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
BeoVision Eclipse 55”, Beolab 18s, Beolab 19s, Beosound 1, Beoplay P2, H3, BeoRemote One IR, BeoRemote One BT, Beoplay S8, Beosound Essence MkII, BeoTime
Chris Hassell:Oooh - is it good? Does it work when the TV/Music is on? What sort of stuff do you have programmed and is it all through IFTTT? BV11-46, Beoplay A2, H3 ANC, Beo 4, Beoplay S8, Beosound Essence MkII
mjmedlo:I'm using Alexa to trigger all kinds of scenes and B&O product. Anyone else?
Yes I am using Alexa. For the time being, I am using Alexa to control lights, order from Amazon, and listening to internet radio in the evening. I have ordered the Lutron Caseta light switches which can now be controlled by Alexa and also Beolink control. I have also ordered the Dot version and a remote control.
I especially like the voice control of the lighting. There are a lot of possibilities. Amazon has another hit product.
I actually just bought one today! I see great potential. However, they need to do a better job integrating the Philips Hue API features natively -- and not rely on IFTTT. For example, telling it to turn off all lights when you have 38 lights usually ends up with a few lights not turning off. Also, it does not trigger Hue scenes. The benefit of using the Hue API features is that the lights get reached far more efficiently. Also, I hope to see direct integration with the BLGW that does not rely solely on IFTTT. I'm also expecting to see integration with the new Lutron RadioRa 2 bridge (which, btw, does not work with HomeKit). This has great potential as it matures.
Also, I just upgraded from MLGW to BLGW.
Chris Hassell:Oooh - is it good? Does it work when the TV/Music is on? What sort of stuff do you have programmed and is it all through IFTTT?
Does it work when the TV/Music is on? What sort of stuff do you have programmed and is it all through IFTTT?
I find that I need to mute or lower the volume of the TV for Alexa to hear my commands.
beojeff: Chris Hassell:Oooh - is it good? Does it work when the TV/Music is on? What sort of stuff do you have programmed and is it all through IFTTT? I find that I need to mute or lower the volume of the TV for Alexa to hear my commands.
Of course, that could be because B&O loudspeakers make dialog sound so real!
Is Khimo charging a subscription fee to use IFTTT? I see the Khimo is owned by Ikatu, the company that developed the MLGW/BLGW.
beojeff: beojeff: Chris Hassell:Oooh - is it good? Does it work when the TV/Music is on? What sort of stuff do you have programmed and is it all through IFTTT? I find that I need to mute or lower the volume of the TV for Alexa to hear my commands. Of course, that could be because B&O loudspeakers make dialog sound so real!
Make sure you don't listen to any music that says "turn off lights" in the lyrics @beojeff
Chris Hassell: beojeff: beojeff: Chris Hassell:Oooh - is it good? Does it work when the TV/Music is on? What sort of stuff do you have programmed and is it all through IFTTT? I find that I need to mute or lower the volume of the TV for Alexa to hear my commands. Of course, that could be because B&O loudspeakers make dialog sound so real! Make sure you don't listen to any music that says "turn off lights" in the lyrics @beojeff
Even worse: An advertisement on TV that says to buy the entire series of some atrocious TV show! Alexa is linked to one's Amazon account and can make purchases for you.
I'm now thinking of scenarios where Alexa might accidentally make purchases of items that might be embarrassing. I remember once when I received a very large package from Lifestyle AV of some B&O items. It was wrapped with tape labeled "Lifestyle" all over it. My secretary gave me a knowing nod when she brought the package to my office. In the U.S., there is a brand of condoms also by the name "Lifestyle!"
Really interested in your thoughts on MLGW to BLGW @beojeff ! Even though I haven't got either I'm loving all the info for when all mine is put in! Can't wait to play! Maybe we should start a new thread but I didn't want to be presumptuous!
Haha - it does sound like "Misc. ents" on a hotel bill!
Chris Hassell: Really interested in your thoughts on MLGW to BLGW @beojeff ! Even though I haven't got either I'm loving all the info for when all mine is put in! Can't wait to play! Maybe we should start a new thread but I didn't want to be presumptuous!
I might indeed post a thread about making the transition from MLGW to BLGW. I've been studying the training videos for the BLGW -- just as I did for the MLGW two years ago. The programming looks like it might be somewhat faster when setting it up initially. However, it won't be as easy as just importing the MLGW programming and macros from a file. I'm going to need to have the screens side-by-side to rebuild all of the macros. I have quite a lot of macros on my MLGW. I can see a few benefits in the BLGW -- such as integrating the Hue thermostat and IFTTT. I'm curious how the new Hue Scene feature will work. That is, is the BLGW just sending out independent commands to each and every bulb or is it using the actual Scene feature in the Philips Hue API whereby the Hue bridge just sends out one simple command to trigger a scene to all of the bulbs, which actually have the scenes kept in the bulb's memory. If the former is the case, I might still need to use my custom strings for Hue. One benefit of the BLGW that I can see is that we can use the BLGW to trigger actual Hue scenes from Alexa via IFTTT. This cannot be accomplished directly from Alexa to Hue via IFTTT. The BLGW truly is a great way to bridge different systems together!
As a side note, if you haven't made a purchase of the MLGW or BLGW yet, I wouldn't rule out the MLGW. It's still a very satisfying solution, and the second-hand prices are very good.
Chris Hassell:@beojeff Very interested in all of that mate! Hue scene control, Nest integration (oh if we can get the motion sensors to speak to the BLGW!) and the IFTTT stuff. I'm building-out from a BV11 and Essence MKII so very new NL setup - so guessing it's going to be best to go BLGW right? I'm going to throw the "I'd love to have something like Lutron RadioRa2 setup and keypads but apparently they're not available in the UK" challenge at my dealer in the next few weeks. See what they come up with as I'm putting together the plan. I'm still really keen on using the Essence Remote to send commands to the BLGW but you and Seanie are both moving on from that already so I'm aware it's maybe not the best (and I can do without telling guests how to turn lights on etc.)!
I'm building-out from a BV11 and Essence MKII so very new NL setup - so guessing it's going to be best to go BLGW right?
I'm going to throw the "I'd love to have something like Lutron RadioRa2 setup and keypads but apparently they're not available in the UK" challenge at my dealer in the next few weeks. See what they come up with as I'm putting together the plan. I'm still really keen on using the Essence Remote to send commands to the BLGW but you and Seanie are both moving on from that already so I'm aware it's maybe not the best (and I can do without telling guests how to turn lights on etc.)!
@Chris. Either the MLGW or BLGW with work with either NL or ML. A rather stylish advantage that you get with the BLGW since you have a BV11 is that you get the Home Control menu overlay on the TV. You'll probably be looking at 4x the price for a BLGW over an MLGW.
I know that you have an Essence, but have you looked into a second-hand BeoSound 5? I've already recommended to you a Beo6 remote. An absolutely amazing feature of the Beo6 is that it has 2-way communication with a BeoSound 5, showing you all of your music LISTED ON THE REMOTE, lets you search for music by name or artist on the remote, and continues to show the cover art of the music that is playing when you place the remote in the charger. This is a truly amazing feature that B&O never offered for any sound system other than the BeoSound 5 (the full version not the stripped-down Encore). I confess that I'm a bit addicted to the Beo6 -- I just received today a Beo6 that I got for $200 on Ebay. Now I have 5 Beo6 remotes! Have you looked at my photos of my Beo6 screen shots that I posted in the Media section of this site? I added buttons, complete with icons, to trigger specific Philips Hue scenes.
We do think much alike. I'm eager to see the Nest Protect sensors used as triggers for macros on the BLGW, too. I remember you mentioning that you were in Florida on holiday and might return with a BeoVision 10. I was eyeing that same BeoVision 10 on Ebay! It was a great price Did you buy it?
beojeff: @Chris. Either the MLGW or BLGW with work with either NL or ML. A rather stylish advantage that you get with the BLGW since you have a BV11 is that you get the Home Control menu overlay on the TV. You'll probably be looking at 4x the price for a BLGW over an MLGW.
@beojeff - I'm very keen on the overlay - it looks like real fun to play with!! I think a BLGW is about £1k isn't it?
beojeff: I know that you have an Essence, but have you looked into a second-hand BeoSound 5? I've already recommended to you a Beo6 remote. An absolutely amazing feature of the Beo6 is that it has 2-way communication with a BeoSound 5, showing you all of your music LISTED ON THE REMOTE, lets you search for music by name or artist on the remote, and continues to show the cover art of the music that is playing when you place the remote in the charger. This is a truly amazing feature that B&O never offered for any sound system other than the BeoSound 5 (the full version not the stripped-down Encore). I confess that I'm a bit addicted to the Beo6 -- I just received today a Beo6 that I got for $200 on Ebay. Now I have 5 Beo6 remotes! Have you looked at my photos of my Beo6 screen shots that I posted in the Media section of this site? I added buttons, complete with icons, to trigger specific Philips Hue scenes.
I've checked out your photos - it is very cool I have to say, especially with what you've done with it (the Hue stuff is really really clever) - you are indeed a big Beo6 fan :-) so this may not go down well... I'm not keen on it from a design point of view!!! Never have been, even before buying my own B&O stuff. Maybe I need to have a play with one more - I could be convinced! Don't stop taking to me over this please :-p
I think I'm going to go for a Moment as I'm quite a Deezer fan (and looks like they may become a client at work) and very keen on PatternPlay, Mood Wheel etc.
beojeff: We do think much alike. I'm eager to see the Nest Protect sensors used as triggers for macros on the BLGW, too. I remember you mentioning that you were in Florida on holiday and might return with a BeoVision 10. I was eyeing that same BeoVision 10 on Ebay! It was a great price Did you buy it?
I have a feeling the Nest sensors are going to be pretty closed and not usable - but let's hope! I was in Flordia recently but the BeoVision 10 wasn't me!
This week I received my BLGW and replaced my MLGW with the BLGW. Programming was pretty intuitive after having done a lot of programming on the MLGW. Still, this took me several hours since you cannot just import the programming from the MLGW over to the BLGW. You have to start all over again. My observation is that the BLGW responds faster than the MLGW.
As mentioned in another thread, getting an account for remote access to be able to use IFTTT is not at all intuitive. You must request an account from Khimo from WITHIN the setup screen of the BLGW. Then, Khimo emails you, giving you an account as an INSTALLER. That is not enough. You must then go to the Khimo site and make a request from yourself as an installer to yourself as a home owner. Then, you receive an email that gives you a functional account. Note that this account is free only for a 30 day period. After that, you must subscribe at $120 USD a year.
I must say that I was very impressed with how Alexa works with the BLGW via IFTTT! Setting up the IFTTT macros is incredibly easy and fast. Also, the response time from voicing a command to IFTTT to getting the results from BLGW is pretty fast. Here are some useful macros I made for IFTTT via Alexa:
"Alexa: trigger welcome" turns on the lights and tells the Nest thermostat that you are home so it sets a comfortable climate.
"Alexa, trigger goodbye" turns off the lights and sets the B&O into ALL STANDBY.
"Alexa, trigger goodnight" turns off the lights and sets the B&O into ALL STANDBY.
"Alexa, trigger pathway" turns on just the lights needed to find your way to the bathroom or kitchen in the middle of the night.
"Alexa, trigger morning" turns on the lights and turns on the tv to the news channel. (You could also start coffee brewing with wemo.)
"Alexa, trigger standbye" sets the B&O to STANDBY.
"Alexa, trigger jazz" turns on the BeoSound 5 and plays a jazz station set as a favorite.
"Alexa, trigger Bond" turns on the BeoSound 5 and starts the James Bond them (set as a favorite) playing. (I'm goofy but I love this macro!)
"Alexa, trigger pause" pauses the tv program or movie while you run to the bathroom or grab a drink.
"Alexa, trigger sunset" sets the Hue lights to a Hue scene called "sunset." (this is something that can't be done by IFTTT with just Hue and not BLGW)
"Alexa, trigger Istanbul" sets the Hue lights to a Hue scene called "Istanbul Nights"
You can see the possibilities of this! I absolutely love how in the morning before even opening my eyes I can tell Alexa to turn on the lights and start the news playing using BLGW and IFTTT. Also, I find myself just voicing the "welcome" command when I walk in the door. You could even go a step further and using geofencing to trigger this command.
Chris Hassell:Very cool @beojeff ! My dealer has said they might loan me a BLGW to start playing with before my extension is done. Which would be exciting!
My dealer has said they might loan me a BLGW to start playing with before my extension is done. Which would be exciting!
Sounds like a good time to get a Hue starter kit! The BLGW really shines as a way to bridge two or more systems. I was very impressed with how one click could import all of the settings from the Hue system, including lights, scenes, and groups. BLGW was not, however, able to import from RadioRa 2. I had to manually enter the ID for each device and button. Still, this really wasn't that difficult.
I do see some organizational elements missed in BLGW that were present in MLGW. For example, MLGW organized all of the possible resulting commands in crafting macros better than the BLGW does. The BLGW just dumps EVERYTHING into one long list. This reminded me of the nightmare of the early days of the BeoSound 5 BeoConnect software that dumped all of your iTunes music into one single folder. Later versions of BeoConnect property organized into artist and album sub-folders. This is a similar situation with the BLGW. The MLGW let you select the RadioRa 2 device and then select the button on that device. The BLGW requires you to assign each and every button -- which is quite time-consuming.
Chris Hassell:Have you now got the overlay on your TVs @beojeff ? Is it good?
My entire system is MLGW, so I don't have the TV overlay at this time. I'd like to move into NL once B&O has a beosystem that supports UHD and Dolby Atmost. For my music system, I'm very content with my BeoSound 5 and see moving to the current NL music systems as losing much of what I have now with the BeoSound 5 -- 2-way control with the Beo6 and Beo6 searching and cover art. Also, The BeoSound 5 lets me control playlists and favorites through MLGW/BLGW macros. It truly is amazing.
That being said, here is my opinion of the virtual interface -- which would be what we would get on a TV. Unlike the MLGW, the BLGW dumps EVERYTHING into the interface! It's a total mess. One would need to take some time to edit and organize the virtual interface for it to be usable. For example, seeing 35 Hue lights and 49 Hue scenes on the TV interface just isn't practical.
Having had the BLGW for a week now, I've successfully programmed everything that I had in the MLGW to the BLGW. There was no easy migration feature to achieve this. I had to reprogram every macro manually! To me, the biggest improvement in the BLGW over the MLGW is the ability to incorporate IFTTT via Amazon Echo. This adds an all new dimension to beointegration and beoliving. I must say that I absolutely love it! Without an Amazon Echo, I would not see much difference between the MLGW and the BLGW. The MLGW is a perfectly good product and there are great deals for it on the second-hand market.
Chris Hassell:I can see I'm going to be getting an Alexa soon I've heard the Beolink and Beomusic apps are moving into one. Hopefully this sorts some stuff out with their approach to music and home integration (BLGW playlist selection etc). Also when you say about manually editing the TV interface @beojeff - is this possible? BV11-46, Beoplay A2, H3 ANC, Beo 4, Beoplay S8, Beosound Essence MkII
mjmedlo:It is certainly possible to manually edit the TV interface. Assuming of course you were talking about the TV information being the overlay from the BLGW.
Hi -
Glad to see this topic. I just got a Dot. Linked it via Bluetooth. Problem I am having is that when I use a media server source for a while and then go back to Alexa, while it shows connected via Bluetooth and it is "speaking" no sound is coming out of the speaker. What am I missing?
Oddly I could go back and forth with an IPhone Bluetooth connection and media server sources without issue. Any help appreciated