Hi all,

can you give help and opinions on this Gentleman's setup please:

I apologize in advance for the length of this email-- I just can't  
>>>get enough expert opinions on the topic... and there really aren't  
>>>that many B&O experts out there!
>>>
>>>To answer your questions, yes~~ I'm in North America.  Phoenix  
>>>Arizona to be exact.
>>>
>>>A few comments about the main viewing space.  While the primary  
>>>seating area is about 9 feet from the TV, the room itself  is a  
>>>large, loft-like space-- about 2,000 square feet with 11-1/2 foot  
>>>ceilings.  So while most of the viewing is done from the seating area  
>>>in front of the TV, there is still quite a bit of "casual viewing"  
>>>taking place further across the room.
>>>
>>>With this in mind, I did consider the new 40" LCD, but felt it would  
>>>be too small for the area, particularly from further out in the room.
>>>
>>>My biggest question at this point if whether 1080p will really make  
>>>that much difference in picture quality in the primary seating area  
>>>versus the 720p B&O 50".  I know there isn't a lot of 1080p video  
>>>content available now, but even when there is, I'm not sure the PQ  
>>>will be all that apparent when sitting 9+ feet from the screen.  I'm  
>>>starting to be of the opinion that all this 1080p talk is more  
>>>marketing hype than a real differentiator.  I've read from several  
>>>sources that resolution is fourth in importance relative to contrast  
>>>ratio, color saturation and color accuracy. (Imaging Science Foundation)
>>>
>>>What is your expert opinion on this?
>>>
>>>My planned system for this room is currently the 50" Beovision,  
>>>Beosystem 3, BeoLab 7-1 center, existing BL6000's for R/L, and a pair  
>>>of rears.  Video sources will be HD cable box (Cox), an AppleTV, and  
>>>Samsung Blu-Ray DVD (BD-P1200)-- <although this DVD may be overkill,  
>>>and I may just get an upscaling DVD player or use my current DVD1>.
>>>
>>>For the rears, I'm debating between a pair of BL4's and BL4000's.   
>>>Rears will be mounted on the ceiling (11-1/2 feet up) and about 5-8  
>>>feet behind the main seating area.  I'm sure the 4000's are more than  
>>>adequate for the job, and am considering the 4's primarily because  
>>>they are half the price, but unsure if they will be powerful enough  
>>>to be truly satisfactory as rears in this setup.
>>>
>>>Would to care to weigh in with an opinion on the rears?
>>>
>>>I appreciate your opinion on the Pioneer Elite.  I also flirted with  
>>>the idea of the new Samsung 46" LCD 1080p sets, but I really have a  
>>>hard time putting big box electronics in my home and mixing too many  
>>>non-B&O pieces with the system, since all the B&O kit work so  
>>>beautifully together.  (I have a lot of other B&O equipment as well.)
>>>
>>>Thanks again for responding to my post, and I appreciate any input or  
>>>advice you have to offer on my questions.

 

Thanks Kevin 

 

Wow-- great advice, and thanks for setting up the thread.

Where I have netted out with my local B&O dealer is the following:

Beosystem 3
BeoVision 4-50 TV  (the picture looks so great on units I've seen, I can't imagine 1080p would improve PQ sufficiently to make a big enough difference in my set-up or to my eyes.)
BeoLab 7-2 center
BeoLab 6000's for front R/L (from current system, will probably upgrade to BL8000's or BL9's in a year or two)
BeoLab 4000's for rears, ceiling mounted
KEF HTB2 subwoofer (temporary solution until I can afford to add the BL2)
BeoSound 9000 (from current system)
Samsung BD-P1200 blu-ray DVD player-- Beo4 codes apparently work fine with this unit
AppleTV (Beo4 codes to be forthcoming from B&O)
Scientific Atlanta 8300HD DVR from Cox, the local cable company (although may change to Tivo Series 3 HD)---
----Beo4 supposed to work perfectly with the SA box.  I have a Tivo in my current B&O set-up, and it works great with the Beo4.

I'll post this to your thread too, and would love to hear any other feedback from the community.  Pictures will certainly be posted when installed next month.

Thanks, Kevin~~

Todd

On May 3, 2007, at 3:46 PM, Kevin Vinke wrote:

Hi Todd,
Lee asked if I could help you in any way.
What I suggest is that we put your setup proposal on the general forum to see what our experts there have to say.
My opinion is that the visual side of things you suggest sound fine. You can always wait for the next best standard but then along comes another.
As far as you speaker setup is concerned, with BL6000's as fronts you may find the bass a bit lacking so would suggest BL8000's instead with a BL2 or BL3's with the BL2 or BL9's on their own. If you don't go for the 8000's then maybe sell the BL6000's and put in BL4000's as rears. The BL4's will only do for a smallish area.
we are just back from Struer and from what we learnt the BS3 works best with B&O equipment and recommended products. Otherwise you end up with an expensive switch box.
This is the thread I have started
http://forum.beoworld.org/forums/9362/ShowThread.aspx#9362

Regards Kevin

Hi,

one of the most intersting learnings in Struer was the very small differnce of a 1080p 65" plasma to a HD ready 65" plasma in a day to day viewing expirience. With a test image, the difference was huge! But with a HD video stream with standard compression only experts could tell the difference. And this was a huge 65" plasma in a 3 to 4 meter viewing distance.....

If the pricing of the BV4 -50 is an issue, you might want to consider a panasonic plasma (same model as build in the BV4, the only difference are very small changes, one we have learned is the white point). That is what I am going to do, get the BS3 and a G9 panasonic HDready plasma display.

 

Karsten 

 

 

For a loft like space with lots of casual viewing from distance I woulkd consider screen and projector. When it comes to the center, if you want to go long term for acustic lense speaker for the front I would give the BL 7.4 a spin. Actually, since you are in the US I would buy the currenmt BV4 promotion with BL7, BV4 50 and BS3 with the 4k discouunt and add a true HDD projector later .... Cheers JK

A small point about projectors and the BS3.

I believe it recognises four projectors two of which are Samsungs. The software settings of the BS3 make adjustments tuned for these projectors by B&O. Other projectors which it doesn't recognise it will put an average setting to so you may need to tweek these setups more.

 

Kevin is right, also two SIM projectors are on the list as well! (and you can choose from in the BS3 setup) However an intersting question would  be, how big the differences are if you would choose a different one. I don't like the Samsung projectors as they are not performing very well compared to the competitors. Unfortunately we did not had enough time in Struer to discuss this point with the Video expert.

 

Karsten 

 

 

Hi Todd,

I understand you already have the BL6000s and want to keep using those. If you're not into "movies have to go boom in the night" you may be satisfied with the BL6000s as fronts.

Given the size of your room, the BL4s would very likely be too small. You want them high up, and a distance back from the primary listening position, and I think you'll find them lacking.
The BL4000s are quite adequate to the task, however, and will provide you with both rear surround sound, and SPEAKER 4 music to your heart's content.

If you are looking for more punch from your system, then I would consider picking up a pair of BL8000s (latest generation, with the enhanced bass). They are coming on the market now second-hand, as quite a few are upgrading to BL9s. Speakers get better with time (generally) and you would not run a risk getting a pair - either from a trusted eBay seller, or from your dealer, who will be getting inquiries from customers who want to trade theirs.

Then you would have the BL8000s in front and the BL6000s in back. As Peter here has pointed out elsewhere, there's actually a wall-mount for the 6000s. It would be good to get them up from the floor, that way their sound won't go into the furniture.

Reading your query, I do not get the feeling that you're going for the movie buff's B&O home theatre - so I'll stick to this on the speaker front. (Though with your BeoSystem 3 you have serious upgrade options as you build your system).

Screen:
Again - I understand you want a flatscreen, and that you are not considering projection now.

I'm sure you have negotiated a good deal on the BV4-50 (720p/1080i). Most available broadcast/cable HD content is in these formats, and they are more than adequate for a 50" screen. The BeoSystem 3 upscaler will coax the most out of the image. Save the money a full-HD screen would cost you and put that aside towards a speaker upgrade or a projector in the future, for when you'll really need the 1080p inside your large loft area.

You could consider a screen from another maker. There are some really good 1080p plasma screens available now, from among others Pioneer (5000EX). I don't know where that would land you as far as price is concerned compared to the BV4-50 you have on hand (and it won't look as premium ...)

The major difference between 1080p and 1080i is that the progressively scanned image seems more stable, more at rest. The advanced picture processors also have 24fps modes that emulate film projection, and that utilize the progressive scan for an even more stable image. But don't get the feeling that means a 1080i image will shake and jitter - there's a difference, but when the BBC tested for it, they found that 720p was more than adequate for their viewers (thus reducing the need for transmission bandwidth).
1080p will only be relevant if you buy a lot of content in that format, for use on your BD-P1200, though again: that player will come into its own with projection, while serving up a fine dish on your 50" screen.

Good luck!

 

I think Soundproof is offering excellent advice. I agree completely about the speaker choice - I am also a fan of the under rated 4000s and these have just been updated.

Thank you all for the outstanding advice.

I had no idea there were wall mounts for the 6000's-- will definately check them out.

 Also agree with soundproof-- will likely upgrade to 8000's or BL8's in the coming year, plus a BL2 sub.  You're right too, this set-up isn't designed to be the fanatics home theater.  I only watch a DVD once or twice a month and only a handful of TV shows- just really want something nice when I do sit down to watch.  My current (and soon to be previous) set-up centered around a BeoVision Avant 32", which will now move to another room.  I love the PQ on the Avant and doubt I will ever give it up.

Thanks for the tips on a beamer.  I may consider a projector at some point-- didn't realize so many were going this route.
 

It is wonderful to have access to so many well informed B&O advocates with honest, well thought opinions.  I was a big fan of the previous forum and it was painful for me when it was down.  Thank you, Kevin, for getting the community back together. 

beobres:

  Thank you, Kevin, for getting the community back together. 

No not me ( a small misunderstanding) 

Lee and others have done that great job

Good to see it's helped though, sounds like you'll end up with a great system.