elephant wrote:

BV7-40
Again, similar distortions as the BV8-40 were apparent around BV7-40 menu's text. Not as poor at the BV8-40. And standard def freeview through a set-top box was still chunky/blocky in parts.

I'm not going to go through my entire thoughts again, but the BV7-40 MKIV is *worse* for standard def Freeview picture quality than the MKIII. I can't figure why. It's not just additional blockiness/pixelisation, it's also the colour rendition. It looks washed out compared to how the same standard def pictures rendered on my MKIII.

Bizarrely it can't be the LCD panel, as high definition programmes render perfectly, with good colour etc. So, it's got to be something to do with a BS3 tweak between MKIII and MKIV. It's the only thing I can think of, as my incoming signal source has not changed.

I've had the MKIII since December 2007, so I've watched a lot of standard definition programming. The very first thing I noticed was that the standard definition PQ was worse on this MKIV. However, now I've had it a few days, I've got used to the PQ.

As I mentioned in the other mammoth thread, and ignoring the crashing TV as that might just be a one-off (ie my MKIV), the two other 'bad' things about the MKIV include a noisy 'internal' Blu-ray DVD player and the fact that the 'internal' player, plus the 'internal' Freeview module are now connected to the external HDMI sockets.

elephant wrote:

And then my delivery date slipped by a month and I got busy and had not been checking Beoworld ...

I didn't see that at first. By a month? How did it slip by a month? I can understand a week or two...!

On a sidenote, my dealer uses Sky HD boxes to deliver BBC HD on their TVs and, as you can imagine, the result is an outstanding picture.

When I was in the dealer earlier I meant to listen out for the noise of the Blue-ray player but I forgot. I couldn't hear it from a short distance but obviously that was not a proper test as the door as open, the shop was busy and noisy. I'll do it next time I am in and listen with absolute silence and all doors closed, recreating the home experience.

I like the new menu system but only marginally, its not like its a deciding factor when buying a TV. Picture quality was an interesting one. I saw a Blu-ray film playing and noticed lots of 'diffusion' which I was told was norml for Blu-ray. I am sure this is the case, but I didn't like being diffused.

I won't be updating to the Mark IV. I was quielty considering it if there was a big improvement.

The new BV8-40 was very impressive however playing a Blu-ray. That was interesting to see.

Simon. 

BTW Simon, I wouldn't judge a TV based on the best possible image that could be displayed on-screen. A Blu-ray will look good on ANY modern 1080P TV, whether it's a Sony, Pioneer or Panasonic. The true definition of a picture is the day-to-day use, whether that's through the supplied DVB-HD 'Freeview' module or attached Sky. Again, don't judge the 'quality' of the picture based on the BBC HD preview, which the dealer insists on showing.

It does make me smile that a customer gets to see a Blu-ray or BBC HD and the dealer says 'look at the picture quality!' as if to say that's what you get from your B&O TV when you pay £10K! Dear oh dear. The same dealer told me personally that they brought a BV8-40 home over the weekend, connected it up to their analogue aerial signal, then tried to watch the F1....and weeped. He went back to his old CRT which rendered the signal more appropriately.

The most frustrating thing about the 'internal' MKIV Blu-ray player is that it is programmed like an external player. All the commands have to be proceeded by the yellow button! So, to play a Blu-ray after pause, you need to press yellow+GO. To move forward a chapter, it's yellow+UP etc. That's not my definition of an internal player.

Mind boggling times with B&O at the moment.

The_Beonic_Man wrote:

I like the new menu system but only marginally, its not like its a deciding factor when buying a TV. Picture quality was an interesting one. I saw a Blu-ray film playing and noticed lots of 'diffusion' which I was told was norml for Blu-ray. I am sure this is the case, but I didn't like being diffused.

You can have the new menus if you have a MKIII BV7, it's just a SW update.

meandmyshadow wrote:

The_Beonic_Man wrote:

I like the new menu system but only marginally, its not like its a deciding factor when buying a TV. Picture quality was an interesting one. I saw a Blu-ray film playing and noticed lots of 'diffusion' which I was told was norml for Blu-ray. I am sure this is the case, but I didn't like being diffused.

 

You can have the new menus if you have a MKIII BV7, it's just a SW update.

I had assumed that very same fact but when I asked the dealer about that today it was a categoric no. Apparently its a new chip that the Mark III doesn't have, hence no update. This is what I was told.

Simon.

I think we are still in a funny stage with LCDs TVs. Old ones playing standard content or DVD may be better then up to date ones playing the same.

I run he BV8 32 which has a 720P panel with a BC2 and I have none of the picture issues discussed on this forum.

Sometimes it seems the latest and greatest nips you into the butt ...

JK

Hey Elephant,

well I can imagine your pain, and a fellow from the wrong side of the planet we do have to wait for things. However I went to our B&O store to actually find things relatively good.

The best picture I saw was BV8-40 through inbuilt freeview HD, they've had special NZ software and its an amazing picture. Although war=tching the BV7-40 and BV9 their pictures were damn awful compared to this BV8 with the latest software n DVB HD software. They did say they were now waiting on the BV9 and BV7 to get the NZ software to get their pictures up to speed of the BV8, so to speak.

I'm going to wait to see the BV10, which has the same BV8-40 panel, before jumping into a decision, seeing as right now for an NZ software spec currently the BV8 has the best picture

Strange, but I'd assume AUS would probably have the same issues/sw in the pipeline 😮