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Bang & Olufsen’s BeoVision 7
If one is an innovator, then two means it’s becoming a trend, right? Well, the bandwagon may still have a few good seats available, but Bang & Olufsen has followed in Sharp’s footsteps by incorporating a Blu-ray player as part of the TV.
B&O’s flagship BeoVision 7 40-inch LCD has been given an upgrade from integrated DVD player to integrated Blu-ray player (plus it comes with an integrated full-throttle stereo or center-channel speaker too).
After DVD had gone through its commoditization stage and became as mainstream as VCRs had, plenty of smaller TVs came packaged with built-in players almost as more of a convenience, especially for a kitchen or bedroom TV/DVD combo without the extra wiring.
Of course, Blu-ray drives are backwards compatible with DVDs so you can still play your standard-def DVD collection, but Blu-ray discs are more meant for larger screens. That means bothering with a built-in Blu-ray player probably doesn’t make sense for a manufacturer on its TVs smaller than 37 inches.
Back at CES in January, Sharp debuted a line of Aquos LCDs with built-in Blu-ray players, in sizes of 32, 37, 42, 46 and 52 inches (pictured below, the LC52BD80U).
So one less source to connect to the TV, one less HDMI cable to worry about, one less space in the equipment rack. Does having the built-in Blu-ray drive entice you more to an HDTV, or maybe get you thinking about Blu-ray more than if you were to buy a stand-alone player as an add-on during a TV purchase?
Granted, there’s a humongous price difference between B&O’s $13,500 TV and Sharp’s 52-incher that can be had for less than $1,800 on Amazon right now, but we can see other display manufacturers filling up the bandwagon, maybe at the upcoming CEDIA and CES shows. With the Blu-ray format still making inroads (and still being dominated by DVD), and 3D not quite there yet, chances are manufacturers are bouncing around other ways to broaden the TVs reach—looks like networking and widgets will be foremost to that end, but don’t be shocked to see more of these HDTVs with built-in Blu-ray. You buying?
That does make quite a bit of sense Rob - good comment. I’m guessing that when general Blu-ray prices start falling more in line with what DVD players became we probably will see this on 20-32 inch TVs.
Plus, I know the B&O;is meant as a floor-standing TV, but who wants to reach up to a wall-mounted TV and try loading a disc?
Actually, I think integrated BR players make more sense, not less, for smaller screens.
As people put BR players in their living rooms, media rooms, and home theaters, they will start buying or renting movies on Blu-Ray. If the smaller TV in the kitchen/bedroom/office can only play DVDs, they’ve lost the ability to watch those movies in alternate places.
Many people object to having to buy the same content more than once. If they have to make a choice between buying a movie on DVD or Blu-Ray, they are more likely to choose Blu-Ray if they can watch it everywhere, especially for movies that don’t really benefit hugely from the increased resolution.
For larger TVs, on the other hand, I think people want components. After all, how many 50” or larger displays have built-in anything? And how many people really use the built-in speakers on that size TV? I submit that a large percentage opt for components, because they can upgrade pieces more easily, and because of the risk of the whole system being out of commission when one part breaks.
Rob Schultz
Inspired Electronics, Inc.
http://www.inspired-electronics.com
“Blu-ray player probably doesn’t make sense for a manufacturer on its TVs smaller than 37 inches.”
This is still misleading. It is true that the larger the display size, the larger the gap between DVD and BD. However, there is still a marked enhancement on smaller sets (especially with digitally animated titles by Pixar and Dreamworks). This would be a different story if we were comparing a 720p optical format to 1080p BD format.
No, absolutely not. Just like in the bad old days of TV/VCR combos, a DVD or BD/TV combo means the same headache down the road: if one breaks, you have to lug both in for service. Can you imagine having to bring in a 50 or 60-inch screen just because the BD player failed? Or shelling out the cash for a service call which would inevitably require the screen to be taken down from the stand or wall-mount? No, thanks!
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I don’t think I care to have a combo unit. As MrSatyre said, If one goes bad you lose them both. In my experience most manufacturers put lesser quality pieces in a combo unit to keep the price down. I’ve seen people pay more to have a DVD repaired than they could have spent to buy a new one just because it was in a combo piece. No thank you, I’ll stick to separate pieces.