ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Yesterday I took my Macbook Pro to a dealer for a couple of tests.
We connected it to the "external" HDMI 6 input at a resolution of 1080p.
Unfortunately I had to use VLC as a player instead of Plex, which I normally use in the living room.
I wanted to test a Blu-ray remux of The Dark Knight Rises and a high-quality 720p encode of Game of Thrones, which pretty much sum up the videos I play at home, in terms of standards.
The Dark Knight picture was absolutely stunning. The upscaling to 4K performed by the TV seemed flawless to me. I was particularly impressed by the clarity of the picture, considering there was plenty of sunlight in the room (something that makes it impossible to watch pretty much anything with dark tones with my current BV10 at home).
On the other hand, I was disappointed by the picture of the 720p file. It might be due to the "double upscaling" (Mac upscales to 1080p, TV upscales to 4K) and VLC might not be the best player out there.We were sitting at ~2 meters from the TV and I had to distance myself more from the screen to reduce the grainy effect. Still, it was sub-par. But I definitely need to try with Plex which usually does a much better job.Have any of you conducted similar tests, and what were your results?
About the audio: The Dark Knight has a DTS-HD MA track. The TV detected it as DTS 5.1. I have no idea if the Mac does something to the audio or if the TV can actually play it (VLC was set to passthrough the encoded audio to the HDMI port).
Also, 4K test files played via DLNA are played as 1080p.If you play the same files from an external 4K player they play natively. This was "confirmed" by the fact that the TV does not allow you to access the menu - user and service - when a 4K source is connected. Playing 4K from DLNA displayed 1080p in the service menu (because there is still no way to check the source resolution with a standard menu, unlike the sound).
Marcello: About the audio: The Dark Knight has a DTS-HD MA track. The TV detected it as DTS 5.1. I have no idea if the Mac does something to the audio or if the TV can actually play it (VLC was set to passthrough the encoded audio to the HDMI port).
Hi Marcello,
Just one comment:
The VLC (and the Mac) can not decode a DTS-HD MA soundtrack.
And since the Avant also can't handle it, it picks the core DTS track - if you passthrough that.
All B&O tv's demands external decoding (to PCM) of the HD sound formats to play these.
MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
Millemissen: The VLC (and the Mac) can not decode a DTS-HD MA soundtrack. And since the Avant also can't handle it, it picks the core DTS track - if you passthrough that. All B&O tv's demands external decoding (to PCM) of the HD sound formats to play these. MM
Thank you for the clarification, I was not aware of the ability to pick the dts core. I always thought that I needed a second, separate audio track, or to have the computer convert the audio on the fly.
I was advised yesterday to buy an Oppo Blu-ray player and use this to upscale to 4K on my forthcoming Avant. So, for example, route the HDMI from the NAS drive through the Oppo and other sources, as it has two incoming HDMI sockets and, apparently, does a superb job upscaling to 4K.
Maybe this wasn't great advice - I'm just passing it on - but this came from a guy who already has an Avant (he's a B&O product tester) and an Oppo.
moxxey:I was advised yesterday to buy an Oppo Blu-ray player and use this to upscale to 4K on my forthcoming Avant. So, for example, route the HDMI from the NAS drive through the Oppo and other sources, as it has two incoming HDMI sockets and, apparently, does a superb job upscaling to 4K. Maybe this wasn't great advice - I'm just passing it on - but this came from a guy who already has an Avant (he's a B&O product tester) and an Oppo.
vlohjr1: I agree as I have been told as well to get the one with the darbee chip (103d version) which is even more impressive Vince
I agree as I have been told as well to get the one with the darbee chip (103d version) which is even more impressive
Vince
Yes, this is precisely the one I've been told to buy. Upscaling to 4K is fantastic and it does a good job on NAS content (ie. ripped Blu-ray movies).
I've heard sky are going to be bringing out a 4k channel soon , so alls not lost for you early adopters.
http://www.whathifi.com/news/sky-planning-set-top-box-overhaul-to-support-ultra-hd-4k-tv
As long as the stuff they broadcast is 4K in origin and not just upscaled HD.
Ban boring signatures!
Marcello: Thank you for the clarification, I was not aware of the ability to pick the dts core.
Thank you for the clarification, I was not aware of the ability to pick the dts core.
If you care for SQ - please remember that DTS is a lossy file format.
moxxey: I was advised yesterday to buy an Oppo Blu-ray player and use this to upscale to 4K on my forthcoming Avant. So, for example, route the HDMI from the NAS drive through the Oppo and other sources, as it has two incoming HDMI sockets and, apparently, does a superb job upscaling to 4K. Maybe this wasn't great advice - I'm just passing it on - but this came from a guy who already has an Avant (he's a B&O product tester) and an Oppo.
That is exactly what I would do!
And - for those who are interested - the OPPO has a Netflix app.
Puncher: As long as the stuff they broadcast is 4K in origin and not just upscaled HD.
Definitely will be 4K. Filmed with 4K cameras, 50fps. I'd assume we'd get a single 4K Sky Sports channel first. Suits me!
Three World Cup football matches being played in Brazil this summer will be streamed in ultra high-definition (UHD), the BBC has announced.
The format, also known as 4K, offers four times the resolution of 1080p high definition video.
The matches - including the quarter final and the final - mark one of the first times a live event has been streamed over the air in UHD in the UK.
3 whole matches !
that should keep you busy moxxey lol.
I am interested in seeing how the Avant would Upscale natively, if at all.
I was reading about the specs for the Sony 55X9000B 4K tv and it states "Unrivalled up-scaling
Suddenly, everything looks better. Sony's unique 4K TVs upscale your favorite TV shows, DVDs and Blu-ray™ movies – even YouTube®clips and smartphone videos – for higher quality, stunning results. The new 4K X-Reality™ PRO chip enhances HD (and lower resolution) images by analyzing and refining images with beautifully natural detail and astounding colour. The latest Reality Creation database and Super Resolution processing breathes new life into everything you see with phenomenal 4K (3,840 x 2,160) resolution."
I wonder if the Avant does this too, or is this what the software upgrade will take care of; or is this what the Oppo will take care of?
There's only so much you can do with software , eventually they'll hit a technological brick wall and have to update their hardware.
I'm guessing the Avant Mk2 will have HVEC & HDMI 2 built in.
I'm sure Moxxey can get a good trade in for one.
I thought I'd read that it would only be available to view in BBC Centres - not in homes on 4K TV's.
This is the full BBC website statement:
'Three World Cup football matches being played in Brazil this summer will be streamed in ultra high-definition (UHD), the BBC has announced.
They will only be made available to a limited number of TVs at BBC sites.
But it could pave the way for more widespread use of the technology.
One of the biggest challenges of distributing UHD TV to the home is how to make it compatible with existing broadcast and broadband capacities.
Users need speeds of around 20Mbps (megabits per second) in order to watch 4K content without glitches, experts say.
"It's a good idea for the BBC to trial these things and the results on a large screen look impressive but it also needs to be realistic about the potential to push this across current broadcast networks," said Toby Syfret, an analyst at Enders research group.
Previously the BBC has worked with Japanese broadcaster NHK on such trials. Rival broadcaster Sky has also run 4K trials.
The live streams will be sent via satellite from Brazil, and then distributed via Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) and Internet Protocol (IP) but only to a handful of UHD TV sets in selected BBC Research and Development facilities.
Matthew Postgate, controller of BBC Research and Development said: "The trials will prove hugely valuable in furthering our understanding of UHD technology, and potential distribution models for the future."
4K is the next great hope for TV manufacturers hoping to persuade viewers to upgrade their sets but like any fledging technology it has experienced teething problems.
There is not a great deal of content available yet in the format and the costs of 4K TV sets remain high.
Netflix recently made some of its TV shows - including House of Cards and Breaking Bad - available in the new technology but the decoder required to view the content was not compatible with some early 4K televisions'.
Dave.
Beosound Stage, Beovision 8-40, Beolit 20, Beosound Explore.
Chris Townsend:But don't the BBC want to broadcast at a refresh rate of 90 kHz(is it?) and the refresh rate of the Avant is 60 I think. It must be very difficult for B&O to try and get ahead of the game, when the UHD rules or specs haven't really be agreed on.
If the Avant is 60, then it certainly must have HDMI 2.0 because that was only 30 for 4K.
HDMI 2.0 only allows up 60fps, so the BBC would have a huge challenge getting 90fps 4K to customers, particularly over Freeview! Most Blu-ray movies are displayed at 24fps, as a comparison.
I still don't understand this obsession with 4K. HD is sufficient, particularly on a 55" panel.
Precisely my pioint. 4k is nothing more than a marketing gimmick.
Thx for confirming that moxxey old pal.
4k most certainly IS NOT a marketing gimmick. It's about starting off with the absolute best quality!
As I mentioned, we've been using it since last year. There are many videos on YouTube in 4K. No doubt, Apple will release a 4K box this year and we'll see were iTunes goes from there.
Flappo you sound crazy - a thousand posts later saying the same thing is wrong.
BANG&OLUFSEN are not early with 4K. All of their rivals were doing it this time last year. They are merely following. And with a 100hz screen (others have 600, 1000 & 2000 Panasonic), they've probably, knowing them, just bought up a lot of old last years panels!
It's funny to me, quoting the BBC and Sky, you guys are very old skool. Don't rely on these old broadcasters when you have the new younger boys developing - look for YouTube, Vimeo, Netflix, iTunes.
But please, 4K is not marketing hype. It's a fantastic way to shoot, record and broadcast and it's the next step in broadcasting. Anyway, that's me signing out.
Link me to sone 4k sources that can be played on these amazing 4k tvs then.
And I'm not talking about some fashion shoot shot on a 4k camera by a bunch of hipsters. Lol.
Mainstream stuff. Kind if things you find in itunes or buy from anazon.
Films , tv shows , concerts etc etc
do that and I'll stop harping on about how utterly pointless. 4k is to the average viewer.
Flappo goes for 'old Avant PQ' - we go for 'new Avant PQ'
Maybe we should discuss this again next year!
By the tine there's plenty of 4k , we will have moved onto 8k. Buy Star Wars volume 15 in amazing new 8k , you can see every hair in chewbaccas bum.
The king is in the all together...
You guys sure are gullible.
http://www.techradar.com/news/video/blu-ray/why-the-4k-blu-ray-format-could-be-dead-in-the-water-1246497
oh crikey..
Millemissen: Flappo goes for 'old Avant PQ' - we go for 'new Avant PQ' Maybe we should discuss this again next year! MM
This tv doesn't deserve to be called the new avant , the nearest we've gotten to the new avant is the bv7 55 . Amazing tv that.
The avant was widely accepted as the best tv in the world by everyone , even people outside the confines of this board.
You aren't seriously suggesting this hyped up toy is in the same league are you ?
Flappo,
if you were following your own argument "By the tine there's plenty of 4k , we will have moved onto 8k" against buying a 4k tv set, you should never have replaced your black and white tv.
That's a fatuous argument and not really worthy of rational discourse.
Like some of your arguments...
... and they don't get better by repeating them like a broken record.
Totally. Flappo seems to be enjoying himself with the same repeated argument. 1080P IS BETTER IN 4K AND THERE IS TONS OF THAT AVAILABLE TODAY. This continuous play on no available content today is dull - we can all agree that the mainstream channels won't have anything till next year. Now lets move on and enjoy the best picture experience that B&O has today and the all encompassing upleveling of its product with new remote, new movement, new panel, upgraded chassis and strong onboard sound thats ahead of BV11 and almost fighting for honours against BL7's.
Flappo: By the tine there's plenty of 4k , we will have moved onto 8k. Buy Star Wars volume 15 in amazing new 8k , you can see every hair in chewbaccas bum. The king is in the all together... You guys sure are gullible.
That level of planned obsolescence has been going on for decades so it's nothing new. Those with their Star Wars on Beta Max rejoice :-)
On a lighter note lol http://asia.nikkei.com/magazine/20140522-Unlocking-India/Business/Manufacturers-turning-away-from-OLED-TVs this is a good read
So with the title of the thread , does the Avant upscale? I think the answer is that it doesn't upscale (yet).
mawheele:Now lets move on and enjoy the best picture experience that B&O has today
BeoGreg:While I'm now convinced the audio is superior to BV11 (which is allready outstanding) I'm also convinced that the picture is no better if not whorse in everyday use (ie hd or non hd tv channels, bluray, hdd). I don't like the new remote. It´s not easier than beo4 to manipulate, it´s too light, the aluminium feels cheap. But it´s true that a change is welcome.
I don't like the new remote. It´s not easier than beo4 to manipulate, it´s too light, the aluminium feels cheap. But it´s true that a change is welcome.
I found the Avant's sound to be lacking, compared to the BV11's, especially being used to the BV11+BL11, for so long. Someone else rightly pointed out that the frequency range of the BV11 is wider than that of the Avant. I intend to get around the audio issue by adding my BL11 and BL18s, using the Avant's speaker as a centre.
The picture is unlikely to be much better, no, as it has to upscale to the bigger 4K panel. Only upscaled 1080P true HD (Blu-ray, Apple TV) looks better and, of course, a 4K source. For regular day-to-day TV, the picture is likely to be worse than the BV11 as you have to take a 720 source and scale it up to 2160. That's going to lead to pixelation, much like when the first BV7-40 MK3 1080P panel was launched. When SD was suddenly scaled up to the new 1080P panel, it was a shock for many as suddenly the SD picture quality was worse on the MK3 than the 720P-panelled previous MK2. Of course, after a year this issue went away as more channels moved to HD.
But, I really love the new remote. It's going to divide opinion, much like the Beo5 (which I simply can't stand, at all), but it's a very sleek and modern remote. There are advantages and disadvantages to the new remote, but all-in-all, it edges the Beo4 for me.
Dealer told me yesterday that my Avant has been delivered and my install is Wednesday morning.
Moxxey..Enjoy your tv when it's Installed...Have to wait two more weeks yet But thats given me time to sort out my room,also be sorry to see the Bv 7-55 go but there will be big hits on those tv's but the New Avant has so much more to offer then the Bv 7-55. The Beosystem 4 for a start!
Bv7Mk3: ...New Avant has so much more to offer then the Bv 7-55. The Beosystem 4 for a start!
...New Avant has so much more to offer then the Bv 7-55. The Beosystem 4 for a start!
Thanks.
Sadly I'm not convinced the Avant will better the 7-55. I agree with the others that the picture and audio quality of the 7-55 cannot be bettered, as a TV, apart from via OLED. Avant isn't really an upgrade, in those departments (although it might be in others).
But, the only downside of the 7-55 for me is the size. It's fine if you want a TV the size and weight of a small van in your living room. It's simply too cumbersome-looking for me. I don't want such a beast to dominate. The Avant is slicker-looking, particularly with the speaker up.