, companion wall speakers, as well as B&O Play, a new line of portable audio. The BeoVision 12-65 is an ultra flat 3D 65-inch plasma TV with integrated center channel and 7.1 surround sound audio. The BeoLab 12 is a complementary speaker system.
The first product under the B&O Play brand is the Beolit 12, a portable music system that supports Apple's AirPlay technology for wireless playing of music from an iPod, iPad, iPhone, Apple computer, or iTunes-equipped PC. The compact all-in-one sound device packs a 120-watt digital power amplifier system to drive dual two-inch tweeters and a 4-inch woofer to deliver accurate sound performance for a small to mid-sized room.
The BeoVision 12-65 Plasma TV uses a NeoPDP display panel. A light sensor in the upper right hand corner of the TV measures the ambient lighting conditions of the room and then adjusts the picture dynamically. Integrated into the TV's frame is a center speaker with five custom drivers. Also contained within the BeoVision 12-65 is a 7.1 surround sound amp system consisting of four 80 watt amplifiers for the midrange and one 40 watt amplifier for the treble.
Complementing the BeoVision 12-65 are B&O's new BeoLab 12 wall-mounted loudspeakers. Each speaker is equipped with a three-quarter inch Acoustic Lens tweeter for the treble, a two-inch midrange unit and two 6.5-inch flat woofers for the lower frequencies. The Acoustic Lens technology disperses the high frequencies horizontally in a 180 degree angle. The speakers can be set at one of three settings to best meet a rooms acoustic characteristics.
The $799 Beolit 12 will begin to arrive in B&O showrooms, B&O Online, and Apple Stores later this month in a dark grey color. Yellow, blue, and light grey models will begin shipping later this spring. Both the BeoLab 12 speakers and the BeoVision 12 plasma TV will be available this spring. Pricing for the paired speakers has been set at $4,600. The plasma TV has been priced at $19,750.
BeoLab 12 Speakers
B&O Play Beolit 12
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Joined: Feb 2009
bleh
people are always (mistakenly) arguing that Apple cares too much about form and puts it *before* function, but Bang & Olufson should be in the dictionary as the perfect illustration of that concept. it's always about the "look" to them and mostly their idea of a cool look is just awful IMO.
this speaker looks like an ugly picnic basket. does it even support airplay? does it have a battery? do you have to plug it in? none of this is even covered in the press release or the video. just how cool it is and how it was defined by young people from the fashion world. WTF? how about talking about the product itself and what it does instead of how cool they are as a company.