BeoWorld North America

Re: Finally - Entry Level TV coming to US BV 8 32" around 4000$ 1st quarter 2008

Russ — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:46:59 GMT

It seems that there is an awful lot of mis-information flying around regarding the BV-8. I think we all ought to take a deep breath and cool offf....

The surround module wasn't 'ripped out' of the BV-8; it was never in there to begin with. The BV-8 started out as an even smaller TV, (26") and 32" which is coming to the US is an outgrowth of that set. BV-8 is intended to be a bedroom/office/den TV, or a TV for 'non-critical' viewers. Adding the capabilities of a BS-3 to the BV-8 woukd add about $8000 to it's cost and...well, well, look at that...almost the exact price of a BV-7/32...which I think will eventually be updated to BS-3 spec, and shipped across the pond...and we'll get DVD for free!

Just because we don't see the whole family here in the US doesn't meen that it isn't a whole family.

Russ

Re: Finally - Entry Level TV coming to US BV 8 32" around 4000$ 1st quarter 2008

expoman — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 22:23:22 GMT

US Avant's with software 4.9 or above support option 5 and 6 to make them link room TV's.

Re: Finally - Entry Level TV coming to US BV 8 32" around 4000$ 1st quarter 2008

expoman — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 22:20:19 GMT

B&O sells a scart to component cable for the Beocenter 2. None of the TV's have scart in the US. It is only used to connect the Beocenter 2 to non B&O Kit.

Re: Finally - Entry Level TV coming to US BV 8 32" around 4000$ 1st quarter 2008

ibg001 — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 11:42:01 GMT

The lack of a DVB-T is the worst thing. Why can't B&O just look at pontential customers oppions.

Re: Finally - Entry Level TV coming to US BV 8 32" around 4000$ 1st quarter 2008

Alex — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 13:14:34 GMT

Well, it all is going to matter on ur option programming but I am pretty sure you main TV is going to be the Avant. I dont think you can not put the US avants in option 6.

Re: Finally - Entry Level TV coming to US BV 8 32" around 4000$ 1st quarter 2008

beo-ap — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 07:47:03 GMT

Alex:
The TVs do not have SCART. Only the BeoCenter 2 does.

Alex,

Do you know how the BV* and Avant coexist on the same ML network. For example if I want Sat Sound or V-Aux Sound from a BL 3500, which TV would this come from? Now I just press Sat or TV on my Beo4 in that room.

Silly question, but does this TV have a sleep time. Useful for a bedroom.

Re: Finally - Entry Level TV coming to US BV 8 32" around 4000$ 1st quarter 2008

Alex — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 01:01:51 GMT

The TVs do not have SCART. Only the BeoCenter 2 does.

Re: Finally - Entry Level TV coming to US BV 8 32" around 4000$ 1st quarter 2008

beo-ap — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 23:33:45 GMT

SCART is truly an exotic beast in the U.S. I wasn't aware of the presence of SCART on any current B&O products. But it was used by the U.S. MX when they were available here.

I would not expect however, for the BV8 to have SCART. No B&O TV has had this connection since the MX that I'm aware of.

Re: Finally - Entry Level TV coming to US BV 8 32" around 4000$ 1st quarter 2008

Sal — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 22:03:00 GMT

Wait! SCART is used with a BC2? I wasn't aware of any US made TV which has SCART inputs (I am prepared to eat my hat).

In fact, I hadn't a clue as to what SCART was until I started reading about European standards.

-Sal

Re: Finally - Entry Level TV coming to US BV 8 32" around 4000$ 1st quarter 2008

soundproof — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 19:02:03 GMT

My bad, somewhere I've picked up that SCART isn't used in the US. I stand corrected!

Re: Finally - Entry Level TV coming to US BV 8 32" around 4000$ 1st quarter 2008

linder — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 16:04:18 GMT

Many of us with a Beocenter 2 do use SCART.

Re: Finally - Entry Level TV coming to US BV 8 32" around 4000$ 1st quarter 2008

soundproof — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 15:10:01 GMT

There's actually a lot of room in the well of the floorstand, and cable management has been thought through. The back "plate" of the floorstand is actually made of plastic, but blends in perfectly with the rest of the stand. You can peel that out when arranging the cables. Before attaching the BV8 to the floorstand you have to run the cables through the stand and into the TV, as the opening from the recessed cable slot is too small to get large plugs (SCART, for instance) through. (Not a problem in the US, though, where you don't use SCART). But the PC connector doesn't fit through either.

Once you have sorted out which cables you'll be using, just run them through the stand's top opening after placing them in the well. I have power, PL, PC, HDMI, SCART, IR-control, ML in the foot of mine.

Re: Finally - Entry Level TV coming to US BV 8 32" around 4000$ 1st quarter 2008

beo-ap — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:32:37 GMT

I'm wondering how this TV Masterlinks into a system that has an Avant and a BS 3000 in separate rooms? Clearly the U.S. Avant does not have the modulator for video distribution (not interested in this any way). I'm sure the BV8 will be able to be able to play sources from the 3000, but will it be a problem with the Avant on the same ML network?

I think the Avant is a fantastic product, and while the BV7 is amazing, it's still in the very distant future for me. i hope these two TVs can coexist on the same ML network.

Any insights?

Re: Finally - Entry Level TV coming to US BV 8 32" around 4000$ 1st quarter 2008

Sal — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:26:05 GMT

Thanks, soundproof for that wonderful and informative post. The more I have been thinking about the TV options next year, the more I have been leaning toward the cheaper solution. Obviously, the WAF is easier with the BV8 as well as the practicality factor (living in a smallish condo downtown in a city).

I don't mind the lack of surround with the BV 8. I will connect it to a pair of BL3's as L and R and masterlink it with a BS9000 on the wall. From what I have read in your review. I don't mind the lack of a electronic curtain, since the TV itself doesn't rest on a motorized stand, the other "wow" factor of the curtain isn't a big deal.

I am contemplating the stand options though. The foor "pedestal" type stand is stunning, but again, practically speaking, I do like the shelf stand, it has wheels which is great as I tend to move things around, and it makes wiring a helluva lot easier. I do know that the cabinet 2164 doesn't support televisions, but currently I have a light LCD TV on it and it works fine. but I will not rest the BV 8 on the 2164 cabinet, though.

Interestingly Can you comment on how much space is in the pedestal type floorstand for wires? I have an Avant multicable can that be piped through? along with other wires?

Thanks,

Sal

Re: Finally - Entry Level TV coming to US BV 8 32" around 4000$ 1st quarter 2008

soundproof — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 03:20:40 GMT

moxxey:
Sal:
Looks do grow on people. At first I thought: "What the heck is that shelf all about?" But looking at more and more pictures of it, it's pretty snazzy. Except for the Bang & Olufsen lettering on the speaker grills.
This is pretty terrible. On the BV8-32, looking from the front (as you would with a TV), it's a large and fairly obvious logo. This puts me off the TV and lack of DVB-T module, too.

I ordered a 32" BV8 which I was going to place in the den -- went to look at it when they got it into the stores, and actually changed my mind for the 26" version. The 32" one is great, but I didn't need that large a screen there. So I can empathize with those who had been hoping for a 26" BeoVision in the US.

The logo has been exaggerated in the pictures. On my TV you can't see it unless you look for it, seriously. Doesn't bother me at all.

I wish it had the electronic curtain, but it doesn't - B&O feels that should be reserved for the Home Theatre TVs. I think it's a distinguishing B&O hallmark and that they made a bad call.

It's a great TV. I have it controlling my STB, and enabling various functions on that without any problems.

Tried out a pair of BL3s on floorstands together with the TV, using the PL Out with a splitter. Nice, rich stereo perspective, and actually providing a very strongly grounded stereo image in SPEAKER 3. However, would you believe that when I switch between SPEAKER 3 & 1 I find 1 serves my purpose quite nicely. The BV8 looks great together with the BL3s, though.

Surround? Sometimes B&O does de-selection with their collective heads in an unmentionable place. Of course this TV should have surround, it doesn't. For some weird, mysterious reason they got it into their heads that the BV8 was a "second-room-television" and that "one shouldn't watch movies on it."

Well, it's perfect for watching movies on, and for a lot of people living in the middle of town with limited space, it's not a question of cramming rooms with TVs but of getting one good screen that can do a lot of things. And surround, for movies/TV/Games is one of those things.
At least make a BS4 that can read DVDs and decode surround, to be used together with the BV8.

For now, if I do want surround with my BV8, I have to pipe the digital Coax from the STB or Toslink optical from the Mac to a non-B&O surround decoder I have, and that can't possibly have been what B&O had in mind when they yanked the surround module out of this TV.

I ordered it with the MasterLink module, because I have a Beosystem 6500 in the den, and wanted the two to work together. Which they're doing wonderfully, through a 1611 Beolink Converter. I'm sending all the sound output from the Beosystem to the BV8s speakers, and controlling all the sources from the Beosystem through the Beo4 without any problems. Actually found that my Beolink 5000 can also control a number of functions on the TV, but not format.

Bringing me to another item, which I haven't figured out. Whenever you wake the BeoVision 8 from standby it defaults to FORMAT 1, which is overscan -- and I always set it to FORMAT 3, which is 16:9.But it doesn't seem as if I can store FORMAT 3 to be the new default ...

I bought a DVI to HMDI converter cable, 5m long. Stuck the HDMI plug into the BV8 and now have the cable ready to roll out when I want to connect it to my laptop, while seated in the recliner in front of the TV. Does 1360x768 without a hitch, and provides me with a good relief screen for work and surf -- just as sharp as my regular Apple Cinema Display screen (which doesn't have an excellent speaker setup built in!).

Bought it with the floorstand, though that has its advantages (aesthetic) and disadvantages (functional). You have to unscrew the sliding/angling metal feet to place it on the floorstand, and then secure it with four bolt-screws. This means that taking the BV8 off the floorstand and placing it, say on your desk, isn't done in a jiff. Actually think I should have gone for the cabinet or just plopping it on a shelf, since that would have let me leave the feet on, making it much easier to move the TV around to wherever I want it in the den. (At my feet, for that sake, in true MX fashion.)

It looks stunning on the floorstand, which makes up for the lack of a spring-loaded clamp system to fix it in place.

Has the regular contrast/brightness/color adjustment options, but should have a pro menu for more advanced adjustments of the image. Quite happy with the image, but think it would be possible to tweak it to be even better. Good out of the box.

Comes with a long black cable sock, think mine was four meters, which is just what I needed. When the TV is in the corner, it's curled up behind it -- when I move it to the desk, it's just long enough to be able to snake along the floor and rise to the level of the work space.

Now I'm just considering whether I will go for the cabinet instead of the floorstand, sacrificing aesthetics for convenience ...