Isn't there any buddy that just watch a movie?? Instead of Motion blur, jitter, ghost, wrong colors on that tree, can't see all the strips on the black shirt or were the buttons are???

And a Pioneer PDP-507XDYUKESUCKMKIIIIIII! instead of B&O, noway would I ever fall to that level. Sorry!! raise to that level of remote controls. 1 for the TV, 1 for HD/B DVD, 1 for HDD/DVD recorder, 1 for SAT, 1 for Media center, 1 for surround receiver, And a guide to see what remote controls what. An IR transmitter/receiver and a modulator or some fancy wireless video transmitter that don't work , to be able to use it all in your bedroom + a copy of the 5 remotes to every room you want to have link in. Then the huge speaker cables and a Mic. to calibrate it all. now here is a challenge: You are in your living room and what to see a movie from you SAT receiver and the same time record it so swambo can see it later, don't forget to turn lose less DTS AC3 acc+ 10.4 dolby DD Surround sound "ON" (AND it has to be the sound from the SAT it plays )

Don't take this post series DON'T mean to offense any body, this is just to point way I LOVE B&O. 

BTW I have a BV7-32 MKIII with a SD-STB and can't find any thing wrong with the pictures

You are righ to say all that Stig but I will summarise my concerns in two simple statements:

In the days of the Avant you never questioned your 'value for money' purchase because it was fact you were getting a set that could not be any better and that would last for 10 years plus.

With current technologies the same cannot be said; you have a different set of criteria on which to base your purchase and if you are unable to pay £6,000-8,000 every 2-3 years, that's a LOT of decision making!

I don't doubt that at some point an Avant equivalent will be reached, i.e. LCD and plasma will reach a point where it doesn't really get any better, but that point is way off now. The BV7-40 Mark III is a great set and I am happy with it but is it worth its asking price? Definitely not.

Simon.

The Stig - ver. 1.5:

Isn't there any buddy that just watch a movie?? Instead of Motion blur, jitter, ghost, wrong colors on that tree, can't see all the strips on the black shirt or were the buttons are???

And a Pioneer PDP-507XDYUKESUCKMKIIIIIII! instead of B&O, noway would I ever fall to that level. Sorry!! raise to that level of remote controls. 1 for the TV, 1 for HD/B DVD, 1 for HDD/DVD recorder, 1 for SAT, 1 for Media center, 1 for surround receiver, And a guide to see what remote controls what. An IR transmitter/receiver and a modulator or some fancy wireless video transmitter that don't work , to be able to use it all in your bedroom + a copy of the 5 remotes to every room you want to have link in. Then the huge speaker cables and a Mic. to calibrate it all. now here is a challenge: You are in your living room and what to see a movie from you SAT receiver and the same time record it so swambo can see it later, don't forget to turn lose less DTS AC3 acc+ 10.4 dolby DD Surround sound "ON" (AND it has to be the sound from the SAT it plays )

Don't take this post series DON'T mean to offense any body, this is just to point way I LOVE B&O. 

BTW I have a BV7-32 MKIII with a SD-STB and can't find any thing wrong with the pictures

 

Hehehe.............Stig I can assure you that I am still a B&O lover.Don't worry the Pioneer is in the family room but it does only have 1 remote and it is the Beo4 plus it is linked via Masterlink.

The main lounge has a DVD Avant and is fully speakered up with B&O and we love the movie experience.

For me it is price vs quality of the picture and at this moment in time the only TV I would have from the B&O line up to replace the Avant is the BV9.............which I cannot afford! So I will have to wait a few years before I can get a used one.

You on the other hand are a very happy man because you love your BV7 and I wish I could me in that position.

Cheers,

David.

Funny to read this thread! ;)

Yesterday i was visiting a member/moderator on one of the Swedish High End HiFI/Video forums called www.component.se.

And he owns a Home cinema store and are one of the best knowledgeable in ISF calibrators/educators in Scandinavia! (Hemmabiacenter.se in Lidingö Stockholm)

I was looking at ISF calibrated: Pioneer Kuro LX508D, Kuro LX608D , the new Sharp LCD 52" and High End  Meridian 30.000€ projector and Sim 2 and more and more...!

The Meridian projector with HD DVD, 3 meter wide silver screen and the result was: Absolutely the best picture i have ever seen in my life!!! Must be experienced to now what i´m talking about!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The picture quality most be from hell or something !! Mad PQ..!!.  (Movies that was played:  Departed and the Lord of the rings) 

The picture from the ISF calibrated Pioneer displays are truly great and perfect and all that, but were is the dynamic´s in the picture????!!!... So i was thinking on my way home that my BV7 Mk3 and Mk2 cant have a chance at all...

 So i watched the Departed and The Flying Daggers DVD on my BV7 MkIII right away when i came home! And the result was with the ISF Pio picture in my mind was very similar to BV7.. I mean the fabric calibration from B&O was very similar to ISF, but the great thing here is that i experience the BV7 more dynamic in the picture !!!

  "The BV7 is like a Italian super car with small issues  vs a German Mercedes Benz Maybach who is like a train with accuracy, but with no soul".. Maybe the Pioneer is the best but i don´t like the picture at all...

(ISF calibration is a method to correct the tv to PAL or NTSC color standards where no parameter can deafen another parameter in the ISF setup witch means less dynamics because the values are set for good! The Vision Clear on the other hand have a base calibration like the ISF to start from and then it can adjust all the values to the surroundings (And change more things for better PQ) and get a more life like and dynamic picture!!!  

And i can truly say that BV7 MK III eats the fancy Sharp 100Hz 52" LCD screen alive!! No questions at all.. The Bv7 have much grater blackness and correct colors and less artefact's and more and more...! And Sharp and Pioneer = Plastic fantastic in design and built quality!!

And i believe that the contrast and blackness on my BV7 are truly black if you look at the 16:9 lines at the top and underneath in the picture of a movie in a total black room.. And you most sit straight in front of the TV and tune down the brightness a little in the menu to get full blackness!

And about motion sickness i can say that the both Meridian projector and Pioneer Kurio  LX508/608D played with 24p on a Pioneer Blu-ray player did have some motion sickness in pans and fast movements also!!  

And my favorite reference DVD´s for Bv7 and to see the BS3 upscaling is:

-Lost 2 Box series (Downscaled HD to 576i)...

-The flying Daggers for color and sound testing,..

-Matrix Reloaded for test of fast movements and camera pans...

-Sin City for testing the blacklevels and contrast...

-The Lord of the rings trilogy for true great picture in every way...

-And Planet Earth Box/array Downscaled HD)  But note that the blackness/contrast  and color levels are way to washy and bright in the      DVD version! No good reference DVD at all Simon.!.)

My 2 cents..

Regards Fredrik L.

I would wish that Mercedes Benz is Dutch......., but it's German I'm afraid!

I now Doc! I don´t now what i was thinking when i was translating German in Swedish to Dutch ?? ! =?=?/())(/(/¤%&¤%#¤%%&// 01010101010101@£$€{$€%& 

Maybe i was thinking of Deutsche...

Beolab:

Funny to read this thread! ;)

 

Yesterday i was visiting a member/moderator on one of the Swedish High End HiFI/Video forums called www.component.se.

And he owns a Home cinema store and are one of the best knowledgeable in ISF calibrators/educators in Scandinavia! (Hemmabiacenter.se in Lidingö Stockholm)

I was looking at ISF calibrated: Pioneer Kuro LX508D, Kuro LX608D , the new Sharp LCD 52" and High End  Meridian 30.000€ projector and Sim 2 and more and more...!

The Meridian projector with HD DVD, 3 meter wide silver screen and the result was: Absolutely the best picture i have ever seen in my life!!! Must be experienced to now what i´m talking about!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The picture quality most be from hell or something !! Mad PQ..!!.  (Movies that was played:  Departed and the Lord of the rings) 

The picture from the ISF calibrated Pioneer displays are truly great and perfect and all that, but were is the dynamic´s in the picture????!!!... So i was thinking on my way home that my BV7 Mk3 and Mk2 cant have a chance at all...

 So i watched the Departed and The Flying Daggers DVD on my BV7 MkIII right away when i came home! And the result was with the ISF Pio picture in my mind was very similar to BV7.. I mean the the fabric calibration from B&O was very similar to ISF, but the great thing here is that i experience the BV7 more dynamic in the picture !!!  "The BV7 is like a Italian super car with small issues  vs a German Mercedes Benz Maybach who is like a train with accuracy, but with no soul".. Maybe the Pioneer is the best but i don´t like the picture at all...

(ISF calibration is a method to correct the tv to PAL or NTSC color standards where no parameter can deafen another parameter in the ISF setup witch means less dynamics because the values are set for good! The Vision Clear on the other hand have a base calibration like the ISF to start from and then it can adjust all the values to the surroundings (And change more things for better PQ) and get a more life like and dynamic picture!!!  

And i can truly say that BV7 MK III eats the fancy Sharp 100Hz 52" LCD screen alive!! No questions at all.. The Bv7 have much grater blackness and correct colors and less artefact's and more and more...! And Sharp and Pioneer = Plastic fantastic in design and built quality!!

And i believe that the contrast and blackness on my BV7 are truly black if you look at the 16:9 lines at the top and underneath in the picture of a movie in a total black room.. And you most sit straight in front of the TV and tune down the brightness a little in the menu to get full blackness!

And about motion sickness i can say that the both Meridian projector and Pioneer Kurio  LX508/608D played with 24p on a Pioneer Blu-ray player did have some motion sickness in pans and fast movements also!!  

And my favorite reference DVD´s for Bv7 and to see the BS3 upscaling is:

-Lost 2 Box series (Downscaled HD to 576i)...

-The flying Daggers for color and sound testing,..

-Matrix Reloaded for test of fast movements and camera pans...

-Sin City for testing the blacklevels and contrast...

-The Lord of the rings trilogy for true great picture in every way...

-And Planet Earth Box/array Downscaled HD)  But note that the blackness/contrast  and color levels are way to washy and bright in the      DVD version! No good reference DVD at all Simon.!.)

 

My 2 cents..

 

Regards Fredrik L.

          

Great post Fredrik,

I for one feel the loss of not having an up to date B&O TV in my main lounge. The Avant is fantastic but I want to change to a newer model. I feel that I havn't given the BV7 MK3 enough of a chance so I'm planning on taking my copy of Matrix reloaded to my dealer and giving it a good test.

I truely wish to be blown away and purchase one there and then. Reading your post has made me think that I might have been too hasty in my decision. A proper sit down test is requirer I think.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

David:

Thanks mate! Give the Bv7 one more chance in a darkened room and set the parameters to the meddle -+ in the picture menu. 

Then later you can experiment with different  values if you consider that you aren't truly satisfied  

Regards

The Stig - ver. 1.5:

Isn't there any buddy that just watch a movie?? Instead of Motion blur, jitter, ghost, wrong colors on that tree, can't see all the strips on the black shirt or were the buttons are???

And a Pioneer PDP-507XDYUKESUCKMKIIIIIII! instead of B&O, noway would I ever fall to that level. Sorry!! raise to that level of remote controls. 1 for the TV, 1 for HD/B DVD, 1 for HDD/DVD recorder, 1 for SAT, 1 for Media center, 1 for surround receiver, And a guide to see what remote controls what. An IR transmitter/receiver and a modulator or some fancy wireless video transmitter that don't work , to be able to use it all in your bedroom + a copy of the 5 remotes to every room you want to have link in. Then the huge speaker cables and a Mic. to calibrate it all. now here is a challenge: You are in your living room and what to see a movie from you SAT receiver and the same time record it so swambo can see it later, don't forget to turn lose less DTS AC3 acc+ 10.4 dolby DD Surround sound "ON" (AND it has to be the sound from the SAT it plays )

Don't take this post series DON'T mean to offense any body, this is just to point way I LOVE B&O. 

BTW I have a BV7-32 MKIII with a SD-STB and can't find any thing wrong with the pictures

 

we all love BnO  I think the old line about 5 remote controls required is a bit old hat now!  with the new programmable ones( yes with software that works- unlike the beo 5) its one smart glass remote to control the lot. And the new wirelss video transmitters work very well- im afraid to say belink wireless does not!!- B&O is good at some things- dont make the huge mistake of thinking every other brand is hopeless!

Beolab:

Funny to read this thread! ;)

 

Yesterday i was visiting a member/moderator on one of the Swedish High End HiFI/Video forums called www.component.se.

And he owns a Home cinema store and are one of the best knowledgeable in ISF calibrators/educators in Scandinavia! (Hemmabiacenter.se in Lidingö Stockholm)

I was looking at ISF calibrated: Pioneer Kuro LX508D, Kuro LX608D , the new Sharp LCD 52" and High End  Meridian 30.000€ projector and Sim 2 and more and more...!

The Meridian projector with HD DVD, 3 meter wide silver screen and the result was: Absolutely the best picture i have ever seen in my life!!! Must be experienced to now what i´m talking about!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The picture quality most be from hell or something !! Mad PQ..!!.  (Movies that was played:  Departed and the Lord of the rings) 

The picture from the ISF calibrated Pioneer displays are truly great and perfect and all that, but were is the dynamic´s in the picture????!!!... So i was thinking on my way home that my BV7 Mk3 and Mk2 cant have a chance at all...

 So i watched the Departed and The Flying Daggers DVD on my BV7 MkIII right away when i came home! And the result was with the ISF Pio picture in my mind was very similar to BV7.. I mean the fabric calibration from B&O was very similar to ISF, but the great thing here is that i experience the BV7 more dynamic in the picture !!!

  "The BV7 is like a Italian super car with small issues  vs a German Mercedes Benz Maybach who is like a train with accuracy, but with no soul".. Maybe the Pioneer is the best but i don´t like the picture at all...

(ISF calibration is a method to correct the tv to PAL or NTSC color standards where no parameter can deafen another parameter in the ISF setup witch means less dynamics because the values are set for good! The Vision Clear on the other hand have a base calibration like the ISF to start from and then it can adjust all the values to the surroundings (And change more things for better PQ) and get a more life like and dynamic picture!!!  

And i can truly say that BV7 MK III eats the fancy Sharp 100Hz 52" LCD screen alive!! No questions at all.. The Bv7 have much grater blackness and correct colors and less artefact's and more and more...! And Sharp and Pioneer = Plastic fantastic in design and built quality!!

And i believe that the contrast and blackness on my BV7 are truly black if you look at the 16:9 lines at the top and underneath in the picture of a movie in a total black room.. And you most sit straight in front of the TV and tune down the brightness a little in the menu to get full blackness!

And about motion sickness i can say that the both Meridian projector and Pioneer Kurio  LX508/608D played with 24p on a Pioneer Blu-ray player did have some motion sickness in pans and fast movements also!!  

And my favorite reference DVD´s for Bv7 and to see the BS3 upscaling is:

-Lost 2 Box series (Downscaled HD to 576i)...

-The flying Daggers for color and sound testing,..

-Matrix Reloaded for test of fast movements and camera pans...

-Sin City for testing the blacklevels and contrast...

-The Lord of the rings trilogy for true great picture in every way...

-And Planet Earth Box/array Downscaled HD)  But note that the blackness/contrast  and color levels are way to washy and bright in the      DVD version! No good reference DVD at all Simon.!.)

 

My 2 cents..

 

Regards Fredrik L.

          

The wjhole issue here is that to YOU its good. And thats all that matters- you have a choice as a consumer and thats what you want to watch.

If you cant tell much of a difference between a Pioneer Kuro and a B&O LCD BV7 .....well im SURPRISED because to me and everyone I know in this business they are worlds apart when comparing the picture on a variety of source material. SD and HD

For UK customer, look at the BV7 MK11 on freeview, then look at a pioneer kuro on freeview- there is NO contest. Now if you like the picture that LCD gives- and many do, on good HD it gets closer but when there is movement in afraid it falls behind.

I borrowed a BV7MK111, I have a BV4 HD and a pioneer kuro all together and the large number of individuals who compared it voted the BV4 best overall, the pioneer next and the Bv7 the best looking TV when it was off!

355f:

Beolab:

Funny to read this thread! ;)

 

Yesterday i was visiting a member/moderator on one of the Swedish High End HiFI/Video forums called www.component.se.

And he owns a Home cinema store and are one of the best knowledgeable in ISF calibrators/educators in Scandinavia! (Hemmabiacenter.se in Lidingö Stockholm)

I was looking at ISF calibrated: Pioneer Kuro LX508D, Kuro LX608D , the new Sharp LCD 52" and High End  Meridian 30.000€ projector and Sim 2 and more and more...!

The Meridian projector with HD DVD, 3 meter wide silver screen and the result was: Absolutely the best picture i have ever seen in my life!!! Must be experienced to now what i´m talking about!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The picture quality most be from hell or something !! Mad PQ..!!.  (Movies that was played:  Departed and the Lord of the rings) 

The picture from the ISF calibrated Pioneer displays are truly great and perfect and all that, but were is the dynamic´s in the picture????!!!... So i was thinking on my way home that my BV7 Mk3 and Mk2 cant have a chance at all...

 So i watched the Departed and The Flying Daggers DVD on my BV7 MkIII right away when i came home! And the result was with the ISF Pio picture in my mind was very similar to BV7.. I mean the fabric calibration from B&O was very similar to ISF, but the great thing here is that i experience the BV7 more dynamic in the picture !!!

  "The BV7 is like a Italian super car with small issues  vs a German Mercedes Benz Maybach who is like a train with accuracy, but with no soul".. Maybe the Pioneer is the best but i don´t like the picture at all...

(ISF calibration is a method to correct the tv to PAL or NTSC color standards where no parameter can deafen another parameter in the ISF setup witch means less dynamics because the values are set for good! The Vision Clear on the other hand have a base calibration like the ISF to start from and then it can adjust all the values to the surroundings (And change more things for better PQ) and get a more life like and dynamic picture!!!  

And i can truly say that BV7 MK III eats the fancy Sharp 100Hz 52" LCD screen alive!! No questions at all.. The Bv7 have much grater blackness and correct colors and less artefact's and more and more...! And Sharp and Pioneer = Plastic fantastic in design and built quality!!

And i believe that the contrast and blackness on my BV7 are truly black if you look at the 16:9 lines at the top and underneath in the picture of a movie in a total black room.. And you most sit straight in front of the TV and tune down the brightness a little in the menu to get full blackness!

And about motion sickness i can say that the both Meridian projector and Pioneer Kurio  LX508/608D played with 24p on a Pioneer Blu-ray player did have some motion sickness in pans and fast movements also!!  

And my favorite reference DVD´s for Bv7 and to see the BS3 upscaling is:

-Lost 2 Box series (Downscaled HD to 576i)...

-The flying Daggers for color and sound testing,..

-Matrix Reloaded for test of fast movements and camera pans...

-Sin City for testing the blacklevels and contrast...

-The Lord of the rings trilogy for true great picture in every way...

-And Planet Earth Box/array Downscaled HD)  But note that the blackness/contrast  and color levels are way to washy and bright in the      DVD version! No good reference DVD at all Simon.!.)

 

My 2 cents..

 

Regards Fredrik L.

          

The wjhole issue here is that to YOU its good. And thats all that matters- you have a choice as a consumer and thats what you want to watch.

If you cant tell much of a difference between a Pioneer Kuro and a B&O LCD BV7 .....well im SURPRISED because to me and everyone I know in this business they are worlds apart when comparing the picture on a variety of source material. SD and HD

For UK customer, look at the BV7 MK11 on freeview, then look at a pioneer kuro on freeview- there is NO contest. Now if you like the picture that LCD gives- and many do, on good HD it gets closer but when there is movement in afraid it falls behind.

I borrowed a BV7MK111, I have a BV4 HD and a pioneer kuro all together and the large number of individuals who compared it voted the BV4 best overall, the pioneer next and the Bv7 the best looking TV when it was off.

There is no dusputing that many products are plastic fantastic- erm what is the B&O made of now??- only joking!- but the other porductscost a fraction of B&O- if one is happy to pay this HUGE premuim for nice looks without technical sophistication in relation to its lcd panels thats fair enough

I agree Frederick, that was a good post so thanks for that. I found it particularly interesting to read what you said about the 16.9 levels top and bottom of screen and how to adjust the brightness which I might try. However, I thought that the B&O sets are supposed to be configured for the best setting straight from the factory so I am a little nervous to start tampering. I have noticed that the attempt to produce black is much better on the Mark III than the Mark II but it does still look dark grey to me when I sit and watch films from my sofa. The problem is, because the glass screen is so black in its depth, this unfortunately shows up the dark grey areas even more top and bottom of the movie. Anyway, I am getting used to it so its not too bad at all and again, I reiterate that it is a very big improvement from the Mark II.

I really like my BV7-40 and I don't regret the purchase at all. I said earlier on in this thread that I considered the Avant but like David, I really wanted to be more up to date and have had an Avant before. The BV7-40 is a good TV there is no question of that. I have attempted to write as honest review about it as I can with what I have seen so far but that certainly doesn't mean I have any regrets. What it does mean is that I think you don't get as much value for money with this set than you did when buying an Avant, based on the fact there is still a long way for the technology to develop and improve whereas with the Avant it was pretty much at its peak. But, you could easily argue that if you bought an earlier Avant then this wasn't the case, so it really does depend how you look at it! I think where B&O really comes into its own is when you buy a top end product for a good second-hand price. Brand new, and in this day and age I think its difficult to justify the cost with the constant changes in technology. When the BV9 comes don in price I will almost certainly be looking to change to that.

Thanks for your suggestion of the DVDs which I will buy and have a look at. My dealer also advised me to look at Lord of the Rings saying it was fantastic. I have since played Star Wars, War of the Worlds and X-Men 3 on it and they all looked very impressive. I just need to make sure that I stop looking at the set close up because that's when I get distracted by all those awful dots everywhere! 

Simon.

355f you miss understand with purpose as usually!

Read again! I said: with the ISF Pioneer picture in my mind i can tell that the standard B&o calibration settings are very similar to the ISF calibration PAL standard right out of the box... They have a complete different picture i meant just the picture settings was similar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 And i´m tired to here all the time that the BV7 looks best when it off because you think it´s a crappy TV!!!!!!!  Visit a Pioneer forum or something!!

I now the LCD issues very well and you don´t have to remind me!

Regards

Beolab:

355f you miss understand with purpose as usually!

 

Read again! I said: with the ISF Pioneer picture in my mind i can tell that the standard B&o calibration settings are very similar to the ISF calibration PAL standard right out of the box... They have a complete different picture i meant just the picture settings was similar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 And i´m tired to here all the time that the BV7 looks best when it off because you think it´s a crappy TV!!!!!!!  Visit a Pioneer forum or something!!

I now the LCD issues very well and you don´t have to remind me!

 

Regards

   

Oh no! on the contrary I actually like the BV7- it is a very B&O product but we have to remember the original post! How can we help the individual decide if he should spend nearly £7K on a tv set.

Hopefully as a result of the answers here said individual will better understand the issues and decide for himself if positives outweigh the mnegative aspects of the TV. with the facts he can buy itand not be dissapointed.

The problem comes to varying interpretations of whats good- I dont want to visit Pioneer forums but I do visit AV forums and it just so happens that panasonic and pioneer seem to be the screen of choice- I cant help that fact! Picture settings might be similar but the results are very different. Still at least now you  agree that you are aware of  LCD issues- after reading your previous posts one would not have come to that conclusion previously!- which is why i responded- not against you as an individual but in order to have a more balanced debate about the mk111 panel and fortunately several members have given a very balanced and sensible view about the product as it now stands and thats what a forum like this should provide- a balanced debate!

I agree with 355F. We should be able to have a reasoned discussion on here without it getting heated. I personally prefer plasma screens to LCD for many of the reasons detailed above but each should make their own decision. I like a bit of robust debate but please keep it cordial! We don't have to agree but we can stay friends!

The BV7 is clearly improving with each marque and I think this thread reflects that.  

gofer:

A very goo thread gys and thanks, this is helping me coming to a decision on buying a BV7

And where do you stand with it all at the moment gofer?

I now have my Beovision 7 for more than two months and I am still very satisfied with it. It is definitely an improvement over my previous MX-5000 (now in my bedroom). Well produced high definition programs are wonderful and a delight to watch.

But I think now that the biggest issue is the excessive compression of video signals by satellite and cable companies to pack more channels, particularly in standard definition digital programming. In some cases, the analogue channel has a better picture than the SD digital channel because it is generated from a less compressed signal (now, even analogue broadcasts are produced from a digital source at the TV station as video capturing and processing are almost all digital these days). And excessive compression introduces pixelation and motion artifacts.

Is there any other North American owners of the Beovision-7 here? I think I am the only member.

Regards,

Jean

Jean, you have hit the nail on the head. I think you are absolutly right about this. I have come to exactly the same conclusion myself. I think the BeoVision 7-40 Mark III is indeed a very good television and with the best quality digital broadcasts it does produce incredible pictures. I have seen this occasionally, which is good because it means I have seen the potential performance offered by this set. However, these broadcasts are so few and far between that current broadcasts look second rate. I think it will take a long time (3-5 years) before we see high quality broadcasts including HD (that require more bandwidth) being offered on a more widespread scale. Until then, the only real alternative is to invest in BluRay or HD-DVD technology which for the moment I am not prepared to do. In the same way that consumers want to avoid paying high premiums for AV equipment, the Media industry doesn't want to spend more to offer higher quality broadcasts. Its a catch 22 situation but in the end they will have no choice but to up their game if they wish to remain competitive.

Simon.

The Beonic Man:

Jean, you have hit the nail on the head. I think you are absolutly right about this. I have come to exactly the same conclusion myself. I think the BeoVision 7-40 Mark III is indeed a very good television and with the best quality digital broadcasts it does produce incredible pictures. I have seen this occasionally, which is good because it means I have seen the potential performance offered by this set. However, these broadcasts are so few and far between that current broadcasts look second rate. I think it will take a long time (3-5 years) before we see high quality broadcasts including HD (that require more bandwidth) being offered on a more widespread scale. Until then, the only real alternative is to invest in BluRay or HD-DVD technology which for the moment I am not prepared to do. In the same way that consumers want to avoid paying high premiums for AV equipment, the Media industry doesn't want to spend more to offer higher quality broadcasts. Its a catch 22 situation but in the end they will have no choice but to up their game if they wish to remain competitive.

Simon.

These are of course valid points but to transmit HD you need a lot of bandwidth- so im not sure there is any strength in the argument that things will get better!

Rather interestingly, I was involved with a company that makes the sky HD box and the SD tuner part of that product was downspecified in comparison with the normal sky box. Some would say that was a cynical attempt by sky to bring about the illusion of reduced bit rate HD being better than (previously good)SD- for the most part- and at the same time the bit rate for HD transmissions drops-

355f:

Rather interestingly, I was involved with a company that makes the sky HD box and the SD tuner part of that product was downspecified in comparison with the normal sky box. Some would say that was a cynical attempt by sky to bring about the illusion of reduced bit rate HD being better than (previously good)SD- 

It would be quite a development if providers are now hobbling SD-signals in order to make HD shine! But nothing surprises me when it comes to the HD rush (devise ways of getting customers to throw out perfectly good A/V equipment - repeat - repeat - repeat. HD and HDMI 1.3 are cases in point.)

My cable provider is now officially 8 months late with the launch of their HD service, and it appears that the "guaranteed in place by November" will be January. The home cinema enthusiasts' grapevine has it that they are having a struggle getting HD to look good enough, due to bandwidth issues and to the new formats revealing flaws in their infrastructure as well as in customers' cabling. Wire that had no trouble relaying SD-signals is proving insufficient for the digital formats, with customers experiencing image freezes and drop-outs.

I've got to be honest, I'm underwhelmed. I've just been down to my local B&O and had a good demo of the BV7-40 MKIII. Looked at BBC HD, SD channels (through the DVB-T) and a couple of different DVDs, comparing them to my old MKI BV7.

Conclusion? Surprising. BBC HD was clearly better than my MKI. I'd say the signal and quality of the picture wasn't better, it was the richness of the colours, brightness and contrast. All were better than my MKI.

However, everything else wasn't significantly better. SD channels (via DVB-T) were only slightly better but the internal DVD player was as poor as the player in my MKI, which I think is the only 'bad' component in the BV7. BBC Planet Earth was very blocky, especially when the picture involved the sea. House of Flying Daggers was probably more vibrant than on my MKI, but definitely appeared more blocky. You could see pixalisation quite clearly. This was standing the maximum distance away from the TV (in the store), which was just under 3 metres.

Watch the same channels through the BV4-50 plasma (via the BS3) and there is no pixalisation etc, which implies it's either the LCD technology in the BV7 or the BV7-40 MKIII processing the incoming data. The weird thing for me is that you can stand far closer to the BV4-50 and see far less pixalisation than the BV7-40 MKIII. Why?

So, I'm confused about what to do next. I was all ready to hand back my old MKI and upgrade to the MKIII (still a very expensive upgrade), but now I'm not sure if it's beneficial. BV9 is too expensive, though :(

Nothing beats the full HD Kuro. Look at the pictures of freeview. I am sure B&O does not scale up that good!!!

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Pioneer-PDP-LX508D

What you see here are pictures of standard definition scaled up by the Kuro. Look and be blown away!!

Standard Definition

If you're dropping more than £3,000 on the Pioneer PDP-LX508D, you shouldn't skimp on obtaining as much high-definition material as possible if you want to do the plasma television justice. That said, some content are only available in standard definition, and you'll be pleased to know that the Pioneer PDP-LX508D copes well with lower resolution source.

More than well, in fact. Thanks to some exceptional scaling and deinterlacing (though with the latter you may need to learn when to apply the correct modes to different material), the Pioneer PDP-LX508D delivered the best Freeview digital TV picture I've seen on any flat screen television to date.

High bit-rate US dramas like Ugly Betty of course looked DVD-esque, but even Michael Ball's interview on ITV's This Morning (certainly not the first programme to spring to mind when talking about broadcast quality) was immensely watchable: faces and objects appeared sharp without any telltale signs of excessive edge enhancement; blacks were fantastic; colours were balanced and natural; and there was little to no noise nor posterization from 8 feet away.

Bingo:

Nothing beats the full HD Kuro. Look at the pictures of freeview. I am sure B&O does not scale up that good!!!

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Pioneer-PDP-LX508D

 

What you see here are pictures of standard definition scaled up by the Kuro. Look and be blown away!!

Standard Definition

If you're dropping more than £3,000 on the Pioneer PDP-LX508D, you shouldn't skimp on obtaining as much high-definition material as possible if you want to do the plasma television justice. That said, some content are only available in standard definition, and you'll be pleased to know that the Pioneer PDP-LX508D copes well with lower resolution source.

More than well, in fact. Thanks to some exceptional scaling and deinterlacing (though with the latter you may need to learn when to apply the correct modes to different material), the Pioneer PDP-LX508D delivered the best Freeview digital TV picture I've seen on any flat screen television to date.

High bit-rate US dramas like Ugly Betty of course looked DVD-esque, but even Michael Ball's interview on ITV's This Morning (certainly not the first programme to spring to mind when talking about broadcast quality) was immensely watchable: faces and objects appeared sharp without any telltale signs of excessive edge enhancement; blacks were fantastic; colours were balanced and natural; and there was little to no noise nor posterization from 8 feet away.

Well we are not comparing like for like for a start and of course plasma has its issues as well. In the tests i conducted with a varied veiwing panel the BV4 won hands down- way ahead of the pioneer especially on freeview where the pioneer is not quite so good. ]

I suppose the point of all this debate is to let B&O know that charging these prices for an LCD screen than is only above averyage in performance is not on!  The technology wont support any better at present- I suppose if individuals are happy to pay this price then B&O are happy to sell it! But there is a point- the pioneer can be had for 65% LESS than the BV7- customers must really love B&O! not for nothing does B&O produce the greatest gross margins of any audio/video company!