Beovision LX was the result of several generations of development. Superb technology offering a wealth of functions. And the elegant design was sheer pleasure to look at. Without doubt, Beovision LX was a thoroughbred, according to Bang & Olufsen’s 1990 catalogue. And the Beocord VX5000 video cassette recorder a worthy stable mate.
Bang & Olufsen continually seeks new ways not only to streamline operation and function but to simplify exteriors. The powerful speakers of Beovision LX had a totally smooth facade when they were originally introduced in 1990. The contrast screen in front of the picture tube stretches from the very top to the very bottom of the cabinet. And the lacquer was as polished as a grand piano’s.
The result was unity; no knobs or displays interrupted the flow.
You could keep an eye on more than one programme at a time by letting a miniature picture run in one corner of the screen. Or you could show 4, 9 or 16 ‘clips’ from programmes on air at that very moment. Beovision LX 5500 also gave fast, direct access to to four Teletext pages you used the most. And there was room for a satellite receiver to be installed as well as using the TV set for the connection of extra speakers, loop amplifier for the hard of hearing and TV game consoles.
By mounting the whole TV set on a motorised base, you could sit in your armchair and turn the TV up to 35 degrees to each side with just one press of your Beolink 1000 remote control terminal.
By programming it into the set, the TV then turned automatically towards your favourite viewing position every time the set switches on. And, naturally, the TV returned to centre stage each time you switched it off.
Colours: Beovision LX 5500 / 4500 – high-gloss black, white or grey or rosewood.
A stage designer can creative positive associations of purity by using predominantly white or light grey in stage sets and costumes. White and grey symbolize a simple style of living and, as the audience, we associate this virtue in our mind’s eye with the person who decorates with, or dresses in, these light colours. In interior design white and grey give a modern impression with everything blending together, perfectly executed down to the tiniest detail. For those who prefer an all-white look,. Bang & Olufsen in 1990 dressed its Beovision LX range completely in white; even the back.
You could put Beovision LX White Line in the middle of a large room if you so desired. It looked discreet and elegant and spoke its own, well-modulated design language. If a pleasant light grey was more to your taste, the Beovision LX range was available in a light grey finish too. All the other technicalities internally were identical to the other LX family members.
Beovision LX 5000 and LX6000 were the classic Bang & Olufsen televisions, with the loudspeakers on either side of the screen. They were equipped with 66cm and 63cm Black Line picture tubes and VisionClear which makes the picture sharper and the colours clearer. Automatic adjustment of the contrast and light strength continuously kept the picture optimal under different light conditions in the room.
The powerful loudspeakers were based on a two-way bass reflex loudspeaker system that delivered the high sound quality of more and more TV programmes and video tapes. Both TVs were equipped with A2 and NICAM stereo systems.
A BeoSat LM satellite receiver could be built in, allowing access to 99 TV or radio programmes via a parabolic aerial. A D2MAC decoder could also be built in. Bang & Olufsen made it possible for you to pre-program the recording of video programmes from the satellite. The satellite receiver and video recorder were operated by the same Beolink® remote control that operated the TV.
The same remote control also did the work if the Beovision LX6000 and LX5000 were coupled to a Bang & Olufsen music system. Other connection options were headphones, decoders, TV games and camcorder.
Beovision LX6000 could be combined with Beocord VX7000 hi-fi video recorder. It could also be combined with a Bang & Olufsen music system or with separate loudspeakers such as BeoLab 6000 or 8000. All operations were controlled via a Beolink 1000
A new form of functional flexibility that entertains you when and where it suits you. Stellar sound and images in a flexible design.
DESIGN
A modern TV for flexible living
Beovision Horizon is designed for the many different ways you enjoy TV, music, movies or games in your everyday life. The result is an ultra-flexible solution fits right in, no matter where you place it or move it to. Unadorned yet extremely elegant in its appearance.
PICTURE
Looking sharp in everyday situations
Much like the human eye, Automatic Picture Control uses a small sensor to measure the light conditions in the room and optimise the brightness of the 4K UHD screen. The result is a clear and natural viewing experience that is always easy on your eyes.
SOUND
Bang & Olufsen Signature Sound
Beovision Horizon pairs its crystal-clear imagery with crisp and powerful audio that doesn’t require backup from external speakers to deliver great-sounding viewing experiences day after day. It’s the perfect all-in-one package for flexible living.
SMART FEATURES
The ever-evolving TV experience
Beovision Horizon is powered by the Android TV™ platform providing fast and easy access to an endless amount of entertainment. The integrated Google Cast technology lets you share movies, photos and music straight from your phone or tablet.
PLACEMENTS
Your home your choice
There’s no right or wrong way to live with Beovision Horizon. Hang it elegantly on display or place it casually on the floor. Or enjoy the freedom of mobility with the wheel stand. It’s all up to you.
A new form of functional flexibility that entertains you when and where it suits you. Stellar sound and images in a flexible design.
DESIGN
A modern TV for flexible living
Beovision Horizon is designed for the many different ways you enjoy TV, music, movies or games in your everyday life. The result is an ultra-flexible solution fits right in, no matter where you place it or move it to. Unadorned yet extremely elegant in its appearance.
PICTURE
Looking sharp in everyday situations
Much like the human eye, Automatic Picture Control uses a small sensor to measure the light conditions in the room and optimise the brightness of the 4K UHD screen. The result is a clear and natural viewing experience that is always easy on your eyes.
SOUND
Bang & Olufsen Signature Sound
Beovision Horizon pairs its crystal-clear imagery with crisp and powerful audio that doesn’t require backup from external speakers to deliver great-sounding viewing experiences day after day. It’s the perfect all-in-one package for flexible living.
SMART FEATURES
The ever-evolving TV experience
Beovision Horizon is powered by the Android TV™ platform providing fast and easy access to an endless amount of entertainment. The integrated Google Cast technology lets you share movies, photos and music straight from your phone or tablet.
PLACEMENTS
Your home your choice
There’s no right or wrong way to live with Beovision Horizon. Hang it elegantly on display or place it casually on the floor. Or enjoy the freedom of mobility with the wheel stand. It’s all up to you.
Beolink 1000 was Bang & Olufsen’s entry remote control terminal, released in 1986. Its bigger brothers were the two-way Beolink 5000 and Beolink 7000 terminals. It originally came in a number of guises: released in 1987 was Terminal A, followed by Terminal V and then Terminal AV. Their purpose was to control the audio section of various hi-fis (Terminal A); the video sections (Terminal V) and combined functions (Terminal AV).
Beolink 1000 won the ID Award in 1986.
From the Commander to the Beolink 1000 – a leap in ideas
Beomaster 2400’s new element was the Commander – the remote control – which no High-Fidelity producer had even dreamed of making before. In America, however, remote- controlled TVs had already become a reality and in Europe, the first TV commanders, with a plethora of buttons, had turned up in Germany.
Bang & Olufsen’s idea was not to supply remote controls for its systems, it was to provide the user with easier operation – to put the entire selection of sound and picture in users’ hands. Although today, this is perhaps self-evident, this was not the case at the time. Nobody had so far dared to pursue such an obvious concept. It did not take long for the idea to take root. Soon afterwards, all Bang & Olufsen’s systems enabled the user to operate the system from a commander.
The Bang & Olufsen Idea Group insisted that users should be able to operate the commander with one finger on one hand, the thumb. This was vastly different from the commanders manufactured by other producers where the many buttons meant that the user had to hold the commander in one hand, the manual in another while the index finger of the third hand pressed the button selected by the eye.
The concept was dubbed ‘the feel commander’. This meant that the TV could be operated by the thumb on one hand – almost as if the user was feeling his way through a new type of Braille, allowing the eye to concentrate on the essential, the picture.
The culmination of the development of the idea of a ‘total commander’ came in 1985 when David Lewis designed a Beolink terminal where the user, without using his eyes, could control picture, sound and light by applying a slight pressure of the thumb. Incredibly, it could be used in all the rooms of a house. This later system, known as Beolink®, eventually incorporated most of Bang & Olufsen’s audio and video products.
The Beolink 1000 family of remote controls is made up of four unique products; all similar in appearance, but each was brought out at a different time, for a variety of differing functions. First there was the Audio Terminal (or ‘A Terminal’). This was then followed by both the ‘Video Terminal’ (used by Beovisions LX2800 and LX2500) and then the ‘AV terminal’. Lastly was the Beolink 1000 as we recognise it today. Both of these latter Terminals are shown above.
The Audio and Video Terminals are similar in appearance to each other. However, they both accommodate different sets of buttons. With both these controls the bottom plate is stamped to differentiate them as either an Audio or Video Terminal. Size-wise, both Terminals are around 1,5cm shorter than a (current) Beolink 1000 Terminal.
Beolink 1000 Mk III was the last model produced and does not include a ‘turn’ button. To turn over the tape of your Beocord cassette deck, press SHIFT + SOUND.
In order to access ‘Balance’ press SOUND twice and then use the volume up and down to adjust.
To alter ‘Treble’, press SOUND three times and adjust in the same manner; for ‘Bass’ press SOUND four times.
To save your new settings, press SOUND and then STORE.
In comparison, the AV terminal is about 1cm longer than a Beolink 1000. The AV terminal could operate both audio and video and again was released before Beolink 1000. All three Terminals were black and dark grey coloured.
With Beolink 1000 (introduced in 1986), there have been six models. Beolink 1000 Mk 1 and 2 were also black and dark grey. The Mk 1 version would not work with light controllers such as LC1. However, Mk2 could, by simply pressing SHIFT + LINK more>>
Since its introduction in 1986, the Beolink 1000 family of remote controls has been able to control all subsequent Bang & Olufsen products – both audio and video. Beo4 is a direct descendant of these remote controls, together with its (former) smaller brother, Beo1.
Most infra-red remote controls work on a 40KHz carrier. Only Bang & Olufsen and a handful of Sony and Kenwood products use 455KHz as the carrier frequency. This more powerful frequency allows the Terminals to command products from a greater distance and often, it is not a requirement to ‘fire’ them directly at the items’ sensors.
Beolink 1000 was Bang & Olufsen’s entry remote control terminal, released in 1986. Its bigger brothers were the two-way Beolink 5000 and Beolink 7000 terminals. It originally came in a number of guises: released in 1987 was Terminal A, followed by Terminal V and then Terminal AV. Their purpose was to control the audio section of various hi-fis (Terminal A); the video sections (Terminal V) and combined functions (Terminal AV).
From the Commander to the Beolink 1000 – a leap in ideas
Beomaster 2400’s new element was the Commander – the remote control – which no High-Fidelity producer had even dreamed of making before. In America, however, remote- controlled TVs had already become a reality and in Europe, the first TV commanders, with a plethora of buttons, had turned up in Germany.
Bang & Olufsen’s idea was not to supply remote controls for its systems, it was to provide the user with easier operation – to put the entire selection of sound and picture in users’ hands. Although today, this is perhaps self-evident, this was not the case at the time. Nobody had so far dared to pursue such an obvious concept.
It did not take long for the idea to take root. Soon afterwards, all Bang & Olufsen’s systems enabled the user to operate the system from a commander.
The Bang & Olufsen Idea Group insisted that users should be able to operate the commander with one finger on one hand, the thumb. This was vastly different from the commanders manufactured by other producers where the many buttons meant that the user had to hold the commander in one hand, the manual in another while the index finger of the third hand pressed the button selected by the eye.
The concept was dubbed ‘the feel commander’. This meant that the TV could be operated by the thumb on one hand – almost as if the user was feeling his way through a new type of Braille, allowing the eye to concentrate on the essential, the picture.
The culmination of the development of the idea of a ‘total commander’ came in 1985 when David Lewis designed a Beolink terminal where the user, without using his eyes, could control picture, sound and light by applying a slight pressure of the thumb. Incredibly, it could be used in all the rooms of a house. This later system, known as Beolink®, eventually incorporated most of Bang & Olufsen’s audio and video products.
The Beolink 1000 family of remote controls is made up of four unique products; all similar in appearance, but each was brought out at a different time, for a variety of differing functions. First there was the Audio Terminal (or ‘Terminal A’). This was then followed by both the ‘Terminal V’ (used by Beovisions LX2800 and LX2500) and then the ‘Terminal AV’. Lastly was the Beolink 1000 as we recognise it today. Both of these latter Terminals are shown above.
The Audio and Video Terminals are similar in appearance to each other. However, they both accommodate different sets of buttons. With both these controls the bottom plate is stamped to differentiate them as either an Audio or Video Terminal. Size-wise, both Terminals are around 1,5cm shorter than a (current) Beolink 1000 Terminal.
Beolink 1000 Mk III was the last model produced and does not include a ‘turn’ button. To turn over the tape of your Beocord cassette deck, press SHIFT + SOUND.
In order to access ‘Balance’ press SOUND twice and then use the volume up and down to adjust.
To alter ‘Treble’, press SOUND three times and adjust in the same manner; for ‘Bass’ press SOUND four times.
To save your new settings, press SOUND and then STORE.
In comparison, the Terminal AV is about 1cm longer than a Beolink 1000. The Terminal AV could operate both audio and video and again was released before Beolink 1000. All three Terminals were black and dark grey coloured.
With Beolink 1000 (introduced in 1986), there have been six models. Beolink 1000 Mk 1 and 2 were also black and dark grey. The Mk 1 version would not work with light controllers such as LC1. However, Mk2 could, by simply pressing SHIFT + LINK more>>
Since its introduction in 1986, the Beolink 1000 family of remote controls has been able to control all subsequent Bang & Olufsen products – both audio and video. Beo4 is a direct descendant of these remote controls, together with its (former) smaller brother, Beo1.
Most infra-red remote controls work on a 40KHz carrier. Only Bang & Olufsen and a handful of Sony and Kenwood products use 455KHz as the carrier frequency. This more powerful frequency allows the Terminals to command products from a greater distance and often, it is not a requirement to ‘fire’ them directly at the items’ sensors.
BeoCenter AV5 was, at first glance, merely a television set. However, what you saw was just half the picture. The AV5 was in fact a fully integrated, compact digital home entertainment system, comprising a CD player, FM radio and powerful loudspeakers… as well as a television!
On top of the AV5 a CD player elegantly lifted open to allow you to drop in your CD and listen.
BeoCenter AV5 therefore offered the best of both worlds and allowed you decide. At the touch of a button, two motor-drive loudspeakers stretched silently out to each side of the TV set. It was a simple, welcoming gesture but one that also ensures a special performance every time you switch on. The extra width allowed the loudspeakers to combine with the ear-shattering centre bass to produce optimal stereo sound in its full perspective. It was something you could hear – and feel – every time you watched a movie or listened to the in-built radio or played a CD. Indeed, BeoCenter AV5 was so versatile that at the time of its introduction, it could also play CD-i discs.
Devoting efforts in creating the perfect sound didn’t mean that Bang & Olufsen had forgotten what they knew about creating the perfect picture. On the contrary. The AV5’s 63cm super flat picture tube, combined with the contrast screen’s anti-reflective coating, delivered a sharper picture, with more depth and perspective, than you had ever seen before. So when the AV5’s electronic curtains glided open you could be sure that what lay behind them was pure entertainment.
Another original Bang & Olufsen feature added to daylight viewing comfort. It was a small electronic sensor that registered the prevailing light conditions in the room and adjusted the picture, so that it was always sharp, no matter whether a reading lamp was lit or sunlight suddenly poured through the window.
Touch CD on the Beo4 remote control and the AV5 moved on its motorised stand to face the viewer’s favourite viewing position. And active speaker stretched out from each side. On top, a CD player elegantly lifted open to allow you to drop in your CD and listen. The superior sound of the AV5 was made possible by the creation of a ‘soundscape’ that widened the perspective of the sound to make each individual instrument clear and distinct. Combined with an inbuilt, ear-shattering centre bass, the AV5 delivered a sound so rich and true that the effect was remarkably similar to a dedicated surround system.
Like every other Bang & Olufsen product, Beovision AV5 was designed and crafted with the greatest care. To ensure that the powerful centre bass unit didn’t interfere with the steadiness of the picture, it was mounted on an intricate suspension system, which in turn was anchored to a special aluminium chassis. The CD unit was perhaps the most robust then, on the market, to allow it to cope with the demanding environment – electronic noise, hot air and interference – in which it had to perform. And on top of all that, the entire unit was ‘torture tested’ hundreds of thousands of times to make sure that it could cope with the rigours of daily use!
Beovision AV5 construction
The rear of the AV5 is removed by undoing four screws. It may have taken some 150 tools and six construction engineers to make the parts and components, but as far as possible, one size of screw was used to assemble the AV5. The result was, up to 1999, the most advanced piece of electronic design ever to leave the Struer assembly line. Yet everything follows a strictly modular pattern, making maintenance and servicing logical and straightforward.
How can 15 centimetres make a world of difference if you’re already sitting in front of the television, ideally positioned between the stereo loudspeakers?
If you want the full perspective of, say a symphony and you want to be able to identify each instrument in the orchestra, a distance of 80 centimetres is the absolute minimum. You must also make sure that the loudspeakers deliver exactly the same performance and have the same harmonic balance. This can only be obtained by the painstaking measurement, trimming, and pairing of every single tweeter and baffle that goes into the AV5 (or into any other Bang & Olufsen loudspeaker for that matter). Some manufacturers obtain “spatial effect” by reversing the signal phase on one side. This creates a broader perspective, but makes it impossible to locate voices or single instruments.
Flat as a pancake
The picture tube was a new 25″ ‘super-flat state-of-the-art’ tube. It delivered excellent focus, which, combined with the anti-reflective coating of the contrast screen, was experienced as a sharper picture with more depth and better resolution.
The antlers
The fact the loudspeakers disappeared into the front wall, calls for a special bearing structure. In the AV5, the heaviest component was the picture tube, which was fixed to a set of aluminium “antlers”, a moulded aluminium space-frame which also carried the loudspeakers and most of the wiring. Cast in two pieces, it was custom-designed to hold wiring and fixtures that traditionally, would have been mounted with additional clamps and screws. Aluminium has the advantage of being light, but rigid and non-vibrating. It will not conduct sound or allow oscillations that could affect sound or picture reproduction.
‘Dance steady’ is a term that B&O takes dead seriously. It refers to a product’s ability to perform effortlessly, no matter how animated the surroundings. The company’s secret remedy is rubber suspension. Inside the AV5, almost every vital unit was isolated from the bearing structure by little rubber sleeves. The transformer, the CD print card, the CD drive and last but not least, the centre bass, since it was the source of a sizeable proportion of the vibration pattern. Dance steadiness is measured on a vibrating table to determine the design of each individual rubber sleeve.
On and on and on…
Imagine that you’d turn the AV5 on and off maybe 10 times a day over the next ten years and multiply that by 5 for safety. That’s equivalent to turning it on and off 180,000 times over 10 years. In B&O’s torture chambers in the dungeons in Struer, the loudspeakers on the guinea pig AV5 were stretched well beyond the first 500,000 times!
“It can’t be done”
Buffers, shielded cables and a couple of brave hearts went into one of the most challenging technical solutions in the AV5. To make room for the CD player in the upper corner, it was necessary to separate the drive from the control unit. In an environment as compact and loaded with “electronic noise” as the AV5, a lot of sources could create interference and laser is a fragile technology. Servo signals have to travel a longer distance and streams of hot air will not make working conditions any more stable. As a result, the AV5’s CD player was one of the most robust on the market at the time of the AV5’s production.
BeoCord V8000 video tape recorder matched the Beovision MX range of Bang & Olufsen televisions in looks as well as performance.
You could store a channel on the Beovision MX TV and it was automatically communicated to the V8000. Recording was a simple matter of selecting the programme directly from Teletext using the Beo4 remote control. It could be positioned by using one of the stands as part of a Beovision TV.
BeoCord V8000 rewound a three-hour tape in 95 seconds and it shifted from fast forward to play in a split second.
Other features included NTSC stereo playback. Looks-wise it embodied a black fascia with a choice of cabinets in pearlescent shades of blue, green, red, grey and black, plus glossy grey and glossy white.
