Well, I went into the dealer to take a look at the BV8. Initially, I didn't like this TV at all when I saw the pictures. The 'shelf' is interesting, though, and the look of it is totally different to anything else, which appealed to me. So, I go in and have a look. Firstly, it looks every bit as unusual in reality as in the pictures, and a little nicer. The huge B&O logo which had really put me off actually doesn't look so bad - in fact it's very subtle in the flesh. And the Serene-type soft-touch plastics are pretty high quality. And most of all, the sound really is very impressive indeed.
But... they had it set up right next to a BeoCenter 6-26 and - to put it mildly - there's absolutely no contest in terms of quality - both quality of manufacture and picture quality. Now obviously the BC6 is dearer (GBP 3,000 versus GBP 2,000), but to me it looked worth every bit of the difference - and then some. Much more B&O, with proper glass screen, and very high build quality.
I'd never really considered the BC6, because I thought I needed a 32" screen size (I'd gone to see the BV8 in anticipation of the forthcoming 32). I always liked the look of the BV6 in preference to the BV7-32 (which of course is bundled with a very average - and expensive -DVD player that I don't need). And sitting in the dealership looking at the 26" across the room it seemed perfectly big enough.
Our living room area is pretty small (about 5m x 4m) and so in any case having a smaller TV would be nice in the sense of not totally dominating the room. However, I do like to watch a movie occasionally and would strongly consider getting the surround module (in place of the DAB module that I wouldn't use) and - ideally - 4 x BL3s on floor stands, or 4 x BL4000s if money's tight!!
So here's where I need some help. Does anyone have a BC6-26 as their main TV? Is it large enough to watch movies on occasionally? And are you happy with it in general? I'd really love to get your views about this TV.
