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
Flatpanelshd.com review
I would like to know if this is considered a good or not so good review by B&O.
And a shame that they did not test the 40" as the speakers here sound very good (from my point of view).
I'm actually quite surprised, FlatpanelsHD's reviews are normally gushing!
Ban boring signatures!
Beosound Stage, Beovision 8-40, Beolit 20, Beosound Explore.
Chris Townsend:I'll wait for the LG panel :-"
What do you mean? I can see some numbers on the panel from my V1-40s CA-module access bay. I must look closer so I can find out which panel it has :P
Beolab 50, Beolab 8000 x 2, Beolab 4000 x 2, BeoSound Core, BeoSound 9000, BeoSound Century, BeoLit 15, BeoPlay A1, BeoPlay P2, BeoPlay H9 3rd Gen, BeoPlay H6, EarSet 3i, BeoVision Eclipse Gen 2 55", BeoPlay V1-40, BeoCom 6000 and so much else :)
Michael: Chris Townsend:I'll wait for the LG panel :-" What do you mean? I can see some numbers on the panel from my V1-40s CA-module access bay. I must look closer so I can find out which panel it has :P
I think he means the upcoming LG 55" OLED TV.
Chris you are soooooooo bad! How could you even look at LG after owning BANG&OLUFSEN especially the World's most perfect BV10!!!! Damn, that's like giving up the finest and healthiest, most tastiest Italian or French food for a diet of McDonalds!!!!!!!! Damn!
I don't really care very much about the review. It is a big issue that the input lag is so high. I get frustrated going thru menues on my apple tv 1-2 seconds later than I press the button. I think this is both PUC-lag and input lag on the screen/video engine.
Other than that I think the TV is everything I wished for. Superb sound and quality feeling. The picture is very good and I didn't expect such great quality actually. And for a bedroom TV I cant ask for much more. Discrete and superb with great sound.I put Apple TV into radio or airplaymode and P.MUTE the screen so I can work and listen to music in the bedroom at the same time. No clunky speakers and still great sound. And video :)
Just read a review here of the V1-40, this is a really good and positive review:
http://www.recordere.dk/indhold/templates/design.aspx?articleid=7096&zoneid=1
Its on danish!
Great review from Michael actually!!!
Please don't forget guys, it's a B&O so you get the amazing after sales service that you don't get from other companies!!!
mibook84:I don't really care very much about the review. It is a big issue that the input lag is so high. I get frustrated going thru menues on my apple tv 1-2 seconds later than I press the button. I think this is both PUC-lag and input lag on the screen/video engine. Other than that I think the TV is everything I wished for. Superb sound and quality feeling. The picture is very good and I didn't expect such great quality actually. And for a bedroom TV I cant ask for much more. Discrete and superb with great sound. I put Apple TV into radio or airplaymode and P.MUTE the screen so I can work and listen to music in the bedroom at the same time. No clunky speakers and still great sound. And video :)
MartinW:Hi Michael, the PUC lag you mention is down to not quite having the IR blaster in the exact right spot - i had the same symptoms myself today but by moving the IR a little i got very fluid instant response on atv ir control. Its a tiny pin point sensor on the apple tv, almost right on the corner of the right had side of it. There is no puc lag with the V1 so you should be able to sort this.
Thanks, but according to apple service documents it is placed in the middle, where I put my IR-blaster. I can try and move it a bit but the glue will probably loose some of its "stickyness".
Another thing, the Apple TV can learn other remotes and then support many more buttons(functions) than usual. I am thinking about telling the V1 that it actually is a dvd or something else with more "puc"-buttons, and learn that remote to Apple TV so I can use more functions directly from Beo4 :)
Just seems a bit crazy - beo4 -> v1 -> puc -> apple tv -> (converting ir from third party to apple code) :P
Michael,
Are you not tempted to do most of the Apple TV controlling from your iPhone? Hey, here's an idea, wouldn't it be FAB it we could control the V1 from our iPhone? Maybe we can? Ideas guys?
Paul W: Michael, Are you not tempted to do most of the Apple TV controlling from your iPhone? Hey, here's an idea, wouldn't it be FAB it we could control the V1 from our iPhone? Maybe we can? Ideas guys?
I quite agree! It would be fab to control the V1 from iPhone/iPad. And yes I do control my Apple TV´s from iPhone and iPad. But I like to use the Beo4 that don't require my eyes on it and it has the tactile feedback for my fingers - which of course the touchscreen of the iOS units dont have - yet. :D
I can control my living room Samsung 55" D8005 TV from my iPhone. It is very comfortable to be able to turn it of from the phone. For example if I go to bed and get very tired. I dont have to go downstairs, I can just turn it off and go to sleep :)
MartinW: mibook84: I don't really care very much about the review. It is a big issue that the input lag is so high. I get frustrated going thru menues on my apple tv 1-2 seconds later than I press the button. I think this is both PUC-lag and input lag on the screen/video engine. Other than that I think the TV is everything I wished for. Superb sound and quality feeling. The picture is very good and I didn't expect such great quality actually. And for a bedroom TV I cant ask for much more. Discrete and superb with great sound. I put Apple TV into radio or airplaymode and P.MUTE the screen so I can work and listen to music in the bedroom at the same time. No clunky speakers and still great sound. And video :) Hi Michael, the PUC lag you mention is down to not quite having the IR blaster in the exact right spot - i had the same symptoms myself today but by moving the IR a little i got very fluid instant response on atv ir control. Its a tiny pin point sensor on the apple tv, almost right on the corner of the right had side of it. There is no puc lag with the V1 so you should be able to sort this.
mibook84: I don't really care very much about the review. It is a big issue that the input lag is so high. I get frustrated going thru menues on my apple tv 1-2 seconds later than I press the button. I think this is both PUC-lag and input lag on the screen/video engine. Other than that I think the TV is everything I wished for. Superb sound and quality feeling. The picture is very good and I didn't expect such great quality actually. And for a bedroom TV I cant ask for much more. Discrete and superb with great sound. I put Apple TV into radio or airplaymode and P.MUTE the screen so I can work and listen to music in the bedroom at the same time. No clunky speakers and still great sound. And video :)
Other than that I think the TV is everything I wished for. Superb sound and quality feeling. The picture is very good and I didn't expect such great quality actually. And for a bedroom TV I cant ask for much more. Discrete and superb with great sound. I put Apple TV into radio or airplaymode and P.MUTE the screen so I can work and listen to music in the bedroom at the same time. No clunky speakers and still great sound. And video :)
Hi Michael, the PUC lag you mention is down to not quite having the IR blaster in the exact right spot - i had the same symptoms myself today but by moving the IR a little i got very fluid instant response on atv ir control. Its a tiny pin point sensor on the apple tv, almost right on the corner of the right had side of it. There is no puc lag with the V1 so you should be able to sort this.
Very interesting - there is some apparent lag somewhere in my new BV8-40 configuration that I have not been able to isolate - never thought it might be as simple as screwing up the ATV3's attachment point !
Before I start fiddling with things, can Martin or MIchael confirm if there was smooth scrolling before or after (or both!) getting the PUC and IR-eye perfectly aligned ?
(I do have smooth scrolling, just some lag which seems to indicate the BV8-40's eye is different from the BV8-32's eye (or the internal engines are different and that is enough of an issue))
Thanks !
BeoNut since '75
Michael that is very clever! Yes, I agree with your reason with regards to the Beo4. Ive been using one of mine since 1999 and I reckon it's the best remote control that has ever been produced & indeed designed by ANY company - it's quite iconic!
MartinW:I always fit them on the corner, about 3 apple tvs a week with no lag. Just get some sticky tape and stick it over the sensor once you get the right lag free position! I have never heard of the atv learning other remotes? What features did you want to add? The apple remote itself only has a small amount of buttons, all covered by the standard puc?
Ok, with V1´s? I know, but the APple TV supports many more buttons when used with other remotes. Hard to explain but read here "Optionally, you can set up specific playback buttons for fast-forward, rewind, next chapter, and more".
elephant: Before I start fiddling with things, can Martin or MIchael confirm if there was smooth scrolling before or after (or both!) getting the PUC and IR-eye perfectly aligned ? (I do have smooth scrolling, just some lag which seems to indicate the BV8-40's eye is different from the BV8-32's eye (or the internal engines are different and that is enough of an issue)) Thanks !
I do get smooth scrolling, but it takes a few seconds, and when I release the button it continues to scroll for a second or so. Making it hard to stop on the right spot, for example in a list of artists.
Paul W: Michael that is very clever! Yes, I agree with your reason with regards to the Beo4. Ive been using one of mine since 1999 and I reckon it's the best remote control that has ever been produced & indeed designed by ANY company - it's quite iconic!
I love it. And I sometimes feel a bit unsafe because there is more and more burglars breaking into houses here. But with a Beo4 at my bedside table I feel very safe. One hit with that and the burglar is out :)
Michael: elephant: Before I start fiddling with things, can Martin or MIchael confirm if there was smooth scrolling before or after (or both!) getting the PUC and IR-eye perfectly aligned ? (I do have smooth scrolling, just some lag which seems to indicate the BV8-40's eye is different from the BV8-32's eye (or the internal engines are different and that is enough of an issue)) Thanks ! I do get smooth scrolling, but it takes a few seconds, and when I release the button it continues to scroll for a second or so. Making it hard to stop on the right spot, for example in a list of artists.
same here !
ok, so after work tonight I shall conduct some experiments -- thanks very much for the quick response
elephant: same here ! ok, so after work tonight I shall conduct some experiments -- thanks very much for the quick response
:) Sounds fun. Come to think about it my Avant also sends PUC a bit slow. Not as slow perhaps, but it is not completely instant either. I think it might also be a bad "recording" of the IR commands at B&O, so if they update their database with better codes it might work better. But I am not sure.
Michael, you were reading my mind about the weight and construction of the Beo4. I remember in my chill out room, it feel off the arm of my sofa and took a huge chunk out of my laminate flooring at the time :)
I agree that it was not a review full of high praise which is what one has previously read of B&O products from Flatpanelshd.com. But then, they didn't damn it either - it's clearly in the top league for LCD/LED sets, merely not a 'champion' as they put it.
Out of interest, I pixel peeped on my Mac at the comparative screen shots on the review with the Panasonic VT50 and the Sony HX850 where I could find the same screen shots.
In all cases it was the V1 first, followed very closely by the Panasonic, with the Sony trailing in third place.
Between the Panasonic and the V1, some might prefer the Pansonic; the only real difference I could see on the test shots, is that the background clarity/detail favours the V1; however this could be as a result of some slight artificial sharpening that they commented on.
However, on the basis of the screen shots, it's V1, Panasonic VT50 and Sony HX850 and in that order for me.
Interestingly, I've been back to the dealer to take another look at the V1, have seen it in black (32") with the table stand, and also viewed another V1 at a different dealer to see some different clips and different lighting situations etc to judge it. I went with a friend (also a Sony owner, albeit LCD and I've still got CRT Trinitron), and we also went and directly (as much as we could) compared it at an nearby Hifi emporium to the aforementioned Sony and Panasonic model.
Whilst we saw a mix of SD and HD broadcast material, we also saw excerpts on Bluray of Avatar on all three TVs, and for both of us it was the V1 first for picture quality, followed by the Panasonic, and the Sony last. Also for set styling, both of us preferred the V1 first, followed by the Sony, and the pana last for aesthetics overall.
I've made up my mind to go with a V1 - my first 'major' B&O purchase, and hopefully the centre piece of a B&O system to be - and have come down in favour of the black/dark grey. I feel the white is more of a 'hero' colour, and in some ways I prefer it, but I'm also mindful of what I'd be putting with it, and in the case of say Lab 9's or Lab 5's I definitely prefer black to white, so a white TV with Black speakers would look a bit odd to my mind - especially for a living room/lounge TV. For a bedroom, I'd probably pick the white in a 32" size.
Only umming and arring at the moment as to go with either the 'standard' leaning back, floor stand, and put it on the low cabinet designed for either Beovision 8-40 or the Beovision 10, OR ditto but with the actual table stand.
The shop assistant seemed to think that the angle leaning back would be best on the floor, not on a cabinet, but the table stand on a cabinet, whilst putting the TV 'upright' also looks a little less pleasing to my eyes, and one also has the problem of where to hide the leads from the back of the TV which the leaning floor stand adroitly deals with re hiding them from view.
Besides which, the 8-40 leaned back a bit, albeit probably not as much as the V1, but it always looked good on that cabinet. And I like the idea of a specialised piece of furniture for AV with ventilation holes and a damped/hinged door to hide Bluray player inside etc - very neat and clever design.
So, despite a less than gushing review from flatpanelshd, I'm still very impressed and excited by this TV, and will be heading to the bank today to arrange some funds.. :-)
Kind regards
John...
John: *long, long text ;)* Kind regards John...
*long, long text ;)*
Hi John,
Nice to hear your opinions about the TV. I wanted to add my opinion. Looking at the different B&O tv´s in the B&O store I think the V1´s picture look very good. Actually I think it looks better than both BV10 and BV4. It has a very good anti reflective coating and the glass on the other BV-tvs is to shiny. The BV7-55 is VERY shiny, which is strange since they market it with superior anti glare coating in their video :).I was in the shop for about an hour yesterday and watched some soccer. Perfect testing material since it features both human skin and sharp edges in grass, clothes etc. Also variations in light (cloudy/rain/sun etc) and while it looked good on all of the TVs I found the bv7-55 very natural but also very reflective, a very nice picture indeed but perhaps to low contrast/colour but this might be their setting. The V1 looked very good and did not suffer much from light shining in, like the rest of the TV´s. It is of course not a perfect setting to try it out in, but my home is not perfectly either. I do like the blank screens very much (have one in my living room). It gives a bit more contrast in light situations I believe. The antiglare coating on the V1 is matte and therefore light dances over the panel making it look a bit more gray. However, this is not an issue when the TV is on, and since the light is spread instead of just bounced it doesnt show reflections like a blank screen would have.Pros and cons really and in the end up to personal taste. For an example: I have a MacBook Pro 15" with a matte antiglare highres screen. It is very good and I ordered it custom made to be able to use it in everyday light, everywhere. I also have a 27" Apple LED display that is blank but since it is in my home office I love the blank screen where I can control the light more.
John:I'm still very impressed and excited by this TV, and will be heading to the bank today to arrange some funds.. :-)
congratulations on your decision John, I think its the right move for you
Congrats John on the decision.
Actually in my dream last night I bought one from a Collins Street store after they had a client event. Although the shop was like another shop and i had trouble trying to figure out what stand. Then i also recollect that it was suspended from the ceiling by wires lol.
I think i'm getting the V1 bug.
Yes congratulations. I think it is really superb - all that's needed is an Apple TV box! I must say that I love the white one the best. John my dealer has a 32" on the leaning floor stand sitting on a lovely contemporary cabinet and it looks absolutely superb - so not just for the floor!
Unless you are spending nearly 3x more for a BV10, I really don't think there's anything as nice!
There's a bargain new grey V1-40 on UK eBay complete with floor stand and remote for £2195 - has anybody else clocked this? If it had been up a week ago before I bought mine from the dealer I would have had it - d'oh! Ah well, probably worth paying a little extra for service (and the 0% finance deal)
elephant: John:I'm still very impressed and excited by this TV, and will be heading to the bank today to arrange some funds.. :-) congratulations on your decision John, I think its the right move for you
Thank you for your kind words - it's great to find such camaraderie here on Beoworld!
It's been something of a long road, because my ultimate goal with B&O has been a pair of Lab 5's, and that hasn't changed. However, the thorn in the side has always been that If I purchased Lab 5's, there would be scant left in the budget to fund the likes of say a BV 10-46, plus say Lab 3's for rears.
Consequently, I'd be left with sticking with the likes of a Sony/Panasonic TV, and keeping a passive centre channel speaker, and my current ES Sony separates kit and all the clutter that involves, and building my B&O AV system piece by piece, rather than being able to go for a complete system at the outset.
The V1 'fixes' so many problems re attempting to set up a complete B&O AV system at sensible cost for the enthusiast on an 'average' income, that it should be selling like hot cakes IMHO.
Certainly, after viewing it in two different dealer locations, and with a close friend with good eyes and ears (a Professor of Music no less) plus some excellent reviews now out on the net, and after some deliberation, I've put my money where my mouth is and have ordered a 40" V1 in the black/dark grey, along with the leaning back 'floor stand', Beoplay Beo 4 remote, and the small AV table made for the Beovision 8-40/Beovision 10, in black also.
I'm aware of reported issues re paint chipping and have raised this with my dealer.
He informs me that all the V1's they've had in store and have sold have been problem free in that regard, and opinions that the damage can be inadvertently done if one is a little hasty with the assembly.
Accordingly, I have invited him, and am happy to pay, for him to come to my home when the TV is delivered, and set it up for me as regards the stand assembly.
This is not because I am incapable, but if there are any little tricks to know re the assembly, he will know them, rather than me finding out the hard way by trial and error. I'm more than capable and generally more happy to do these things myself, as it will be my first serious B&O product, to which I'm greatly looking forward, but as there is some small possibility of problems as has been reported, then I think I should cover myself wherever possible accordingly to avoid any possible later dispute or ill feeling.
Being my first 'real' B&O product, I don't want the experience to be soured by faulty product, or later dealer difficulty.
Other than that, I'm one excited customer!
Michael: Congrats John on the decision. Actually in my dream last night I bought one from a Collins Street store after they had a client event. Although the shop was like another shop and i had trouble trying to figure out what stand. Then i also recollect that it was suspended from the ceiling by wires lol. I think i'm getting the V1 bug.
Thank you also Michael, for your kind comments. I really appreciate the way that here on Beoworld, there is generally very realistic appraisal of B&O products. Sometimes there is a little unfair/non-constructive criticism I feel, but on the other hand, there is a complete lack of unnecessary product or brand 'fawning' adulation, which I otherwise find on one or two other 'brand' forums, and which ultimately doesn't benefit anyone.
I've taken my time with assessing the V1, having viewed it three times, two of which were at different dealers and with different material, as well as absorbing the latest professional reviews on the net. Certainly pixel peeping the comparative test shots available on Flat panelsHD vis a vis the V1, v's VT50 Panasonic, and HX 850 & HX900 series Sony Bravias shows the V1 more than capable of holding it's own with what are rightly regarded as the top mainstream TV's available as regards both Plasma and LCD technology.
The sound quality of the V1 v's an VT50 Panasonic, or HX850 Sony is in another league, and the value is quite outstanding once you price in an active centre channel speaker (plenty of passives about, but the extra quality conferred by fully active operation is exceptionally difficult to find in a centre channel speaker unless you're looking in the professional field) and a state of the art surround sound processor included in the package.
This is my first serious B&O purchase; I say serious because AV/music systems are at the core of B&O competencies, notwithstanding that I hope they don't discontinue their telephones, as from the experience of my current B&O ownership (2500 x 2, 1401 x 1, 1100 answering machine x 1, & Earset 3i x 1) their telephones, and headphones stand out from the crowd for their design and sound quality - indeed I find the telephones acoustically unmatched in my experience.
However, AV is where it's really at IMHO for B&O, and I am so very excited to be putting the first pieces of what I hope will be a complete B&O AV system together at last, with the purchase of a centre piece vis a vis the V1.
Paul W: Hi John, Yes congratulations. I think it is really superb - all that's needed is an Apple TV box! I must say that I love the white one the best. John my dealer has a 32" on the leaning floor stand sitting on a lovely contemporary cabinet and it looks absolutely superb - so not just for the floor! Unless you are spending nearly 3x more for a BV10, I really don't think there's anything as nice!
Hi Paul
Many thanks also for your kind words... I'm ordering an Apple TV tomorrow, as only the lack of a TV with HDMI has stopped me from having this excellent device until now.
Also thanks for your comments re the leaning back stand on a low cabinet, as that is how I will be setting it up, and it was good to hear of your experience.
Choosing a colour and stand was hard. As a standalone design, I slightly prefer the white.... however, I hope to be putting either Lab 9's or 5's with it, and there I prefer black over any other colour option, and feel a white TV with Black speakers would look high contrast, and do-able, but just not quite as 'classy' as all black, particularly in a lounge room situation. For a bedroom though, I'd go with the white in a 32" size.
I like your oft passionate posts about B&O and hope you are able to get the A8 soon...will you go for black or white?
I appreciate your busy lifestyle doesn't allow for much TV viewing, but if you like movies, the V1 makes a stunning centrepiece for a B&O AV system at sensible prices IMHO, and certainly it is achievable for many of us enthusiasts on 'average' incomes I feel.
And as you say, unless one is looking at something like a BV10 at nearly 3 x more, there's hardly anything on the mainstream market to touch the V1 for style and performance overall!
Hi Everybody !
I've replaced my Beovision 8-32.
I'm playing with my new V1 sinds two weeks now.
Here are my first impressions :
INSTALLATION
Very easy ! Wifi connected, PUC downloaded. Works fine !
I've connected a STB and a Playstation 3.
PICTURES :
With the STB :
SD is great but was better on BV8-32 ( may be it's the screen size? )
HD is VERY BEAUTIFULL ! ( you can see a pictures of HD in the flash your b&o tread )
With the PS3 :
I just try a game (in game mode), Looks very good and no lag for me..
Movie (in movie mode), WAOW ! Looks very detailled and the black is fantastic !
SOUND
Here i'm confused. I don't really know if it's good or very good. On the BV8-32 sound was more...agressive.
Now it's clean but there's no bass. I think this tv must be incredible with beolabs connected and the speakers from the v1 as Center.
New to B&O -> MEDIA ACCES :
I have acces to my computer with PS3 media server to music, pictures and movies.
And I must say that it works very well ! I play a HD movie(MKV) and I had no Lag, no difference between picture and sound.
Music is also fin, but I still love my Beosound 5 encore.
My CONCLUSION :
Positive :
Negative :
I'm verry happy and I love it.It's not a Beovision 10 but for the price it's a really great television.
It's a BEOPLAY product, don't forget it ;-)
It's the ideal solution for me.
If somoene have any idea to connect the ENCORE on the tv or the BEOLAB 4000 on the tv AND the Encore please tell me. I'm sure that there's a solution.
And I don't know which cable I must use to connect the nintendo WII.
Not easy to connect old stuff or no-hdmi stuff ( nintendo WII )
Nintendo WII has no hdmi inputs,so there is only one negative point
First of all congrats on your tv secondly can i ask what size you have?, i was really harsh on the design of this tv when i first looked at it and even now it doesn't 100% blow me away but in black i do find that it looks alot better imo.
I'm actually going back to a dealer next week too try it out with some of my games as the reviews i have read seem a bit negative in that regard. I know alot of you don't game but i do with my kids and partner and i also play online so a good response time and lack of lag is crucial. If the v1 handles gaming effectively for me when i test it next week it may lead to a possible purchase.
I also raised this issue with the dealer about the poor response times with gaming and he said to me did the reviewers have the v1 in eco mode, and said that it might be quicker if the tvs eco mode was set too off.
Reason for my change of heart is solely on the picture and sound performance of this tv i was really impressed when i first saw it at the dealers shop the other day, the sharpness and vibrant clean picture impressed me alot it was displaying the life bluray and there was a scene with a lizard and you could see every individual scale on it's skin and the details in it's eyes was astonishing and that was on the 32" so i can only imagine what it would look like on a 40".
I also enquired about playing a wii console and the dealer said that you can get a mini av adapter which would make it possible to play a wii, shinobi52 might be worth going to your dealer too find out. Also the new wii U will be coming out soon and that will be hd compatible via hdmi and the good thing about that is the backward compatibility it will have with with old nintendo wii games aswell...
I'm really thinking long and hard about this tv as the size difference will play a big part, i will be going from a 50" back to a 40" i really wish that b&0 would bring out a 46" alongside the 40" and 32" v1s
Beoplay A2
If been told that if the V1 sells very well there might be a 46 inch version.