Beolink PC2/Beoport – how to set up and use?

[Madskp]

Here is a shot of my BS5 and BC2 combo where the BC2 shoes the metadata of the music played on the BS5. I will asume the data is displayed nearly the same way on the BS4

The BC2 is set as master (A.Opt 2) and the BS5 as no in Audiomaster

[Madskp]

I can also confirm after a test that with a combination of BC2 (A.Opt 2)  and Beoport (Opt. 0) I also get the the metadata showing on the BC2 display

[CharlieWednesday]

Genuinely true – I have a Lego TIE Fighter next to my B&O setup!

Good to see you have BS5 and BC2 working together – I still have not entirely ruled out getting a BS5. I believe Spotify only works on some later models of the BS5 though – is that true?

We’re having some work done on the house at the moment but when it’s done, I want to have my BS4 and BV8 (and my Beogram 3000) on one side of the room.  Then on the other side of the room: my PC with PC2 connected, and BL3500 on the wall.  It’s quite a big room so I will need a long ML cable.  Before I do that – I am making the assumption that I can have 2 ML distribution boxes in the ML network; one on each side of the room.  Will that work, or are we restricted to one ML distribution box in an ML network for any reason?

[Millemissen]

To my knowledge there is no support for Spotify on the Beosound 5.

That was added at a certain point in its life, but afterwards removed again due to changes in the Spotify sw.

I know that some have tingered with adding ‘3.rd party support’ on the BM harddrive!

How that would work today, I do not know?

 

I have never heard of any restrictions regards the ‘distribution boxes’.

I used to have several junction boxes in my ML network, when I still had that.

 

MM

[XavierItzmann]

Thanks for the photo, Mads.

OK, so BS5 does put out the metadata on the ML network, it’s just that BS3000, for whatever reason, won’t display it (though it once did, with 3rd-party BeoPlayer software): need newer & compatible hardware, of which BC2 and BS4 are, I suppose, the only ones that do.

Is your BC2 a Mk1 or Mk2 version?

[Madskp]

XavierItzmann wrote:

Is your BC2 a Mk1 or Mk2 version?

I think it’s a MK1 (no DAB and no sound when touching the buttons)

The Head unit is Type 2801 and the socket unit type 2811. SW 1.3 (both on the labels and in the service menu), manufactured 2004, so probably an early one.

[CharlieWednesday]

I have revisited this post to remind myself how I managed to get my Beolink PC2 working, because it’s stopped working! At least, it’s not working fully.

I decided to get a tablet PC to use as a dedicated music PC (because my main PC is usually for gaming), so I connected the PC2 to that, installed the same Beoport software, and set the Beoport to Opt.0.  My Beosound 4 remains in Opt.1.

It’s not working like it used to.  It’s as if they are not communicating properly.

If I use my Beo4 to select any source, it all works (including N.Music and N.Radio).  If I select N.Music or N.Radio with the Beo4, that source is highlighted in the Beoport app.

If I select any other source such as CD on my Beo4 however, it plays fine, but the Beoport app does not seem to recognise that the source has changed – it will continue to show N.Music or N.Radio, and that source will still be ‘playing’ on the PC.

If I try to use the Beoport app to control my system, it doesn’t really work at all.  If my BS4 is in standby and I select a main source such as CD in the Beoport app, then the source displays on the BS4 display, the CD spins and plays, but my Beloab Pentas do not power up – there’s no sound.  If I select a TV source such as DTV, then my BV7’s display shows that source in its display, but the screen does not come on, and no sound is heard.  They will then only go into standby if I hold down the standby button on my Beo4, for the ‘All Off’ command.

If the BS4 is already switched on and playing either CD or Radio, then I can control that source via the Beoport app, but if I hit the Standby button within the Beoport app, the source ceases to display in the Beoport app, but the BS4 remains on, and continues playign that source.

If I try to play N.Music or N.Radio via the Beoport app rather than from the Beo4, the BS4 does nothing.

It used to work fine so this is a mystery!  So far I have tried, without success:

• Reinstalling the BeoPort app
• Trying the BeoPort app in all other available Opt. settings (2, 4, 6)
• Trying the BS4 in Opt.2
• Trying a different ML cable, and connecting it direct to the BS4 without any junction boxes
• Restarting the PC
• Reconnecting it all back to my original PC

I get the same results no matter what I try.  So frustrating considering it definitely used to work – I cannot understand why it has stopped working.

Here’s a screenshot of the Advanced tab in the settings:

[Madskp]

CharlieWednesday wrote:

If my BS4 is in standby and I select a main source such as CD in the Beoport app, then the source displays on the BS4 display, the CD spins and plays, but my Beloab Pentas do not power up – there’s no sound.  If I select a TV source such as DTV, then my BV7’s display shows that source in its display, but the screen does not come on, and no sound is heard.  They will then only go into standby if I hold down the standby button on my Beo4, for the ‘All Off’ command.

It sounds like the Beoport is  working like a link room and fetching the sources from the the BS4 and the TV to play on it’s local speakers (I don’t suppose you have any connected to it?) which explains why the BS4 and TV starts up muted.

CharlieWednesday wrote:

I get the same results no matter what I try.  So frustrating considering it definitely used to work – I cannot understand why it has stopped working.

I am not sure why either. In my earlier post in this thread https://forum.beoworld.org/forums/topic/beolink-pc2-beoport-how-to-set-up-and-use/#post-57453 there was a setup described where the music system had to be in option 0 for it to work, but as far as I can read you got it working anyway.

I can try to do a test with my Beoport and Beocenter 2 later this week to see if I can get it to work

[CharlieWednesday]

Yes you were right!  I tried plugging one of my Beolab Pentas into the PC2 direct, and I got sound. That was just for testing though – I have plugged the Pentas back into the BS4 now.

So, it seems that if my BS4 is in Opt.1 and the PC2 is in Opt.6, I can control everything with my Beo4.  I can also control things with the Beoport app, but only if I have already selected that source with my Beo4 – for example if I select CD on the Beo4, I can then also select CD on the Beoport app, and control CD playback with the buttons in the Beoport app.  I’ve tried that with the TV too – if I’m watching DTV on the BV7, I can select DTV in the Beoport app. and change channels, adjust volume and so on.  I chose Opt.6 instead of Opt.0 on the PC2 as for some reason TV sources such as DTV and DVD are not available if using Opt.0.

This time, I have not bothered to add any N.Radio stations via the workaround earlier in this thread (most of them did not work anyway), and I have switched on the ‘Mix Sound’ option in the Beoport settings. This means that if I select N.Radio with my Beo4, no radio station plays as the list is empty, but I can then play Spotify on that new PC, and it plays through B&O system.

It’s not perfect, but it works!  Thanks for your help.

 

 

[Guy]

CharlieWednesday wrote:

for some reason TV sources such as DTV and DVD are not available if using Opt.0.

Perhaps when in Opt. 0 the Beoport looks for a ‘local’ video signal on one of the PC video cards that was compatible with Beoport, rather than looking on masterlink.   If you try to select a video source in Opt.0 does the Beoport default back to the PC input?

I am not sure, but I think that the same problem may have been experienced in this very old thread which could be worth a read:  https://archivedforum.beoworld.org/forums/t/6440.aspx

When in Opt 6 the Beoport could be acting as a normal ‘link room’ and getting the video audio via your (controllable) BS4 audiomaster.

But it’s a while since I played with my Beoport and I could be confused!

[CharlieWednesday]

I think I’m happy with it the way it is working now. The main purpose of it is to play digital music from my PC, and be able to control that with my Beo4.

The ability to use it as a ‘remote control’ for other sources is useful, I just have to be conscious that I have to select that source with the Beo4 first, before I can control it on the Beoport app.

I listen to a lot of Spotify too, so using N.Radio as a workaround to listen to Spotify when played on that PC is useful.

I’m still hoping that Hall Audio’s ML Streamer Kickstarter is successful so I can use that instead and control Spotify with my Beo4, but if it isn’t, I’ll be looking out for an Essence Mk2 on eBay (plus an NL/ML converter so I connect the Essence to my ML system).

 

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