Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 7-40 review

The first Edge LED-backlit, Freeview HD-laden and 3D-ready incarnation of itself, this new Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 7-40 otherwise has the usual features at its core; a 1920 x 1080 pixel panel (which is of Samsung heritage, if you were wondering), three HDMI inputs, two sets of component video inputs, a PC hook-up and plenty of optical audio ins and outs.

There's actually a fourth HDMI port, although it's permanently occupied by the built-in 3D Blu-ray player.

A Profile 2.0 deck with BD-Live (there's even an icon on the Beo6 remote to take you straight to extra online content), is pleasingly region-free and supports MP3 and JPEG files on discs ranging from BD-R/RE and CD-R/RW to DVD-R/RW and even DVD-ROM - the latter suggesting that this is a Panasonic-made module.

Those intending to use this telly in a home cinema-style blackout should also note that as well as being exceptionally slender, the disc tray is lit by two LEDs at the back.

Other physical attributes of note are a Bang & Olufsen-added anti-reflection coating and those tilt 'n' turn mechanised stand options.

Interface

The Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 7-40's digital TV interface is basic, yet attractive; the transparent eight-day electronic programme guide (EPG) shows information for seven channels over the next two hours of schedules, with a pleasant black, grey and white colour scheme that uses a hint of muted red for highlighting programmes.

This fullscreen EPG includes a two-line information panel above the schedules, and floats over whatever TV channel you happen to be watching.

When a channel is chosen, that information panel then fills the whole screen (rather needlessly) before - after a second press of the OK button - it reduces to a strap across the top of the live TV channel, which then gently retracts after a few seconds.

It's also possible to call up a list of terrestrial TV channels in a simple 10-strong list, which fills up around a third of the screen's left-hand side.

Note that although its DVB-T2 tuner can fetch all Freeview HD channels, the Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 7-40 isn't a branded affair, so lacks a Freeview logo and interactive red button services.

The main video processing engine, called BeoSystem 3, comprises a 100Hz refresh rate and some anti-blur circuitry and adaptive film judder compensation for 24p sources - and that means Blu-ray.