Release Date: 2003

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BeoSound 3200

Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 3200

BeoSound 3200: the new music system with a warm welcome and cool intelligence
“BeoSound 3200 lights up in a soft glow of anticipation as soon as you reach out with your hand. Everything is out in the open so that you can see how it works and understand how it reacts”

BeoSound 3200, has a Hard Disk Drive with the capacity to store up to 396 compact discs. The CDs are stored in four groups of 99 and each group can be edited and named, in order to facilitate the easy location of your music. All other main functions are as the existing BeoSound 3000.

” Technology may be the foundation of the experience, but it should never get in the way of the senses. It’s the simple understanding that has created the concept behind BeoSound 3200.” It integrates a unique CD memory function that can store up to 396 of your favourite CDs in four individual groups. For simple and effective operation, each group is designated a colour that matches both the coloured buttons on the control panel and those on the optional Beo4 remote control you can choose to store an entire CD or just your favourite tracks and each entry can be named for easier recognition. Groups can be arranged according to type or be designated to different members of the family.

While the technology behind BeoSound 3200 is new, it retains a characteristic Bang & Olufsen personal feel. The glass doors slide open at a wave in an invitation to be used . Everything is upright and in the open, functions are clearly displayed and easy to understand. Even the simple act of placing a CD has been made part of the overall enjoyment.

BeoSound 3200 may be placed on a wall, positioned on a shelf or on the floor on a floor stand. When placed on a self or table, the system has a natural 13 degree slant for easier viewing and control. It may be used with any BeoLab loudspeaker enabling a number of impressive setup possibilities. It could be place between a pair of BeoLab 2500 active loudspeakers for example, or on matching stands with BeoLab 4000.

Features:
BeoSound 3200 is an audio system embracing CD, radio, CD memory and digital music files via Beolink®. It comes in one colour – aluminium and black – and can be positioned in different ways.

Placement
BeoSound 3200 may be positioned on the wall using a discreet (optional) bracket, placed on a shelf or displayed on one of two dedicated floor stands .

BeoSound 3200 Press Release 1 – February 2003
Digital Jukebox

The new BeoSound 3200 sees Bang & Olufsen introduce new technology that allows storage of almost 400 CDs – giving you the chance to create their very own digital jukebox.

Bang & Olufsen is bringing out a new system that allows you to record a CD as it plays. This gives the BeoSound 3200 the capacity to reproduce ‘first play’ quality of over 4,000 tracks. By creating technology that memorises almost 400 CD compilations, Bang & Olufsen is revolutionising the way we use and store CDs.

Music Selection

The technology is such that you will be able to select the tracks to be recorded, freeing up memory for the favourites only. The system will also allow you to file the CDs into 4 different personalised categories, be it Jazz, Classical, Dance or Hip Hop, allowing you to match the music to the moment at a touch of a button.

Other functions

The signature Bang & Olufsen craftsmanship is naturally seen in the new system. As your hand approaches, the smoked glass doors opens without a touch. The system boasts 60 radio station presets and a facility to function as a Beolink® master, distributing music to any Bang & Olufsen speaker in the house. Furthermore, if you wish to connect the BeoSound 3200 to a PC, the Beolink® PC2 connection facilities allow access to MP3 and WMA music files stored on the PC hard drive.

Active speakers

Choose any of the active loudspeakers from Bang & Olufsen’s BeoLab range for an experience that’s as pleasing to the eye as it is to the ear. Tall and elegant, the BeoLab 1 speakers deliver 300 watts of Bang & Olufsen ICE power digital amplifier driven bass. The appealing BeoLab 8000, slim BeoLab 6000 or placement friendly BeoLab 4000 speakers may be utilised as well. The recently redesigned BeoLab 2500 speakers easily allow you to opt for today’s spin on the original design expression.

BeoSound 3200 – Press Release 2 February 2003
A mountain of music – Built in CD memory in BeoSound 3200 allows storage of almost 400 CD

A vast amount of storage space, hidden within Bang & Olufsen’s BeoSound 3200, present a plethora of musical experiences this season. Operation is straightforward and simple, whether storing your own CD or playing one back from the CD memory. Compressed to allow more storage without sacrificing audible quality, a mountain of music is contained in the already sleek lines of this design classic.

“In 1991 Bang & Olufsen broke new ground with the introduction of the Beosystem 2500 concept – the first hi-fi system to stand tall amongst the flat contemporary rack systems of its day. We renew this classic product family with incorporation of a CD memory into its newest member, the BeoSound 3200”, states President and CEO Torben Ballegaard Sørensen, who continues,

“We’ll utilise the CD memory to offer our customers new benefits and convenience when enjoying their music collection. All your music, or at least a big part of it, waits for you at the touch of only one button”.

Stored simply
Just load a CD, decide in which one of the four possible groups you want to keep it, and press “Copy” on the hands-on operation panel. Storage of the entire CD begins! Don’t like all the tracks on your CD as much as the others? Don’t fret, because BeoSound 3200 gives you the opportunity to copy only the ones you yourself choose. You can always add them later, should your tastes change.

Name that disc
Whilst every one of your CDs contains inaudible information regarding the publisher, artist, batch production number and more, for you, they’re only about the music. Store the names of 200 physical CD’s in addition to the names of the almost 400 CDs already found on the 40 gigabyte hard disk. So sit back and experience “Romance” in the pleasing built-in display, rather than “Disk 1, track 5”.

Your music, your groups
Four 99-CD capacity groups are accessed by the coloured keys on the front of BeoSound 4300 or via the Beo4 remote control. Name them yourself, just as you wish: Rock, Pop, Jazz and Classics, or why not Dad, Mum, Brother and Sister? Enjoy music in your groups.

Magical experience through craftsmanship
Your hand approaches, and the smoked glass doors open magically. Wishing you welcome into a world of musical experiences, the door movement is designed to be smooth with a slow start, acceleration and a gentle stop when the door is at its final position. A magical experience provided by combing some infrared light, a bit of gearing, a length of steel wire and Bang & Olufsen ingenuity.

Beolink® master
Advanced CD memory functions are but one element in the entire BeoSound 3200 experience. Found between the high-gloss anodised aluminium clamper lid, the built-in CD-player accommodates both 12 and 8 cm discs. With 60 radio station presets, the AM/FM radio won’t leave your air-borne audio entertainment wishes behind either distributing music to any Bang & Olufsen speakers around the home in wish to connect your BeoSound 3200 to a PC, the Beolink® PC2 connection facilitates access to MP3 and WMA music files stored on your PC hard disk.

Active speakers
Choose any of the active loudspeakers from Bang & Olufsen’s BeoLab range for an experience that’s as pleasing to the eye as it is to the ear. Tall and elegant, the BeoLab 1 speakers deliver 300 watts of Bang & Olufsen ICEPower digital amplifier driven bass. The appealing BeoLab 8000, slim BeoLab 6000 or placement friendly BeoLab 4000 speakers may be utilised as well. The recently redesigned BeoLab 2500 speakers easily allow you to opt for today’s spin on the original design expression

Mounting Options
This classic design was reincarnated over a 21 year period with various mounts and stands. Floor stands were available with a pole stand or CD and tape storage, wall mount solutions allowed for the Hi-Fi only, or with BeoLab2500 speakers until these were discontinued

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BeoSound Century

If you want superior sound, but not the size, and a full array of functions but without the complication – then take a look at the BeoSound Century. Designed by David Lewis, it has a very slim depth and brings together CD, tape and FM radio into a slim-line form that can stand by itself or hang from a wall. Everything is operated by buttons that light up to guide you quickly through the various playing options.

BeoSound Century is a clever combination of excellent performance and ease-of-use. This system is known in fact by two different names – BeoSound Century in Europe and BeoSound 2000 in North America. With everything built in, this is the perfect stereo for those who with a limited space as it’s only 11cm deep. It’s for those who don’t want Beolink® capabilities and can be equipped with a handle with a built-in active antenna making it very portable. The speakers use the active construction as that of all BeoLab speakers. In the late nineties the Century was released in a special limited series with polished aluminium instead of the black plastic on the CD holder. This became so popular that it became the standard! There are two different stands available: a wall stand and a special table stand. The unit may also be controlled by the optional Beo4 remote control.

Deep bass
BeoSound Century integrates a powerful sound reproduction system: two active loudspeakers with electronic crossover network and Adaptive Bass Linearisation, for the optimum relationship between bass reproduction and sound pressure level. The very small two-way bass reflex loudspeakers comprise a net volume of only 1,1 litres, but the large front grille gives room for fairly large woofer membrane diameters.

Bass and treble have separate power amplifiers, which means that they can be tailored to compensate for one another’s shortcomings and deliver a sound spectrum as close to reality as possible. On top of that, BeoSound Century can play at high volume, but cuts out before it has an opportunity to burn out its units.

The fine art of control of BeoSound Century
The backlit push buttons of the BeoSound Century are cast in opalescent plastic, painted black on the inside and the text is then burnt away with a laser. The light of a diode behind each button is muted for even distribution, and the button is hinged in four places. A sturdy and relatively inexpensive construction, but it takes just a bit more work!

Operation of BeoSound Century
How do you make operation easy when there are 26 buttons to push? On BeoSound Century, only the buttons you need for the specific function will light up and guide you step by step through operations.

BeoSound Century was awarded the Danish Design Centre’s IP Prize in 1994.

Mounting Options
Supplied with a table mount foot for mounting on top of a cabinet. The optional wall mount bracket allowed for wall mounting.

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BeoSound 2000

Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 2000

If you want superior sound, but not the size, and a full array of functions but without the complication – then take a look at the BeoSound Century. Designed by David Lewis, it has a very slim depth and brings together CD, tape and FM radio into a slim-line form that can stand by itself or hang from a wall. Everything is operated by buttons that light up to guide you quickly through the various playing options.

BeoSound Century is a clever combination of excellent performance and ease-of-use. This system is known in fact by two different names – BeoSound Century in Europe and BeoSound 2000 in North America. With everything built in, this is the perfect stereo for those who with a limited space as it’s only 11cm deep. It’s for those who don’t want Beolink® capabilities and can be equipped with a handle with a built-in active antenna making it very portable. The speakers use the active construction as that of all BeoLab speakers. In the late nineties the Century was released in a special limited series with polished aluminium instead of the black plastic on the CD holder. This became so popular that it became the standard! There are two different stands available: a wall stand and a special table stand. The unit may also be controlled by the optional Beo4 remote control.

Deep bass
BeoSound Century integrates a powerful sound reproduction system: two active loudspeakers with electronic crossover network and Adaptive Bass Linearisation, for the optimum relationship between bass reproduction and sound pressure level. The very small two-way bass reflex loudspeakers comprise a net volume of only 1,1 litres, but the large front grille gives room for fairly large woofer membrane diameters.

Bass and treble have separate power amplifiers, which means that they can be tailored to compensate for one another’s shortcomings and deliver a sound spectrum as close to reality as possible. On top of that, BeoSound Century can play at high volume, but cuts out before it has an opportunity to burn out its units.

The fine art of control of BeoSound Century
The backlit push buttons of the BeoSound Century are cast in opalescent plastic, painted black on the inside and the text is then burnt away with a laser. The light of a diode behind each button is muted for even distribution, and the button is hinged in four places. A sturdy and relatively inexpensive construction, but it takes just a bit more work!

Operation of BeoSound Century
How do you make operation easy when there are 26 buttons to push? On BeoSound Century, only the buttons you need for the specific function will light up and guide you step by step through operations.

BeoSound Century was awarded the Danish Design Centre’s IP Prize in 1994.

Mounting Options
Supplied with a table mount foot for mounting on top of a cabinet. The optional wall mount bracket allowed for wall mounting.

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BeoVision Avant CTV

Bang & Olufsen BeoVision Avant CTV

Performance in a simpler package.

The Avant CTV was available only in 28″ widescreen format and filled a perceived gap at the bottom of the range. It offered the same high quality picture and sound provided by the VCR and DVD models but with no additional video sources.

It was replaced in 2003 by the introduction of the Beovision 3 28″ which seemed to offer much the same package but rather cheaper. One would however be mistaken if one thought was getting the same set as the Avant CTV was built upon the more expensive chassis , as was the BeoVison 3 32, whereas the BV3-28″ utilised the cheaper MX chassis.

The sound quality of the Avant CTV was every bit as good as its more expensive brethren though one did have to specify the anti reflection coated screen as an extra.

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BeoVision Avant 28 DVD

Bang & Olufsen BeoVision Avant 28 DVD

At the end of 2001 several variations of the BeoVision Avant were on offer – the BeoVision Avant 28 with and without VCR, and BeoVision Avant 32 with VCR or DVD player built in as standard. Then from March 2002, the BeoVision Avant 28 DVD was introduced to join its larger-screened brother.

BeoVision Avant encourages you to lose yourself in a sound and picture experience – and not in the technology. That’s why Bang & Olufsen hang the 16:9 Real Flat wide-screen on its own smooth wall and conceal everything else behind it – including a set of speakers that will outpace the average hi-fi and a video recorder that tunes itself automatically.

You could choose a built-in DVD player or video tape recorder and from a range of five colours. There was also the option of a simplified 66cm version – the BeoVision Avant CTV – with no integrated entertainment source.

Features
Watching movies should be about simple entertainment, not complicated technology. That’s why the Avant is available with its own built-in DVD or video recorder. Its presence is only given away by a discreet lid on the front. All cables are hidden in the back of the set.

To ensure even greater viewing comfort, the Avant has its own motorised stand that turns effortlessly through a 70 degree arc. You can program it to turn automatically towards your favourite viewing chair, or use the Beo4 to turn it in the opposite direction. When you switch the Avant off again, it returns silently to its original position in line with your furniture.

A red LED display on top of the cabinet gives you a discreet status of the source you are viewing, without intruding on the picture. It also shows the volume status when you adjust the volume level, and other information related to recording, Dolby Surround and so on. On the back of the display is a hidden push button panel for the most frequently used controls.

The Beo4 remote control is used to access all the various functions of video-playback and recording, menus, tuning, text-television, picture optimisation, sound properties and so on. Beo4 is designed for user-friendly and ergonomical operation with one hand. The buttons in a star-shape for search, ultra-sharp still-picture, super slow-motion, programme shift and fast forward can be controlled by your thumb only, you don’t even have to move your eyes.

Beo4 also controls all the latest B&O audio systems as well – it’s the key to complete home entertainment!

A discreet display on the upper right hand corner of the Avant lets you know what source is playing and a small control panel placed behind it offers hands-on control of all basic functions.

The sound quality of the active loudspeakers can compete with any modern audio system. When the herd of horses approaches your seat from within the widescreen, you can feel the tremble of the horses’ hooves – so powerful is the bass. And as a video-master in a Beolink® system, Avant can distribute sound and vision all over your home – just as it can play the music from your audio system in its speakers.

The Perfect Illusion
Press a key on the Beo4 remote and the electronic curtain glides aside to reveal a perfect picture. A theatrical gimmick or another technological leap forward? Actually, a bit of both! In the short reaction time before the curtain glides aside, a comprehensive circuit adjusts contrast levels, brilliance and colour to the prevailing light conditions in the room, ensuring the optimum picture reproduction every time.

An anti-reflective coating on the picture tube, as well as on the contrast screen is provided to eliminate reflections from windows, carpets and furniture. If you watch television during the day you’ve probably experienced the glare and reflections caused by direct sunshine. To minimise the problem, the Avant’s picture tube and contrast screen have been given a special anti-reflection coating that reduces reflections by up to 99%.

Home Cinema
There was a time when watching a movie on TV was a poor imitation of the real thing. But not anymore! BeoVision Avant brings the movies directly into your living room with a smooth, true-to-life picture and totally convincing sound.

BeoLab 2 completes this ultimate surround setup and – together with the other four active loudspeakers – allows you to make the most out of the advanced sound opportunities offered by the Avant’s built-in Dolby® Digital* module.

Colours
BeoVision Avant comes as one integrated unit. All you have to do is to plug in the mains and the antenna and you’re ready to watch. There are no other visible cords, allowing the Avant to be viewed from all sides – so it does not have to be set up in a corner or next to a wall. It fits nicely into any kind on home, thanks to the range of many available cabinet colours: pearly blue, pearly black, pearly red, pearly green and silver.

When the system is turned off, it turns back to its original position, the sound fades away and the curtains glide in front of the screen. Just like being in your own private small-screen cinema!

Features of the two Avant DVD models: Set-Top Box Controller module and Anti-Reflex coated Contrast Screen fitted as standard. All other modules are optional.

Motorised stand
The motorised stand of the Avant is rigorously tested. It’s built to be able to turn through an arc of 70° at least 20,000 times. If the TV was turned on and off 5 times a day, the motorised stand should perform flawlessly for more than ten years. In its tests, B&O stopped after 80,000 turns. A painted iron base plate, an aluminium top plate which carries the entire weight, with the actual turning mechanism of a 36 ball bearing race between them is how the stand is made up. Tests such as dropping it several centimetres directly onto the rim of the bottom plate ensure that the stand has many years of life in front of it.

*Dolby Digital is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation

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BeoVision Avant 32 VCR

Bang & Olufsen BeoVision Avant 32 VCR

TV isn’t just something you watch, it’s something you experience. That’s why BeoVision Avant makes a big deal about giving you the best in audio-visual entertainment. The BeoVision Avant was created as a video system, but during its design, the idea came up of making the television a picture on the wall. This has been achieved by deceiving the eye: this is a familiar ploy in the very best of designs.

The BeoVision Avant gives you a television that acts like a picture on the wall: a wall you personally position in the room. It has a built-in video which is invisible to the viewer. Everything is operated via the Beo4 remote control. You have full control from the best seat in the living room, and the television turns towards the viewer using the motorised base.

BeoVision Avant – designed by David Lewis – was a totally new concept from Bang & Olufsen and was introduced in 1995. This video system is completely integrated holding a widescreen television, a hi-fi stereo VCR and a couple of active speakers in its attractive-looking cabinet. It was also the first wide-screen TV from Bang & Olufsen ever. Although by the end of the twentieth-century widescreen TVs were taking more and more market share, most TVs still used the 4:3 format. When Bang & Olufsen started planning for this model they originally envisaged to use the same technology then currently used in the MX series but along the way they decided to develop a completely new chassis. This new chassis is much more advanced.

The Avant is also a very environment-friendly TV using a lot of recycled material as well being recyclable itself at the end of its serviceable life. The set can also be expanded with several add-ons. For example: picture-in-picture (PIP), satellite receiver and Dolby Pro-Logic or Dolby Digital decoder. The Avant is the pathway to the future of video systems; a whole new concept of the most advanced video system from Bang & Olufsen to date.

The widescreen format 16:9 picture tube is used for the first time in the BeoVision Avant. This created conflict between designer David Lewis and Bang & Olufsen’s technicians, as the designer could not see the point of it. A new picture tube that could not be filled by the TV picture. Where randomly placed grey stripes on the picture tube were a part of the framing of the picture most of the time. The technicians did not think it could be their fault. Wide format 16:9 was an attempt to consolidate a whole industry around a new market standard. The designer’s talk of trimming and stretching the picture to fill out the frame was, in their eyes, simply distortion. There was no ideal solution to the dilemma.

Together they had to find the solution that would work best in practice. It was not possible to fill the 16:9 format with a 4:3 TV picture. The necessary trimming and stretching annoyed the eye too much. On the other hand, wide format had a lower limit. In the eyes of designer David Lewis, that lower limit lay in the 14:9 format. The technicians struggled to implement the format with as little distortion as possible. They also checked to see whether designer David Lewis would notice the difference if the format was a little bit smaller. Just a few millimetres smaller on the longer element! But David Lewis saw it straight away. There was a distinct limit in the eye’s perception of the transition to wide format, and it lay at 14:9.

Finally, they managed to come up with a method that could handle the problem satisfactorily in practice. A method that has subsequently been further developed to implement the 15:9 format that is close to the aesthetic ideal: the golden rectangle. Programmes recorded and distributed in 16:9 are the ideal way of filling the wide format, but the range is still limited. Bang & Olufsen’s wide-format TV offers a practical solution to filling the screen with ordinary TV and video programmes. It was created by trained eyes.

TOP TIP

Information valid for:

BeoVision Avant 50 HZ MK I MK II

Intermittent jamming of cassettes during eject; VTR fails

Symptom: Intermittent jamming of certain types of cassettes in the tape mechanism during eject.

Cause: An edge of the cassette or a misfitted label, etc. may catch the lower part of the cassette lid and prevent the cassette from being ejected.

Solution: Replace the cassette lid by the new type, which is fitted with two small round knobs on the lower part of the lid.

To avoid colour differences the lid is supplied together with side panels and the small triangle (BeoVision Avant TV, service manual pos. 9016).

This solution is implemented in the production as from Avant serial number 12159658 (week 38 of 1996)

Its standard features were: VisionClear Technology and multi-format picture. It houses a 16:9 widescreen television with automatic picture adaptation, which means that every broadcast, no matter where it originates, is automatically shown with the optimum reproduction, from news reports in standard format, to movies in widescreen.

BeoVision Avant features the same functions as Beosystem AV 9000. When you turn it on, first it turns on its motorised stand toward your favourite watching-place. Then comes the sound, produced by four active loudspeakers hidden directly underneath the widescreen, while behind the black curtain the picture adapts to its format and to the lighting conditions in the room, before the curtains glide aside and reveal a perfect picture.

BeoVision Avant encourages you to lose yourself in a sound and picture experience – and not in the technology. That’s why we hang the 16:9 Real Flat wide-screen on its own smooth wall and conceal everything else behind it – including a set of speakers that will outpace the average hi-fi and a video recorder that tunes itself automatically.

You can choose a built-in DVD player or video tape recorder and from a range of five colours. There’s also the option of a simplified 66cm version with no integrated entertainment source.

Design
Close your eyes and imagine the perfect TV. Open them again and take a look at BeoVision Avant. It’s a widescreen TV that’s easy to understand, effortless to use and always a pleasure to watch.

Though a widescreen TV is never going to be small in size, it doesn’t mean that it has to dominate its surroundings. The Avant has a subtle presence and comes in a range of colours that allow it to compliment any environment in which it’s placed.

At Bang & Olufsen, it is taken for granted that when you watch TV, you want to concentrate on the experience rather than on the technology. That’s why the Real Flat screen is ‘hung’ on its own “wall” with everything else concealed behind.

Widescreen
The picture quality provided by the Avant is as close to the real thing as you can get. Its smooth Real Flat widescreen provides the perfect format for movie watching – and together with the exceptional sound creates a spatial illusion that’s second to none.

Switch on the Avant and it automatically adjusts any broadcast to the optimal widescreen picture – no matter what format it was produced in. News and sports broadcasts are expanded from the traditional 4:3 format into 15:9, while movies shot in widescreen are reproduced in a 16:9 format that’s as close to the original cinema version as you can get. And, if you don’t like the picture as it is, you can easily change to another format with the Beo4 remote control.

BeoVision Avant models:
BeoVision Avant 100Hz MK III (832x)

BeoVision Avant 100Hz MK I MK II (830x)

BeoVision Avant 28 DVD (834X)

BeoVision Avant 32 MK II MK III (842x)

BeoVision Avant 32 DVD (844X)

BeoVision Avant 50Hz MK III MK IV (810x)

BeoVision Avant 50Hz MK I MK II (81xx)

BeoVision Avant CTV (836x)

BeoVision Avant RF 28 (833x)

BeoVision Avant RF 28 CTV (837x)

BeoVision Avant RF 32 (843x)

BeoVision Avant US (8490)

Features
Watching movies should be about simple entertainment, not complicated technology. That’s why the Avant is available with its own built-in DVD player or video recorder. Its presence is only given away by a discreet lid on the front. All cables are hidden in the back of the set.

To ensure even greater viewing comfort, the Avant has its own motorised stand that turns effortlessly through a 70 degree arc. You can program it to turn automatically towards your favourite viewing chair, or use the Beo4 to turn it in the opposite direction. When you switch the Avant off again, it returns silently to its original position in line with your furniture.

A red LED display on top of the cabinet gives you a discreet status of the source you are viewing, without intruding on the picture. It also shows the volume status when you adjust the volume level, and other information related to recording, Dolby Surround and so on. On the back of the display is a hidden push button panel for the most frequently used controls.

The Beo4 remote control is used to access all the various functions of video-playback and recording, menus, tuning, text-television, picture optimisation, sound properties and so on. Beo4 is designed for user-friendly and ergonomical operation with one hand. The buttons in a star-shape for search, ultra-sharp still-picture, super slow-motion, programme shift and fast forward can be controlled by your thumb only, you don’t even have to move your eyes. Beo4 also controls all the latest B&O audio systems as well – it’s the key to complete home entertainment!

A discreet display on the upper right hand corner of the Avant lets you know what source is playing and a small control panel placed behind it offers hands-on control of all basic functions.

This television became the basis for renewed efforts in the US television market which has been overall successful.

Let the show commence!
It has been said that ‘Bang & Olufsen’s products are enchanting’ ! And the magic, the good idea, often comes into being in the course of finding a solution to some practical problem. The practical problem here was that there was a short time lag between pressing the button and a picture appearing on the screen. So you would sit and wait expectantly for a little while. The experience of waiting reminded designer David Lewis of a theatre before the curtain went up! Behind the curtain, preparations are being made for the performance.

The lighting and sound are adjusted and the actors take their places. The curtain only goes up when everything is ready. The first television to have a curtain was the BeoVision AV 9000. The curtain was a thin steel sheet that was slid to one side by a clever mechanism when the stage was set. Bang & Olufsen’s wide-format television, the BeoVision Avant, is equipped with an electronic curtain. From the moment you press the button until the curtain slides away, the technology is busily working unnoticed. No pop from the loudspeakers, no random flash of light from the screen. Only when the sound is ready and the picture is in place can the performance begin.

VCR
Underneath the loudspeakers is the access to the VCR. The Avant incorporates the same video-technology as the V8000 systems, namely a stereo VCR that can play back recordings of all standards. The video machine has, naturally, record indexing and it can show the elapsed or remaining time of any cassette being played. Dolby Surround is an option, and when installed, Avant can take the place of the AV9000 video system. Another option is a PIP-module (Picture-In-Picture).

Sound
The perfect picture deserves a sound to match and that’s exactly what the Avant offers. A pair of specially developed loudspeaker units – capable of outperforming many traditional hi-fi setups – are discreetly placed below the screen and offer an exceptional sound performance that will enhance the best action-movie or concert footage.

The BeoVision Avant features a built-in Dolby® Digital* module that lets you bring the cinema directly into your living room. With a pair of loudspeakers from Bang & Olufsen’s BeoLab range positioned at either side of the TV and two more placed at the rear, you can put yourself in the middle of a surround sound experience that’s second to none.

The sound quality of the active loudspeakers can compete with any modern audio system. When the herd of horses approaches your seat from within the widescreen, you can feel the tremble of the horses’ hooves – so powerful is the bass. And as a video-master in a Beolink system, Avant can distribute sound and vision all over your home – just as it can play the music from your audio system in its speakers.

The Perfect Illusion
Press a key on the Beo4 remote and the electronic curtain glides aside to reveal a perfect picture. A theatrical gimmick or another technological leap forward? Actually, a bit of both! In the short reaction time before the curtain glides aside, a comprehensive circuit adjusts contrast levels, brilliance and colour to the prevailing light conditions in the room, ensuring the optimum picture reproduction every time.

An anti-reflective coating on the picture tube, as well as on the contrast screen is provided to eliminate reflections from windows, carpets and furniture. If you watch television during the day you’ve probably experienced the glare and reflections caused by direct sunshine. To minimise the problem, the Avant’s picture tube and contrast screen have been given a special anti-reflection coating that reduces reflections by up to 99%.

Home Cinema
There was a time when watching a movie on TV was a poor imitation of the real thing. But not anymore! BeoVision Avant brings the movies directly into your living room with a smooth, true-to-life picture and totally convincing sound.

BeoLab 2 completes this ultimate surround setup and – together with the other four active loudspeakers – allows you to make the most out of the advanced sound opportunities offered by the Avant’s built-in Dolby® Digital* module.

Colours
BeoVision Avant comes as one integrated unit. All you have to do is to plug in the mains and the antenna and you’re ready to watch. There are no other visible cords, allowing the Avant to be viewed from all sides – so it does not have to be set up in a corner or next to a wall. It fits nicely into any kind on home, thanks to the range of many available cabinet colours: pearly blue, pearly black, pearly red, pearly green and silver.

When the system is turned off, it turns back to its original position, the sound fades away and the curtains glide in front of the screen. Just like being in your own private small-screen cinema!

Wax & fix
The weight of the Avant’s widescreen picture tube called for new thinking in terms of construction. High density fibre board turned out to be as solid a solution as it is environmentally healthy. To disguise its low tech appearance, it is treated to a high quality two-component lacquer of the same type as is used at the upper end of the car industry. It will not scratch easily, but should this happen, a minor scratch can be polished away using liquid silicone car wax.

*Dolby Digital is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation

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BeoVision Avant 32 DVD

Bang & Olufsen BeoVision Avant

At the end of 2001 several variations of the BeoVision Avant were on offer – the BeoVision Avant 28 with and without VCR, and BeoVision Avant 32 with VCR or DVD player built in as standard. Then from March 2002, the BeoVision Avant 28 DVD was introduced to join its larger-screened brother.

BeoVision Avant encourages you to lose yourself in a sound and picture experience – and not in the technology. That’s why Bang & Olufsen hang the 16:9 Real Flat wide-screen on its own smooth wall and conceal everything else behind it – including a set of speakers that will outpace the average hi-fi and a video recorder that tunes itself automatically.

You could choose a built-in DVD player or video tape recorder and from a range of five colours. There was also the option of a simplified 66cm version – the BeoVision Avant CTV – with no integrated entertainment source.

Features
Watching movies should be about simple entertainment, not complicated technology. That’s why the Avant is available with its own built-in DVD or video recorder. Its presence is only given away by a discreet lid on the front. All cables are hidden in the back of the set.

To ensure even greater viewing comfort, the Avant has its own motorised stand that turns effortlessly through a 70 degree arc. You can program it to turn automatically towards your favourite viewing chair, or use the Beo4 to turn it in the opposite direction. When you switch the Avant off again, it returns silently to its original position in line with your furniture.

A red LED display on top of the cabinet gives you a discreet status of the source you are viewing, without intruding on the picture. It also shows the volume status when you adjust the volume level, and other information related to recording, Dolby Surround and so on. On the back of the display is a hidden push button panel for the most frequently used controls.

The Beo4 remote control is used to access all the various functions of video-playback and recording, menus, tuning, text-television, picture optimisation, sound properties and so on. Beo4 is designed for user-friendly and ergonomical operation with one hand. The buttons in a star-shape for search, ultra-sharp still-picture, super slow-motion, programme shift and fast forward can be controlled by your thumb only, you don’t even have to move your eyes.

Beo4 also controls all the latest B&O audio systems as well – it’s the key to complete home entertainment!

A discreet display on the upper right hand corner of the Avant lets you know what source is playing and a small control panel placed behind it offers hands-on control of all basic functions.

The sound quality of the active loudspeakers can compete with any modern audio system. When the herd of horses approaches your seat from within the widescreen, you can feel the tremble of the horses’ hooves – so powerful is the bass. And as a video-master in a Beolink® system, Avant can distribute sound and vision all over your home – just as it can play the music from your audio system in its speakers.

The Perfect Illusion
Press a key on the Beo4 remote and the electronic curtain glides aside to reveal a perfect picture. A theatrical gimmick or another technological leap forward? Actually, a bit of both! In the short reaction time before the curtain glides aside, a comprehensive circuit adjusts contrast levels, brilliance and colour to the prevailing light conditions in the room, ensuring the optimum picture reproduction every time.

An anti-reflective coating on the picture tube, as well as on the contrast screen is provided to eliminate reflections from windows, carpets and furniture. If you watch television during the day you’ve probably experienced the glare and reflections caused by direct sunshine. To minimise the problem, the Avant’s picture tube and contrast screen have been given a special anti-reflection coating that reduces reflections by up to 99%.

Home Cinema
There was a time when watching a movie on TV was a poor imitation of the real thing. But not anymore! BeoVision Avant brings the movies directly into your living room with a smooth, true-to-life picture and totally convincing sound.

BeoLab 2 completes this ultimate surround setup and – together with the other four active loudspeakers – allows you to make the most out of the advanced sound opportunities offered by the Avant’s built-in Dolby® Digital* module.

Colours
BeoVision Avant comes as one integrated unit. All you have to do is to plug in the mains and the antenna and you’re ready to watch. There are no other visible cords, allowing the Avant to be viewed from all sides – so it does not have to be set up in a corner or next to a wall. It fits nicely into any kind on home, thanks to the range of many available cabinet colours: pearly blue, pearly black, pearly red, pearly green and silver.

When the system is turned off, it turns back to its original position, the sound fades away and the curtains glide in front of the screen. Just like being in your own private small-screen cinema!

Features of the two Avant DVD models: Set-Top Box Controller module and Anti-Reflex coated Contrast Screen fitted as standard. All other modules are optional.

Motorised stand
The motorised stand of the Avant is rigorously tested. It’s built to be able to turn through an arc of 70° at least 20,000 times. If the TV was turned on and off 5 times a day, the motorised stand should perform flawlessly for more than ten years. In its tests, B&O stopped after 80,000 turns. A painted iron base plate, an aluminium top plate which carries the entire weight, with the actual turning mechanism of a 36 ball bearing race between them is how the stand is made up. Tests such as dropping it several centimetres directly onto the rim of the bottom plate ensure that the stand has many years of life in front of it.

*Dolby Digital is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation

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BeoVision Avant 28 VCR

Bang & Olufsen BeoVision Avant 28 VCR

Everything is operated from the remote control and you have full control from the best seat in the living room

TV isn’t just something you watch, it’s something you experience. That’s why BeoVision Avant makes a big deal about giving you the best in audio-visual entertainment. The BeoVision Avant was created as a video system, but during its design, the idea came up of making the television a picture on the wall. This has been achieved by deceiving the eye: this is a familiar ploy in the very best of designs. The BeoVision Avant gives you a television that acts like a picture on the wall: a wall you personally position in the room. It has a built-in video which is invisible to the viewer. Everything is operated via the Beo4 remote control. You have full control from the best seat in the living room, and the television turns towards the viewer using the motorised base.

BeoVision Avant
Designed by David Lewis – was a totally new concept from Bang & Olufsen and was introduced in 1995. This video system is completely integrated holding a widescreen television, a hi-fi stereo VCR and a couple of active speakers in its attractive-looking cabinet. It was also the first wide-screen TV from Bang & Olufsen ever. Although by the end of the twentieth-century widescreen TVs were taking more and more market share, most TVs still used the 4:3 format. When Bang & Olufsen started planning for this model they originally envisaged to use the same technology then currently used in the MX series but along the way they decided to develop a completely new chassis. This new chassis is much more advanced.

The Avant is also a very environment-friendly TV using a lot of recycled material as well being recyclable itself at the end of its serviceable life. The set can also be expanded with several add-ons. For example: picture-in-picture (PIP), satellite receiver and Dolby Pro-Logic or Dolby Digital decoder. The Avant is the pathway to the future of video systems; a whole new concept of the most advanced video system from Bang & Olufsen to date.

The widescreen format 16:9 picture tube is used for the first time in the BeoVision Avant. This created conflict between designer David Lewis and Bang & Olufsen’s technicians, as the designer could not see the point of it. A new picture tube that could not be filled by the TV picture. Where randomly placed grey stripes on the picture tube were a part of the framing of the picture most of the time. The technicians did not think it could be their fault. Wide format 16:9 was an attempt to consolidate a whole industry around a new market standard. The designer’s talk of trimming and stretching the picture to fill out the frame was, in their eyes, simply distortion. There was no ideal solution to the dilemma.

Together they had to find the solution that would work best in practice. It was not possible to fill the 16:9 format with a 4:3 TV picture. The necessary trimming and stretching annoyed the eye too much. On the other hand, wide format had a lower limit. In the eyes of designer David Lewis, that lower limit lay in the 14:9 format. The technicians struggled to implement the format with as little distortion as possible. They also checked to see whether designer David Lewis would notice the difference if the format was a little bit smaller. Just a few millimetres smaller on the longer element! But David Lewis saw it straight away.

There was a distinct limit in the eye’s perception of the transition to wide format, and it lay at 14:9. Finally, they managed to come up with a method that could handle the problem satisfactorily in practice. A method that has subsequently been further developed to implement the 15:9 format that is close to the aesthetic ideal: the golden rectangle. Programmes recorded and distributed in 16:9 are the ideal way of filling the wide format, but the range is still limited. Bang & Olufsen’s wide-format TV offers a practical solution to filling the screen with ordinary TV and video programmes. It was created by trained eyes.

TOP TIP

Information valid for:

BeoVision Avant 50 HZ MK I MK II

Intermittent jamming of cassettes during eject; VTR fails

Symptom: Intermittent jamming of certain types of cassettes in the tape mechanism during eject.

Cause: An edge of the cassette or a misfitted label, etc. may catch the lower part of the cassette lid and prevent the cassette from being ejected.

Solution: Replace the cassette lid by the new type, which is fitted with two small round knobs on the lower part of the lid.

This solution is implemented in the production as from Avant serial number 12159658 (week 38 of 1996)

Its standard features were: VisionClear Technology and multi-format picture. It houses a 16:9 widescreen television with automatic picture adaptation, which means that every broadcast, no matter where it originates, is automatically shown with the optimum reproduction, from news reports in standard format, to movies in widescreen.

BeoVision Avant features the same functions as Beosystem AV 9000. When you turn it on, first it turns on its motorised stand toward your favourite watching-place. Then comes the sound, produced by four active loudspeakers hidden directly underneath the widescreen, while behind the black curtain the picture adapts to its format and to the lighting conditions in the room, before the curtains glide aside and reveal a perfect picture.

BeoVision Avant encourages you to lose yourself in a sound and picture experience – and not in the technology. That’s why we hang the 16:9 Real Flat wide-screen on its own smooth wall and conceal everything else behind it – including a set of speakers that will outpace the average hi-fi and a video recorder that tunes itself automatically.

You can choose a built-in DVD player or video tape recorder and from a range of five colours. There’s also the option of a simplified 66cm version with no integrated entertainment source.

Design
Close your eyes and imagine the perfect TV. Open them again and take a look at BeoVision Avant. It’s a widescreen TV that’s easy to understand, effortless to use and always a pleasure to watch.

Though a widescreen TV is never going to be small in size, it doesn’t mean that it has to dominate its surroundings. The Avant has a subtle presence and comes in a range of colours that allow it to compliment any environment in which it’s placed.

At Bang & Olufsen, it is taken for granted that when you watch TV, you want to concentrate on the experience rather than on the technology. That’s why the Real Flat screen is ‘hung’ on its own “wall” with everything else concealed behind.

Widescreen
The picture quality provided by the Avant is as close to the real thing as you can get. Its smooth Real Flat widescreen provides the perfect format for movie watching – and together with the exceptional sound creates a spatial illusion that’s second to none.

Switch on the Avant and it automatically adjusts any broadcast to the optimal widescreen picture – no matter what format it was produced in. News and sports broadcasts are expanded from the traditional 4:3 format into 15:9, while movies shot in widescreen are reproduced in a 16:9 format that’s as close to the original cinema version as you can get. And, if you don’t like the picture as it is, you can easily change to another format with the Beo4 remote control.

BeoVision Avant models:
BeoVision Avant 100Hz MK III (832x)

BeoVision Avant 100Hz MK I MK II (830x)

BeoVision Avant 28 DVD (834X)

BeoVision Avant 32 MK II MK III (842x)

BeoVision Avant 32 DVD (844X)

BeoVision Avant 50Hz MK III MK IV (810x)

BeoVision Avant 50Hz MK I MK II (81xx)

BeoVision Avant CTV (836x)

BeoVision Avant RF 28 (833x)

BeoVision Avant RF 28 CTV (837x)

BeoVision Avant RF 32 (843x)

BeoVision Avant US (8490)

Features
Watching movies should be about simple entertainment, not complicated technology. That’s why the Avant is available with its own built-in DVD player or video recorder. Its presence is only given away by a discreet lid on the front. All cables are hidden in the back of the set.

To ensure even greater viewing comfort, the Avant has its own motorised stand that turns effortlessly through a 70 degree arc. You can program it to turn automatically towards your favourite viewing chair, or use the Beo4 to turn it in the opposite direction. When you switch the Avant off again, it returns silently to its original position in line with your furniture.

A red LED display on top of the cabinet gives you a discreet status of the source you are viewing, without intruding on the picture. It also shows the volume status when you adjust the volume level, and other information related to recording, Dolby Surround and so on. On the back of the display is a hidden push button panel for the most frequently used controls.

The Beo4 remote control is used to access all the various functions of video-playback and recording, menus, tuning, text-television, picture optimisation, sound properties and so on. Beo4 is designed for user-friendly and ergonomical operation with one hand. The buttons in a star-shape for search, ultra-sharp still-picture, super slow-motion, programme shift and fast forward can be controlled by your thumb only, you don’t even have to move your eyes. Beo4 also controls all the latest B&O audio systems as well – it’s the key to complete home entertainment!

A discreet display on the upper right hand corner of the Avant lets you know what source is playing and a small control panel placed behind it offers hands-on control of all basic functions.

This television became the basis for renewed efforts in the US television market which has been overall successful.

Let the show commence!
It has been said that ‘Bang & Olufsen’s products are enchanting’ ! And the magic, the good idea, often comes into being in the course of finding a solution to some practical problem. The practical problem here was that there was a short time lag between pressing the button and a picture appearing on the screen. So you would sit and wait expectantly for a little while. The experience of waiting reminded designer David Lewis of a theatre before the curtain went up! Behind the curtain, preparations are being made for the performance. The lighting and sound are adjusted and the actors take their places. The curtain only goes up when everything is ready.

The first television to have a curtain was the BeoVision AV 9000. The curtain was a thin steel sheet that was slid to one side by a clever mechanism when the stage was set. Bang & Olufsen’s wide-format television, the BeoVision Avant, is equipped with an electronic curtain. From the moment you press the button until the curtain slides away, the technology is busily working unnoticed. No pop from the loudspeakers, no random flash of light from the screen. Only when the sound is ready and the picture is in place can the performance begin.

VCR
Underneath the loudspeakers is the access to the VCR. The Avant incorporates the same video-technology as the V8000 systems, namely a stereo VCR that can play back recordings of all standards. The video machine has, naturally, record indexing and it can show the elapsed or remaining time of any cassette being played. Dolby Surround is an option, and when installed, Avant can take the place of the AV9000 video system. Another option is a PIP-module (Picture-In-Picture)

Sound
The perfect picture deserves a sound to match and that’s exactly what the Avant offers. A pair of specially developed loudspeaker units – capable of outperforming many traditional hi-fi setups – are discreetly placed below the screen and offer an exceptional sound performance that will enhance the best action-movie or concert footage.

The BeoVision Avant features a built-in Dolby® Digital* module that lets you bring the cinema directly into your living room. With a pair of loudspeakers from Bang & Olufsen’s BeoLab range positioned at either side of the TV and two more placed at the rear, you can put yourself in the middle of a surround sound experience that’s second to none.

The sound quality of the active loudspeakers can compete with any modern audio system. When the herd of horses approaches your seat from within the widescreen, you can feel the tremble of the horses’ hooves – so powerful is the bass. And as a video-master in a Beolink system, Avant can distribute sound and vision all over your home – just as it can play the music from your audio system in its speakers.

The Perfect Illusion
Press a key on the Beo4 remote and the electronic curtain glides aside to reveal a perfect picture. A theatrical gimmick or another technological leap forward? Actually, a bit of both! In the short reaction time before the curtain glides aside, a comprehensive circuit adjusts contrast levels, brilliance and colour to the prevailing light conditions in the room, ensuring the optimum picture reproduction every time.

An anti-reflective coating on the picture tube, as well as on the contrast screen is provided to eliminate reflections from windows, carpets and furniture. If you watch television during the day you’ve probably experienced the glare and reflections caused by direct sunshine. To minimise the problem, the Avant’s picture tube and contrast screen have been given a special anti-reflection coating that reduces reflections by up to 99%.

Home Cinema
There was a time when watching a movie on TV was a poor imitation of the real thing. But not anymore! BeoVision Avant brings the movies directly into your living room with a smooth, true-to-life picture and totally convincing sound.

BeoLab 2 completes this ultimate surround setup and – together with the other four active loudspeakers – allows you to make the most out of the advanced sound opportunities offered by the Avant’s built-in Dolby® Digital* module.

Colours
BeoVision Avant comes as one integrated unit. All you have to do is to plug in the mains and the antenna and you’re ready to watch. There are no other visible cords, allowing the Avant to be viewed from all sides – so it does not have to be set up in a corner or next to a wall. It fits nicely into any kind on home, thanks to the range of many available cabinet colours: pearly blue, pearly black, pearly red, pearly green and silver.

When the system is turned off, it turns back to its original position, the sound fades away and the curtains glide in front of the screen. Just like being in your own private small-screen cinema!

Wax & fix
The weight of the Avant’s widescreen picture tube called for new thinking in terms of construction. High density fibre board turned out to be as solid a solution as it is environmentally healthy. To disguise its low tech appearance, it is treated to a high quality two-component lacquer of the same type as is used at the upper end of the car industry. It will not scratch easily, but should this happen, a minor scratch can be polished away using liquid silicone car wax.

*Dolby Digital is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation

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BeoVox CX100

Bang & Olufsen BeoVox CX100

Living proof that big sound need not take up more space than a couple of ring binders, Beovox CX50 snuggled in anywhere, even as extras in a Beolink® system.

Beovox CX50 and Beovox CX100 loudspeakers were the smallest loudspeakers from Bang & Olufsen up to the time that the manufacture of passive speakers ceased in 2002. They were mostly used to place within a passive Beolink® system (MCL), although they could also be used as main speakers. Thanks to different colour combinations they blended well into most people’s décor.

Beovox CX100 finally ceased production in September 2003 – the last of a long and successful line of passive speakers.

Description:
Passive loudspeaker, aluminium cabinet, available in black, white and brushed aluminium.

Replacement drive units: Top drive unit for CX50/CX100 Part number: 411743

Mounting Options
BeoVox CX50/CX100 replaced C40 and was designed to be optionally mounted with the wall brackets supplied in the box.

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BeoVox CX50

Bang & Olufsen BeoVox CX50

Living proof that big sound need not take up more space than a couple of ring binders, Beovox CX50 snuggled in anywhere, even as extras in a Beolink® system.

Beovox CX50 and Beovox CX100 loudspeakers were the smallest loudspeakers from Bang & Olufsen up to the time that the manufacture of passive speakers ceased in 2002. They were mostly used to place within a passive Beolink® system (MCL), although they could also be used as main speakers. Thanks to different colour combinations they blended well into most people’s décor.

Beovox CX100 finally ceased production in September 2003 – the last of a long and successful line of passive speakers.

Description:
Passive loudspeaker, aluminium cabinet, available in black, white and brushed aluminium.

Replacement drive units: Top drive unit for CX50/CX100 Part number: 411743

Mounting Options
BeoVox CX50/CX100 replaced C40 and was designed to be optionally mounted with the wall brackets supplied in the box.