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
Hi All
I have a set of totally restored BL Penta 3 connected to my Moment, and they sound amazing, but I am a bit disappointed that the Moment team has not implemented the display control as it should be.
First, if I set the display to "AUDIO", and turn on the Moment, the display starts blinking "LOAD TAPE", this goes on for some seconds, and then it shows "A.TP2 _ XX", where XX is the volume. Every time you turn the volume up/down, the display goes back to blinking "LOAD TAPE", and then back to the "A.TP2..." display.
The source "A.TP2" is always shown, no matter what the source playing on the Moment is.
Worst is that the display does not shut off when the Moment is in std.by. Then the display shows "A.TP2 _ _"
I have just turned my display off by selecting "VIDEO", but it is a shame that it is not implemented properly in my opinion, especially since in the speaker list, "Beolab Penta" is available.
Has anyone else connected Penta 3's to the newer tv's and is the display working properly there ?
I guess it is difficult for the new software developers employed by B&O, to support legacy products, but it is a shame, since this is what we have always been used to with B&O, that the older products always worked with the new.
The Moment is also behaving very strange if a 2-way IR signal is sent from BL5000/7000, so the IR protocol is also not handled as strict and correct as the older products.
Don't know if it is me that expect too much from the newer products?
/Jacob
Carolpa:The same for the Essence and the Ml/NL converter NL doesn't seem to support the older displays info.
NL doesn't seem to support the older displays info.
What a shame, it should be "easy" to implement it correct, since the volume is already correct. It seems they have implemented it to some point, but just not finished it.
But, I would expect the display to work correct, since the Penta speakers are in the list of speakers on the Moment.
Oh well, I will just keep them in the "VIDEO" position.
IIRC then A.TP2 was replaced by N.MUSIC as systems were modernised - keeping the IR and datalink codes unchanged.
Hence it would seem that the Moment is sending out the correct N.MUSIC signal, it is just that the Pentas are giving the original data interpretation.
(EDIT: Sorry, IIRC = If I Recall Correctly!)
Weebyx: Don't know if it is me that expect too much from the newer products? /Jacob
I'd say, yes it is!
These displays and the technology behind them were in speaker that - depending on which - are 20 years or more old.
At some time B&O decided not to send the information to speakers - means the newer speakers came without a display.
So why should they - 20 years later - waste resources on an obsolte solution!
Personally, I also found it handsome at that time, especially when the speakers were in a linkroom.
But what could be displayed (apart from of course the volume) was based on the sources of that time - and those were quite limited.
Imagine that these displays should show the actual sources of today.
That would require a hardware update or at least in some cases a software update of the display - it is not just a matter of what the source/the Moment could send.
The sources of today are named in in the language, that you choose as default for your system (using a BeoRemote One for example)...
Furthermore, I am not sure people of today would be happy with just the name of the source, They would (I would anyway) want to display information the content of what is played e.g. the Radio Station, the logo and the artist, the song......
All things, that might be technological possible, but would it make sense on a speaker?
Anyway, B&O decided early not to do so. Every company has to decide, which features they must offer and which not - B&O concentrated on other features.
Nowadays we get the information of source, the content etc from the display of a smart device = from the control app used/the Beomusic or Bang & Olufsen app. The BS5 showed it and the current BS Moment does it on the device itself.
And there are people who don't care at all for any kind of 'display' - they just push play and listen.
I have - years ago - accepted that it was good then, but of no use anymore - apart from that all my 'display-speakers' are long gone......I upgraded ;-)
MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
Millemissen: Weebyx: Don't know if it is me that expect too much from the newer products? /Jacob I'd say, yes it is! These displays and the technology behind them were in speaker that - depending on which - are 20 years or more old. ..... I have - years ago - accepted that it was good then, but of no use anymore - apart from that all my 'display-speakers' are long gone......I upgraded ;-) MM To some degree I understand and agree with you, but when "Beolab Penta" is an option that can be selected in the speaker menu of the Moment, then I would think that they had thought about also implementing the display as good as they can. When listening to TuneIn, the display can show "RADIO", Line-In could show "AUX", Deezer could show "CD", and at least the display could shut down when the Moment goes to std.by :) And not go into "Load Tape" mode. I know they cannot show the sources of "today" but it could still be better than now. The information is still a part of the Powerlink Protocol. This is not some "100 dollar" sound system, and I expect the best from Bang & Olufsen, this is why I still buy it :) And "wasting resources" on the old "display speakers using powerlink" is not that big a deal. It almost works as it is, just needs a bit of tweaking. My Penta speakers still sound fantastic, and I don't have issues with the wireless issues with the newer speakers using BeoSound Moment, and I will not spend that kind of money on speakers "of today" that has problems with the sound system "of today" :) /Jacob
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To some degree I understand and agree with you, but when "Beolab Penta" is an option that can be selected in the speaker menu of the Moment, then I would think that they had thought about also implementing the display as good as they can.
When listening to TuneIn, the display can show "RADIO", Line-In could show "AUX", Deezer could show "CD", and at least the display could shut down when the Moment goes to std.by :) And not go into "Load Tape" mode.
I know they cannot show the sources of "today" but it could still be better than now. The information is still a part of the Powerlink Protocol.
This is not some "100 dollar" sound system, and I expect the best from Bang & Olufsen, this is why I still buy it :) And "wasting resources" on the old "display speakers using powerlink" is not that big a deal. It almost works as it is, just needs a bit of tweaking.
My Penta speakers still sound fantastic, and I don't have issues with the wireless issues with the newer speakers using BeoSound Moment, and I will not spend that kind of money on speakers "of today" that has problems with the sound system "of today" :)
You don't need to justify or explain, why you use the Penta's - they are exellent speakers.
I guess there are tons of 'not a big deal'-things, that B&O could do or could have done.
They choose not to!
The Penta's beeing in the list of the newer tv's/Moment/Essence however, has nothing to do with 'display'.
It is simply a way to tell the audio engine, that speakers with a certain capability are connected, in order to get the best sound from the tv/the Moment/the Essence. In many receivers/prepros you can choose between 'small or big speakers' - the audio engine in a B&O device is a bit more sophisticated.
Enjoy your Penta's....with or without display ;-)
First of all, will focus on the topic - the Penta Display.As these speakers are available at some ridiculous low prices today in 2018, I see several in my network who buy them and restore them to new beauty. And with todays components it is possible to make them even better sounding. I have just undergone a restoration of a set I bought for 300€ they are fantastic.
The display on my newly restored sets, are also showing wrong sources. The text shown on the displays reside on the display board inside the speaker, they are stored in a PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory) As the unit was designed in the late 1980's early 1990's that PROM could have a complimentary EPROM - erasable. I intend to look into that and see if some replacement PROM's are an option. Equipment to read the PROM and write a new one should be available. Most likely they are INTEL PROM's based on B&O's long legacy with Intel.SECOND, During my search for a solution I have heard about a guy in the UK who designed a fully functioning TWO LINE DISPLAY - that didn't use the pre-stored logical PROM values, but actually showed the DATALINK BROADCAST from the system - and that meant his display would also show for example the title of the music playing etc. if the system was a Beomaster 6500/7000 and Beocenter 9500 which were to my knowledge the last systems with a fully functioning B&O Datalink. Perhaps first Ouverture also had it.I would VERY MUCH LIKE if someone who knows about this guy, would drop a line here. P.S. I apologize in advance if my information above is factually incorrect, as much is hear/say on these forums. I happily stand corrected if that's the case.