$5,349 Bose VideoWave HDTV Has 16 Built-In Speakers

Bose is no stranger to home-theater-in-a-box systems, but their first speaker-packed HDTV takes the concept to another place entirely. Their new 46-inch VideoWave LCD HDTV has 16 speakers hidden inside the case, including six small bass drivers that they claim eliminate the need for a subwoofer.

The concept isn't an entirely new one. Mitsubishi has been making TVs with built-in soundbars for quite some time now. But, Bose claims their system is different. Low-end sound is handled by six relatively small woofers that channel sound through their Acoustic Waveguide system and out from the bottom of the panel.

At the top of the panel is an array of seven speakers split up into right, center and middle channels. It uses proprietary signal processing and their "Phase Guide Ratiators" to send sound in specific directions and give the illusion of surround.

One of Bose's main selling points for this system is how easy it is to set up. Check out their site and you'll find plenty of reminders about the fact that set-up requires only a single wire. To further simplify the process, it's equipped with the ADAPTiQ calibration system, which helps determine the ideal placement and viewing area.

The click pad remote is one of the most interesting new additions. It's rather sparse when it comes to buttons, mainly because it relies on a series of on-screen contextual menus that are navigated by a touch-sensitive pad. As a result, the remote is much smaller than most.

The included receiver has three HDMI ports, two sets of component jacks (with coax and optical audio), a USB port, a Bose Link port and an input for the iPod dock. All components are meant to be controlled with the new remote and the on-screen menus as part of their Unify intelligent integration system.

The system will be available at Bose retail stores starting on October 14th and will set you back a very substantial $5,349. The website boasts that this cost includes delivery and set-up, but after repeatedly hearing how easy set-up is, that doesn't seem to add much value. Also, it's worth noting that the press material doesn't make mention of the display (or the receiver) being 3D-ready, so all that scratch won't even get you to the land of 3D.

Once we get our eyes and ears on a production model, we'll be happy to share our real world impressions. Until then, we'll stick to plain old speaker systems. Or at least soundbars.

Check out the Bose site for some videos explaining their new features.

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