Well I've decided to wait untill the new upgraded BV7 comes out later this year untill I buy one for the second lounge (kids room), So I'm looking for a temporay solution as a stop gap before the BV7 purchase later in the year.

Has anybody managed to intergrate a non B&O TV into there system? Looking at something like a Panasonic Plasma or a Samsung LCD.

You can have a non B&O TV in any link room using the RF output from master Video TV.

You have not said what other B&O TV you have in your main lounge. Also do you have a Masterlink feed to your second lounge?

Hello Keith,

The main room has a DVD Avant in it which is the main hub for the house. The second lounge already has a Beolab 3500 with a masterlink cable going to it.This speaker is being moved to another room so Masterlink can be used.

David,

Well, then you have no problems

You have several options you may wish to consider:-

1) Leave the BeoLab 3500 in the second lounge with the new non B&O TV

2) Move the Beolab 3500 to another room as you have stated and add a Beolink passive with any type of loudspeakers

3) Only use the non B&O TV integrated speakers with no other speakers in the second lounge

4) Purchase other B&O BeoLab speaker with a Beolink active to go with your non B&O TV

There are other options but these seem the most likely you may wish to consider. However, no matter which option you decide upon you will need to run a 75 ohm coax cable from the RF output of the AVANT DVD to the aerial input of the new non B&O TV. I am assuming that your new non B&O TV has an analogue and digital tuner built in ?

Once the coax cable is installed you will need to tune a channel to the RF channel from the AVANT by default this is normally 591 MHZ but you can check it in the AVANT setup menu and also change it if you need too. You should noted that if you go for option 3 above the sound quality will be of a similar standard to a normal analogue TV transmission even if you are playing a DVD, but this may not matter to you if it is just the kids room.

If you get any problems then please get back to me.

Thanks for the detailed reply Keith. I think option 1 would be the most simple way to do things. Is there a way of using the Beo4 to operate the TV?

Using option 1 is the one I would have gone for and yes you can use the Beo4 to control the TV except for two functions they are switching the non B&O tv on and off, and even that could be done at extra cost, but lets keep it simple.

First some further questions, how old is your Beolab 3500 ?

It's just over a year old.

David,

That means you will be running software version 2 or above and if you press DTV or SAT on your Beo4 you should get the AVANT sound via the BeoLab 3500 and see SAT or DTV on teh BeoLab 3500 display, is this correct ?

Yes thats correct.

Well, all you need to do now is run the 75 ohm coax aerial cable from the RF output socket on the AVANT to the aerial input socket on the new non B&O TV, then tune in the link frequency on the first channel on your non B&O TV and you are done.

You may wish to run a temporary aerial cable so you can assure yourself that all is working before you put it in place properly

Just looking at my Avant reference book page" 56 The socket panel"and I cant find the RF socket I need. Is it called anthing else?.....Sorry for being thick!!

On page 56 of the reference manual the RF output is marked "LINK" so it is the socket above where your aerial is plugged in

Great stuff, got that. Now I already have two other tv's sharing this link socket.Do I just split one of the cables with a spliter and take it to the new tv or does that weaken the signal too much?

You could just use a splitter, but it would be better to use a multi-output aerial distribution amplifier because to have the best picture on all TV's the impedance matching of each cable is important.

To ensure good impedance matching without an amplifier you could use a splitter like the one below

Thanks Keith you are a Star. To sum things up then all I need is a cheap new TV for the second lounge. Run a 75 ohm coax from my Avant link socket via a spliter or disribution amp to the aerial in socket of the new TV and leave the Beolab 3500 still conected to the masterlink cable?

 How does the TV know how to change channel with the Beo4?

Your non B&O TV stays on the same channel all the time which is tuned to the link frequency. When you change channel on the Beo4 the AVANT changes channel and sends the new channel over the RF cable which remains at the same link frequency. So if you tune the link frequency say to the first channel on the non B&O TV it you will always use it on that same channel.

When you look at the link frequency in the Avant (599 on my old unit) you may need to ensure the Link frequency modulator is switched to permanently on.

Without this setting a non B&O TV cannot turn the RF signalling on. This setting should have little effect on your other linked B&O TV's.

I feel the detail in this thread should be part of a FAQ.  I wrote a process on the old forum but I think its gone.  Keith's instruction is far superior though.

Beoaus.

Thanks for the info.

So following the info given I should now have a non B&O  TV fully working in my second lounge using my BEO4 remote. The only thing the remote won't do is switch the TV on and off ? But I can live with that.

Now if the room with the non B&O TV has a Sky HD box in it can this box be controlled via the Beo4 or this to much work?

David,

You can add a Sky HD box to your non B&O TV in your second lounge, but you could not control it with the Beo4.

You could add the Sky HD box to the AVANT using the STB (Set Top Box Controller) which would allow you to control it using the Beo4 in the second lounge, HOWEVER whilst the picture would be very good on both TV's it would not be HD. The reason is that the AVANT (CRT technology) and any link TV connected via the RF (Coax) cannot display HD

So, if you really want Sky HD with HD quality in your second lounge, then you would need to use the Sky HD remote control or purchase a product that either links Sky boxes or converts Beo4 IR codes to Sky HD. Given what you have previously stated through this thread I suggest for the time being at least you use "standard" Sky connected to your AVANT with the STB controller. You will be able to control it in the link room with the Beo4 and without further cost.

Thanks for all your help Keith. I'm now reading throufgh reviews for plasma and lcd TV's so I can choose one!

Cheers,

David.

No problem David,

You may wish to focus your initial review on LCD TV's which are either made by Sharp or have Sharp screens integrated in them. The BeoCentre 6's have Sharp made screens in them and very good they are too.

Am I right in thinking that Samsung and Sharp make the LCD panels for B&O and Panasonic make the plasma panels?

 One more thought....if I wanted to add surround sound to the room with the non B&O TV could I do this using B&O active speakers and use the Beo4?

David,

Sharp certainly make LCD panels for B&O, but I do not remember any Samsung LCD panels. Panasonic is certainly a main supplier for Plasma screens.

Whilst you could add further B&O active speakers in the same way as your BeoLab 3500 via the Masterlink, it would not be surround sound, it would just be extra active speakers in the same room. Equally you could purchase a NON B&O TV with surround sound, but you could not add B&O active speakers. Well to be totally correct, it is possible, but it would add quite a lot of cost and not be a normal configuration, so if you were thinking of that route it maybe better to purchase an existing B&O TV with surround sound.

Thought I was pushing my luck with the surround sound! Thanks for all your help.

Cheers,

David.