LOEWE

Did you know that Australia used to be one of Loewe’s most important markets? German TV makers had quite the advantage here because German and Australian analogue TV standards were the same (only the numbering of the channels differed) and we are both 50Hz nations. Change the language and the numbers, and a Loewe TV was ready to go right here. And, in fact, back in 2000 Loewe sold some 10,000 TVs here. Indi is clearly out to emulate that success, boldly claiming that it will be “cheaper to buy Loewe in Australia than anywhere else in the world.”

Loewe’s range is pushing hard at the true premium end of the market, with OLED Ultra-HD models. The panels themselves presumably originate from an LG factory somewhere, but Loewe has always used other company’s displays (back in the old days it used Philips’ CRTs). What it adds is its own chassis (TV talk for the electronics that prepare the image for the tube or panel) and, of course, styling. I was particularly taken by the Loewe Bild 5 TV. (Bild is German for ‘Picture’). Available in 55 and 65 inches, there are wall mount and table-stand options, but the best looking one is the ‘floor-stand solution’, which features a three-legged wooden stand of silver oak or black oak. It looks almost like a picture display easel.

Indi has been putting a lot of work in with Loewe, making sure that they fit the Australian market well. It mentioned in particular getting Freeview Plus working fully.

Loewe bild 3.65 OLED

The very latest Loewe OLED television is the bild 3.65 (65-incher) OLED pictured above, with HDR including Dolby Vision. Indi is achieving remarkable pricing of $6999 for the bild 3.65, and with Loewe famous for making perhaps the world’s most desirable televisions, that price for a 65-inch OLED should be attracting attention among the local TV industry, as well as consumers. It is a full $3000 below LG’s pricing for its OLED W8 ‘wallpaper’ model (65-inch RRP $9999, see p12/3), $700 below LG’s E8 Series 65-inch OLED ($7699), with only the entry-level C8 OLED from the South Korean giant coming in lower, at $6399.

Loewe’s bild 3 OLED models look good when turned on, of course, thanks to the zero-black frontemissive nature of OLED, UHD resolution, and High Dynamic Range, including not only HDR10 but also Dolby Vision and HLG (broadcast HDR). And Loewe TVs generally look good as objects even when not in use. The bild 3 range has various options to mount on the wall, with a table stand on a suitable surface, or free-standing with the optional floor stand. You can option in Loewe’s DR+ recording system, while Loewe is also renowned for improving sound quality over the usual suspects, here with dedicated front speakers, along with a digital audio link with which to connect additional (equally stylish) Loewe ‘klang’ sound systems (pictured right).

The bild 3.65 OLED is billed as “coming soon”. Watch Indi Imports’ site for details.