About a month ago, I became the happy owner of a 32″ BeoCenter 1 television; my first B&O product. And yes, for those who are familiar with the BeoCenter 1 – it’s not a flatscreen but a CRT television.
Designed by David Lewis and manufactured between 2000 – 2006, the BeoCenter 1 combines a state-of-the-art TV, a superior-quality DVD player and an intelligent FM radio in one product, and lets you control everything with a single, easy-to-use remote control – the Beo 1.
BeoCenter 1 is truly a beauty in itself with a timeless design. I love its built-in DVD player and motorised stand that turns the TV sideways, when you turn it on or off for optimal viewing position. It’s elegant and unmistakably B&O in that it’s only B&O that could’ve have designed such a remarkable television. It makes its presence known, while astonishingly remaining discreet. The Beo 1 remote control is a beautiful piece of shiny metal architecture, made from one piece of aluminium, well before Apple thought of making unibody Macs, and if you look closely, you can with certainty acknowledge where the Apple remote got its design from.
You might ask yourself why I’ve gone ahead to acquire a CRT television when technology has progressed on to the world of ever-increasing acronyms, in the like of Full HD, Ultra HD, Blu-ray, SMART tv, etc.
Well, the answer to that is that I’m not into that world of having the newest technology. I don’t care on spending X amount on an expensive television, only to be aware that in 6 months it’s already obsolete – and a part of yester-year’s tech. I’m patient and if you’ve been following my blog, you would already know that I’m a reader. Remember 720p – ‘ready HD’ televisions that came out only to be useless after 1080p? I’m also dismayed by the fact that owners of DAB radios have to throw their expensive radios out because they can’t be used when the signal turns over to DAB+. It’s not backward compatible.
It seems that you need to keep spending money, money and money all the time to keep up. A smart marketing move nonetheless. But I’m old-school, retro or whatever you call it. I keep my money tightly strapped to my body. And if I do spend it has to be something special and designer, well worth the price. I love Scandinavian design and that doesn’t mean IKEA! I’m not a first-mover but more of a careful observer, waiting for the right moment to adjust and invest.
BeoCenter 1 is still useful today and far from obsolete. DVD’s are dead cheap or free and the BeoCenter 1 is perfect for DVD playback. With its descreet design, it’s perfect for the bedroom, the kids room or the beach house. The powerful active speakers provide astonishing sound experience and the picture quality is impressive for DVD. It’s really a joy to watch a film on it and it serves my purpose. Many of the films that I watch are from the pre-HD era, i.e., from the 80’s: Indiana Jones, Top Gun, Goonies, The Breakfast Club, ET, Starwars, WarGames, Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Dead Poets Society and my favourite Back to the Future, to name a few. And whatever you can call it, you can’t make them HD by reissuing them as Bluray!
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