Bang & Olufsen
| Bang & Olufsen a / s
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| legal form | Aktieselskab |
| ISIN | DK0010218429 |
| founding | 1925 |
| Seat |
 Denmark , Struer
|
| sales | 2.8 billion DKK (377 million euros) (2013) |
| Branch | Consumer electronics |
| Website | www.bang-olufsen.com |
Bang & Olufsen a / s ( B&O ) is a Danish manufacturer of entertainment electronics ( TV , hi-fi devices , speakers) in the high-price segment. According to the company, B&O attaches great importance to ease of use, exceptional design and good service.
history
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Bang & Olufsen was founded in 1925 by Peter Bang (1900–1957) and Svend Olufsen (1897–1949). The first product of the newly founded company was the Eliminator , which made it possible to operate the previously battery-operated radio devices on the local power grid. In 1927, B&O built a new factory building in Struer , which was designed so that it could also serve as a school in the event of the company's insolvency. In 1932 Svend Olufsen bought the company logo, which is still valid today, from an apprentice painter for 10 Danish kroner . A milestone in radio development was the Beolit 39 designed by Peter Bang , which came onto the market at Christmas 1938. It was one of the first radios made entirely from Bakelite and the first device to use the product name “Beo…”.
In 1941 the company expanded its factory. On the night of January 14-15, 1945, an explosive attack by Danish occupation collaborators destroyed the production building. In September of the same year, Peter Bang laid the foundation stone for the new building. In 1947 the new factory was finished and production was back in full swing. Thanks to the Marshall Plan , Bang & Olufsen was able to install new machines.
In 1952 Bang and Olufsen presented their first television (TV 508 S "Trillebøren"), in 1962 the Beocord Belcanto tape recorder (still with tubes ), and in 1967 the first BeoVision 3000 Color television .
In 1985 the BeoCom 1000 telephone was introduced. Its design comes from Gideon Loewy (Lindinger-Loewy Industrial Design ApS., Copenhagen Denmark, now Scandinavian Design Consultant Company Ltd., Taiwan). It was manufactured until 2003.
Bang and Olufsen has been offering active Beolab speakers since 2000. Bang & Olufsen has been developing exclusive audio systems for Audi , Aston Martin , BMW and Mercedes-Benz since around the same time . Since 2006, the Audi A8 has been optionally available with a Bang & Olufsen sound system , the Advanced Sound System . Further Audi models followed in 2007. Since 2008, B&O has also been cooperating with Aston Martin and Mercedes-Benz (for the AMG models ). Since 2011 there has also been a cooperation with BMW to equip the 5 , 6 , 7 and X5 models with B&O hi-fi systems. In 2015, the automotive supplier division Bang & Olufsen Automotive (B&O A / S and B&O PLAY) was taken over by the Harman Group .
Another business area focuses on B2B projects. These include hotels, manufacturers of yachts and cruise ships and sound reinforcement for lobbies, restaurants, bars and casinos.
Samsung used amplifier modules from B&O with the product name ICEpower for MP3 music playback in the top models of its mobile phones at the time (such as the SGH-E950 or SGH-U900 Soul) . Also Asus used B & O modules in some notebooks. Bang & Olufsen only provides the ICEpower amplifier modules. The loudspeaker chassis themselves come either from the cooperation manufacturer or from the supplier. B&O currently sells various types of active amplifier modules under the brand name ICEpower, which are also supplied to other well-known manufacturers for their devices.
Bang & Olufsen announced in 2016 that it would shut down its own television production in 2017. Instead, the Bang & Olufsen brand televisions will be produced by the South Korean manufacturer LG Electronics from mid-2017 .
design
Before 1950, the design of B&O products was not particularly sensational, apart from the Hyperbo 5 RG Steel radio furniture from 1934, which can be seen more as a futuristic design study, and the Beolit 39 , which went into production in 1938. The Hyperbo 5 has oscillating tube feet similar to those on Marcel Breuer's Bauhaus desk chair .
In the mid-1950s, the company became conscious of design and tried to assert itself successfully in the increasingly tough competition in the home electronics industry. While the head of the company had designed the Beolit 39 himself, the company kept hiring more and more internationally known industrial designers. Shaping the motto " less is more " ( less is more ) is significantly by the Bauhaus style inspired.
The designers of the 1950s and 1960s included the Danes Ib Fabiansen and Acton Bjørn and the Swede Sigvard Bernadotte . From 1967 the Dane Jacob Jensen was chief designer at B&O and from 1981 until his death in 2011 the Briton David Lewis was responsible for the design of the products.
There are currently some devices in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, including the Beomaster 1200 and 3000 (1972), the Beolit 400 (1972), the Beosystem 6000 (1975) and the Beolab 6000 (1993).
distribution
B&O devices are offered in special B&O shops and by specialized hi-fi dealers, often franchise partners who encourage B&O to present their goods in an appealing way. This presentation of goods must strictly adhere to the specifications of B&O. Devices from other manufacturers can usually not be found in B&O stores.
particularities
A special feature of B&O is that all parts of the system, including older ones, can be controlled with just one universal remote control. It is possible to control products from other manufacturers with a B&O remote control. With additional devices you can control lights, heating, motorized screens or even shutters with this remote control.
PUC control
Most B&O televisions are equipped with a PUC (Peripheral Unit Control) module, which enables the television to connect devices from other manufacturers (e.g. DVD and Blu-ray players, set-top boxes, etc.) via the B&O -Remote control to control.
Beolab active speakers
The active loudspeakers of the Beolab series can also be operated with devices from other manufacturers and often offer the simple option of switching to line operation. The active loudspeakers can also be adapted to their respective location using a switch. The switch offers options for free-standing as well as installation close to the wall.
Link speakers
The so-called link loudspeakers are a special category. These active speakers have additional control elements (Beolab 2000) or a display (Beolab 3500, Beolab LCS 9000) as well as infrared receivers and a connection for the link system (Masterlink) from Bang & Olufsen. Thanks to the infrared receiver and the link connection, these loudspeakers allow the stereo system or television to be controlled from another room. All you need in the next room is the left speaker and not a complete stereo system. From software version 3.3 onwards, the Beolab 3500 can also send special control commands and commands for lighting control from the adjoining room to the link system. This enables (with the appropriate equipment and configuration) scenarios such as B. to switch off the light in the living room with the remote control in the bedroom in the evening.
Link modules
There are also link modules (active and passive) that enable either active loudspeakers or passive loudspeakers from other manufacturers to be operated on the B&O system in the room concerned. Compared to the older modules, the newer Beolink converter offers significantly more configuration options for specifying which source (radio, TV, etc.) it should react to.
Networking and smart home control
With B&O devices, you can completely network your home using a so-called link system ( BeoLink ) . BeoLink offers the option of using and operating all audio and video sources in a main room (radio receiver, television, CD and Blu-ray player, hard disk receiver, etc.) from up to 16 side rooms. Lighting control is also possible. The link system from Bang & Olufsen can also control smart home systems such as Philips HUE via appropriate devices (MLGW: Masterlink Gateway, BLGW: Beolink Gateway) and is compatible with standards such as KNX and systems from Crestron etc. or it can be connected to these systems are connected.
Remote controls
- Beolink 7000 (1991–1994): a two-way infrared remote control which, depending on the target system used, can also be switched to normal one-way infrared mode. The very large remote control had several special features: In addition to a touchscreen, which was new at the time, it offered both an LCD and an LED matrix display. If the remote control is on the table and the user touches the metal surface, the entire control unit of the remote control is powered up and the lighting and displays are activated. Due to its size, it is designed more as a desktop remote control.
- Beolink 1000 (1988-1996)
- Master control panel (MCP)
- Beo 4: The zinc remote control has an LCD that constantly shows the active source so the user always knows which device Beo 4 is currently controlling. It exists in different versions, each of which differs in the special functions listed in the menu as well as in the labeling of the source selection buttons. In principle, a Beo 4 can always send TV, audio and light commands and offers the option of controlling devices from different generations (1994-2010).
- Beo 5: a universally programmable remote control with touchscreen and color display that can be completely customized using software. The round body of the Beo 5 is made of aluminum. In addition to full B&O compatibility, it has the undocumented ability to send infrared commands directly according to various standards. Depending on the software version, both physical and virtual buttons can be assigned individually or the remote control can be programmed to control third-party devices.
- Beo 6 (2011-2013): Beo 6 is the direct successor to Beo 5 and differs in that it has a larger screen, a different type of touchscreen and integrated WiFi for controlling Beosound 5 and Beomaster 5.
- Beoremote one
- Essence remote
Option programming (infrared operation)
Bang & Olufsen offers the programming of an option for infrared operation in most of its infrared controllable devices. This means that several devices from the same manufacturer can be in one room without all of them responding to a remote control at the same time. The devices are divided into master and slave.
For many years, B&O has been selling matching furniture for its products, where the wiring is easy to hide.
literature
- Jens Bang: Bang & Olufsen - From Spark to Icon. Bang & Olufsen, Struer 2005, ISBN 87-980814-5-4 .
- Nick Jarman, Tim Jarman: Crowood Collectors' Series: Bang & Olufsen. Crowood Press, ISBN 978-1-84797-068-8 .
Web links
- German B&O website
- Detailed information and various forums, including a German-speaking forum
- B&O product archive (technology-oriented)
- Free user and operating instructions for Bang & Olufsen
- Bang & Olufsen, history
Individual evidence
- ↑ handelsblatt.com of August 16, 2013, cult brand Bang & Olufsen continues to pile up losses , available on May 14, 2020.
- ↑ beocentral.com, Beocord Belcanto , accessed on May 17, 2020.
- ↑ bocopenhagen.dk, FØRSTE B&O FJERNSYN (Danish), accessed on May 17, 2020.
- ↑ focus.de from May 30, 2017, Hifi in the car - The moving concert hall , accessed on May 13, 2020.
- ↑ bloomberg.com: Bang & Olufsen to Sell Car-Audio Unit to Harman in Focus Shift, accessed on April 25, 2015
- ↑ bang-olufsen.com, archive link ( Memento from December 23, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ icepower.dk: Advantages ( Memento from January 26, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Heise online from March 19, 2016, Bang & Olufsen outsources television production , accessed on March 20, 2016.
- ^ The Definitive book about Bang & Olufsen , 2005; Page 8 (English; PDF, 3 MB), accessed on May 15, 2020.
- ↑ Beolink 1000 in the B&O product archive (English), accessed on May 14, 2020.
- ↑ Beolink 7000 in the B&O product archive (English), accessed on May 14, 2020.
- ↑ Beo 4 in the B&O product archive (English), accessed on May 14, 2020.
- ↑ Beo 6 in the B&O product archive (English), accessed on May 14, 2020.