Dear All:

I have been thinking what the Beosound 5 may be.  Taking into account what B&O is currently doing and the market place changes coming and ongoing, here it goes.

The BS5 is going to be media-server unit with the ability to rip cds & perhaps DVDs.  Seperate pieces are in place already, the BS 5 will allow for better integration and much improved user interface, and better software.  

Currently, music cds continue to sell; though with each passing year, the number of units drop.  The available internet bandwidth continues to increase with each passing year.  The future of music is digital.  I realized there will always be those who prefer to do analog thing and that is great.  The quality of music download will continue to improve with increasing bandwidth.  MusicGiant, and even iTunes are providing better quality downloads.  Other companies are doing tier downloads, charging for higher fidelity, surround 5.1, and extras via downloads.

Music libraries are expanding rapidly and managing them is getting tougher.  A music server with an elegant and well design software will allow for easy management of large music libraries.  Also, the software will allow for the user to make play-lists with very specific criteria and see relationships in their music library not other wise possible.  For example, if you like a particular bass player on piece of music and want to see where else that player appears with your library, you could make a play-list filtering for that bass player.  Many will find interesting relationships and discoveries within their libraries bring greater enjoyment.  

I believe Sooloos is doing something to this effect and there are other solutions.  

So what is in place already?  Beomedia one, BeoPlayer and System 3.  The latter parts and software will be improved and better integrated.  Hopefully, support the Mac OS will continue.  And there's the issue of the new Beo 5 which allows for multiple zones and full integration with current and older equiptment.  Not to mention, the ability to program the Beo5 will add much more customization.  Granted, the dealers are charging too much.  In time, however, user with programing knowledge will share their knowledge and allow for the rest of us to customized it.   

It may be possible that with a software update, Beo 5 may show thumb nails of the cds and be able to select the tracks or whole cds by just pressing on the thumb nail.

BeoSound 5 will move the B&O to where media home-management is heading.  The Beosound 5's interface will allow for navigating our media  with greater ease.  The DVD issue is harder to predict; the studio system is guarding its contents so much that the average user cannot make copies of legally purchase dvd movies. 

I am looking forward to greater integration and better music management.  My music library continues to grow and it would be nice to have greater control of it.