BeoVision Eclipse –
OLED Perfection

Following on from Loewe’s stunning Bild 7, high-end AV fans have yet another luxury OLED TV to choose from. That’s because Bang & Olufsen has partnered with LG to create the BeoVision Eclipse – a perfect blend of LG’s panel technology and Bang & Olufsen’s design prowess.

BeoVision Eclipse has been designed as the complete package. A TV that offers distinctive acoustics, inviting image quality, and a design that will ensure that this set will become the centrepiece of any room. This complete package will set end-users back quite a pretty penny, however. Thankfully, it supports the latest and greatest technologies – including Dolby Vision.

The LG Partnership

LG has pinned most of its future success on its popular OLED TVs, offering four models ranging in price from £2,000 all the way up to £25,000. Despite the huge price disparity, these TVs have captured the hearts of AV fans, thanks to their immersive visuals afforded by the OLED panels. Now Bang & Olufsen is utilising the same technology to bring an extra bit of sparkle to its sets.

“Bang & Olufsen and LG both share a long tradition of innovation and craftsmanship,” notes Stefan K. Persson, executive vice president at Bang & Olufsen. “The strategic partnership between the two companies demonstrates the mutual desire to continuously push the boundaries when it comes to merging world-class design and cutting-edge technology. The result of this collaboration, the BeoVision Eclipse, is a true example of that.”

Thanks to the partnership with LG, Bang & Olufsen’s BeoVision Eclipse boasts everything that has made the LG sets so popular. That includes 4K video processing, absolute black levels, an infinite contrast ratio, and support for the Dolby Vision HDR standard. The BeoVision Eclipse also benefits from LG’s WebOS 3.5 platform, which offers a range of smart TV functionality, including access to apps from Spotify, Netflix, Amazon and YouTube.

While Bang & Olufsen has crafted TVs of its own in the past, the company decided to partner with LG to free up time to concentrate on the areas it has the best expertise in. This meant leaving the software and display to LG, while it crafted a unique design made from high-end materials, and paired it with acoustics to match.

Sound Is More Than Half The Picture

Most consumers looking for a TV concentrate predominantly on picture quality and price, although those buying a high-end TV want more bang for their buck. That’s why high-end TVs often feature in-built speakers that you’ll actually want to listen to. The BeoVision Eclipse is no exception.

The new TV integrates a 450W three-channel SoundCentre offering both stereo performance and a centre channel. Hidden behind a coloured fabric exterior, this SoundCentre packs in a single 1in tweet, two 2.5in full-range drivers and three 4in mid-range woofers.

The speakers are not just designed to give depth to what’s playing on the TV, however. Bang & Olufsen is fully expecting users to utilise them as a music system in their own right. To achieve that effect, Bang & Olufsen has integrated a range of audio streaming technologies, including Apple AirPlay, Buetooth, DLNA, Chromecast and QPlay 2.0.

To achieve the very best sound for whatever is being played through the speaker, Bang & Olufsen has equipped the BeoVision Eclipse with an integrated 7.1 surround sound decoder, while the TV also boasts adaptive bass linearisation and TrueImage up and downmixing. Users can even link the BeoVision Eclipse’s SoundCentre with up to seven additional speakers for a full wireless surround solution.

Bang & Olufsen is so confident in the audio quality of its new OLED TV that the company claims it can easily match the quality offered by Bang & Olufsen’s high-end BeoLab speakers. Given a single speaker in the BeoLab range can cost upwards of £20,000, that’s quite a claim.

Design & Craftmanship

Bang & Olufsen is known for its design prowess, and it’s pulled out all the stops to ensure that the BeoVision Eclipse looks as good as it performs.

The design of the BeoVision Eclipse is definitely unlikely many TVs that are currently available in the marketplace. The slim glass surface that covers the display continues down almost the entire length of the TV, going beneath the SoundCentre. The SoundCentre itself is covered in premium fabric and expands beyond the screen on both sides. Bang & Olufsen says this design was chosen to create exciting contrasts – between image and sound, slimness and volume.

Further accentuating the design flare offered by the BeoVision Eclipse, the motorised floor stand can make the TV move across the floor as if it were floating towards the viewer. The TV can be adjusted to a user’s viewing position no matter where they are in the room.

In addition to the floor stand, BeoVision Eclipse can be placed on a motorised or manual wall bracket – likely to be the installation option of choice for most custom installers.

As with many products in the install sector, the BeoVision Eclipse can be customised to fit with any interior. This includes choosing either aluminium or coloured fabric speaker covers.

Complete Control

Despite switching to LG’s WebOS platform, Bang & Olufsen has included many of the flares that users have come to expect from its product line-up. That includes the popular BeoRemote One BT, which allows users to customise their remote control to perform whatever tricks they need it to. By pushing one of the ‘MyButton’ for three seconds, it is possible to store access to a source, create a shortcut to content or devices – e.g. streaming services, personal content or a Blu-ray player.

“At Bang & Olufsen, we strive to evolve alongside our customers and deliver products that fit into their lives. BeoVision Eclipse is in many ways a flexible solution for the modern consumer, and it represents another leap forward in the way we make TV’s. It is what you want it to be at any given time,” adds Stefan.

In addition to being able to control multiple devices and the TV through the remote, the BeoVision Eclipse also includes BeoLink as standard. This is Bang & Olufsen’s smart home system, which ties together all of the company’s products, as well as third-party control solutions from the likes of Crestron, Control4 and Savant.

Release Date and Pricing

The Bang & Olufsen BeoVision Eclipse was officially unveiled at IFA 2017 in Berlin, and will hit retailers in September. The TV set will be available in two different sizes, with users given the option of either a 55in model or a 65in model.

Bang & Olufsen has set pricing at £8,290 for the 55in set, which includes the wall bracket, a fabric speaker cover and the BeoRemote One. The 65in model is a tad more at £11,590.