Bose VideoWave combines TV and home theatre in all-in-one system

The Bose VideoWave all-in-one TV and home theatre system.

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Bose has unveiled its VideoWave entertainment system, a 46in LCD TV with an inbuilt home theatre system with eleven directional speakers. According to Bose, the VideoWave delivers the sound quality expected from "a high-quality home theatre system" in an all-in-one package, removing the need for an external speaker setup. The VideoWave, which has been on sale in the US for several months, will be available in Australia from June.

The Bose VideoWave incorporates an amplifier and 7.1-channel surround sound system into the rear of a 46in 1080p LED LCD television, with the product only around six inches deep. A tuned bass port and stack of six woofers allow the VideoWave to deliver bass similar to a dedicated subwoofer, and ten directional tweeters allow simulated surround sound with impressive accuracy. Bose would not disclose the manufacturer of the LCD television's panel, and a spokesperson for the company would not comment on the possibility of different screen sizes and configurations being offered in the future.

According to Bose, only one third of US homes have a home theatre system installed, with the largest impediments being installation and aesthetics. The VideoWave's all-in-one design is bulkier than an LED or plasma television, but the setup lacks the external speakers and wiring needed in a home theatre system. The speakers of the Bose VideoWave — there are sixteen in total, six of which are bass-only — can be calibrated to the environment they are in through Bose's inbuilt ADAPTiQ audio calibration system. Bose has also done its own calibration on the LCD display to improve picture quality.

A single cable connects the Bose VideoWave to a receiver, which has inputs for three HDMI devices, an iPod dock and various analog connectors. A demonstration at the Bose launch showed the VideoWave connected to an iPod, a Sony Blu-ray player and a TiVo digital video recorder. Any device connected to the Bose VideoWave can be controlled using the VideoWave's 'click pad' remote control, which has a touch-sensitive panel that can have different contextual controls assigned according to the product connected.

The VideoWave will be available from Bose's boutique storefronts from June onwards, with a recommended retail price of $7999. Technical marketing manager Alexander Healy from Bose told PC World that while the VideoWave would initially only be available through the company's stores, it was expected that booths would also be set up in other retail outlets — such as Harvey Norman or JB Hi-Fi — to demonstrate and sell the VideoWave. In the US the VideoWave is available through retailer Best Buy as well as Bose's retail stores.

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