Not every living room is large enough to house a 77-inch television from Denmark's Bang & Olufsen, and the high-end company has responded to requests from customers for something smaller with a 48-inch 4K OLED model rocking a built-in soundbar.
"We are excited to launch Beovision Contour, a screen viewing experience that doesn’t compromise on quality or design aesthetics despite its size," said B&O's Christoffer Østergaard Poulsen. "Our customers tell us there is a need for a mid-sized screen solution with flexible placement options built to the highest standards of performance and design, which is why we made Beovision Contour."
The Contour has been designed as a primary television for smaller spaces or a secondary unit for the kitchen or bedroom, and within its anodized aluminum frame sits a 4K OLED display panel from LG with Dolby Vision and Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10 and HLG.
B&O has raided its own Stage audio tech for the incorporated soundbar's eleven speakers and amps, shaping up as four 4-inch bass drivers, four 1.5-inch mid-range drivers and three 0.75-inch tweeters – each powered by a 50-W amp.
Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD sound profiles are included, there's Bluetooth 4.2, Line-in and HDMI, and when the TV is not offering UHD visuals, the system can serve as a multiroom music system, with B&O cooking in Chromecast, Beolink Multiroom and Airplay 2, together with streaming services TuneIn and Deezer.
The overall look is clean and stylish, as you might expect from B&O, with the company even managing to hide much of the usual cable clutter from view. The unit is supplied with a wall mount, but can be had with stands for floor or table top, too.
Available in Europe now in five color/finish combinations, the Beovision Contour carries a suggested retail price of €5,700 (about US$6,800) and can be controlled by a remote fashioned from a single piece of aluminum, but that will cost you €300 more. The model will roll out globally from February 2021.
Of course, if you can live without the Danish design flair and can sort out your own soundbar, LG's OLED 48CX model launched earlier in the year will set you back about $1,500.
Product page: Beovision Contour