Am I right in saying, For those who have seen it, that you cannot just play a CD or DVD in it? everything has to be streamed?

It may be a false rumour but it was a strong source, If thats the case would you pay alot for a music/radio streamer? especially as all your amps etc are in your speakers?

BS

It cant play CD or DVd. It doesnt stream from PC. You transfer files to beomedia and it plays from there. So its a bit more then a streamer. It adds a mediacenter to your TV pretty much like the beomedia if I understood the postings here correct.

JK 

Aha many thanks JK, A very good sum up of posts I have obviously missed, Maybe I am being a bit of a dinosaur but do people not still like to occasionally just put a CD or DVD into the player? Or does everybody just download and I am behind the times?

 BS

BS: I think you might be a bit behind the crest of a breaking wave, but you're not far behind....  I am fortunate to have a BS-9000 and an AppleTV in my living room: and while I find myself using the ATV more and more, I am not yet ready to box up the 9000.  On the other hand, my former house-mate has a 400-450 disc DVD collection, which continues to grow...while I findd that I don't want to own movies or TV shows, on-line rental suits me quite well.  On the other hand, I have several hundred CD's filed and stored in various parts of the house, and for casual listening, which really is any listening in which I am not firmly planted in front of the speakers, I find the convenience of a pure digital solution terribly convenient, and honestly who notices the difference in sound quality while cooking, reading a magazine, or talking with friends over a couple of drinks?  If BM/BS-5 can make this experience easier, or in some way more compelling, then I am dying to see it!

TGW: Given the recent price increases, the BeoSound 9000 isn't priced that far off of the expected MSRP of the 5.  Given the storage, and lacking only the AAC codec, I can't see comparing it to the 3200 either.  I wonder how many of us here remember 12 years ago when the 9000 rolled out at $4000USD in an era when one could buy a 10-CD changer from Sony for 1/10th that price?  What did one actually get for that premium?  I for one got a machine which is still in daily use after more than a decade.  Let's wait just a bit longer before passing judgement. 

I apologize if this question (1) has been asked before, or (2) is blasphemous to the B&O community: 

Have we asked ourselves what the Beosound 5 will provide to Beophiles? Will the Beosound 5 be another product that's viewed as too little too late? Will the wow factor be in the design, or in the functionality? How friendly will it be if it is the only B&O product in one's household?

I can understand paying a decent premium for design and materials (seriously), but I think gone are the days in which B&O can compete solely on design. Is the real innovation in the Beosound 5 innovation for a B&O product, or innovation in the general world of a home entertainment experience?

I am eager to see this product, as from all accounts from people in the know, it is a watershed release. (though, obviously, people in the know have been drinking the B&O Kool-Aid). 😎

-Sal

I am sure that some of us will moan because it will not have this feature the rumour said it will have, or the XYZ++ codec and so on.

But I am also sure the BS5 will be a great product, and will show the new direction that B&O wants to take. I am expecting it to prepare the way for the new all digital masterlink over CAT6, which should logically bring multiple Sound and Video in multiple link rooms, and also the integration with more external, non B&O devices.

p.

i know it has a 500Gb HDD.

I have only one question - can it handle lossless files or is it just another ordinery mp3 player.