Thanks for that Philippe,

Not got it working yet but think probably down to a dodgy masterlink connection to the beoport - work for the weekend!

Dylan

dylan wrote:

Thanks for that Philippe,

Not got it working yet but think probably down to a dodgy masterlink connection to the beoport - work for the weekend!

Dylan

philippe wrote:

Also you should connect everything, start LinkPlayer and then only configure the PC source in the BV7 menu.

P.

Just to clarify Philippe's point in case the problem is not a dodgy connection.

First of all get the Mac working.

Start Linkplayer.

Then, and only then, go to your PV7 menu and add PC as a source.

This is because of the handshaking that goes on the MasterLink when you add PC as a source to the BV7.

I have occaisionaly had to re-add the PC as a source to my BV8 to force the Mac and BeoPort and BeoVision to resynch and recognise each other.

Thanks for this. I definititely hadn't done this before having added linkplayer in last. However, this morning I re-added the PC to BV7 and still didn't work but am now wondering if I might have turned linkplayer off first. Will give it another go and hopefully avoid fiddling around with my masterlink junction box wiring.

Dylan,

Quit and Restart LinkPlayer,

On you Beo4, press TV.

Go to Windows > Console, and click Send to send me the Log.

I'll be able to see what happens (or what does not happen ;-) )

P.

hi,

i am very intrigued by this :

elephant wrote:

The approach that Philippe and I are working on is to have LinkPlayer automatically switch the MacMini's audio between digital (HDMI) and analogue (the cable we tried and then removed).  This will be the program-driven equivalent of what you and I did yesterday ... change the MacMini's System Preferences -- Sound from headphone to BeoVision 7 HDMI - and get analogue all you need to do is switch BeoVision HDMI to Headphones ... with the cable we removed plugged in !!!!!

if i understand, it is possible to connect the mac mini via hdmi to a bv7 for high-quality video playback and to a beoport via the headphone jack for analog stero playback on n.music. this is great.

what is even better is if linkplayer can automatically switch the output to analog depending on the source that is selected. but does this mean that linkplayer must be somehow used to initiate video playback on the bv7 ? 

thanks,

scott

scott451 wrote:

hi,

i am very intrigued by this :

elephant wrote:

The approach that Philippe and I are working on is to have LinkPlayer automatically switch the MacMini's audio between digital (HDMI) and analogue (the cable we tried and then removed).  This will be the program-driven equivalent of what you and I did yesterday ... change the MacMini's System Preferences -- Sound from headphone to BeoVision 7 HDMI - and get analogue all you need to do is switch BeoVision HDMI to Headphones ... with the cable we removed plugged in !!!!!

 

if i understand, it is possible to connect the mac mini via hdmi to a bv7 for high-quality video playback and to a beoport via the headphone jack for analog stero playback on n.music. this is great.

what is even better is if linkplayer can automatically switch the output to analog depending on the source that is selected. but does this mean that linkplayer must be somehow used to initiate video playback on the bv7 ? 

thanks,

scott

Hi Scott,

the answers are

1) yes: LinkPlayer can "connect the mac mini via hdmi to a bv7 for high-quality video playback and to a beoport via the headphone jack for analog stero playback on n.music."

2) yes: "linkplayer can automatically switch the output to analog depending on the source that is selected"

analogue sources for ML broadcast via the BeoPort are:

• Net-Music
• Net-Radio

the ML broadcast includes meta-data for display on various BeoSounds.

3) no: "does this mean that linkplayer must be somehow used to initiate video playback on the bv7", but let me explain:

with my set-up pressing the Beo4 [PC] soft key brings up the LinkPlayer menu on my BeoVision 8; I can then select using the Beo4 "cursor" control the following sources:

• iTunes - plays music through the BV's HDMI connection and displays cover art
• LinkMusic - plays music through the BV's HDMI connection and displays cover art
• LinkVideo - plays videos on the BV from your directories of video files
• FrontRow - plays music through the invoked Apple interface but control via the Beo4 and BV's PUC using the HDMI connection and displays cover art - Music Videos and video podcasts are displayed in full screen mode - so are iTunes stored movies and TV shows, including meta-data based navigation (i.e. series and episodes structures)
• PLEX - plays music and/or videos through the invoked interface controlled via the Beo4 and BV's PUC using the HDMI connection - including movie and TV show navigation with superior meta-data information
•  eyeTV recordings - access to the eyeTV recordings (again driven via Beo4 PUC)
• eyeTV live TV - access whatever stations have been set-up via my elgato eyeTV hybrid adapter: analogue broadcasts, digital freeview broadcasts, and composite signals of broadcasts on my Foxtel

The last option I do not often use, simply because pressing [TV], [DTV] or [V-AUX] gives me that direct access bypassing the Mac and LinkPlayer (or if you prefer ... frees up LinkPlayer to be used for Net-Music or Net-Radio).

The other LinkPlayer sources are: Mac Sound (could be used for playing games? or whatever, I have not used that), or support of an attached Beosound/Beomaster - this too I have not used.

I hope that helps illustrate the immense flexibility that Philippe has delivered via LinkPlayer - quite frankly we are spoilt for choice - I use the bits I like, and my wife the bits she prefers - and its all seamless :)

wow,

that's impressive. how do you control the mac mini via beo4, do you have an ir receiver connected to your beoport ?

will plex playback work on a link tv as well ?

thanks for all the great information !

- scott

scott451 wrote:

wow,

that's impressive. how do you control the mac mini via beo4, do you have an ir receiver connected to your beoport ?

will plex playback work on a link tv as well ?

thanks for all the great information !

- scott

Hi Scott,

the IR PUC/blaster is connected from the BV to the IR receiver on the MacMini; the BeoPort has three connections: audio jack for ... well audio, USB for control and data signals to and from LinkPlayer on the MacMini, and a MasterLink for broadcasting the audio, control, and data to the rest of the B&O network (BeoLabs, BosSounds, BeoVisions).

My BV8 does not translate the HDMI digital video & audio signals for broadcasting on its RF-out for link rooms.  However I believe that a recent software upgrade has given BV7s that capability.  As you probably know the BV7 internals are the superior BeoSystem 3; the BV8 is a more economically produced TV.

PS/BTW, you don't have to have a BeoPort - the solution was designed to exploit the BeoPort, however when Cliff installed his MacMini without any BeoPort Philippe kindly tweaked the LinkPlayer so that a reasonable amount of control and usage can be achieved with just the PUC to the MacMini.  However there is no Net.Music/Net.Radio support for link rooms.

PhilLondon wrote:

Dylan,

Quit and Restart LinkPlayer,

On you Beo4, press TV.

Go to Windows > Console, and click Send to send me the Log.

I'll be able to see what happens (or what does not happen ;-) )

P.

Sorry Philippe - wasn't ignoring your offer - real life has got in the way of sorting out my Linkplayer-MacMini - hopefully will be able to look at again over the next few days and, if necessary, will send you the console output.

thanks

Dylan

Regarding just the audio output on mac mini;

Is it a bad idea to look further for a solution that converts/resamples the outgoing audio from the mac mini to i.e. dolby digital or ac3 on everything it plays (on the fly) like ac3filter does on windows. ?

That way all audio would go through the spdif/toslink and all audio would be recognized without using dac´s and analog cables.

My current config is with only the digital cable (toslink->coax) connected since macmini only has one audio out port, so for now I of course only hear sound during surround playback, and on a computer there are so many other formats you want to play...