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This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022

 

Beo6 has left the portfolio

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w5bno123
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w5bno123 Posted: Thu, Feb 6 2014 7:33 PM
As from today you can no longer order the Beo6, it has been marked obsolete.
Flappo
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Flappo replied on Thu, Feb 6 2014 8:01 PM

i thought it was odd how my local bno store more or less ignored the thing in favour of the beo4 and the ipad app

i wonder what they could be bringing out ?

pf85
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pf85 replied on Thu, Feb 6 2014 8:03 PM

Not a great loss. It would have performed stronger without such a pathetically poor WLAN antenna. Hope B&O concentrates on tablet based remote apps with full capabilities. 

linder
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linder replied on Thu, Feb 6 2014 8:26 PM

I agree.  Tablet or smartphone apps with full capabilities are the way forward.  I use my iPhone more than any other device I have ever owned.  I have a Beo5 which is now essentially a paper weight.

Chris Townsend
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Flappo:

i thought it was odd how my local bno store more or less ignored the thing in favour of the beo4 and the ipad app

i wonder what they could be bringing out ?

The Beo 4 is a classic. The 6 a waste of space and nothing more than a fancy paperweight. Easily my worst B&O purchase.

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Mark
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Mark replied on Thu, Feb 6 2014 8:50 PM
the thing is I don't like using my phone, when I walk into the house I leave it in the hall to focus on the family and the iPad is normally in full.

agree the B4 is iconic and easy to use but I would like to see a bespoke modern remote of some description (but the B5 & 6 was not the answer)

the Beo 6 is dead long live the Beo 4

we tend to forget there is more to design than designing.

Griebel
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Griebel replied on Thu, Feb 6 2014 10:00 PM
Agree that the Beo6 has issues, but you're a bit severe. Have been using this remote for years and quite happy with it.

A perfectly programmed Beo6 is fantastic from my perspective. However, that seems to be part of the problem as good programmers are hard to find. I'm not even speaking about the ConfigTool, so less user-friendly.

Honestly don't understand the excitement for the Beo4 (vs Beo6). I'm tired of pressing List to get the right command. Have you tried using the Beo4 when in a dark room? ;-)

Anyway, I think we all agree that the future re remote control is in the Apps. Still I'm sad that the Beo6 was stopped.
StUrrock
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StUrrock replied on Thu, Feb 6 2014 10:26 PM
w5bno123:

As from today you can no longer order the Beo6, it has been marked obsolete.

Hooray, some loved it, most hated it.

Commercially a complete disaster, for us anyway.

Millemissen
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I agree with Griebel on the Beo6.

Personnally I never had one - it has never appealed to me.

For some people it was (is) a great device.

But you need the will and the skill to deal with it.

A well-programmed Beo6 can be usefull - especially in a non-NL setup.

I know many, who have enjoyed it a lot - and still do.

 

But I certainly don't agree on the Beo4.

It is the Bang & Olufsen remote control, and will be in the future, I guess.

I know the 'List' of my Beo4('s), and I mostly don't sit in the dark listening to music or watching tv Stick out tongue

 

How much I am going to use the iPad app in the future, will depend on if and on how they are going to improve it.

I guess a combination of Beo4 and the app will be my final solution.

 

In the end it can't surprice anyone, that the Beo6 stops. After all it is a 'pre-tablet remote control-solution' - and hasn't enough potential for the future tasks in a NL-setup.

 

P.S. Those who can't get warm with the 'iDevice/app solution', please do consider that you don't have to use the (small) iPhone, or the iPad, that is always occupied of your wife and kids...

A dedicated iPad only for controlling your B&O setup will come much cheaper than the Beo6.

 

Greetings Millemissen

There is a tv - and there is a BV

rmclachlan
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The problem with depending on iPhones or iPads is that such products have a more limited lifespan than the likes of the beo4. I am not convinced that depending on someone else's technology is a good idea. It May be expedient at the moment but in 5 years plus it may well be a foolish move. B&O products have a considerably longer lifespan tha mayfly Apple products. My b&o setup is around 5-7 years old and still functions perfectly. My 4 year old iMac is ready for retirement by comparison. My version 1 iPad has retired.

 

they really need an updated dedicated device.

Millemissen
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@rmclachlan

Are you willing to pay the price that a 'B&O tablet' would cost - if there would ever be one?

MM

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Jonathan
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Jonathan replied on Fri, Feb 7 2014 12:07 AM

A programmable remote that is easy to setup by the user would be ideal. I like the idea of the 6, but I think having to get it programmed by a dealer at additional cost is a bit unrealistic.

Just compare with the Logitec Remotes. Easy to setup by anyone on their website. If they were made from zinc and glass we'd all have one!

x:________________________

Chris Townsend
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So get one of these...

http://lumigon.com

New one coming soon.

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beojeff
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beojeff replied on Fri, Feb 7 2014 12:52 AM

In defense of the Beo6, it's a great remote if properly programmed. For simple audio control, I reach for the Beo4. However, with a video system with multiple video devices connected, the Beo6 is essential. Its buttons are much easier to use than using the BeoSystem 3 menu overlay. Also, by changing the colors of the most-used soft buttons (such as "List," "Guide," and "Info" for TV dvr), it makes it fast to access what you use most. However, what has been very lacking has been the configuration software and that it hasn't been made available to the user. B&O dealers will say that it's too complicated and not intended for programming by the user. What's frustrating is that it's ALMOST THERE. The config program can actually be fun to use with the icons and all. B&O just needs to hire someone skilled with ergonomics to spend just a little time (maybe even just a day?!) working with the software programmers to make it user-friendly and intuitive. Some of the commands need to be more understandable. For example, the command "CIPHER." "CIPHER"?! Really?! It really shouldn't be that hard to make the config program more user-friendly.

I would LOVE to see a more advanced tablet remote (while I'd love an iOS app, I'd still buy a nice B&O tablet). However, I'm worried that B&O still won't offer a way for the end user to program the tablet according to individual needs. It would  be the same problem as the downfall of the Beo6.

Jonathan
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Jonathan replied on Fri, Feb 7 2014 12:53 AM

Actually, I am considering one of those! Yes - thumbs up

x:________________________

Veermer
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Veermer replied on Fri, Feb 7 2014 5:53 AM

There is some intention of developing an evolution of Beo4? Something like "Beo4.2" with more capacities and improvements?

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StUrrock
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jldmelb:

A programmable remote that is easy to setup by the user would be ideal. I like the idea of the 6, but I think having to get it programmed by a dealer at additional cost is a bit unrealistic.

Just compare with the Logitec Remotes. Easy to setup by anyone on their website. If they were made from zinc and glass we'd all have one!

What time is it? Beotime!

Quite right
Mark
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Mark replied on Fri, Feb 7 2014 8:14 AM
could not Lumigon supply B&O with just a stripped shell that is soley App driven with WiFi capability?

we tend to forget there is more to design than designing.

Michael
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Michael replied on Fri, Feb 7 2014 8:41 AM

I think a new remote that could be programmed from the remote itself is the best remote. I also think the remote should be able to configure itself quite good when using it with NL-enabled devices since it can aquire information on connected devices etc from the TV itself. 

I like the Beo4 and prefer the feedback on my fingers rather than my eyes but it would not hurt to add leds to the display in the Beo4 for night usage. 

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nico vercammen
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I like the beo6 a lot ... 
I can control my complete home with it.
I installed Domintell home control system and together with a lintronic box i'm able to sent RS232 commands to the home control system.
Of course i use the config tool myself and it is really not to hard to program it.
I can control the home system also with my iphone/ipad, but this is much slower to do...
You have to open the phone, start the app and than you can change something.
With the remote it is instant and that is what a remote should be,instant control.

What i do not like is the battery life and the way the BS5/BM5 is integrated. The wifi is draining the battery a lot  and you do not have enough information. 

I have 5 beo4 remotes all over the house, but with this one it is hard to control the home automation. I do not like the "list" thing and the for example light1 light2 etc ... I know what it is doing but my wife will never use the beo4 for controlling home automation system or netmusic
 If B&O would make a beo pad which can give instant access like the beo6 than it will be different

 

 

nico 

 

Millemissen
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The best thing with the Beo6 is that it combines the ir commands and the network commands.

Since the new NL products are network based it seems that we are sloooowly going from ir controls to controlling over the network.

I would still say, that a combination of network based commands for the 'complicated controls' such as 'source and content choosing' and 'where to play it' is best done with a touch/tablet device - and that 'simple direct controls' such as skipping tracks, volume adjustment, putting into standby etc is done by a small (handheld) device with feedback for your fingers, is the best way to go.

As things are now for this we would need a tablet app AND a Beo4 similar device.

If making a dedicated B&O tablet - a 'BeoPad' - should make any sense, this would have to be a combination of both, a device that unites the ir- and the network controlling.

Greetings Millemissen

There is a tv - and there is a BV

Rivenflush
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I do not have a Beo6 but I absolutely love my Beo5s - with them I can easily control all 3rd party products (like Apple TV, Panasonic TVs, PS3, Cambridge receiver etc.), create advanced macros etc.

BUT… I have spent loads of hours getting them the way I want which besides from the config tool has included creating and editing XML files in Notepad - probably not what the average B&O customer would like to do or expect from the brand. As many of you have said, this is where B&O has fallen short. They failed to create an easy tool for editing / adding new buttons / products to the remote resulting in very frustrated owners.

(why did it note include a learning remote function as the Harmony remotes for instance)

SOme pictures of my Beo5s below, showing the possibilities for the GUI:

My B&O products: Beosound 9000, Beosound 2300, Beosound Century, Beolab 8000, Beolab 6000, Beolab 4000 x2, Beolab 3500, Beolab 2000, Beolab 10, Beolink Active x2, Beotime, Beo5 x2, Beo4, A9 keyring x2, LC2 dimmer x6 and growing....

Chris Townsend
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jldmelb:

Actually, I am considering one of those!

What time is it? Beotime!

The new one comes out anytime soon, so wait a bit.

Beosound Stage, Beovision 8-40, Beolit 20, Beosound Explore.

beaker
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beaker replied on Fri, Feb 7 2014 7:58 PM
All they have to do is re-release the Beo4 cinema. I bet they would sell well and be easy and quick to bring to market.
Razlaw
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Razlaw replied on Sat, Feb 8 2014 1:26 PM
Tonker:

The new one comes out anytime soon, so wait a bit. Beovision 11-46, Beolab 14, Beovision 8-32, Beovision 3-32, Avant RF 28, Beosound 8, Beolit 12, Beocom 2, Beotime, H6 and Form 2, Beo 4's and a 6.

A new remote? A new Beo 4? I was planning on buying a new Beo 4 today. Should I wait?

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vikinger
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Razlaw:
Tonker:

The new one comes out anytime soon, so wait a bit. Beovision 11-46, Beolab 14, Beovision 8-32, Beovision 3-32, Avant RF 28, Beosound 8, Beolit 12, Beocom 2, Beotime, H6 and Form 2, Beo 4's and a 6.

A new remote? A new Beo 4? I was planning on buying a new Beo 4 today. Should I wait?

He means the Lumigon phone! (The current T2 model is on sale again at Expansys.)

Graham

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TWG replied on Sun, Feb 9 2014 9:37 AM

@Rivenflush:
Your photos of the Beo 6 look wonderful! Would you mind sharing how you've managed to design it so nicely? You can send me an email if you want.

StUrrock
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beaker:

All they have to do is re-release the Beo4 cinema. I bet they would sell well and be easy and quick to bring to market.

That's a great idea, the Beo4 is superb and the backlit buttons of the cinema version added a bit extra luxury.

The beo4 IMHO should be revamped so it comes with the usual stand config with the option to add custom macros.

We sell a LOT of RTI T1-B+ remotes that allow just that and the customers love them.

With those extra abilities the sublime, elegant, easy to use, iconic Beo4 would rise head and shoulders above all remotes!
Flappo
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Flappo replied on Sun, Feb 9 2014 5:20 PM

bno used to be famous for their amazing remotes

look at the ones for the 80's audio systems !

impressive even now

PapaJustify
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TWG:

@Rivenflush:
Your photos of the Beo 6 look wonderful! Would you mind sharing how you've managed to design it so nicely? You can send me an email if you want.

I wholeheartedly agree. When I saw the pictures in this thread I knew that this must be Rivenflushs work. Truly impressive. He really gets the best out of the Beo6.

 

bayerische
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bayerische replied on Mon, Feb 10 2014 12:07 PM

I never invested in the Beo6, as I didn't have any B&O stuff that would have taken advantage from the WiFi.

 

I do have my Beo5 still, and use it quite often. Especially now after I put a new battery in it. 

Too long to list.... 

BeoLignage
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BeoLignage replied on Mon, Feb 10 2014 12:54 PM

Jonathan:

 ....If they were made from zinc and glass we'd all have one!

Yes - thumbs up always thought so

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