What Hifi Beovision Avant review

A great review, only let down by some specs people did question......

Anyway, front page of one of the bigger mags is good news. The Moment was on their pages recently too after getting into the best of CES thread

http://www.whathifi.com/bo/beovision-avant-55/review

Wow, what a great review. And I'm sure (I hope) that the smart TV's perceived shortcomings will be rectified with future software updates.

I don't think that was their biggest criticism to be fair.

Hi,

Interesting review. However, it seems that they rated it 4 starts whereas the BV11 got 5. I'm wondering if it has to do with the lack of 4K HEVC built-in or with the quality of the picture/sound vs the BV11?

I still think the BV11 is a better product IMHO. I guess it's always the same thing, better to buy latest versions of proven technologies rather than first "trials" on next gen technologies.

Future will tell us...

fredpert:

Hi,

Interesting review. However, it seems that they rated it 4 starts whereas the BV11 got 5. I'm wondering if it has to do with the lack of 4K HEVC built-in or with the quality of the picture/sound vs the BV11?

I still think the BV11 is a better product IMHO. I guess it's always the same thing, better to buy latest versions of proven technologies rather than first "trials" on next gen technologies.

Future will tell us...

I agree with you.

The motorized stand is the only feature I really like.

But the 4K specs are frustrating:

'Seems like an own goal and, to a certain degree, it is. We’re sure there are engineers within the company working to sort these things out. At least we hope they are. So, is this limited 4K capability a deal breaker? Almost, but not quite.'

That's why I will wait for Avant Mk2. And also for customer 4K material, not only some 4K demos.

Nice review Chris! Compared to the BV11, one can't help think that the BV11 oozes much more class in its elegance. 

Well, the Beovision 11 is a 5-star TV. Better than Avant, especially the sound, and design (debatable). Avant is a 4-star TV, and not bad. The latest is not always the greatest, all marketing hype aside. Case in point: Beovision 7 55". I couldn't ever justify its price to myself when it was in the B&O product range. Now it's "old tech" and discontinued, but I'd say it's still better than Beovision 11 or the new Avant. Beovision 7 55" is HUGE, but better.

Avant is very much a Mk I, whereas after Beovision 10, I felt Beovision 11 was what BV10 should have been. It's in a way Mk II of the two, within the same design concept.

The Avant will improve. I hope by the end of the year we'll see a Mk II (or in early 2016). It might p*ss off some early adopters, but didn't it also happen with BV10, followed so fast by BV11? I upgraded without hesitation, lost a bit of money, have no regrets (quite the opposite). So it will be with some Avant upgraders, given how fast TV technology evolves these days.

What's special about the Avant today is the movement. Other features not so much (compared to BV11). And BV11 on a motorized stand is very much a "moving TV" that benefits from the many positions it can be viewed from (similarly to Avant).

I agree with you, KMA. But wouldn't you expect a BV11 Mk2 (with 4K) before an Avant Mk2?

Raeuber:

I agree with you, KMA. But wouldn't you expect a BV11 Mk2 (with 4K) before an Avant Mk2?

Yes, I hope B&O upgrades BV11 with a 4K panel, and includes the codecs that are industry standard. The latter of course for Avant Mk II, too. And preferably Netflix (and other popular video services) built-in.

Although I'm pretty sure 4K would come to BV11 55" only. There are some 48" 4K sets, but I don't know of any 46" or 40" versions. Then again, 4K might become the panel standard across all sizes, much like Full HD over HD Ready 720p panels did, when 4K content becomes more mainstream.

There are a few 4K TVs with 40":

http://www.lg.com/de/tv/lg-40UB800V

But of course this doesn't make much sense, like HD ready was always enough for 32".

BTW: I'm not a big fan of 4K TVs. Because it will take many years until it becomes 'mainstream', probably we will never watch the daily news in 4K.

But as a manufacturer of TVs you have to consider that the first question of customers is: 'Has this TV a 4K panel?' It is the result of marketing efforts of the industrie. Like 3D until last year because this is dead now.

Regards

Räuber