The Encore does have WiFi built in.

Wrong post, sorry :(

TripEnglish:

The BeoSound 5 Encore has a USB, Aux in, & headphone out on the outside and an Ethernet, USB, and PowerLink on the inside. 

Hi Trip, I'm not following you completely with 'on the outside' and 'on the inside'? For instance, does this mean "Aux in" as audio input or as audio output? Or where you referring to a second device which will stand in relation to the Encore screen?

By the way, I'm rather excited about the Encore as I'm planning a multi-room expansion and I have not invested in Masterlink yet. Will it be possible to start this project based on Beonet in the course of 2011? Or will complementary product releases demand more time?    

Thanks for your clarification.

Paul

It is my understanding that as the encore is on a computer network it will only play music from networked devices and of course a usb. As it is not on the masterlink network it will not play any ML sorces?

Is that right?

A BeoNet to ML convertor is on the way...

It's clear that the Encore is the first product of a new generation. They have to start somewhere... At first I was also in a "What??? No ML????"... but after some thought it's clear that in order for B&O to survive the Digital Wave... that have to break with the past. But they won't neglect their customer base. 

Pauliander:

TripEnglish:

The BeoSound 5 Encore has a USB, Aux in, & headphone out on the outside and an Ethernet, USB, and PowerLink on the inside. 

Hi Trip, I'm not following you completely with 'on the outside' and 'on the inside'? For instance, does this mean "Aux in" as audio input or as audio output? Or where you referring to a second device which will stand in relation to the Encore screen?

By the way, I'm rather excited about the Encore as I'm planning a multi-room expansion and I have not invested in Masterlink yet. Will it be possible to start this project based on Beonet in the course of 2011? Or will complementary product releases demand more time?    

Thanks for your clarification.

Paul

I took the inside and outside to mean "hidden away" (for the 'nasty' cables etc) and "easy to access" for those ports that you want to ... well, easily access ... so the AUX will be an input that is on the outside so you can easily attach another device (such as a dreaded iPod ?)

R. I. P. MasterLink: a new BeoLink based in home networks is coming...

Elephant is correct in his assessment. The ports for cables that will be more or less permanently attached, like PL and USB for a hard drive, are placed inside the wheel column where the BeoSound 5's cable connections are. For more "on the go" connections like headphones, aux in, and USB there are connections just on under the screen.

Ok, thank you for this. In my hypothetical configuration this would allow the attachment of an external blue ray player for local home cinema use in the living room (which could also play a cd if needed). Next to this, the Encore would give me a rather smart platform to distribute full audio and video around the house. And I'm expecting the beo 6 to be the high quality interface I desire, so ... I'm very interested

Pauliander:

this would allow the attachment of an external blue ray player for local home cinema use in the living room (which could also play a cd if needed)

That seems a bit of a leap of faith !

Are you saying you expect to attach a BlueRay player via the USB port of the Encore ?

And then distribute Audio and Video ?

While exercising link room control ?

Pauliander:

Ok, thank you for this. In my hypothetical configuration this would allow the attachment of an external blue ray player for local home cinema use in the living room (which could also play a cd if needed). Next to this, the Encore would give me a rather smart platform to distribute full audio and video around the house. And I'm expecting the beo 6 to be the high quality interface I desire, so ... I'm very interested

Wow. You have an active imagination.

TripEnglish:

Pauliander:

Ok, thank you for this. In my hypothetical configuration this would allow the attachment of an external blue ray player for local home cinema use in the living room (which could also play a cd if needed). Next to this, the Encore would give me a rather smart platform to distribute full audio and video around the house. And I'm expecting the beo 6 to be the high quality interface I desire, so ... I'm very interested

Wow. You have an active imagination.

you did say "think bigger' !!!

TripEnglish:

The Encore does have WiFi built in.

I've just noticed that intelligent WiFi SD cards have come onto the market and are currently being marketed for exporting camera photographs direct to computers and websites. Can't be long before we have WiFi SD cards for receiving Nradio!  Can't wait for that to upgrade the Beosound 3!

Graham

I'd really like for there to be an updated version of BeoSound 3, or a new battery-powered audio system. The appearance is nice, but the absence of aux-in and the publicised problems with the control panel are stopping me from getting one right now. Can the new WiFi SD cards act like an aux-in, receiving audio directly from a computer? If so, that would be cool.

Leo

b

TripEnglish:

Note: The Beo 6 (at least at this point) will work with the BeoSound 5 Encore insomuch as it will issue commands to it. The module that broadcasts content for browsing, however, is for the BeoSound 5 and not the Encore. 

Er, do I get this right: This new product, the BS5 Encore (which seems like it iswhat the BS5 should have been from the get-go), al based on the new platform, the very first product of things to come, somewhat more expensive than the old BS5/BM5 combo, does not work with this new two-way remotelaunched simultaneously in any other way than if the remote was a one-way deal?

Surely, they're not doing something like that? The top-product, the only product of the new audio platform does not do what the old one does? So people can choose to stay with their ML setup, buy their two-way remote and be happy, and new customers can choose betwen buying into tech that is being outphased but has more functionality, or a new platform with less, much less, integration and functionality..  Hmm, I hope I got it all wrong, or Struer rethinks their strategy. Again, I get more functionality with a Squeezebox Touch and Squeezebox  Controller, and probably fewer (and smaller) boxes in the end. 

I was so hoping they'd make the Beosound 5 MKII to my liking, so it would get above my threshold to buy, but it seems to be somewhat lacking in some departments still. I really like it's all digital now. Beonet! Excellent!

Since the BS5 MKII/Encore has WiFi, I wonder if it's only for connecting to a nas/internet router, or if they will update their wireless thingy to distribute digital and if so, at what bitrates (it should at least match the DAC of the Beolab 5s, not least be capable of 24-bit audio).

Puncher:

If the Encore can't control and access all features of the BM5, incl. MOTS, without a BS5, then B&O are taking the micky!

LOL, I agree :)

>>somewhat more expensive than the old BS5/BM5 combo,<<

This you did not get right. It is supposed to be slightly more expensive then the BS5 not then the BS5/BM5 combo.

Oh, I see. For some reason I thought of "BS5" as the combo, because the BS5 is useless on it's own, so a BM5 was needed to make it funtional entity.

Now, please tell me I'm wrong on most of the other counts. Pretty please!?

Electrified:

b

TripEnglish:

Note: The Beo 6 (at least at this point) will work with the BeoSound 5 Encore insomuch as it will issue commands to it. The module that broadcasts content for browsing, however, is for the BeoSound 5 and not the Encore. 

 

Er, do I get this right: This new product, the BS5 Encore (which seems like it iswhat the BS5 should have been from the get-go), al based on the new platform, the very first product of things to come, somewhat more expensive than the old BS5/BM5 combo, does not work with this new two-way remotelaunched simultaneously in any other way than if the remote was a one-way deal?

Surely, they're not doing something like that? The top-product, the only product of the new audio platform does not do what the old one does? So people can choose to stay with their ML setup, buy their two-way remote and be happy, and new customers can choose betwen buying into tech that is being outphased but has more functionality, or a new platform with less, much less, integration and functionality..  Hmm, I hope I got it all wrong, or Struer rethinks their strategy. Again, I get more functionality with a Squeezebox Touch and Squeezebox  Controller, and probably fewer (and smaller) boxes in the end. 

I was so hoping they'd make the Beosound 5 MKII to my liking, so it would get above my threshold to buy, but it seems to be somewhat lacking in some departments still. I really like it's all digital now. Beonet! Excellent!

Since the BS5 MKII/Encore has WiFi, I wonder if it's only for connecting to a nas/internet router, or if they will update their wireless thingy to distribute digital and if so, at what bitrates (it should at least match the DAC of the Beolab 5s, not least be capable of 24-bit audio).

Puncher:

If the Encore can't control and access all features of the BM5, incl. MOTS, without a BS5, then B&O are taking the micky!

LOL, I agree :)

 

 

At this point obviously everything is just speculation but in Beophile.com in the products section they already have a description of the Beosound 5 Encore and the Beo6 and they state that the Beo6 was specially design for the Encore. Now this seems to contradict what was previously stated in this thread. I guess time will tell.

You are wrong on most other counts. Feel better?

Well, if I'm also wrong about the remote not being able to be used two-way with the Encore, and if I'm wrong about the wifi only being used for the NAS and internet, but also being used to stream audio to a wireless receiver a la Squeezebox Duet or it's analoguous counterpart, the Beolink Wireless, I will be one happy camper. I might actually be able to convince myself that this product is worth something, and will actually result in a better and more pleasant experience. 

I hope they will finally step into the 21st century when it comes to audio integration and usage this coming year.

It's important to remember, especially when considering the Encore, that the switch from MasterLink to NetLink is going to be a significant transition and not every product will do everything all at once. It's been said since the launch of the BeoSound 5 that new features and capabilities will be added periodically. The same goes for BeoSound 5 Encore. 

TripEnglish:

It's important to remember, especially when considering the Encore, that the switch from MasterLink to NetLink is going to be a significant transition and not every product will do everything all at once. It's been said since the launch of the BeoSound 5 that new features and capabilities will be added periodically. The same goes for BeoSound 5 Encore. 

That doesn't answer my questions at all. I don't mind if the Beolink Wireless aren't updated from day-one, I can do very well with other wireless products. But the capability is important.

Likewise, and perhaps much more important, if the Encore can't communicate with the new two-way remote in a two-way fashion, but only has the capability to take orders, and they're launched simultanously, that doesn't sit right with me, when it comes to delivering the goods: If two new products - the Beo5 MKII - a two-way remote (finally!!) can't function two-way with this BS5 MKII - you know, the first full-fledged product heralding the digital age of integration in the world of B&O, then my hopes are pretty low for this to be the heir to my Squeezebox(es). And I'm not even particularly fond of my small boxes and cheap "Controller".

It's as if they're doing it all over again (Encore?): Putting a product on the market that aren't really finished, and then people have to come up with workarounds or get used to "It might happen soon (although, soon may mean "never")".

I want to buy this product so bad, just like I wanted to buy the BS5 very badly. There were just so many things I would have to do without or have had to do on another system, in effect adding clutter. 

But this time, they actually put in a minijack for headphones (I rely on headphones for a large part of my work and pleasure), and it has wifi, all sounding good, and to top it off, they're bringing out a two-way remote along with this all-new all-digital audio pleasure thing. But, hey, there's a caveat: It won't stream audio over wi-fi, it can't actually comunicate with the two-way remote, and no product is out yet that would allow it to connect to anything (I hope it has S/PDIF and/or AES-EBU out, at least, and no need for a third party box to talk to speakers with digital (coaxial) input.

It makes me wonder if it will be able to control the Beolab 5s at all?

So many questions and disappointments even before it's out, because it sounds so good on the surface, until you realise that nothing is really implemented well enough from the looks of things,  and we haven't even touched upon the firmware.  I so hope my doubts will be put to shame when it arrives and they will roll out a huge improvement over the firmware in present BS5s (and update that too, of course).

So far the disappointments are your own inventions. You also reference two products incorrectly: Beo5 MkII (I assume you mean the Beo6) and BeoSound 5 MkII (which is a bigger error). 

You also mention that the BeoSound 5 does not stream music over WiFi. Who told you this? That's among the many things it does do.

You also mention the BeoLink wireless, which is redundant in NetLink as all devices are WiFi enabled, making a limited and proprietary system of boxes obsolete.

Why don't you relax and wait for the future to happen. In the meantime you can continue to let the enchanting majesty of the squeezebox wash over you. 

Trip, as you're informed very well (like always) :) I've got 5 questions:

1.) Will I be able to use the Beo 6 with my current Beosound 5 to browse through my music collection like on 3rd party solutions (browse for artists, albums, songs etc. directly on the remote)?

2.) Will it be possible to add and integrate(!) the Beosound 5 Encore to an existing setup (BS5 + BS3000) or will it be stand alone?

3.) Will the Beo 6 be able to control "standard" B&O Equipment like audio-systems and TV-sets?


4.) Will the Beo 6 be able to control 3rd party equipment like the Beo 5 can do?

5.) Will the Beosound 5 be "Netlink" compatible?


Thank you and have a nice day! 

If BeoSond 5 Encore is a non ML product how can it then integrated to exsisting ML products. Sow now I have a full integrated a/v system, with BS5 Encore what will happen?