Hmmm, I forgot about the glass infront of the BV7, I got the BV8-40 and the picture (after turning off 'Film Mode') is nice and bright, infact it's one of the best screen's I've seen.

I too am still wondering wether I should upgrade to the new BV7-40 as my dealer has offered me an upgrade. the reason would be the BV7.4 speaker, It may be I havent setup my speaker config properly, I have 4 x Beolab 3 + a Beolab 2. The BV8 center speaker seems a bit 'rich' and it can be hard to catch the clarity of voices on films.

Although I'm worried the the glass infront of the BV7 could make the picture too dark??

But I degress; You could upgrade to the new BV7-40 without the DVD player?? and save some dollars, There seems to be problems with the player and it still uses up one of the HDMI ports...

I have the new 8-40 and it is an excellent TV! The OS is very good and picture quality is very good and it very nicely controls my ATV, DVD and HD-STB/HDD. With HDR-1 or 2 it would be even better (the integration seems superb, especially when the HDR2 arrives with digital tuner build-in). The local dealer thinks that BV8-40 is the best B&O offers at the moment. Therefore, I assume it is "better" than the old BV-7.

BV-7, on the other hand, looks more classy and has a very good speaker as you point out. Moreover, I don't think that the difference is that big and that technology moves on quickly.  Thus I would upgrade only if I were not satisfied with my system at the moment - upgrading means spending money and getting used to new things and possible new problems.

takktakk wrote:

I do not know what to do, and hoped for your qualified opinions and reason. I currently own a Beovision 7-40 MKII which is the HD ready, but not full HD screen. When I bought it from my local dealership I had a deal on a switch when the Full HD Blu-Ray Beovision 7-40 was out, but as times are my dealership had to close and with it went my deal :-(

Anxious to have an Full HD screen..

In this case, have you not considered the BV7-40 MKIII? Full HD 1080P screen, 4 x HDMI sockets, in-built BS3 etc.

However, as the MKIV is now available, there will be a few people trading-in their MKIII and any dealer MKIIIs should be discounted.

The BV8-40 is an excellent TV, but I find that I struggle to keep the screen clean. Mine (BV8-26) is located in my kitchen/diner and it picks up a lot of grease.

Be careful with the MKII. It has only a single DVI port to connect HD devices. In my opinion the MKIII is a very good TV, I would do that one i f you can swing it or the BV8 40.

I do have the BV 8 32 which I am very happy with at this point ......

Have you done an analysis of your viewing in terms of % time spent viewing SD v HD material?

After all,why change to a full HD screen if your viewing pattern doesn't justify it.

Additionally how far from the screen is your viewing position?

The further away one is,the less likely one is to see a difference between 720p,and 1080p.

Thank you all for your thoughts on this. One point that seems to have been missed by a couple is that I already have the Beovision 7 MKII, so the issue is really whether to hang on to that or switch it for Beovision 8, still with my beloved Beolab 9's alongside.

I could of course switch it for a new 7 with full HD, but that is a different calculation. Guess what I am wondering is if all the stuff that makes the 7 more expensive than the 8 really is something that I need...?

What I know I will miss is turning by remote command. Maybe also the power of my Beolab 7-4 but I rarely think that it outputs up to potential with its 500w. My concern would be that I realize what it had to offer only when I already made the switch.

With regard to your comment, TerryM, I am only about three meters away from the screen and fully able to see the difference of HD and nonHD content. Would you not agree on such a distance?

Still caught in a mental struggle... 🙂

takktakk wrote:

I could of course switch it for a new 7 with full HD, but that is a different calculation.

Not really. It's actually far easier. You already have the BV7-40 stand, 7.4 and BL9s (which is my setup, too). All you need to do is exchanged your MKII panel for a MKIII. I'd estimate you could pick up a MKIII panel for less than the new BV8-40. So, why would it prove to be so much more expensive?

I don't think I could live without the rotating stand, which is something the BV8 does not offer. The ALT speaker from the 7.4 makes the combo with the BL9s much more effective than the BV8+BL9 combo.

However, you've also got to ask yourself if you really need a full HD 1080P screen? The MKII is actually better for standard definition than the MKIII and MKIV (or BV8-40) as the standard definition image is stretch and thus more pixelated.

moxxey wrote:

takktakk wrote:

I could of course switch it for a new 7 with full HD, but that is a different calculation.

Not really. It's actually far easier. You already have the BV7-40 stand, 7.4 and BL9s (which is my setup, too). All you need to do is exchanged your MKII panel for a MKIII. I'd estimate you could pick up a MKIII panel for less than the new BV8-40. So, why would it prove to be so much more expensive?

Thanks moxxey. I have had that thought actually, but it has been hard to come by a used MKIII panel. However one presented itself today, and the guy might want to take my MKII in exchange. What do you folks think is a reasonable amount in between?

Also, even if I can get the blu-ray upgrade at some point, that would mean going for 50 HZ instead of 100/120, and probably a younger panel all together. Is that too minor to mention. When I do this, I think my better half will put my money where her mouth is, so I better get it right the first time... After all, the Beovision 8 does have a younger 100HZ panel...

Does anyone know about the blu-ray upgrade? Final pricing and availability?

Feel free to share your thoughts people, and thank you so much to all who does :-)