Hi,

I have a BeoVision Avant 28, connected to 2 x BeoLab 8000's and 2 x BeoLab 6000's, I also have a BeoCentre 2. I have been wanting to upgrade to a Plasma Tv for quite sometime now and would love to have a BV 4, but just cannot justify the price, especially with all the changes in technology that are currently taking place.

I have read numerous independent reviews which all point to the latest Pioneer Kuro TV's as providing the best picture quality at a fraction of the price of a BV 4.

In October Pioneer are introducing a version of the Kuro with a seperate media box, which I was hoping would allow me to connect my speakers BC 2 etc  and so just have one cable to conceal in the wall, however I now realise that I will have nothing to control the surround sound.

Can anyone please tell me if the BeoCentre 2 is capeable of doing this, or are there any other solutions (apart from buying a BeoSystem 3) that would allow me to integrate the Kuro with my speakers and BC 2?

 

Regards

 

Keith 

Keith,

The basic answer to your questions is: Yes to everything.

You can certainly use a Pioneer Kuro with a BeoSystem 3 and you can certainly use your BeoLab speakers with an off-brand surround sound receiver provided it has pre-amp outputs for each channel. You can also connect your BeoCenter 2 as a DVD/CD player. This will all "work."

As for the Kuro being somehow more justifiable, I would say no. If by fraction of the price you mean 70% of the price, then I don't see the value. The current Kuro Pro101FD is $5,500. The BeoVision 4-50 is $7,900. Do the math. If you're getting an older one, then you can also get an older BeoVision 4 for less, so the comparison stands.

Our warranty is longer, our picture is better, and some would argue its cabinet is more attractive. It also makes the purchase of a BeoSystem 3 a real investment. It can make use of the BeoSystem 3's measurements and adaptation and apply it frame by frame to the image. It also has a built in camera for ISF calibrations, which will keep your colors rich over the life of the panel. That alone, in my judgement, makes it a better value for the money. In 3 years when your Pioneer's color is washed out will your really miss the extra $2,400? If the answer is yes, then you may be in over your head with our brand in general!

If you don't plan on getting a BeoSystem 3, then by all means, get the Kuro. Without the BS3, it's a phenomenal screen on its own.

Whatever you do, at least it will sound good! 

 

i could not believe what I read here until I looked myself for the price of the Kuro since there were so many heated discussions about B&O pricing.

 

PRO-110FD

50" Class (49.85" Diagonal) 1080p ELITE® KURO Flat Panel HDTV

 

• High-Definition 1080p Resolution (1920 x 1080p)
• 16:9 Wide-Screen Aspect Ratio
• 4 Independent HDMI^® 1.3 Inputs
• Deep, Intense Blacks for Unmatched Contrast

 

 

Suggested Price: $6,000.00

 

The question I have is, does the Kuro need the BS3 or can it stand up to the BV4 without it?

jk1002:

The question I have is, does the Kuro need the BS3 or can it stand up to the BV4 without it?

Like 355f says, adding a BS3 to a Kuro might make the picture worse, but certainly not much better. Why add a $11000 BS3 to a $6000 TV? I'd rather use the spare cash to invest in other B&O equipment, such as the forthcoming Beosound 5 or better speakers.

BS3 is closer to $7800, not $11000.

Razlaw:

BS3 is closer to $7800, not $11000.

Not in the UK it isn't, it's £5500. I just assumed it would be roughly double in the US. Anyway, it's still a bizarre thing to purchase a $8K to 'drive' a perfectly capable $6K TV.

Thank you for the input so far, however perhaps I did not make myself clear. The approximate cost of a BV 4 50 and BS 3 is £11,000, the cost of the new Kuro will be less than £3,000, it clearly makes no sense to combine a Kuro with a BS 3 just to save £2-3K. What I was hoping to find out was, is it possible to fully integrgrate a non B&O TV with my existing B&O hardware without having to buy a BS 3. 

That's the caveat... The BS3 is the heart of your system! All connections, sound decoding and picture adjustments are done by the BS3...

akeithj:

Thank you for the input so far, however perhaps I did not make myself clear. The approximate cost of a BV 4 50 and BS 3 is £11,000, the cost of the new Kuro will be less than £3,000, it clearly makes no sense to combine a Kuro with a BS 3 just to save £2-3K. What I was hoping to find out was, is it possible to fully integrgrate a non B&O TV with my existing B&O hardware without having to buy a BS 3. 

No, you were very clear. We understood. However, it dosn't 'work' like that. The BS3 does all its own picture processing. The Kuro does it's own, too. Would the BS3 do a better job driving your Kuro? Probably not. Certainly not for nearly $8K more than the cost of the TV.

I don't think you'd get a better picture through a BS3-connected Kuro than the Kuro itself.

If you're prepared to spend the money to get a BS3+Kuro, I'd simply save more and go for the BV4-50. At least you know you're getting a premier package and it will integrate with your existing setup.

moxxey:

akeithj:

Thank you for the input so far, however perhaps I did not make myself clear. The approximate cost of a BV 4 50 and BS 3 is £11,000, the cost of the new Kuro will be less than £3,000, it clearly makes no sense to combine a Kuro with a BS 3 just to save £2-3K. What I was hoping to find out was, is it possible to fully integrgrate a non B&O TV with my existing B&O hardware without having to buy a BS 3. 

No, you were very clear. We understood. However, it dosn't 'work' like that. The BS3 does all its own picture processing. The Kuro does it's own, too. Would the BS3 do a better job driving your Kuro? Probably not. Certainly not for nearly $8K more than the cost of the TV.

I don't think you'd get a better picture through a BS3-connected Kuro than the Kuro itself.

If you're prepared to spend the money to get a BS3+Kuro, I'd simply save more and go for the BV4-50. At least you know you're getting a premier package and it will integrate with your existing setup.
 

I think we need to read akeithj's post properly moxxey. He's asking how to integrate a kuro (non B&O set) on it's own with his other B&O equipment such as his BC2... he doesn't want to buy a BeoSystem 3.

I'll throw in the simple answer to this question, YES you can easily enjoy a non b&o tv with your B&O stereo! All you need to do is connect your Beolabs to your BC2... however i don't know anything about the new kuro and what it offers if it offers a dolby surround module... so you may only be able to enjoy 2.0 channel sound with your TV and movies.

For surround, you can take a amplifier with regulated out. It sure looks ugly and you have to get a Lintronik box or live with multiple remotes.

I personally wouldn't.

Dave:

I think we need to read akeithj's post properly moxxey. He's asking how to integrate a kuro (non B&O set) on it's own with his other B&O equipment such as his BC2... he doesn't want to buy a BeoSystem 3.

Ah. My apologies. Too much drink last night :) 

I don't know about the Dolby support - if you read the Kuro specs it says "WOW, SRS, FOCUS & TruBass are trademarks of SRS Labs, Inc.", but no mention of Dolby etc.

It can be done, but it's going to basically end up just like any other brand equipment. B&O's solution only works if the TV is B&O as well - there's no way around it...

Look at it this way, why change your Avant for a plasma such as the Kuro? You aren't 'upgrading', the picture will probably be worse and you'll end up with a heap of remote controls, having to change inputs etc... plus extra boxes (a surround sound decoder for example, which will mean another remote). The only advantage you'll get by 'upgrading' the Avant to a Kuro is that it's flat and bigger. Doesn't look anywhere near as nice IMO anyway, so the flatness can be taken out of the equation.

Avant > Kuro is a downgrade. Save your money and keep the Avant. Save up for the BeoSystem 3 + BeoVision 4 combo (or a BeoVision 9). It's the only way you're going to get what you're looking for.

Thanks to all for the input - looks like it's a BV 4 or keep the Avant.

Or keep the Avant and see what happens with this new proposed BV7-40 MKIV early 2009? It's rumoured to have Blu-ray as standard and an updated 100Hz panel. Might be a step up from the existing BV7-40 MKIII and that's already a good TV.