Beovision 11

Post 00026 | December 4th

I finally got the new telly up on the wall - Have a look!

I sold my Sony Bravia in order to get this. It's a Beovision 11 from Bang & Olufsen. I can't remember the last time I've spent this much money. The wall bracket alone cost about the same as I paid for the last telly. It's a pretty cool wall bracket, though.

You have to admit that's fancy, right?? Right? Okay, probably not half-a-down-payment-of-a-house fancy. I should probably explain myself. Why did I pay stupid money for a decade old TV?

For a bloke who surrounds himself with circuitry, I don't really like modern electronics. Cheap tat produced by exploited workers on the other side of the globe. So what if it's flimsy? You can buy a new model in two years time when the warranty is over. The landfills are full and so are the oceans.

This TV is none of that. First up, it is made in Denmark. As in "Socialist Utopia Denmark". It's not really a place where consumer electronics are made. The factory where this is made is two hours away. I don't mind paying a bit extra knowing the I'm supporting a unionised workforce.

Secondly, support: Nowadays, if a device breaks you are almost expected to throw it out and get a new old. And don't count on support should a product get discontinued. However, with Bang & Olufsen, at least here in Denmark, there are still repair shops around. If it stops working, you can call your local dealership who can refer you to a qualified technician.

And as for supporting old products? The TV came with the most current remote - the Beoremote One. I can use it to control a Beocord tape deck or a put on a record on a Beogram - Even though they haven't been produced in decades. Not only that, with a Master Link cable you can connect B&O products together, which means you can put on a record remotely and have the audio play in the room you're sat in.

Thirdly, the sound: It's pretty good, actually. I've always found it a bit tacky how bad audio is on flat-screens. It's almost as if you are expected to buy a soundbar or AV receiver afterwards. Thing is, speakers need space, and on the Beovision 11, about half the TV is dedicated to them. This results in a audio good enough for everyday use. It also has a built-in surround module, meaning you can hook up more speakers and use the built-in speaker as a centre speaker.

Finally, this is a 1080p display - In fact, this is the last B&O 1080p flagship. I still don't really see the point of 4K - At least with a screen of this size.

Over all, I have to say I am over the moon with it. The rotating wall bracket comes in handy quite a lot. You can set multiple presents for it. I have one that rotates it to the dining room, meaning I don't have to eat my dinner on the sofa if I want to keep watching something. Another preset aims it for my reading nook. You can turn the screen off and use it as an audio device which is great if I want to listen to the radio while I read.

I'm not done with setting it up yet - I want to do it properly now that I'm starting from scratch - but already now it's pretty evident how much cable clutter I have managed to cut down with an integrated solution like this. I'll be hooking up about a dozen consoles to this along with a PC. There is definitely a part of me that thinks I should have just gone the emulation route rather than waste time with all these consoles but, when this is all set up this will be a lot easier. I've been getting into home automation with Home Assistant. I bought a couple of 8 channel relay modules that allow me to turn on any console with a press of a button. Then it will be as easy as picking up the controller and playing. Heck, with a couple of NFC tags I could make console turn on just by picking up the controller! Sunny days ahead for this budding couch potato.