Hi,

Great new site, it looks very good. Thanks to everybody involved in the creation of the new site.

I'm planning to buy a hdd-recorder and would like to be able to control it with a Beo4 thru my Avant. I have been looking at different solutions; B&O DVD-controller, OneRemote (int. & ext.) and Lintronic. I'm not sure which of the solutions is working best.

Anybody who have experience (good or bad) in controlling a hdd-recorder with one of these solutions?

BEOfreak

I have a Panasonic DVD recorder/HDD/Freeview box and can work most of it using a Beo4 and a DVD controller. Not tried too hard to work out all the functions but it is pretty good. I believe B&O could be bringing out a recordable DVD pretty soon though.

Peter:

I believe B&O could be bringing out a recordable DVD pretty soon though.

 

I wonder if this will be put in the BV7 at some point? 

Yes the DVD2, to be released in June, will have an 250Gb HD + a DVD reader/recorder.

The DVD 2 is coming in June (in France):

 

• DVD drive (of course !)
• 250 GB HDD drive
• able to write DVDs (only from HDD: you can't record a television show directly on a DVD)
  
• HDMI output for easy plug (even if it is not HD)
  

 
The total length for records on the hard drive is far greater than the HDR 2 (I was told 10 times, with the same picture quality ! -> to be confirmed).

Price tag: 1500 €. 

I have found no pictures at the moment, but same design/dimensions than HDR 2.

 

The total length for records on the hard drive is far greater than the HDR 2 (I was told 10 times, with the same picture quality ! -> to be confirmed).

That is possible with a new compression algorithm : mpeg4 instead of mpeg 2 for instance... This is possible with a good processor.

Sounds very promising but va lack of a built in digital tuner and hence EPG would probably put me off. And the fact that Sky+ is just so easy!

Peter:

Sounds very promising but va lack of a built in digital tuner and hence EPG would probably put me off. And the fact that Sky+ is just so easy!

Sky+ is great but although mine has the fascility to send to VCR  I haven't tried. Can it send to DVD recorder Peter?

Andy T.

Emmanuel92:

The DVD 2 is coming in June (in France):

 ...

Price tag: 1500 €. 

I have found no pictures at the moment, but same design/dimensions than HDR 2.

 

Hi Emmanuel,

what is the price tag for the HDR2 in France? Here in Germany, the HDR2 costs little less than 1400€ and I think it is very "un-B&O" to charge only 100€ more for a recorder that is basically the HDR2 plus a DVD drive.

Do you know, if the DVD2 will have the same "playback while recording" capability like the HDR?

 
Michael
 

Peter:

Sounds very promising but va lack of a built in digital tuner and hence EPG would probably put me off. And the fact that Sky+ is just so easy!

DVD 2 No DVB T, just analog TV tuner. Same as Pioneer DVR-645H-S. I wonder why B&O new products burn "dead"

Mike:

Emmanuel92:

The DVD 2 is coming in June (in France):

 ...

Price tag: 1500 €. 

I have found no pictures at the moment, but same design/dimensions than HDR 2.

 

Hi Emmanuel,

what is the price tag for the HDR2 in France? Here in Germany, the HDR2 costs little less than 1400€ and I think it is very "un-B&O" to charge only 100€ more for a recorder that is basically the HDR2 plus a DVD drive.

Do you know, if the DVD2 will have the same "playback while recording" capability like the HDR?

 
Michael
 

Hi Michael,

Sorry I do not have the French price tag at the moment for the HDR 2...

I agree with you: HDR 2 possessors will be quite frustrated !

I have no user manual at this time and therefore I cannot tell you if this "time shift" capability will be there with DVD 2... I assume it will do it.

 

Regards
 

With only a analogue tuner, it is not of any use.

In Holland, we don 't jave analogue terrestrial broadcastings anymore and the cable  companies are also switching to digital.

In England it is also all freeview.

I wonder what kind of people invent such a thing as the DVD 2.

No doubt it will come with the STB-C solution but I do think B&O need to realise that this is rapidly becoming inadequate.

Thanks guys,

That's very useful info about DVD2. I remember having read in the old forum that DVD2 only is a DVD reader/burner and is meant to be used together with a HDR 1/2. Is it confirmed that DVD2 has a built in HDD?

All this talk about DVD2 still doesn't answer my question about controlling a non B&O hdd-recorder...

BEOfreak

Sorry, more talk about DVD2... it is supposed to have a HD; but not tuner (analog or digital)

wtlc2zpx:

Sorry, more talk about DVD2... it is supposed to have a HD; but not tuner (analog or digital)

Well, according to my B&O dealer, the DVD2 will have a HDD and a tuner (otherwise it will be of no use for those who don't have a settop box).

Let's wait till June (...or longer...) until we see the final product.

Michael
 

All this talk about DVD2 still does not answers my question about controlling a non B&O hdd-recorder...

Anybody?

BEOfreak

I want to buy a couple of  Keymaster "Link Converters" from Stonedesign in Denmark to control a DVD Player and a NTL Cable box from ny Beo4       http://stonedesign.dk/en/

http://stonedesign.dk/en/features_linkconverter.html

I also have an Avant and I want to use the Beo4 remote for controlling as many boxes as possible

but before I buy a couple I wanted to know what Stonedesign advise me to buy, which HDD Recorder or DVD players work with the Link Converter gadget they have - is it all "smoke and mirrors" - or does it really work ????

Apparently there are some dealers in the UK who have bought from Stonedesign in the past  - like OmegaTech and M&G Services, it might be worth contacting those dealers for pricing, as I have had no luck contacting Stonedesign directly in Denmark.

OMEGATECH    108 The Parade High Street  Watford   WD1 2AW    Phone: 01923  212 415   

M&G Services    1a Station Approach, Ash Vale, GU12 5LP Hampshire   Phone: 01252  341 808
 

I use a Panasonic DMR-EH65 (DVD player/recorder & HD recorder 250GB) together with the STB-C on my Avant28 VCR. Great machine! Although not completely operated with the Beo4 most important functions are present. Had to buy a non B&O HD recorder as the B&O is not compatible with my Avant. No problem, I bought a set of BeoLab4 from the money I saved.

Latest news from my dealer:  the DVD2 project has been definitely stopped, B&O is not convinced about the dvd format as a valid storage media nowadays, so they are already looking at the blu-ray/HD-dvd/media cards as new storage options.

HDR2 will be the only external hard disc recorder for the moment.

I hope B&O comes up with something like this beast of a machine. I keep resurrecting it, even though it's not going to come to the UK anytime soon 

Toshiba RD-A1

http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/22/toshibas-rd-a1-hd-dvd-recorder-with-1tb-disk/

I would kill for one of these. Might cost about £5000 if B&O did make one though

 

 

 "RD-A1 features a 1TB disk, TV tuners for Hi-Vision (the Japanese equivalent of Hi-Def) and analog broadcasts, 1080p output from HDMI, and of course, a built-in HD-DVD recorder that can record to either single (15GB) or double-layer (30GB) HD-DVD discs. For us networked device junkies, it also has built-in Ethernet and support for DLNA media streaming. How much to get your drool on? Just a few burgers short of $3500. No one ever said that this tech addiction would be cheap."

BEOfreak:

All this talk about DVD2 still does not answers my question about controlling a non B&O hdd-recorder...

Anybody?

BEOfreak

You'll be allright in August or September, BEOfreak. Beo 5 will be able to control most Kikinoko equipment.

Andy T.

If you are just after a HDD recorder (and not a burner) have a look at the Topfield TF5800-PVR. I can control it via Beo4 through the STB controller from my BS3. I'm not sure whether these updates are available for your Avant, but I guess B&O could provide this via a firmware upgrade? I asked my dealer when I was looking at PVR options compatible with the BS3 and they mentioned the Topfield after I was put off by the high price of the DVD-Controller (which wasn't compatible with the Panasonic DMR I was looking at) and decided to bide my time  waiting for a sensible B&O compatible Blue-Ray/HD-DVD option.

I was looking at twin freeview tuner recorders as my main source of watching and recording freeview signals and after years of unstable and unreliable solutions (Pace and Panasonic twin tuner freeview hdd recorders) the Topfield is the most user friendly and extensible bit of kit I've ever used (there is even a Topfield fraternity - have a look at http://www.toppy.org.uk/ should you want to know more). Anything I want to archive I copy via Scart to an old Panasonic HS2 to either DVD-RAM or DVD-R.

I watch all of my TV via my Toppy and hardly ever use the DVB-T in the BS3 (it's a big clunky by comparison) and relish the build quality of the Beo4 after years of flimsy plastic remotes...

MaxG:

If you are just after a HDD recorder (and not a burner) have a look at the Topfield TF5800-PVR. I can control it via Beo4 through the STB controller from my BS3. I'm not sure whether these updates are available for your Avant, but I guess B&O could provide this via a firmware upgrade? I asked my dealer when I was looking at PVR options compatible with the BS3 and they mentioned the Topfield after I was put off by the high price of the DVD-Controller (which wasn't compatible with the Panasonic DMR I was looking at) and decided to bide my time  waiting for a sensible B&O compatible Blue-Ray/HD-DVD option.

I was looking at twin freeview tuner recorders as my main source of watching and recording freeview signals and after years of unstable and unreliable solutions (Pace and Panasonic twin tuner freeview hdd recorders) the Topfield is the most user friendly and extensible bit of kit I've ever used (there is even a Topfield fraternity - have a look at http://www.toppy.org.uk/ should you want to know more). Anything I want to archive I copy via Scart to an old Panasonic HS2 to either DVD-RAM or DVD-R.

I watch all of my TV via my Toppy and hardly ever use the DVB-T in the BS3 (it's a big clunky by comparison) and relish the build quality of the Beo4 after years of flimsy plastic remotes...

Which TV do you watch it from ? A bV7? and what size. The reason I ask is on bigger screens, some freeview tuners produce a terrible picture on larger screens. How is the picture quality of the Toppy? We watch freeview from our panasonic dvd/hdd recorder on out avant 32" and picture quality and  is fantastic. Also the format fits our tv exactly.