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CloseBANG & OLUFSEN RAISES THE (SOUND) BAR WITH
HDMI 2.1
Why simply watch a movie when you can fully experience one? Cinephiles know they’re not getting the full experience from native TV speakers, and the average consumer has also grown to crave and expect more immersive viewing experiences in their home theater with the inclusion of a TV soundbar. Audio has become an essential element of this experience—and it no longer takes a full array of speakers or complicated, expensive installation to achieve it.
Beosound Theatre by Bang & Olufsen is a cinematic TV soundbar that delivers a more spatialized and engaging experience to the home theater and gaming market through a powerful yet elegant unit. TV soundbars are long, narrow speakers that are placed in front of or beneath a television to enhance sound quality. These soundbars not only improve audio quality; they also create directionality through beamforming to place viewers right in the heart of the action.
Bang & Olufsen found Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) to be a natural partner in helping to create the Beosound Theatre cinematic TV soundbar due to ADI’s rich audio-visual heritage and longtime relationship with Bang & Olufsen.
AT A GLANCE
Company
Bang & Olufsen is a luxury audio brand founded in 1925 in Struer, Denmark, by Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen. The company has been pushing the boundaries of audio technology for nearly a century and continues this legacy today.
Goal
Bring design elegance and space efficiency to a complex and powerful piece of high end home cinema sound equipment that is built to last a lifetime.
Challenge
Maximal sound, minimalist design: Beosound Theatre demanded extreme bandwidth and extreme elegance. However, achieving big sound and full frequency range from a small footprint is never easy.
ADI Solution
ADI’s unique, new generation of HDMI® 2.1 solutions elevate audio and video performance for soundbars, TVs, drones, cars, laptops, gaming monitors, professional audio/video equipment, and more.
BIG SOUND REQUIRES BIG TECHNOLOGY
Bang & Olufsen represents the cutting edge in the acoustic entertainment world: high performance, luxury sound with a minimalist aesthetic. The brand is not about one-size-fits-all, but rather making each experience the ultimate version of itself. Beosound Theatre was designed to be exceptional—and HDMI 2.1 helps it be exactly that.
TV soundbars can be connected to TVs via an HDMI cord or other wired connections, and some also offer smart home integration. While HDMI is the industry standard for audio/video connectivity, HDMI 2.0 limits data transfer speeds to 18 Gbps. ADI takes that capability to the next level, enabling speeds up to 48 Gbps with innovative HDMI 2.1 capabilities. With nearly triple the bandwidth and a whole new roster of advanced features, ADI’s HDMI 2.1 was identified as a promising solution.
ADI HAS HDMI HISTORY
ADI’s HDMI legacy goes back over two decades to the dawn of the technology. ADI continues to play a leadership role in the HDMI Forum, an organization that grew out of the original 7-member HDMI Founders group, which has governed the industry since the HDMI 2.0 generation.
ADI’s leadership in driving the HDMI standards enables us to deliver a complete solution, not just an HDMI chip but an ecosystem of technologies and resources. This includes semiconductors and software as well as development kits, technical support, full compliance testing with ADI’s Simplay Labs®, and a team of accessible HDMI veterans. ADI has an exacting interoperability testing program that aims to reduce the risk of incompatible hardware for the end customer. With our unique approach to software management, ADI can offer continuous improvement in the interoperability of our customer’s products through the product life via field firmware upgrades.
Combine this with a years-long relationship with Bang & Olufsen, and the result is superior spatial sound that is higher quality and more immersive than previous generations of TV soundbars.
AUDIO ADVANTAGES OF HDMI 2.1
HDMI 2.1 expands upon HDMI 2.0 to deliver multichannel functionality at speeds up to 48 Gbps. HDMI 2.1 supports 8K rich video displays, 4K/120 Hz+ gaming, and high definition audio features. It’s also the first HDMI version to support a whole host of immersive technologies, including dynamic HDR, variable refresh rate (VRR), quick media switching (QMS), quick frame transport (QFT), auto low latency mode (ALLM), and visually lossless compression performance with 30-bit color.
Most importantly for Bang & Olufsen, HDMI 2.1 enables an enhanced audio return channel (eARC), which simplifies audio connectivity in the living room by creating a path for premium audio to travel from the TV to an audio/video receiver (AVR), traditional multispeaker sound system, or soundbar. eARC boosts audio bandwidth to support new and improved sound formats such as Dolby Atmos® and DTS-HD™, uncompressed and high bitrate audio, and object-based audio, also called 3D or spatial audio.
ADI is at the cutting edge of HDMI innovation. Now introducing HDMI 2.1: Sharper, faster, and more vibrant than ever before.
ADI TECHNOLOGIES BRING BEOSOUND THEATRE TO LIFE
| Feature | Function | Benefits |
| A2B™ | Reduces cabling and supports modularity | Design elegance, a priority for Bang & Olufsen’s minimalist luxury aesthetic. |
| SHARC® (ADSP-21569) | Enables Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 | SHARC enables Dolby Atmos 3D sound, the next generation of surround sound, which uses high definition audio and beamforming functions. This is the industry standard for soundbars. |
| ADV7674-8A | HDMI 2.1 integrated circuit (IC) | Supports advanced audio and video functions, including high definition audio and 8k60 or 4k120 video, and can help simplify the home theater setup with the soundbar acting as the input switch and home audio all in one. |
| ADV7535 | On-screen display | Enables visual user interfaces without a complicated design effort or graphics hardware. |
| ADAU1962 | 12-channel DAC | Saves board space, allowing a more compact and visually appealing product. |
BANG & OLUFSEN & ADI: SOUND WITHOUT SACRIFICE
HDMI 2.1 and other emerging technologies have enabled high definition, directional audio to immerse viewers in the heart of the action from anywhere in the room. The ability of virtualization to recreate the effect of many speakers by only using a few has greatly enhanced the attractiveness of home theater systems to a larger market.
However, in most cases that market must be willing to sacrifice some level of performance to keep the room configuration simple. Not so with Bang & Olufsen and its Beosound Theatre. By working with ADI to adapt high bandwidth, low power, and small footprint solutions to their latest luxury TV soundbar, Bang & Olufsen has reimagined home cinema without sacrifice.
