I really don't get the argument that B&O have 'struggled' to implement new technologies - this is one area they have always been way ahead in but using a different approach - namely their proprietary 'Peripheral Unit Control' or STB system to control third party devices via the TV and remote control without having to rely on IR line of sight.

This means that whatever the user wants to do, it is easily integrated into the users system. Whilst there is a growing trend of some features being available through the actual TV itself, such as limited Internet browsing (introduced to Bang & Olufsen owners via BeoMedia in 2006 - well ahead of the smart tv movement) iPlayer, Skype etc - there is still no device out there that can do everything, and different people want different things. As far as I can see, PUC offers by far the most flexibility to do everything you may want to do - and the technology is built into every TV at no extra cost.

Not to say that future B&O tv's won't have more smart features, as always they watch the market and look to introduce proven features once they have been established and passed their initial troubles, but I do think it's wrong to say they have struggled to implement new technologies. PUC was way ahead of anyone else's technologies and still is by far the most useful feature to give you a truly integrated and bespoke entertainment system.

Of course B&O have struggled to implement new technologies, and that's why they came out with the PUC solution!

No BeoVision to date has a built-in hard-drive, Ethernet /DLNA connection, USB socket, and automatic software updates via Internet! 

The PUC solution is the total opposite of what I call integration. When I bought my Avant, it offered an integrated solution. The only "integrated" product nowadays would be the BV7 family, but even then, the speaker unit is no more integrated..same for the stand.

I don't want a separate hard drive, DVD player, DVB-T decoder, and speaker system, with 2 or 3 new cables for each product, all that going to the back of the BV, I want all that in my BeoVision, that's why, unfortunately for B&O, I turned to another TV brand. 😉

Chrisreunion,

but with a "non" Beovision you will end with even more wire, 2nd remote if you try to integrate it into a B&O invironment (front-, rear speaker, Beosound).

Till today, there so no solution. For one year I`m looking for a new telly to replace my BV8-40. I do not want to spend 10k for a BV7-40 and I do not like the BV10-40, because I`d like to place the TV on a sideboard (wire, sockets, receiver, AppleTV have to be hidden).

 

hotknife,

More wires  ; definetly not in the case of Loewe. You speaker wires would run into the TV set the same. Follow up what I had writtten and you would end up with your speakers turning on/off with the Loewe set, the same way they would with a Loewe set.

Second remote ; true but...I do use my b&o Ouverture so little these days unless it is a cd that I would like to listen to. All digital materail go through Apple TV, either through my MacBook, iPhone or iPad. Loewe remote could be programmed for Apple TV codes, so I end up with two (in fact three). Would have been the same with b&o + Apple TV ?

As for the Ouverture, it is linked up into the Loewe too, through an AV input.

Have a look into Loewe Individual 46. Chris looks to have gone 52, that is even better if you have the space. Watch out the sound, however, for the centre speaker, it is critical for a b&o user.

 

 

 

Chrisreunion,

Although you did not mention it here, in the 'B&O or Loewe' thread you had mentioned that you also had gone for a Loewe solution.

Have a question; I do have a hardisk with movie content and tried it with the Loewe USB connection, it works but I could not get the subtitles. Would you know how? For that reason only I use a Media Player to play that externally and end up with one further device/remote unncessarily.

I think you should all 'PUC' off. If you hate how Bang & Olufsen does things you should join another forum. That is all.

niJinsky wrote:

I think you should all 'PUC' off. If you hate how Bang & Olufsen does things you should join another forum. That is all.

That's a bit harsh. 

None of us hate B&O.

All we seek, in our different ways (Apple, Lowe, foreign DACs, vintage products) is to optimise the value we get from B&O for the money we are able to spend.

None of us have limitless resources.

We just have different clip levels.

uysalt wrote:

Loewe remote could be programmed for Apple TV codes, so I end up with two (in fact three). Would have been the same with b&o + Apple TV ?

No, you would only ever have one IR remote with B&O - Apple TV is very common with Bang & Olufsen owners, perfectly operated via PUC whether the Apple TV is in the same room or not, and distributable to up to 16 other TV's in full high definition via the Bang & Olufsen / Atlona developed NL Matrix.

PUC will also control Playstation 4, Xbox 2015, Facebook Ultra, Sky+ 4K and any other IR based products that haven't been invented yet - which is why I definitely hold it in much higher regard than features which may be relevant now but could become obselete in a matter of years.

Even the idea of a built in hard drive - my Sky+ HD box has 160Gb storage - which seemed good at the time.  Now 1TB is the standard - not a problem for PUC control.  I read an article yesterday that said it would take 225 Blu Ray discs to store one movie in 4K.  So if we all move towards more and more HD recording demands - integrated hard drives will be too small and there is no certainty that you could update the hard drive with new storage technologies that come along. 

Bang & Olufsen didn't develop PUC because they were struggling to implement new technologies - they brought it out over a decade ago and it was a unique and powerful feature.  They have been true to this technology ever since and have a team dedicated to constantly updating the equipment list.  They also offer a dedicated service where you can request the PUC control you want and they will create it for you if it is not already available.

I like the idea that I will always be able to integrate whatever takes my fancy at any point in the future.  Nothing worse than multiple remotes when you get used to only needing one.

Nice guide - I'm sure it will be very useful for many people!

 

And I agree with Martin. In the old days it was simple; people either watched analog TV or DVD. Both very easy to integrate. But today there are many different standards for broadcasting; DVB-T/C/S (which all are updated with new codecs etc. all the time) and some companies require their users to use branded boxes. And some people watch TV via fiber/internet, and a lot of people don't watch TV at all! And there are so many standards and services it would be (almost) impossible to support them all. And all the media players built into TVs that I have seen have been slow and crappy. The stand-alone players just seem a lot better (but that could change, of course). So I say let Netflix, Dlink, Apple, Popcornhour++ worry about the boxes and let people choose what suites them best!

And it's quite cool that your old Avant can controll a new Apple TV like it were build-in!