Hi guys - my current set up is Beovision 7-40 mk111, Beosound 3200 and a pair of Beolab 9's. I'm getting slightly frustrated with the 3200 random function as it only chooses tracks from one of the coloured categories rather than from my whole music library. I have resorted to plugging my i-phone into the aux socket and playing music from there which is not an ideal solution.

I am completely ignorant about how apple tv/apple express work and would love some advice on whether you chaps think it would be worthwhile getting,and how easy it is to install for someone totally un-tech  like myself!

Also would i notice any significant loss of sound quality compared to the 3200.

My itunes library is stored on a normal pc in an upstairs study, if that makes any difference

thanks for your help

David

Hello Sir

I have a BV7 MK3 also and i must admit ATV was on of the best purchases i have made.

You can partially control ATV using the beo4 if your BV7 has Apple remote in the PUC list.

i dont have any knowledge about Airport express but as far as i know its so you can access ATV in link room i believe and you can do this using masterlink.

Sound loss i dont believe you woudl notice but it is all down to the bit rate of your music, i dont know what bit rate the 3200 rips your music at but if its good quality you shoudl not notice but im sure some sound tech will shoot me down here.

ATV is wireless and works in the same way your iphone works it just Sync all your music playlists etc from Itunes to the ATV.

a cool funtion of the iphone/ipod touch is the remote application so you can browse your music on the iphone/touch and play it through your Apple TV.

If you set up remote app you can use it select music from anywhere in your house and this helps with selecting music when in other linked rooms.

Hope i have been helpful i have only had mine for a month and i love it its great much better than the Beomedia and music more cost effective than the beosound 5.

Cover art makes a big difference in selecting music.

if you already have itunes set up then you are already half way there.

Hi

Apple Tv is a great gadget in all ways. First of all it is very easy to install and control. From your description above, i take it you have no linkrooms. Then all you need is a HDMI cable and a STB controller cable(to control appleTV with your Beo remote). Connect your appleTV, and fire it up. From there  a menu will take you through the installation proces.

The apple Express is a wireless router with music distribution capabillities. However, your apple TV will work fine with your current wifinetwork ( if you have one?) or lan.

The quality of the music should not be affected as far as i am convinced. In fact the appletv maybe even has a better soundcard than your 3200 but i am not sure. The way to ensure good quality is in your ripping methods. I myself have ripped averything in lossless, this however takes up a lot of space and is not ideal if you only have one musiclibary and wants to use it on your iphone aswell. I would go for at least 320 kbps in your situation i think.

Finally, appleTv will stream from your upstairspc without any problems. It requires your pc to have itunes installed and running for it to function. Depending on your appletv purchase (it comes in two different sizes, 40 gb and 160 gb) it is possible to have it autosynch with your upstairs musicfiles. When you add a mp3 in your upstairs libary, the file will automaticly copy to your appletv harddrive aswell. Then you have the ability to play music without having your pc up and runing all the time you need to listen to music.

If you have any further questions, feel free to write me back. :-)

For reference, choosing 'Apple TV Australia' in the PUC-Control menu as opposed to the other Apple options seems to work best.

I wouldn't want to comment on the sound quality as I'm not entirely sure what codec and bitrate the 3200 uses. The Apple TV sounds acceptable off the built in analog outputs, and when using the HDMI, you'll use the sound processing and circuitry in the 7-40 mk3 which performs very well.

I also have a few questions about Apple TV connected to my B&O (via Aux) and separately to a non-B&O TV.

Does the TV need to be on to use the iPhone/iTouch remote to select and play music?

Can I just sych it with my MacBook laptop wirelessly and play music when needed or use the video part when I want to play downloaded content?

Is there anyway of getting non-iTunes video content onto the iTunes (like mp4, divx, avi, etc?)

I presume that I can do this with a MacMini - but that is a lot more expensive?

In otherwords - I am looking for a media server (and I like the functionality of iTune)

-michael

Yes the TV does need to be on but Apple TV offers a screen saver function.

Michael

The TV must only be on if you want to enjoy visual content (video or photos).

If just want to listen to audio content, it is sufficient to set your B&O Beolab to AUX and to use the Remote.app installed on your iPhone / iPod Touch to remote-control AppleTV.

If you sync your AppleTV with your MacBook, the content you choose to sync resides on the harddisc of your AppleTV, so the MacBook does not have to be running when you enjoy sync'ed content.

There exist different hacks to run content in non-AppleTV-format on the AppleTV. I cannot recommend any of these, because they bring your AppleTV in an unsupported state - and are usually gone with the next SW upgrade.

However, there are several ways of converting media content on your MacBook so they can be sync'ed to the AppleTV afterwards - browse this forum for useful tips: http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1185

Yes, you can connect a MacMini as well - and it is more expensive. I have not done it because I like that the user interface of the AppleTV is absolutely tamper-free, while on the Mac your kids and your wife will find a way of falling out of FrontRow - and guess who will have to fix it?

Kind regards
Stefan