A few months back we had a detailed look at the Bang & Olufsen BeoCenter AV5, a sleek TV design with integrated CD-i player, probably the most beautiful design to have a CD-i inside. This design however was not dedicated to CD-i, we have also seen this model without CD-i playback possibility (but only audio instead). BeoCenter AV5 was, at first glance, merely a television set. However, what you saw was just half the picture. The AV5 was in fact a fully integrated, compact digital home entertainment system, comprising a CD-i player, FM radio and powerful loudspeakers... as well as a television!
BeoCenter AV5 therefore offered the best of both worlds and allowed you decide. At the touch of a button, two motor-drive loudspeakers stretched silently out to each side of the TV set. It was a simple, welcoming gesture but one that also ensures a special performance every time you switch on. The extra width allowed the loudspeakers to combine with the ear-shattering centre bass to produce optimal stereo sound in its full perspective. It was something you could hear - and feel - every time you watched a movie or listened to the in-built radio or played a CD-i. Indeed, BeoCenter AV5 was so versatile that at the time of its introduction, it could also play CD-i discs.
Devoting efforts in creating the perfect entertainment system didn't mean that Bang & Olufsen had forgotten what they knew about creating the perfect picture. On the contrary. The AV5's 63cm super flat picture tube, combined with the contrast screen's anti-reflective coating, delivered a sharper picture, with more depth and perspective, than you had ever seen before. So when the AV5's electronic curtains glided open you could be sure that what lay behind them was pure entertainment. Another original Bang & Olufsen feature added to daylight viewing comfort. It was a small electronic sensor that registered the prevailing light conditions in the room and adjusted the picture, so that it was always sharp, no matter whether a reading lamp was lit or sunlight suddenly poured through the window.
Touch CD on the Beo4 remote control and the AV5 moved on its motorised stand to face the viewer's favourite viewing position. And active speaker stretched out from each side. On top, a CD-i player elegantly lifted open to allow you to drop in your CD-i and listen. The superior sound of the AV5 was made possible by the creation of a 'soundscape' that widened the perspective of the sound to make each individual instrument clear and distinct. Combined with an inbuilt, ear-shattering centre bass, the AV5 delivered a sound so rich and true that the effect was remarkably similar to a dedicated surround system.
From the outside, it is not clear to see there is a CD-i player inside. Philips had 25% shares of B&O from 1990 till 1997: Is this why the BeoCenter AV5 CD-i player exists?
The expanding boxes are one of the treats this BeoCenter AV5 offers, as well as the possibility to turn left and right:
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[Thanks, BeoWorld (info), Patrick Selten (info), Padden (pictures), final picture by Maarten Borms]