General Forum

Re: Digital Radio +

david coyne — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:33:54 GMT

I also approached my dealer, who in this case is B&O at David Jones, Elizabeth St. I spoke with Digital radio Australia who said they had flagged the issue with B&O in Melbourne.

I then even went into the flag ship store in Copenhagen in September this year- they did send me a reply but could not assist.

For now I'm enjoying net radio (Through a beoport link to my B2) as to be frank, there is little on Australian radio that interests me.. But having paid the extra for the DAB option, I'd really like an answer!!

Regards

David Coyne

Sydney, Australia

Re: Digital Radio +

GOLFGEAR — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 02:43:00 GMT

I first tried going to the dealer , B & o at Willoughby , Sydney , they could not get an answer from B & o to my query , so I tried Beocare - I am still waiting for over a year to hear a simple answer - either YES there will be a new DAB+ module to suit the BC2, at sometime in the future or NO there will never be a module.. As much as I enjoy B& o products and have never owned any other audio / visual products since 1971 - my first system was a Beomaster 901 - I am starting to look elsewhere at other brands because of their lack of customer care.

Re: Digital Radio +

Mr10Percent — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:35:01 GMT

I think you will get a better response from your dealer. They are the "shop-front" in the B&O organisation and should work to solve the customers problems.

They will go in over the dealer network direct to B&O and get a response on your behalf.

10%

Re: Digital Radio +

h1npw — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:14:59 GMT

2 points

1. I'm lost for words.......how on earth can a brand like B&O treat it's customers in this way and expect to get repeat business???

2. Can anyone point me to a thread/website that will SUCCINCTLY explain what the plan/timeline is for the phasing out of analogue radio? When anologue goes will you still be able to use an analogue radio with the equivilent of a TV freeview box? (you can see from this question I'm not very technically minded )

Cheers

Nigel

Re: Digital Radio +

GOLFGEAR — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:40:15 GMT

David,

Send me your email address and Iwilcopy you the email answers Ireceived from Beocare

Cheers

Rodney Freeman

Sydney Australia

Re: Digital Radio +

GOLFGEAR — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:26:09 GMT

Hi Beowold Members

1st Posting -

I have been persuing the same request for over one year , as I also have a very expensive BC2 with digital radio DAB -

Please read my emails below and the answers from Beocare.

Golf Gear - Austraia

Sent: Wednesday, 26 November 2008 10:21 PM
To: 'bogo@mailuk.custhelp.com'
Cc: 'beoinfo1@bang-olufsen.dk'
Subject: FW: BEOCENTRE 2 - DAB TO DAB+ [Incident: 080731-000021]

Hello BeoCare,

I request an answer to my query , originally sent to B& O in October 2007 – Over one year is past and I have not received a simple ‘yes’ at some time a module will be made for the BC2 or ‘no’ there will never be a module available. Please respond.

Thanks You

Regards

Rodney

From: BeoCare [mailto:bogo@mailuk.custhelp.com]
Sent: Thursday, 31 July 2008 5:41 PM
To: golfgear@bigpond.com
Subject: FW: BEOCENTRE 2 - DAB TO DAB+ [Incident: 080731-000021]

Thank you for your request. You will receive an answer from us as soon as possible.

Kind regards,

BeoCare

Discussion Thread
Customer (Rodney Freeman)	31/07/2008 09.40 AM
Hello Mette Has there been any further news on an ugrade module ? - The United Kingdom and Australia are about to commence DAB +broadcasting from January 2009. I like a lot of B & O consumers have spent considerable money to buy DAB usable Bang and Olufsen receivers equipment , surely you can just get a simple answer - like there will or will not be a upgrade module at some time in the future - It is not like I am asking for you to reveal a new product to me, I just want to know in good time if I need to sell my Beocenter 2 before it is DAB function is obsolete. The main reason for purchasing the Beocentre 2 was to be able to receive DAB radio. I do appreciate that it's not B & O's fault that both Australia and the UK are changing to the updated DAB system = DAB+ Regards Rodney Freeman From: _beoinfo1 [mailto:beoinfo1@bang-olufsen.dk] Sent: Wednesday, 31 October 2007 8:59 PM To: Rodney Freeman Subject: Re: BEOCENTRE 2 - DAB TO DAB+ Dear Mr Freeman, Thank you for your email dated 29 October. We are pleased to hear that you are the owner of Beocenter 2. However we have to inform you that we are not able to inform you about future updates of our products. We have reported this problem into our system. I regret not being able to help you at this time. Kind regards Bang & Olufsen a/s Mette Krabbe Helmholt BeoCare ____________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________ ENTER OUR COMMUNITY TO GET A PREVIEW OF THE NEW BANG & OLUFSEN MAGAZINE http://www.bang-olufsen.com/page.asp?id=383 ____________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________ This email and any attachments contain confidential and/or privileged information intended for a specific individual and purpose, and is protected by law. Please notify the sender and delete this message if you are not the intended recipient or if you have received this email by an error. Any copying, disclosure or distribution of this message or the taking of any action based on it, is strictly prohibited. "Rodney Freeman" <golfgear@bigpond.com> 29-10-2007 11:44 To "'_beoinfo1'" <beoinfo1@bang-olufsen.dk> cc Subject BEOCENTRE 2 - DAB TO DAB+ HELLO BANG & OLUFSEN, I LIVE IN AUSTRALIA AND OWN THE CURRENT BEOCENTRE 2 WITH DAB - RADIO RECEIVER AUSTRALIA WILL BE SWITCHING TO DAB+ AND THEREFORE THE EXISTING ( DAB) MODULE WILL NOT BE SUITABLE TO RECEIVE THE NEW DAB+ SIGNAL. WHEN WILL B&o MAKE AVAILBLE A REPLACEMENT MODULE THAT CAN BE FITTED TO THE BEOCENTRE 2? REGARDS RODNEY FREEMAN

Re: Digital Radio +

Peter — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:14:52 GMT

Not very impressive! I would suggest approaching Struer again with your story.

Re: Digital Radio +

david coyne — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 07:13:19 GMT

Hello

I did write to B&O Denmark, who directed me to B&O in Australia, who directed me to B&O in Singapore....No answer.

Working for government I understand bureaucracy, however My Minister would have my balls if I gave such responses.....

I've not pursued this any further as Im busy and don't really have the time (or in some sense motivation). Perhaps internet radio is the way to go with more choice and often a high quality sound (yes you can find 192 bit rate and higher radio). beoport most of the time works and delivers great radio.

Shame, however, as ocassionally i did listen to digital radio..but wont be able to anymore as my $7,000 radio no longer is useable!

David

Sydney, Australia

Re: Digital Radio +

Mr10Percent — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:13:02 GMT

The problem is not B&O. The problem is the other electronics manufactures and the support from the media companies. Today most electronics companies (Sony, Panasonic, even Apple etc.. ) would most probably confess under threat of death that their products are designed, built and sold as a 12 month product life cycle. These company's are endlessly trying to sell the same thing (and sometimes at worse quality) to us to maintain their survival. DAB+ (or whatever) probably has nothing to do with giving the customer better radio and probably everything to do with obtaining better bandwith and therefore the ability to sell more airspace. (I dont know the real cause but anyone listening to old DAB knows it is a waste of space).

I really hope this period of financial belt tightening hits these electronics companies harder than B&O. Were just buying bells and whistles for the sake of it. I think the whole electronics industry needs to get honest and give us real benefits, not just new software or useless extra features we hardly ever use and discard with the product box.

Rant over.

10%

Re: Digital Radio +

PhilLondon — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:13:50 GMT

The problem is that B&O took the all-in one route.

Before you could change the radio only and keep the rest.

They should become more modular, in their hifi and their tv, maybe have 2 or 3 slots for extensions.

Re: Digital Radio +

Kokomo — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:17:00 GMT

david coyne:
Hello All (and especially B&O!!!)I have in the last twelve months bought a new Beocentre 2 with DAB option. All up about $7,000 AUD (almost 3,500 pounds).Digital radio in Australia is about to switch from DAB to DAB + protocol, a more advanced medium I understand. Australia is one of the first countries to use this protocol.Unfortunately this renders my digital radio useless.Digital radio Australia have advised a new chip is all that is required in order to upgrade my radio.Is B&O going to make this available so our expensive radios don't become obsolete?Any advice appreciated.David CoyneSydney.

I think that's the 'future proofing' problem / dilemma facing B&O and its customers and which has been discussed in other threads.

At one time if you paid money for a B&O product you knew you were getting a superbly designed and constructed product. But in those days, a television was a television (no digital, TDT, satellite, HD options). You knew it was the best product on the market and would likely to remain so as far ahead as you could see. Nobody can be so sure now with the rapidity of technological change.

Likewise with radio. Buy a B&O product and the radio element of it would be FM & AM with superb reception whether purchased in the 1950s or the 90s. Nothing changed during those to make the product in any way redundant.

Progress can be a wonderful thing, but sometimes its speed can have the habit of leaving many behind. In the case of B&O, their cost makes me and I'm sure many others now very wary of paying a very considerable amount of money for a product which probably will be outdated, in technology terms, very quickly.

Re: Digital Radio +

355f — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 07:37:32 GMT

Peter :
If it is as simple as changing a chip, you may be in luck. Not too hopeful though! I would strongly suggest writing to B&O themselves though. Let us know if you get a reply!

Not just a chip change im afraid!

Re: Digital Radio +

Peter — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 07:34:03 GMT

If it is as simple as changing a chip, you may be in luck. Not too hopeful though! I would strongly suggest writing to B&O themselves though. Let us know if you get a reply!

Digital Radio +

david coyne — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:57:29 GMT

Hello All (and especially B&O!!!)I have in the last twelve months bought a new Beocentre 2 with DAB option. All up about $7,000 AUD (almost 3,500 pounds).Digital radio in Australia is about to switch from DAB to DAB + protocol, a more advanced medium I understand. Australia is one of the first countries to use this protocol.Unfortunately this renders my digital radio useless.Digital radio Australia have advised a new chip is all that is required in order to upgrade my radio.Is B&O going to make this available so our expensive radios don't become obsolete?Any advice appreciated.David CoyneSydney.