Beovision 6000 was a luxurious colour TV receiver with a 66cm screen and cordless, ultrasonic remote control (designed by David Lewis).

The slim remote control module allowed you to select up to eight TV programmes, adjust volume, brightness and colour strength from the correct viewing and listening position. You could also switch the set off without moving away from your armchair. The ‘recall’ facility provided a digital on-screen display indicating the channel currently being viewed. The reset function automatically returned volume, colour and brightness to pre-set levels.

Beovision 6000 was the first TV with dedicated remote control. Successor to the Beovision 3000 (1967) which was Bang & Olufsen’s first colour TV. The design of the TV set itself was by Henning Moldenhawer.

Picture quality was outstanding, with sharp, bright, precise image definition and natural colours. The automatic cut-off circuit monitored the balance of colours fifty times a second, guaranteeing long-term colour truth.

Sound reproduction was of hi-fi quality because Beovision 6000 was fitted with a 6,5 watts RMS amplifier which had a wide frequency range and less than 0,8% harmonic distortion. The loudspeaker was of a pressure-chamber construction as used in many hi-fi audio systems. There were separate controls for bass and treble and sockets for connecting headphones and additional speakers. The receiver could also be equipped with a module for Teletext reception and video cassette programmes could be reproduced without additional technical adjustment.

Beovision 6000’s genuine wood-finished cabinet had a unique tambour screen door for protecting the screen when the set was not in use. The self-styled wooden undercarriage with smooth-running castors was both practical and elegant.

Beovision 6000 was replaced by Beovision 6002 in 1977, again with the same stylish cabinet and sliding, tambour door.

Henning Moldenhawer (Beomaster 900 designer) once dubbed the concept of remote control Terminals as “feel commanders”. This meant that the product 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 TV picture itself.

Beovision 3500 type number: 3907 was a 56cm colour television designed by David Lewis and Henning Moldenhawer. It could be placed on two types of stand – the trumpet stand (shown above) and the cross foot stand.

By 1975, colour television had become commonplace in homes throughout Western Europe. And a lot of those homes were furnished in white – the ‘in’ colour of the 1970s. Television, as a lot of home furnishings, followed this trend and Beovision 3500, with its trumpet base and cross-base on wheels, reflected what was happening in the world of interior design. The cabinet was made of moulded plastic and its appearance was markedly different from most other televisions of the era.

Beovision 3500 was Bang & Olufsen’s first fully transistorised television; this meant that very little warm up time was necessary for picture and sound. The choice of television channels had increased considerably over the previous years and the controls were adapted accordingly. “In everyday use, you select your TV programmes using the easy-touch push buttons at the top. Each of these can be set to one TV channel; this is done once only using the scaled potentiometer dials. These eight dials are only visible when the panel is opened; this is where you or your dealer can set the VHF and UHF channels that you are able to receive. Beovision 3500 has automatic frequency control, AFC, which locks the TV stations once they have been selected.” said the sales literature in 1975.

With Beovision 3500 it was clear that an icon had been created. The cabinet was made of moulded plastic and its appearance was markedly different from most other televisions of the time. However, the wooden cabinet was retained in the similarly-styled Beovision 3600 model. From 1975, Bang & Olufsen was also able to equip all its televisions with Automatic Cut-off Control.

An invention by the young engineer Erik Albert Jensen made waves internationally in the television sector. Cut-off Control ensures that the colour balance is maintained throughout the service life of the television. No fewer than 50 times each second the three electron beams are measured and corrected independently, thus avoiding any annoying deviations in colour.

(Taken from Beolink Magazine: ‘The First 50 Years of Television’ © Bang & Olufsen a/s 2002)

Beovision 3600 type number: 3908, 3909, 3938 was a 56cm colour television with a wooden surround.