Since my tv LS5000 has only one SCART socket, I have always had this connected to my cable tv box.

VHS machines are so dirt cheap, even B&O ones, I thiguh I'd indulge all of £13 in one on EBAY.

Problem although the cable box does have  2 SCART sockets, one of which is marked VCR, it turns out that I can't use it and the video relies on being connected to the tv to recieve control signals from the remote control.

Easy, just get a AVX1 B&O SCART expander box, so I did.

Now I have some small measure of control over the VHS, however, I have connected it up as per the manuals downloaded from here, but it is not right at all.

I cannot record from the Cable box and replay on the tv.

 I wonder if it is something to do with configuration, however the information is not even slightly clear.

I have a Beo4 remote, and a Beolink 1000, and I have tried some of the configurations, but nothing works, or at least when I try to change something, everything stubbornly remains the same.

The Beo4 manual is about as useful as a zip in a dishcloth, it tells me I can add things, but then it doesn't say what the buttons do when you switch over to the newly added item, you'd think they would have some sort of heirarchical menu diagram, but no, its about as obvious and intuitive as Sanskrit to a parrot.

The Beo4 is definitely the worst controller ever for a MX5000/LS5000 tv. Use a BL1000, this one is perfect for this equipment.

You know how to program the AVX-1 ? The programming is not very easy...

Shift TV 3 will activate Port 3, whatever is connected

To program port 1 to a VX5000: Shift TV 1 Store Devicetype=1 Store

To program port 3 to a DVD1: Shift TV 3 Store 6 Store

To program port 2 ta Sat box: Shift TV 2 Store 5 Store

Devicetype:

1= VX5000 = VTAPE1

2= old VHS codes tape 1

3= VX5000 = VTAPE2

4= old vhs tape 2 

5= SAT or Beosat RX

6= CDV or DVD

and some more (12) for audio applications...

 Every AV-Port has a number (1-3 + 4=Audio) and must be programmed for a certain function/device connected to this port.

If Port1 is configurated as VX5000, it will play with "Vtape". A DVD-2 to port 2 will react to CDV or Shift-Sat, a SAT-box on port 3 will react on "SAT".

It has a matrix inside, the VX recorder can record any source... and of course play ;)

The combination of a MX5000 and an AVX-1 is probably the best thing B&O produced in the last 25 years, it works perfect.  I still have a working system of MX5000, VX5000, DVD-1 and Digi-Sat and 7000 audio system. Great :) Better than any tv later... 

Nope, it still will not work, some bits almost do some things.

 This exemplifies everything to me that I despise about B&O.

Prior to the link/distributed media era, B&O stuff was simple to use, it was intuitive, had great design, and this is the stuff I love.

The link era broke compatibility from everyone else, quite often it needs specialists to set up and work - whereas all the other stuff the average user can figure it out. It is so far removed from the original B&O philosophy that its no surprise to me that B&O has lost direction.

The instructions are frequently obtuse, and rubbish, and given the original cost of a VX7000 it's pretty disgraceful that it does not has its own built in intelligence to respond to remote commands.

 The older B&O I just plug in and use, the newer stuff needs configurations, options, sub selections and will not work with anything other than more B&O stuff, and to cap it all it costs 3 times as much as anything else.

I am not a technophobe, I can leave the vast majority of folk behind when it comes to programming right down to machine code if necessary, and its this background that informs me about how user hostile B&O can be, last time stuff was this stupid was when the early versions of DOS came out.

Quite frankly, if B&O really wants to stay in business, it needs to figure out the user interface.

Ah well, thanks for your reply,

Maybe I'll just throw the newer B&O stuff out, never liked it.