When you look at what has happened to the AV market over just the last 10 years(CRT/Plasma/LCD/LED-LCD/OLED soon), it must be a nightmare for a small company like B&O to predict and plan ahead.

I hope TV's aren't eventually got rid of, but i'm more inclined to invest in speakers personally at the moment. I hope there is a killer Beosound 5 replacement.

Regards Chris

ps your national rugby team are going to get a damn good thrashing today🤒

The future?

My thinking is that they will upgrade the firmware in the BS5 Encore, ditch the BM5/BS5 combo entirely, and focus on networking. I really don't see the Loewe iPad edition (if it comes) to mean anything. Apple isn't exactly venturing into untrodden territory here. Smart TVs are the defacto standard on new tellies, and you can use an iPad/iphone  with most smart TVs these days anyway.

I may well be in the minority here, but I really don't care much about televisions and their specs. I care more about audio and audio products. As such, B&O will certainly be able to compete, even with someone with as much money as Apple. B&O has their own little niche when it comes to flat screen tellies: They are definately not the slimmest out there, but they have great sound compared to other flat screen tv manufacturers out there. I can't even imagine that Apple would go after the specific segment B&O caters to. I mean, Apple will compromise on anything and everything to make a slimmer device (Tablet, Phone, desktop, laptop, whatever).

In any case, it seems they're already narrowing the scope towards more audio related products, and proper audio in screen-centric products. I see this as a good thing.

If you want a means to play a cd, you can either get one for the BS5/Encore, use your computer with the internal or an external disc drive or whatever you choose to.

All in all, I think B&O are doing the right thing, getting rid of something that supports a staggering 2GB sd cards (lol), only lossy files, and CD-drives that are prone to break down (as is all CD drives). They have come out with impressive active in-wall speakers, they have made the BeoPlay range which is almost all audio products, they make audio for some big brand car manufacturers, and as I've said before, I really think this focus will pay off, even if some people out there will buy into the Apple branded Loewe tv and pretend smart tv's was invented by Apple.

BeoBoy68 wrote:

I hope either that B&O will launch new audio system. Beo is synonym of Radio from the beginning. I think Bang & Olufsen will survive even if TVs are overpriced.

DMacri wrote:

I agree - I want to see a new audio system as well.

Thats what B&O were good at, analog audio and TVs, good quality and exclusive designs, the time they use today to get new items on the market is just too long, their prices are far to high for normal consumers, in my opinion they have to go back to the basics, good design, quality and user friendly.

Make good audio equipment that is compatible with other brands and with fast digital and internet connections, all automatic update able and with user friendly two way remotes and keep the prices not low, but lower than they are today. To sell equipment that cost 10 times more than other brands with the same functions is like trying to sell sand in Sahara or freezers in the Arctic.

As much of an old timer as I am, and how much I hated to see things like the BS9000 go, in today's world there really isn't much of a reason to sell a CD dedicated player. Same for radio, though I think FM/AM should remain on the devices. Still and all, at least in the US outside a few major metropolitan markets, FM is a wasteland, even the NPR stations are mostly talk and almost no music. Back when I lived in Orlando the only decent radio station in town was the local college station that played real jazz. The others were Clear Channel all commercials and little music cookie cutter crap, or talk. AM was even worse. Even the only semi decent light jazz station got bought out by a Latino music/talk thing. So, even losing the radio isn't a big deal.

From what I can tell, the BS5 and Encore have some issues with s/w and interface/use(so does iTunes). But, I think the Encore is the approach for the future, B&O could focus on perfecting a sexy, well made interface device to whatever data storage you have, big disk, computer, NAS, whatever, and stream internet radio...hey, sounds a lot like a BS5 Encore! I think the future should be making it better and more flexible, improving the linkage with iPads and other tablets, re Android, Win 8, etc. Let someone else manufacture and take the risks for the tablets, and the data storage devices. Just make the interface, the speakers, and the network distribution at least for audio. Add in their video products, networked, and I think they're good.

While I think that's the future, it pains me in a way because I have a lot of legacy stuff, LPs, tapes, CDs, and Masterlink stuff that is kind of being left behind. But, for a small company it's pretty hard to justify keeping support for connecting to an ever decreasing base of legacy products. I recognize I'm not the market they need to be focused on for future sales.

Unfortunately it is difficult to see a way forward for Bang & Olufsen.  The world economic situation and the problems with the Euro are only making it worse.  At one time as a true B&O fanboy, I had hoped to be able financially to buy a completely  new B&O system in which everything matched technologically  and is the latest design.  I can afford to do that now but there nothing I really want to purchase.  The current product line is a mix of mostly old or old technology.  Beoplay is interesting but is nothing special.  I did buy a Beolit 12 but I mostly use it as a table radio.

I think I would like a Beovision 11 but i am put off by having to buy a converter for $900 to attach my ML equipment.  For this converter, B&O wanted me to buy a new router that they would configure.  That is not going to happen.

I am still an optimist and will continue to wait to see what happens.  However if there are more announcements like the Vertu collaboration, I will probably become more disappointed.