The Beo5 is set to be launched in August. The Apple remotem which came to light when the US patents Office revealed a submission from Apple for a remote patent, will utilise a new wireless iPod which will have the ability to control media playing throughout your home on various devices such as your home stereo or TV. Apple's iPod will take on new abilities and GUI options which are intended to challenge the Sonos Digital Music System.
Apple's patent describes the creation of a multi-room digital music system which will allow for the streaming of both music an video from an iPod source.
The Beo5 from Bang & Olufsen will work with both B&O and non B&O products however it is designed to work primarily with all of the B&O range but in particularly with the TV range when partnered with the BeoMedia devices.
A backlit screen, which is able to be configured via a USB connection on the docking/charging station, sits on top of a very tactile metal control sphere. The interface is a modification of the well known Beo4 layout but with the addition of a click wheel and ring of control buttons. A numeric keyboard can be activated on the touch sensitive screen by pressing TEXT. Different set ups of screen can be customised by the user though this has to be set up by a dealer.
In its patent submission Apple claims that the quality of multimedia playback by computers has improved dramatically in the last several years however these systems still lag behind typical entertainment devices (e.g., stereos, televisions, projection systems, etc.) in terms of performance, fidelity, and usability for the typical consumer.
Therefore, in order to utilise the higher quality playback systems, it has become common to install home network systems whereby an individual's personal computer is linked (either wirelessly or wired) to a home entertainment system forming in the process; a media system. The media system integrates several interfaces and feature sets into an integrated platform. In this way, the individual is able to listen, view or otherwise access this multimedia data stored on a personal computer using these various entertainment devices. For example, a wireless network interface (e.g., 802.11g based Airport Express wireless network interface communicates wirelessly with other devices and to serve as a wireless base station or as a repeater (to increase the range of a pre-existing wireless network).
