I have heard from a reliable source that Beovision 8 is not even produced at a B&O factory but outsourced to a third-party manufacturer in the South-Eastern Asia. This fact alone would be a "no go" for me.

I thought they were produced in a b&o factory in Poland or another eastern european country...

The LCD panels are from asia...

I tried to post from my iPhone on the way back home, but unfortunately, I couldn't type into the text field, so here I am, back home. I can't say how happy I am with the experience and attention I received at the B&O store my wife and I went to this afternoon. I had planned on spending only 30-40 min at the store. Obviously taking time to gawk at the new products which I had never seen in the flesh, but to demo the BV8, but we ended up spending an hour and a half. The owner of the store was both informative and supportive of having us make the right decision.

Some thoughts on the BV8. The television is a real stunner. Understated, and a totally different design from anything out there. Both from the front and the back, it is a really "different" looking set. The plastics used in the case is treated with the same attention to touch and feel of other more higher end B&O products. Obviously the fit and finish is on par with B&O as well.

The picture really seemed to depend on the source. An old non HD movie was playing from the cable box attached to it ("A Perfect Murder" with Viggo Mortenson). My wife and I were initially surprised at the picture quality. It looked old and grainy, but we understood the channel and the movie left a lot to be desired. Then the switch was made to the HD channels, the picture suddenly changed to one of stunning clarity and brightness. In fact, the BV 8 was located along the same wall as a Beovision 4, and on the opposite wall, a BV7... It was a bright and sunny day, and the sunlight was bathing the inside of the store. While standing to the side, we could clearly watch Planet Earth, whereas the glare was apparent off the glass of the BV4 and 7 toward the front of the store. 

Even though the BV8 doesn't have that flat clear as ice glass in front of the LCD, I could tell that the LCD was glossy, and shiny (high glare anti reflective screen), but it didn't take away from viewing angle, and bright reflections were indeed muted.

Sound was another "wow." Clean and crisp. I don't have an audiophile's ears, but the speakers are something to admire in this little telly. No contest that for those who don't have external Beolabs attached, you can enjoy music as well as voice through the little shelf of the television.

Connectivity is where the complications began, but with a little work and the dealer's help, we're going to make it happen.

I plan on connecting a DVD player (through component inputs), a TivoHD through an HDMI cable, and a Wii (through RCA), and masterlink connection to a BS9000... SCART to component adapters would be needed for my connectivity requirements... and my wife liked the black dedicated cabinet with shelves, for practicality (and the price isn't bad for B&O standards either).

Well, the television will be ordered next week, it'll travel to the shop where the tech staff will install the ML module and set the television up for my specific set up and will be shipped later that week. I'll post pictures of it after it finally arrives to my door.

Now the most difficult part begins: the wait.

P.S

I was (and especially my wife) was/were delightfully surprised at the service the dealer provides in the fact that the television would be shipped to the dealer first where the ML module would be added and the specific setups/settings to the PUC would be completed to my standards... is this normal for a dealer, or is this dealer going above and beyond the status quo for a dealer? We're not up in arms but totally floored and satisfied. Mostly because we're not really used to this level of customer attention (in any store for that matter), and we were totally blown away. Any thoughts from other forum members? 

Oops, another observation which I neglected to mention: The "Bang & Olufsen" lettering on the speakers is almost invisible unless standing at a specific angle to the television. I'd venture to say that it's almost imperceptible until really close inspection... Admittedly, I feel a bit silly at going overboard at criticizing it when the first pictures were released.

I'm even more convinced now to wait to formulate opinion about products (esp. B&O) until I have seen them in the flesh.

-Sal 

Congrats on your purchase. I have mine for a few month now and am still in love with it. Plastic indeed is very nice to touch and luxurious, matches the Bl3 that I have next to it.

Cheers

JK 

Sal,

Congrats!  You won't regret the BV8 - even with the lack of inputs.  I, too, am stunned by the picture quality.  Like other TVs, though, it's very dependent on the video source.  However, I find myself now being somewhat of a snob when looking at other flat panels that friends have.  Even though the BV8 is arguably a smallish LCD, B&O has really found a way to make that Sharp LCD panel shine IMHO.

Mark D 

Sal,

Congrats on the purchase; sounds like the perfect choice for you!

I am waiting until the BV8 will be fitted with a DD/DTS module; then this will be the perfect telly for me as well.

Best Regards,

Bieele 

Yes congrats! The Beovision 8 is such a little beauty. The unit has a tactile warmth and is one of the less austere TV in B&O current's line up. It also doesn't dominate a space, which is something I've always preferred.

Though the waiting part seems to be a bain in a B&O owner's life (well that and choosing the right colour).