Hi guys, apologies in advance for this long posting but it's
a bit of a puzzler I hope someone can help me with.
I have a Windows 2008 server (essentially Vista x64) in the
house that runs 24x7 - it runs various bits and pieces required for my job, as
well as a media server for the home. I have various devices that hook into
this, such as a Logitech Duet, Linksys media streamer, Divco TVix, a Vista
Media Centre in the living room etc. All works fine.
My B&O kit is a mix of old & new - standalone BeoCenter
9500/Beloab 1 & 2 in the dining room, standalone Beomaster 7000 & BL8000/BL2 in
the living room, and a Beosound 3000/BeoLab 5000 panels in a bedroom supplying audio to link rooms via
Masterlink (pair of BL3500's and a pair
of BL8000 hooked into a BeoLink active).
Currently the B&O kit only has access to the music library
on the Windows server via a Logitech Duet connected to Aux on the Beocenter
9500 and via a Windows Media Centre PC in the living room. Works very nicely, but
these are single room solutions - what I really want is all rooms in the house
to have access to the same music library.
On the surface the BeoPort looks like the answer - but the more I read, both
on these forums and on B&O's website, this looks like a good idea badly
executed...does some of what I want but there's also horror stories of system
crashes and poor driver support etc...
I'd really appreciate it if people who have experience with
BeoPort could take the time to help me out with some questions I've been unable
to get answers to so far:
- ·
Is the latest BeoPort 5 software compatible with
Vista 64-bit? Seems anything 4.x was not, but I downloaded 5.0 last night and
installed fine on Vista x64 as far as the 'plug in the USB device' part, which
of course I can't do yet... If not I could run a virtual machine on the server running XP but this is really clunky and I'd expect a company like B&O to have sorted this by now.
- ·
The USB seems only to operate the control
functions; the audio is delivered via the sound card in the PC? Therefore the
quality of the PC's sound output is very
relevant here?
- ·
How do you control album & track playback in
a link room? The server is normally runs without a monitor or keyboard attached,
and remotely controlled when required from my main desktop PC or laptop. This isn't
a problem with the other multimedia kit, e.g. the Logitech Duet remote has a
display that allows you to navigate the media library and select what you want,
and the video streamers do their own thing anyway with the menu on the TV - how
does this work with BeoPort and say a Beo4 remote in a room with a BeoLab 3500 link
speaker? How can you select what you want to play? I have a suspicion I may
have to start playing the music on the Windows server via B&O's media
player, and then access it from the link room? Showstopper for me if it is this
limited but I can't see how else it could work?
I suppose my other option would be to buy a Beolink MCL/ML converter
for the 9500 and hook that into the Masterlink, and buy extra Duet controllers
for other rooms in the house. That's' a more expensive option and I'd rather
have everything working off a single remote if possible.
Again, sorry for the long posting...any advice appreciated.