I have a BV 7-40 and several beolabs but don't want to buy any B&O audio master device.

My MacMini holds my music/video/internet radio and therefore a B&O audio master would be plain redundant.

Is there any 3rd interface that would allow me to connect the Mac smoothly with my B& TV/loudspeaker gear?

Your help would be very much appreciated.

You have not said which version of the MacMini you have, whether it has an independent monitor got normal use (i.e. the MacMini is more than a media server), nor how far apart the BV7-40 and the MacMini are, nor whether there are spare AV ports on the BV7-40.  

All are important considerations.

If you don't want the MacMini connected to the BV7-40 then I would suggested an Apple TV.

Your MacMini can wirelessly communicate the the ATV which is connected to the BV7-40 HDMI; if iTunes is your media library you turn on Home Sharing, and then the ATV will gain access wirelessly to the iTunes library and display its music (artists, albumns, songs) and playlists.

If your HDMI ports are fully occupied then we have a bit of problem (I was unpleasantly surprised when I discovered that a 4 port HDMI BV7-40 can have 2 of its ports (50%!!!!!) consumed by what I will call "internal" functions: the integrated BluRay and the DTV). 

The MacMini (late 2010) is next to the BV 7-40 and currently connected to it via HDMI.

This means, however, that I need to power on this electric heater TV even if I just want to listen to music (internet radio or iTunes stuff).

The Mac has no other monitor attached. I would like to control it via the Beo 4 and/or iPhone via the Remote App.

What is missing, is a little hardware box which translate the Beo4 to control the Mac and a audio out -> powerlink bridge.

My Beolab 5 actually have two inputs (powerlink and spdif) but it - UNFORTUNATELY - fails to auto-sense which input to use.

If your V.MEM is still free, dedicate this one to your Mini. If you add the AV command to your beo4, you will not notice the TV is on. (AV > Vmem) TV has to be in V.OPT2 tough.

To control the Mini with your beo4 you will need your dealer to come over, to add the Apple remote in your puc-list.

That is what I do right now but as said, I would like to avoid switching on the TV if I just want to listen to music. That is why a lean "audio master" that interfaces with PCs may make sense.

Hello there!

I'm surprised no one has told you about Linkplayer..!

Simply add a BeoPort box to your setup, it will act as an audio master with Linkplayer app installed on it, and the Powerlink socket on the BeoPort is also what you're lloking for. You can even use your Iphone/Ipod Touch as a B&O remote after that!

Chrisreunion:

Hello there!

I'm surprised no one has told you about Linkplayer..!

Simply add a BeoPort box to your setup, it will act as an audio master with Linkplayer app installed on it, and the Powerlink socket on the BeoPort is also what you're lloking for. You can even use your Iphone/Ipod Touch as a B&O remote after that!

Hi chris, I had not mentioned LinkPlayer because then he would have had to buy the BeoPort ... so we were trying to find a "no expense" solution rather than a "low cost" solution :-)

Sounds like what I am looking for.

I expected that extra hardware would be necessary to fill the gap if I want the Beolabs to play audio from the MacMini directly (w/o the BV 7-40).

However, >€ 2k for the Beoport which would just act as a audio bridge is quite steep. Especially, if it doesn't seem to support an digital audio interface at least.

OK, would it allow me to play my Mac iTunes library via Mac audio out but also allow the BV 7-40 to playback MacMini AV (including DD 5.1) via HDMI? Who would tell the MacMini whether to choose HDMI vs. audio out?

Knubbi:

OK, would it allow me to play my Mac iTunes library via Mac audio out but also allow the BV 7-40 to playback MacMini AV (including DD 5.1) via HDMI? Who would tell the MacMini whether to choose HDMI vs. audio out?

don't know about DD5.1, however in this area of the forum you will find my post (warning) about how the last OSX Lion patch from Apple regressed the behaviour of LinkPlayer so that software switching between the HDMI port and the analogue port no longer works

I am hoping that the imminent "next patch" will address this for us ............. but I suspect I will turn green from holding my breath