Pros & Cons
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- Superb audio output.
- Crisp HD and SD picture.
- Dark blacks.
- Innovative remote and user interface.
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- Expensive.
- Bulky cabinet.
- Lacks Ethernet connectivity.
- No TV tuner.
Bose VideoWave Specs
| 3D: | No |
| Average Black Level: | 0.03 cd/m^2 |
| Average Contrast Ratio: | 7481:1 |
| Depth: | 6 inches |
| Diagonal Screen Size: | 46 inches |
| HDMI Ports: | 4 |
| Height: | 26.3 inches |
| Individual Settings per Input: | Yes |
| Pixel Refresh Rate Speed: | 120Hz |
| Type: | HDTV |
| Type: | LCD |
| Video Interfaces: | Component |
| Video Interfaces: | Composite |
| Video Interfaces: | HDMI |
| Weight: | 99 lb |
| Width: | 44.3 inches |
For more than 45 years, the engineers at Bose have been designing killer audio products, from the mid-sixties' Direct/Reflecting speaker technology to the more recent Lifestyle home entertainment systems and QuietComfort 15 noise-canceling
Design and Features
At first glance, the VideoWave looks like an ordinary, stylishly designed
The 99-pound cabinet rests securely on a semi-circular black stand which lacks any sort of adjustability, but is easily removed for wall mounting. Bose does not recommend placing this set inside an enclosure like an entertainment center, as it would prevent the speakers from using surrounding walls to reflect sound, a key element of the unique Bose sound experience.
There are only two connectors on the TV cabinet itself; a power jack and a proprietary port for connecting to the VideoWave console. The console is a curvy matte black box with silver trim measuring 16.3 by 9 by 3 inches and is the connection hub and command center for the TV and all external sources. The front of the console has a panel that flips up to reveal a set of composite A/V jacks, a headphone jack, the power button, volume up/down/mute buttons, a setup button, a USB port and an HDMI port. Around back are three additional HDMI ports, two sets of component A/V ports, an iPod dock port, another USB port, an IR blaster port, and a jack for the proprietary TV-to-console cable. The set comes with an iPod dock, composite and component cables, two HDMI cables, an IR blaster cable, and a deceptively simple-looking remote. On the downside, the console lacks Ethernet or Wi-Fi Ethernet connectivity, and there's no tuner, meaning you'll have to use a cable or satellite set top box as your tuner. If you want to take advantage of the current crop of Web apps, you'll have to get an Internet TV device such as Apple TV, Roku XDS, or Sony's Internet TV Blu-ray Player.
The VideoWave also comes with an ADAPTiQ headset to calibrate the audio system for your specific room configuration. Chances are you'll never have to use it, since audio calibration is part of Bose's White Glove service, which is included in the price. With White Glove service you can sit back and let a team of technicians deliver and setup the VideoWave system, custom calibrate the audio to fit your room, connect all of your external sources including cable boxes, Blu-ray players, and iPods, and demonstrate each system feature. The company will even haul away your old television and have it recycled. A concierge telephone troubleshooting service is also part of the deal.
The simplified matte black remote doesn't look like much; it's only 5.5 inches long and has six main buttons (Power, Volume, Channel, Mute, Input Select, and Return) and a four way rocker surrounded by a touch-sensitive click pad. However, it offers a wealth of control options via the click pad and a unique set of on-screen commands. It's an RF (radio frequency) device, which means it'll work even if something is blocking your view of the console. When you connect a device like a Blu-ray player, to the console, you can program the remote to control that device using the Teach Mode feature in the set-up screen. Each device is assigned a set of specific command icons (Play, Pause, Shuffle, etc.) that appear in a border around the screen. The click pad makes it easy to navigate the frames using a circular finger motion, like the iPod's click wheel. As you select different devices, the menu choices change to reflect the controls for that device, a navigation technology as "contextual control." The remote is very responsive and fits comfortably in your hand, and since the controls are all displayed on-screen, there's no fumbling for buttons in the dark. It takes a little getting used to, but once you get the feel for it, you'll never look back. When it comes to ease of use, it makes every other user interface I've seen look archaic.
Picture settings are limited. There are two picture modes, Normal and Dark Room, with the latter having reduced brightness and backlighting settings. You can adjust brightness, contrast, color, tint, sharpness, backlight, and color temperature in the basic settings screen, while the advanced screen offers red, blue, and green gain adjustments and gamma level adjustments. However, there are no White balance, Anti-Judder, or Film Mode settings, and there are no Audio settings whatsoever. Once the audio has been automatically calibrated, that's it (besides Volume and Mute, of course).
Audio Performance
Bose never goes into serious detail about the technology behind its devices and gadgets—the company prefers you to focus on the user experience rather than how it is happening. We do know, however, that the internal system of speakers uses the contour of your room to widen the stereo image of your sound source—be it a movie or music. Make no mistake: this is not surround sound, but the system definitely succeeds in tricking your ear into thinking it's hearing surround. If a train approaches from the left and roars off to the right, there will be no doubt about it in your living room, and this effect is quite thrilling. Nothing will really be happening behind you, however, so for those seeking a full surround sound set-up, the VideoWave is not for you. If a huge stereo image suits you, Bose has done a great job of making it happen.
One huge drawback, however: the image can only be as wide as the nearest walls. This may seem obvious at first, but the point is that the VideoWave works best in scenarios in which walls are far away—say, at least five feet from the left and right ends of the television. If you were planning on tucking this system into a corner as many people tend to do with their TVs, prepare for the wide stereo effect to all but disappear. You will still hear clear audio with generous low-end, but the left-to-right train zooming through your living room effect will be greatly diminished.
Playback of audio from a docked iPod is a generally pleasant experience. First off, the full music menu of the iPod shows up on-screen and is fairly easy to navigate via the remote, though some shortcuts for scrolling menus more quickly would be nice. Just as with films, the stereo image of your music will be widened in an impressive manner. The chimes in Bernard Herrmann's Vertigo score sound like they are coming from the farthest right edge of the room. Nothing seems overly manipulated or disorienting, it just feels as though your speakers are spaced apart the entire width of your room when, in reality, they are inside the television.
Deep bass sounds excellent on the system, with one caveat: at absolute maximum volume, I did experience a smidge of distortion on songs with tremendous low end, such as The Knife's "Silent Shout." That said, you will probably knock frames off your wall or get the police called on you before you ever sit through more than ten seconds of maximum volume on VideoWave—this system gets incredibly loud. Even if you are using it as the sound system for a dance party, I doubt you will encounter the minor distortion I did. At moderate to loud-but-listenable levels, the low frequency response is impressive, and the overall audio performance is crisp and spacious. Audiophiles will not like the VidoeWave, as it does indeed apply algorithms to your audio and you won't be getting it in its purest form. Those, however, who care less about fidelity than the overall audio experience itself will likely be quite pleased with the VideoWave, not only as an audio playback system for your television and movies, but as your primary music system.
Video Performance
To go along with its impressive sound system, the VideoWave offers outstanding picture quality. After a darkroom calibration using the DisplayMate HDTV setup utility, the VideoWave delivered a black level reading of 0.03 cd/m2, which is very good for a CCFL-backlit LCD panel. Colors popped from the dark background on my Blu-ray test disc, BBC's Planet Earth, and shadow detail was excellent as well.
The VideoWave aced the HQV HD high and standard definition video tests and delivered clear, noise free imagery while displaying broadcast TV programming from the lab's satellite box. Color accuracy, as measured by a Konica-Minolta CS-200 Chromameter, was spot on, and viewing angle performance was a good as it gets. Even when viewed from an extreme side angle, the screen retained excellent color fidelity and brightness. Motion blur was not an issue; the 120Hz panel handled fast action and wide panning scenes without a trace of judder or ghosting.
With the Bose VideoWave Entertainment System, you get a beautiful picture, a cleverly designed user interface, and all the surround sound you can handle without having to hang a single speaker. The lack of network connectivity is a flaw that can be remedied with a Web-enabled Blu-ray player or set-top box, and the bulky cabinet is an acceptable trade-off for anyone who appreciates Bose's audio prowess. Granted, this HDTV will put a huge dent in your bank account, but if you don't mind spending more than $5K for cutting-edge audio and video technology, look no further.
HDTVs that use CCFL backlighting can't match the energy efficiency of their LED backlit counterparts, a fact the VideoWave clearly demonstrates. It drew 220-watts of power while displaying HD content from a Blu-ray player, while the
But if your budget doesn't stretch far enough to buy the Bose VideoWave, the LED-backlit LCD
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Final Thoughts
Bose VideoWave
With its proprietary audio processing technology and 16-speaker array, the Bose VideoWave pumps out a wall of sound unequaled in the HDTV arena. What's more, this über-expensive 46-inch CCFL-backlit set delivers top notch picture quality and features an innovative on-screen user interface.