Posted October 31, 2024 at 16:46 GMT
Documenting this here just in case anyone finds it useful.
I decided to get a short-throw projector (a used one - nothing too expensive) and set up a home cinema in my office with my B&O equipment. I have a Beovision 7 TV which has a projector output for cinema (VGA), and I also now have a Beosystem 3 Mk2 which has DVI outputs for both the TV and for the projector. I would be using a Google TV device to watch the usual streaming apps.
After much experimentation over the last few days - this is what I have found:
Option 1: Beovision 7 with Google TV (Beosystem 3 unused) - FAIL
I connected a Google TV streamer to the BV7's DVI input (using an HDMI-DVI adapter and audio splitter), and connected my projector to the BV7's VGA cinema output, and a full set of speakers connected to the BV7. This works fine if you are using the BV7 screen, but if I switch to cinema screen, I cannot view the Google TV, due to HDCP. Google TV is HDCP compliant, so is the BV7 and so is my projector, but the HDCP 'signal' is clearly not making it through the complex connection of HDMI>DVI to the TV, and then VGA>VGA from the TV to the projector - the projector displays a message telling me it is protected content.
I also tried with a VGA to HDMI converter so I could connect the BV7's VGA cinema output to one of the projector's HDMI inputs instead, but got the same result.
I've been researching this to see if there is a workaround, and I cannot find one. The BV7's service menu does allow to turn HDCP off, but that only prevents the Google TV from working at all, even on the TV. This would be the simplest solution if it were not for that damned HDCP issue!
Option 2: Beovision 7 with PC (Beosystem 3 unused) - PASS
I tried the same setup as above, but using my tablet PC instead of the Google TV for streaming services. This does work, but it's not great. Using a tablet PC with the BV7 as a second screen is fiddly because it's hard to control what is displayed on the seconds screen (the BV7) using the tablet PC's main touchscreen, and you also have to change the sound settings on the tablet PC to use the HDMI sound output when in use for that purpose, but using its own speakers when not used for that purpose. Pass, but not ideal.
Option3: Beosystem 3, Beovision 7 and Google TV - PASS
I connected my new Beosystem 3 Mk2 to the Beovision 7 via DVI. In order to achieve this, I had to set the BV7 to Opt.4 (so it only responds to LINK commands), and set the BS3 to Opt.2. The seconds DVI output on the BS3 was connected to the projector.
This worked - the Google TV is connected to HDMI1 on the BS3, and I don't get any HDCP issues with it connected that way. My BV7 is basically just a monitor in this setup, and I have therefore connected the BL7.1 speaker mounted on the TV stand to the BS3, rather than to the BV7, along with all my other speakers. Using the clever (but complex) sound settings on the BS3, I am able to get sound out of the BL7.1 when watching on the BV7, on my full cinema speakers (including a BL7.4 centre speaker) when watching cinema, and only my front speakers (BL Penta) when listening to music via my Beosound 4 (which is set to Opt.0).
This does work, but it's a bit of a shame that I have to use link commands to switch the BV7 on first. The motorised stand is also not returning to its standby position when I switch everything off by holding down the power button, for some reason.
I've also found that my BV7 does not respond to commands from my MasterLink Gateway. Even though was able to add both the BS3 and the BV7 to the MasterLink Gateway's device list, any commands I try to send to the BV7 end up going to the BS3 instead.
So, in summary, unless anyone can tell me how to get around the HDCP problem I am having with Option 1, looks like I am going to stick with Option 3. It's a shame I can't get Option 1 working as that would mean I wouldn't need the Beosystem 3 at all, and that would tidy the cables up a bit!
Old enough to have gazed at classic B&O HiFi in Plumbs shop windows in the 80s...