BEOVISION HARMONY 88”
From £49,000, bang-olufsen.com
We can all pretty much agree, even after accounting for every little caveat, that OLED is the premier TV tech of our time. But engineering limitations mean OLED in its current form can only go so far and grow so large. Mid-last year LG took it to the limit with the Z9, an 88-inch monster of a TV – now here comes the unlikely form of audio specialist Bang & Olufsen, upgrading its Harmony platform and spinning a full-size LGmanufactured panel into its first 8K TV. It’s an ultra-premium model, as is B&O’s remit, and one which might at last be deserving of the high price that 88-inch OLEDs command.
The obvious highlight is that enormous, bright 8K OLED, imbued with Dolby Vision HDR and the full weight of LG’s third-generation a9 picture-processing prowess, making it great for upscaling lesser footage. But even an 88-inch OLED struggles to steal the show in a package like this; B&O’s typical flair for design does more than its share of eye-drawing. Like previous Harmony models before it, the 88-inch edition takes inspiration from vintage hideaway entertainment centres, with integrated covers that fold up to hide at least some of that huge screen when the TV functions aren’t in use, all built with the kind of precise and handsome cabinetry that’s all-too rare in modern hardware.
It’s absolutely not for everyone. This is beyond a significant investment for a TV. But it’s more than a TV: it’s an audio-visual highlight, and a statement piece that looks like it’ll back its words up with actions.