BeoVision 12-65 is a new flat 65-inch plasma solution designed by the late David Lewis. It features a NeoPDP panel*, which includes new phosphors with a shorter retention time giving improved 3D performance as well as a better motion performance in a 2D viewing situation.

The television features an integrated centre channel, which contains ICEpower amplifiers to complement BeoLab 12 loudspeakers in a surround sound setup. The video engine, which handles all sound processing and picture technologies, includes as standard a full 7.1 surround sound module.

Sound quality is one of Bang & Olufsen’s strengths, and with the BeoVision 12-65 his is no exception. The integrated speaker, which doubles as a centre channel in a 5.1 or 7.1 (7.1 as standard as from August 2013) channel surround-sound system, consists of four midrange drivers and a tweeter driven by a 4×80-watt and 1×40-watt ICEpower amp, respectively. The speaker system is matched to the company’s amplified speakers to create a multispeaker surround system when used with the TV’s included surround-decoding module.  The speaker cover has been created from curved natural anodised aluminium with an intricate organic shaped hole pattern in its grill.  According to Bang & Olufsen the centre channel speaker is raised in order to give the impression that the speech is emanating from the middle of the screen.

Bang & Olufsen takes cinematic entertainment to a new high

With the launch of BeoVision 12-65 – a new ultra flat 3D 65-inch plasma solution with integrated centre channel and 7.1 surround sound – Bang & Olufsen sets new standards for the cinematic experience.

Designed by David Lewis Designers, BeoVision 12-65 offers a completely new design expression, which has a very thin and light appearance that truly innovates the heavier plasma concepts seen so far. Besides using an ultra slim NeoPDP panel with the latest and greatest in plasma technology, two aluminium profiles bent inward in a V-shape – one in black and one in natural high-gloss polished aluminium - create an optical illusion giving the TV a thin, light and extremely elegant visual expression.

The actual frame is a very thin (almost foil-like) black aluminium sheet of only a few millimetres thickness that gives an impression of one uninterrupted glass surface with no visible joints.

Dedicated centre sound is integrated

The integrated centre speaker is placed below the screen and consists of five custom made speaker units covered by a soft curved natural anodised aluminium grill with an intricate organic shaped hole pattern. Attention to detail is a must in this TV concept. Even the hole pattern in front of the speaker units is made according to certain acoustic specifications. The front plate of the integrated centre speaker is placed as a small protrusion adding a few extra mm to the thickness in the lower part of the TV, while maintaining a certain lightness in the overall design.

The centre channel performance of the integrated loudspeaker matches the powerful BeoLab 5 loudspeakers in a surround sound setup. By means of sophisticated Digital Signal Processing, our acoustic engineers have lifted up the centre channel so you will experience that speech is coming out from somewhere mid screen, not below the TV. This gives you a more natural sound experience when e.g. watching news or broadcasts with a lot of speech.

Since the amount of space is limited in this speaker design, highly sophisticated and powerful amplifiers are needed. Bang & Olufsen’s ICEpower technology is used for the BeoVision 12 speaker design. It contains 4 x 80 watt ICEpower amplifiers for the midrange and 1 x 40 watts for the treble.

The highly sophisticated video engine, handling all sound processing and picture technologies, includes as standard a full 7.1 surround sound module, which allows you to connect a vast number of speakers, almost any sound configuration you may want is possible.

The latest plasma technology

The TV comes with the latest in plasma technology offering an even greater experience in both 2D and 3D. The panel is a so-called NeoPDP panel, which includes new phosphors with a very short retention time giving improved 3D performance and a much better motion performance in a 2D viewing situation.

BeoVision 12-65 also comes with Automatic Colour Management to compensate for the effects of ageing that is common for the plasma technology. For BeoVision 12-65, the robotic arm featuring a camera is located underneath the screen, hidden behind the loudspeaker grill.

The best viewing experience in any light conditions

Bang & Olufsen’s Automatic Picture Control feature senses the level of incident light from the room and dynamically alters the picture adjustments accordingly, so that the picture quality is maintained day and night.

Automatic Picture Control makes sure you get just the right balance of light from the screen when you watch TV in either bright or dark surroundings. The light sensor is placed in the upper right hand corner and is designed, so it picks up the lighting conditions of the room in a 360 degree angle. This is to achieve a measurement of the light conditions of the room, which is similar to what the human eyes see.

The entire TV is offered in one placement alternative only, directly on the wall. The design of the wall bracket is quite unique as it is partly integrated in the rear cabinet, which means it hardly adds to the thickness of the TV at all.

BeoVision 12-65 is sold exclusively through authorised Bang & Olufsen dealers. BeoVision 12-65 will begin to arrive in showrooms March 2012.

Bang & Olufsen Press Release (10.01.2012)

BeoVision 12-65 technical specifications

BeoVision 12-65 Specifications (from August 2013):

Dimensions: (W x H x D)/ Weight:

Floor: 161 x 96.4 x 7.4 cm / 81.3 kg

Wall: 161 x 96.4 x 7.2 cm / 60 kg

Screen Type: 65″ 16:9 Plasma display panel

Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels (Full HD)

3D Function: Requires active shutter glasses

Loudspeaker: Integrated centre speaker for surround sound setup

Power Amplifiers: 5x Class D, ICEpower 4 x 80 W midrange amplifiers, 45 W tweeter amplifier

Effective Frequency Range: 100 - 20000 Hz

BeoSystem 4 4 - TV ENGINE:

Dimensions (W x H x D)/ WEIGHT 43.9 x 9.1 x 29 cm/ 6.5 kg

Colour(s): Black Front: Silver

Chassis Video Engine: 1.5D

Digital Surround Sound Module: 7.1 Standard built-in

* For their plasma television sets, Bang & Olufsen uses Panasonic screens. NeoPDP, announced three years’ ago by the Japanese giant, makes competition look aged by comparison. Why? Because Panasonic’s Neo PDP screens are thinner than most plasma displays and use around 50% less power than normal. Their contrast ratios are also much higher than normal plasma screens in order to give deeper on-screen blacks.

Behind NeoPDP is Panasonic’s new plasma screen technology, with larger cells emitting more light at lower power. This makes screens much brighter than normal. In fact, they’re about 50% brighter than normal, using the same amount of power. To help with black levels, Panasonic says it has also reduced the residual light in each cell of the screen.

NeoPDP screens also refresh at a much higher rate: 600Hz, which creates twelve subframes for every frame of video. The effect is a more smoothed, natural picture on-screen.

The BeoVision 12-65 was updated August 2013 to include an onboard 7.1 sound processor as standard.