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
On a whim I bought a used BeoSystem 4.
The seller had an old Beo4 remote that he included as part of the deal. My kids think it's the coolest remote they've ever seen.
I've connected the HDMI out of the BS4 to HDMI in on my Sony TV, and have given the BS4 a test HDMI input as well.
The BeoSystem powers on and, for a brief moment, looks entirely happy. I get the BANG & OLUFSEN logo shimmer in the centre of the Sony display and then nothing. Black screen. I can hear it and it gets warm, but that's the extent of my interaction.
As for the Beo4, it's clearly a super ancient version in that it has "TAPE" buttons. I have no idea how to configure it, or whether it'll ever work in this setup, particularly as everything I can find refers to later designs that have "MEM" buttons instead.
My questions are:
Happy xmas!
Beovision Horizon 48, Beolab 17, Beolab 19, Core, Beosound Stage w/ Sony, BeoSystem 4, Beoplay M3
Beolab 28s Beolab 9s Beolab 12-3s Beolab 1s Beolab 6000s 2 pairs Beolab 4000s Beovision 7-55 Beovision 10-40 Beoplay V1 32 inch Beovision Avant 32 inch Beosound 1 (CD player) Beosound 3000 Beosound 5 Core Essence MKII Beoplay M5
There are some things to concider here.
First: do you have the IR eye connected!?
Otherweise no beoremote will help you.
The old Beo4 can basicly be used - however, if you want to use that, you will have to configure the BSys4 for that.
(A Beo4 with navi would be better overall).
It is essential that you can call up the Menu of the system - otherweise you won’t be able to configure the (HDMI) inputs, the speaker output etc.
Also the tuner needs to be configured - or maybe disabled.
Some more details are needed in order to help you.
The User Guide might give you some hints:
https://bangolufsenassistentgohe.blob.core.windows.net/manuals/TELEVISIONS/BEOSYSTEM_4_WITH_BEO4/EN-1404EN_BeoSystem_4_EU_WEB.pdf
MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
Thanks both. As a Beovision virgin my understanding of these things is nil, so as always I appreciate your patience.
It will come as no surprise to hear I don't have any IR receivers or transmitters connected to the BeoSystem 4.
The link to the BS4 guide MM kindly provided shows RJ45 sockets labelled "EXT. IR" and "IR / AUTO CONTRAST" which is presumably what I need to fill. However, all the IR related items on eBay, and Steve's "Beolink Infra Red Remote Eye" product, have 3.5mm jack type sockets.
There is an "IR Eye/Receiver Cable for B&O BeoSystem 4" on eBay but this leads to bare wires for a BeoLink IR Eye/Receiver. I'm kind of thinking these are all things B&O guys just have lying about in a drawer somewhere?
What am I missing exactly? What do I need to buy?
Did you ask the previous owner?
A good B&O dealer should be able to help.
Must be something like this:
Millemissen:First: do you have the IR eye connected!? Otherweise no beoremote will help you.
Note: hopefully the Beosystem 4 is setup normally, otherwise this maybe will not work.
From the tidbit you kindly provided I found the following 2018 thread:
https://archivedforum2.beoworld.org/forums/t/34822.aspx
I'm going to lash something together in the office workshop and update this thread in the event some other lost soul acquires a BeoSystem years from now and wonders what the heck to do with it!
Carolpa: Millemissen:First: do you have the IR eye connected!? Otherweise no beoremote will help you.One can use the B&o app as remote (no IR eye necessary). Be sure the Beosystem is connected to your LAN. Note: hopefully the Beosystem 4 is setup normally, otherwise this maybe will not work
Note: hopefully the Beosystem 4 is setup normally, otherwise this maybe will not work
Confess I have not thought of using the app. Only just realised that deep into the BeoVision section, over on the far right, joy of joys, is a BeoSystem 4
Will report back.
Well, dang. Connecting via Ethernet and the app sees it within a few seconds of powering up.
Have reached a dead end. There is a user defined PIN that's been set and, according to the manual, this code can't be removed without having the PIN in advance to deactivate it. Or it requires the involvement of B&O.
Have gotten in touch with the seller. Won't accept commands without it.
65535: Well, dang. Connecting via Ethernet and the app sees it within a few seconds of powering up.
Everything is peachy...
Apart from the fact I believed the BeoSystem 4 was WiSA capable. However, on close inspection of both the documentation MM linked earlier and the interface itself, there is no means of connecting my BL17s and BL19 wirelessly.
Argh.
Is the only route here to repurpose my Transmitter 1? i.e. using short patch cables from the PLx outputs of the BeoSystem 4 to the inputs of the Transmitter 1. The only other option I can think of is something like an old Avant, or an Eclipse, but really the entire point of me fiddling about with a BS4 route was to avoid paying the "BV tax"!
Living Room: Beosystem 4, Beolab 7-2 (Center), Beolab 9 (Fronts), Beolab 8000 (Rears), no Subwoofer. Screen: Sony KD-85XH9096Dining Room: Beosound Essence MK II with Beolab 4000 on stands, fed by Amazon Echo Show 8Home Cinema: Beosystem 4, Beolab 7-4 (Center), Beolab 1 (Fronts), Beolab 4000 (Rears). Projector: Sony VPL-HW55Home Office: Beosystem 3, Beolab 7-4, Beolab 5000, Screen: Sony KD-55XH9005 on Beovision 7-40 stand, ML to Beosound 9000 MK3 and Beosound 5/Beomaster 5 (1 TB SSD version)Bedroom: Sony KD-65XH9077, Beosound Essence MK II with Beolab 6002 and Beolab 11 (all white, wall-mounted)
In storage: Beolab 5000/Beomaster 5000 (1960s).
Update!
Discovered my BeoSystem 4 doesn't understand HDMI-CEC meaning I need more cables to go the PUC route.
I have a question:
My Bravia KD-65X9005A does not have a PUC table specific to it. There are a bunch of Sony appliances listed as downloadable PUC entries on the BS4, including PlayStations and Blu-ray players and so on, but no 'Generic Sony Display' or suchlike.
There must be a way to configure this, so that my BeoRemote can control both the Apple TV and the Sony? The BR talks to the BeoSystem via infrared, but whether it's capable of controlling multiple external devices simultaneously is an unknown for me.
** EDIT >>
eBay item as below is a "dual" cable and looks to do what I want?
BeoSystem 4 | RJ45 STB PUC IR Blaster Transmitter for Bang & Olufsen B&O (3 M)https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154592971061
kallasr:Transmitter 1 is the way to go. If you run into trouble connecting wirelessly you might want to disable the 5 Ghz band of your WLAN (helped me as far as I remember). WISA was not very stable in my setup so I changed to wired connections again. Ralf
If you run into trouble connecting wirelessly you might want to disable the 5 Ghz band of your WLAN (helped me as far as I remember).
WISA was not very stable in my setup so I changed to wired connections again.
Ralf
Ralf, apologies, I missed your response. Thank you, I am now testing fine with a Transmitter 1.
I think I had Googled whether the BS4 supported WiSA, and for whatever reason hadn't investigated much beyond the first result I found. Should teach me a lesson really.
The costs for PUC cables is not really worth mentioning - contact Steve Sounds Heavenly for this or your dealer, if you should need that.Read the User Guide carefully for how to connect things. There is no way around that…..if you have no (B&O) experience and want to do it on your own.
By the way - I would not call the BSys4 ‘antique’ just because it has no support for CEC. In your case you might only want to use it a an audio motor, for which it is excellent (rightly programmed).
You might need to experiment with the already loaded PUC codes….or download new (which can be done online).
Why do you want the Beoremote One/BT to control the ATV/Sony?
First of all you must decide whether you want to control the BSys4 with the connected ATV etc and send the picture to the Sony tv (and to turn this on)?
Or if you want to use/control the Sony tv with the connected ATV and route the sound to the BSys4?
Two different approaches, ways to do this.
In the first case - see illustration/example below
In the second case - you will have to connect a sound output of the Sony tv to an input of the BSys4…and choose this for sound control (depending on the speakers you have connected there).
Thanks MM.
I prefer Apple's Siri remote, but my experience with the Horizon was that the BeoRemote is the only viable option when it comes to waking and sleeping. The Horizon has the worst combination of no infrared and no CEC, meaning the Apple TV can't power the Horizon on or off. Something like a BV14 or an Avant would be different given the knowledge I've acquired on the first generation Siri remote's ability to talk the B&O IR frequency.
Anyway, the Horizon therefore has to be controlled via PUC with a BeoRemote, and I'm doing my best to get used to it!
Given the two options you provided, the second of which I'd not fully considered, my understanding is that both would involve a BeoRemote anyway - because the BS4 needs to be woken from sleep in either case, and the Siri remote can't do that. At least, if there is a way, I'm all ears!
Perhaps it was unfair to call the BS4 an antique so I deleted that quip in my edit of my last message (where I also updated the post with a link to a dual PUC cable I'd found on eBay).
Technically the BSys4 ‘needs’ a Beoremote One/IR or a Beoremote One/BT in IR mode - or the Beo4 (best with navi).
P.S. Older Apple remotes had an option to learn ir commands:
https://www.groovypost.com/howto/control-tv-volume-power-apple-tv-remote/
I have no personal experience with this and B&O/BSys4 - but this has been discussed somewhere on the forum.
re: second option above (using BS4 as the audio engine)
I've bought an S/PDIF Toslink > coaxial Toslink converter in order to go from my Sony TV (optical) to the rear of the BS4 (not optical). I chose a small device from Amazon which could be powered from the USB socket on the rear of the BeoSystem and it's working nicely; I only mention this in the event someone else wants to do the same.
But, I'm now at a bit of a loss how to configure the BS4.
The Apple TV continues to be connected to the Sony TV, where I can control it via the Siri Remote, and the optical audio output from the Sony runs via the converter into to the digital audio in on the BS4.
I've created an "AV" source in the config and set S/PDIF to "On".
But (and I'm guessing here) the BeoSystem doesn't seem to like the fact it is only being fed audio, and shuts down shortly afterwards. If I run an HDMI cable from the Apple TV to the input of the BS4, this doesn't happen.
Is there some sort of Eco setting I've missed?
The best way to connect is to use hdmi splitter off the appletv and connect that into the beosystem4 as well as the tv - then you need a hdmi edid emulator plugged into the hdmi out of the Beosystem 4 so the Beosystem 4 won’t switch off. Doing it this way means that you don’t need the sp/dif cable and you’ll get full 5.1 sound through the hdmi cable.
A emulator such as this one should do the trick
https://www.amazon.com/gofanco-Prophecy-Emulator-Passthrough-Adapter/dp/B094XP8814/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=edid%2Bemulator&qid=1641913125&sr=8-8&th=1
Thank you for the suggestion.
I've managed to configure the BS4 such that it plays S/PDIF from the Sony TV without video, without interruption, hooray, but haven't yet got past the BS4 going to sleep when the TV is off and the audio stream is nil. I suspect the HDMI route won't alter this behaviour but will try.
My problem with the BS4 going to sleep is that the only way to wake it is to use the Beo4 or B&O in-app remote, then wait n seconds for it to sort itself out. My family won't stomach this.
I think we've all gotten so used to the no-nonsense, braindead simplicity of HDMI-CEC, and of products like the Stage - which do not require any interaction once installed - that this might be a road to nowhere for me.
65535: My problem with the BS4 going to sleep is that the only way to wake it is to use the Beo4 or B&O in-app remote, then wait n seconds for it to sort itself out. My family won't stomach this. I think we've all gotten so used to the no-nonsense, braindead simplicity of HDMI-CEC, and of products like the Stage - which do not require any interaction once installed - that this might be a road to nowhere for me.
That IMO should not be the biggest problem of the world.
And...in my experience CEC is not always reliable.
Looking forward to hear how you get along.
You're right of course MM, the notion that having to - gasp! - manually power on an appliance is some sort of modern day tragedy is overdramatic nonsense on my part.
But I know full well that I'll get pushback from my users, given the current setup is simplicity itself (press MENU on the Siri remote, that's it).
As a note to any future Google searcher landing here, the S/PDIF route means the volume level from the Sony TV is of course fixed, so to be able to alter the volume on the BS4 I have to:
65535: Update! Discovered my BeoSystem 4 doesn't understand HDMI-CEC meaning I need more cables to go the PUC route. I have a question: My Bravia KD-65X9005A does not have a PUC table specific to it. There are a bunch of Sony appliances listed as downloadable PUC entries on the BS4, including PlayStations and Blu-ray players and so on, but no 'Generic Sony Display' or suchlike. There must be a way to configure this, so that my BeoRemote can control both the Apple TV and the Sony? The BR talks to the BeoSystem via infrared, but whether it's capable of controlling multiple external devices simultaneously is an unknown for me. ** EDIT >> eBay item as below is a "dual" cable and looks to do what I want? BeoSystem 4 | RJ45 STB PUC IR Blaster Transmitter for Bang & Olufsen B&O (3 M)https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154592971061
Can you update the PUC table in the BeoVision ? See this text:
Your BeoSystem 4 must have your device equipment loaded into the software list. For example, if you wish to connect an Apple TV and control it through your BeoVision TV and remote control, the setup list for the source connections must show Apple TV or Apple Remote under set-top box. If your BeoSystem does not show your equipment in the list of sources, then a PUC software update may be required. This is carried out by the on-screen menu (when connected to the internet) or via your authorised Bang & Olufsen dealer/installation engineer. If the TV/equipment is connected to the internet, the list can be updated via an online software update. Alternatively, the software can be downloaded to your computer (via the Bang & Olufsen website) and transferred to a USB memory stick. The memory stick can then be plugged into your TV and a software update completed (dependent on specific model).
- Beovision Eclipse 55 Mk2 - Beolab 19 - Beosound Shape - Oppo UDP-203
I see your dilemma.
However, I would never sacrifice good sound just to be able to skip one single touch on the beoremote (and use the volume control there)…..well, two for turning off, too.
From your listed devices I see, that the Sony has the Stage connected - so it should be pretty good as is.
Maybe in the end you have no need for a BSys4….but it was good to learn a bit about it.
And you can safely sell it, knowing that it works as supposed to.
I’m puzzled. I’ve given you the read0n of why the Beosystem switches off due to the lack of EDID and you talk about CEC - which is quite different.
My continuing reference to CEC is more a reflection of my mental state
With few exceptions every item of A/V equipment in my home is interoperable via CEC down to the horrid orange/brown plastic 2009 LG monstrosity in the spare room. No cables, no setup files, no hair lost. Stick an Apple TV in an HDMI socket and boom, done.
Update.
I've borrowed an 8-port HDMI splitter from work, which is overkill, and worked out why I'm getting odd behaviour when switching the BS4 into standby: it's because I'm powering the A/V tools off the USB on the BeoSystem which goes dead when the unit is in standby.
So to summarise, I'm an idiot
I've setup 4x BL17s and BL19 with the BS4 and am trialling it on the family this weekend. I still need a centre channel that I don't currently have, and am browsing eBay for a used 7.2 unless anyone has a better suggestion.
Having wired up an IR-eye with the correct cable, a final snag is my Beo4 is I believe too early for the BeoSystem: it lacks the navigation button. I can do everything from set the volume, display menus, and so on, but not go up and down the menu entries. I've had to steal the BeoRemote One from the Horizon.
The Stage has been decommissioned. I'd forgotten just how superior the sound is from a proper surround setup. The Stage is good, but it's good like a BeoSound 1, i.e. 'modern good' and no replacement for old fashioned separated sound.
Be sure to get that 7.2 for the center channel!
That would be a killer setup
By the way - you can navigate in the menus with the old Beo4 when you user 1,2.3 etc downwards for the entries in the menu.
But do get the Beo4/Navi anyway - it will make things a lot easier.
Looking forward to hear what you and the family think, once setup properly.