| Danish music server switches to Windows |
Nov. 13, 2008
 Danish stereo equipment vendor Bang & Olufsen (B&O) has announced a digital music server that runs Windows XP Embedded (XPe). The BeoSound 5 appears to be a high-profile design win for Microsoft, since B&O reportedly used embedded Linux in its past digital music servers.
(Click here for a larger view of the BeoSound 5)
The BeoSound 5 comprises two physical units. The BeoMaster 5 is described by B&O as a black box designed to be "discreetly sequestered." The company offers no photos of the unit that we could find. Instead, B&O shows off the BeoSound 5's extravagantly styled remote control, which it says can be wall-, table-, or stand-mounted. The remote connects to the master unit via DVI, power, and USB cables, likely braided into a single tether.
The BeoSound 5 appears to be a high-profile design win for Microsoft, since B&O has reportedly used embedded Linux in its past digital music servers. According to the company, the BeoSound 5 runs XPe, though users would never realize it, since the operating system has been hidden under a custom interface.
B&O's BeoSound 5 has a large wheel and buttons at its right, controlling all system operations
The BeoSound 5 remote measures 12 x 7.48 x 2.95 inches (305 x 190 x 75mm), and weighs 5.84 pounds (2.65kg). It features a 10.4-inch display with 1024 x 768 resolution. While this display could presumably be used to preview video content, B&O emphasizes its ability to display "album covers."
The circle at the display's right is a combination scroll wheel, selection knob, and control wheel. This wheel, plus the three buttons at its center and a lever behind it, must be used to control all system operations, since surprisingly, the BeoSound 5's display lacks touchscreen capabilities. Fastidious B&O executives have reportedly cited fingerprints as one reason for this design decision.
Meanwhile, the BeoMaster 5 "black box" includes a 2.0GHz Via processor, 1GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, and runs XPe SP2, according to technical notes posted for B&O dealers. The base unit, whose size and weight were not specified, includes 10/100 Ethernet, three USB ports, analog stereo I/O, an S/PDIF output, dual DVI ports, plus composite and S-Video output.
While the BeoMaster 5 can play back video and still images in multiple formats, it is apparently positioned primarily as an audio playback device. B&O touts the system's ability to play back high-quality audio using a lossless format, and cites an MOTS (more of the same) algorithm that automatically selects additional music similar to the track currently being played. The device is also capable of playing back more than 8,000 Internet radio stations, the company says.
Features and specifications provided by B&O for the BeoSystem 5 and BeoMaster 5 (sold only as a pair) include the following:- Processor -- 2.0GHz Via CPU
- Memory -- 1GB of RAM
- Storage -- 500GB hard disk drive
- Display -- 10.4-inch 1024 x 768 display/controller with control wheel
- Supported file formats:
- Audio -- WMA, WMA lossless, MP3, WAV, ASF, AAC
- Internet radio -- WMA, MP3, ASX, M3U
- Video -- MPEG, MPG, AVI, WMV
- Still images -- BMP, GIF, PNG, TIFF, JPEG, PJEG
- Networking -- 10/100 Ethernet
- Other I/O:
- 3 x USB 2.0 (one dedicated to BeoSystem 5 connection
- 2 x DVI (one dedicated to BeoSystem 5 connection)
- Analog stereo I/O
- S/PDIF
- S-Video
- Component video
- Power consumption -- 38 Watts in operation, 2 Watts standby
- Dimensions:
- BeoSystem 5 controller -- 12 x 7.48 x 2.95 inches (305 x 190 x 75mm)
- BeoMaster 5 base -- n/a
- Weight:
- BeoSystem 5 controller -- 5.84 pounds
- BeoMaster 5 base -- n/a
Further information
According to B&O, the BeoSound 5 will be available in March 2009, priced at approximately 3500 U.K. Pounds (approximately $5,200), not including speakers and amplification.
More information may be available from B&O's BeoSound 5 website, here, and online forums, here.
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