topfied

"Michael Chare" wrote in message
...
"bugbear" wrote in message
...
Having found the impressive website for the Topfield,
I'm a little worried. I mean, it's all very impressive,
but I wanted a PVR, not a new hobby ...

It appears to be a very impressive,
and widely recommended machine.

But is it usable WITHOUT all
the customisation and tweaking?

BugBear


Yes, but the tweaks do help.

Dixons are selling the 250GB version for £219 + £5 delivery if you enter a
promotion code of TOP30
http://www.dixons.co.uk/product.php?...amp_id=ppc_dvd


Do they have it in silver?

--
Michael Chare

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s...d.php?t=610425

and on the other hand there is for example
http://forum.toppy.org.uk/forum/view...lockup#117996?

FWIW I don't expect any such device to behave flawlessly all the time:
they seem to me too near the edge (and the broadcasters too imaginative
in their interpretations of the standards). And I don't know the
relative installed bases of Humax and Topfield users, the relative
propensity of their owners to report lock-ups (rather than just shrug,
cycle and wait for the next update). But, for the avoidance of doubt, I
do agree the Topfield is the winner by several laps in terms of capacity
for customisation (and everlasting devotion ).

Beyond that I can only echo others in saying our Humax has been used
vigorously with no lock-up now for over a year.

--
Robin

"Robin" wrote in message
. uk...

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s...d.php?t=610425

and on the other hand there is for example
http://forum.toppy.org.uk/forum/view...lockup#117996?

FWIW I don't expect any such device to behave flawlessly all the time:
they seem to me too near the edge (and the broadcasters too imaginative in
their interpretations of the standards). And I don't know the relative
installed bases of Humax and Topfield users, the relative propensity of
their owners to report lock-ups (rather than just shrug, cycle and wait
for the next update). But, for the avoidance of doubt, I do agree the
Topfield is the winner by several laps in terms of capacity for
customisation (and everlasting devotion ).

Beyond that I can only echo others in saying our Humax has been used
vigorously with no lock-up now for over a year.

I have to admit that the up until enforced retirement I was connected with
the domestic electronics trade, and just off the top of my head could
probably supply the names and addresses of at least a dozen friends and
customers who possess a Humax PVR.

Having said that I can't think of a single instance where I've actually even
encountered a Topfield PVR in a customers house, so unless it can be proved
that they sold in equal numbers then IMO trying to draw comparisons between
the two makes appears to be rather pointless.


--
Robin

In article ,
bugbear wrote:
Having found the impressive website for the Topfield,
I'm a little worried. I mean, it's all very impressive,
but I wanted a PVR, not a new hobby ...

It appears to be a very impressive,
and widely recommended machine.

But is it usable WITHOUT all
the customisation and tweaking?

If all you want is the same features as a VHS it is simpler to use than
most of those. Call up the EPG, highlight the prog you want and double
click OK to set a recording. To replay call up the list, highlight the
prog you want and click OK. So really you only need to know what one or
two buttons do, apart from the obvious ones.

--
*Generally speaking, you aren't learning much if your lips are moving.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
bugbear wrote:
Having found the impressive website for the Topfield,
I'm a little worried. I mean, it's all very impressive,
but I wanted a PVR, not a new hobby ...

It appears to be a very impressive,
and widely recommended machine.

But is it usable WITHOUT all
the customisation and tweaking?

If all you want is the same features as a VHS it is simpler to use than
most of those. Call up the EPG, highlight the prog you want and double
click OK to set a recording. To replay call up the list, highlight the
prog you want and click OK. So really you only need to know what one or
two buttons do, apart from the obvious ones.

Dave, I've recently bought a couple of Digifusion 80 GB PVRs from price drop
TV for under £50.00 each, I took a gamble despite reading a number of
negative comments on different forums.

Impressions so far, usability.. the straightforward and incredibly easy to
use software and vastly superior quality picture over VHS is excellent and
if they continue to work as reliably for the next 10 months (until the
warranty he runs out) as they have done so far, then I'll consider myself to
have had more than my money's worth in value .


--
*Generally speaking, you aren't learning much if your lips are moving.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Mark Myers" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:09:54 +0100, bugbear said...
Having found the impressive website for the Topfield,
I'm a little worried. I mean, it's all very impressive,
but I wanted a PVR, not a new hobby ...

It appears to be a very impressive,
and widely recommended machine.

But is it usable WITHOUT all
the customisation and tweaking?

It is quite usable, but it is not IMO preferable. I don't like the look
of the user interface and it doesn't auto-pad recordings.

However, installing the MyStuff TAP is very simple, assuming you have a
PC with USB port and internet connection (or can borrow one), and that
is enough to turn it into a much more powerful machine.

But still, if you don't like the idea of that then get a Humax. I saw
one at a friend's house at the weekend and they love it.

The only real difference between a Humax and a Topfield with MyStuff on
it, that I can see, is that MyStuff does season passes using its control
timer features. In other words it will search through the EPG and set
recordings for you, if you ask it to, which is a feature I would not

What if the episodes of the series are rescheduled? Is there a PDC-like
facility to cope with programme overruns yet?

Does it do a proper series link, i.e. searches the EPG every day for new
episodes and doesn't record repeats?

Also since the new manual indicates that Topfiled have still not fixed the
firmware so that it doesn't stop playback of a recording which has just
finished recording if you are still in the middle of watching it does this
TAP fix this problem?

want to be without, now that I have it.

And also I prefer the look of the MyStuff user interface, to both the
out-of-the box Topfield one and the Humax one.

--
Mark Myers
usenet2 at mcm2002 dot f9 dot co dot uk
I call that a radical interpretation of the text.

Agamemnon wrote:

The only real difference between a Humax and a Topfield with MyStuff on
it, that I can see, is that MyStuff does season passes using its control
timer features. In other words it will search through the EPG and set
recordings for you, if you ask it to, which is a feature I would not

What if the episodes of the series are rescheduled? Is there a PDC-like
facility to cope with programme overruns yet?

If it found the program in the first place, and the EPG is updated to
reflect the schedule change, then it will adjust for the change.

There is no capability to cope with an overrun directly, although you
can specify a pad time to apply to recordings, to make sure you don't
miss the start and end due to normal slight variations in scheduling.

Does it do a proper series link, i.e. searches the EPG every day for new
episodes and doesn't record repeats?

When you create a control timer you can specify which channels it
searches and on what days. The default is all channels all days, but
that can be cut down to specific ones and groups if you prefer, and
specific times. It will record repeats - which I find is a mixed
blessing. Its obviously easy enough to delete unwanted copies, and
sometimes if it is on day with poor DTT reception (fringe area here) you
can then choose wht better recording. It does however waste recording
space.

Also since the new manual indicates that Topfiled have still not fixed
the firmware so that it doesn't stop playback of a recording which has
just finished recording if you are still in the middle of watching it
does this TAP fix this problem?

Can't say I have noticed this.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
Agamemnon wrote:

The only real difference between a Humax and a Topfield with MyStuff on
it, that I can see, is that MyStuff does season passes using its control
timer features. In other words it will search through the EPG and set
recordings for you, if you ask it to, which is a feature I would not

What if the episodes of the series are rescheduled? Is there a PDC-like
facility to cope with programme overruns yet?

If it found the program in the first place, and the EPG is updated to
reflect the schedule change, then it will adjust for the change.

There is no capability to cope with an overrun directly, although you can
specify a pad time to apply to recordings, to make sure you don't miss the
start and end due to normal slight variations in scheduling.

So does it allow 1.5 hour pad times in case the FA Cup or something goes to
penalties and are Topfield ever likely to make the firmware Freeview
Playback compatible (have they said anything about it at all) so that proper
series-link without recording repeats and which is capable of shifting a
timer event in case of an overrun or underrun is available as in the case of
the FA Cup a couple of yours ago which meant Doctor Who had to be shifted
later by about an hour?

Also what happens if you set it to record two consecutive programmes on the
same channel (on automatic without manually assigning tuners) and one runs
into the padding of the other. Does it have any idea of when the first
programme ends so that its starts the recording of the second without
cutting off the beginning which is inside the end padding of the first?


Does it do a proper series link, i.e. searches the EPG every day for new
episodes and doesn't record repeats?

When you create a control timer you can specify which channels it searches
and on what days. The default is all channels all days, but that can be
cut down to specific ones and groups if you prefer, and specific times. It
will record repeats - which I find is a mixed blessing. Its obviously easy
enough to delete unwanted copies, and sometimes if it is on day with poor
DTT reception (fringe area here) you can then choose wht better recording.
It does however waste recording space.

Also since the new manual indicates that Topfiled have still not fixed
the firmware so that it doesn't stop playback of a recording which has
just finished recording if you are still in the middle of watching it
does this TAP fix this problem?

Can't say I have noticed this.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

"JPG" wrote
in message
ups.com...
On 10 Sep, 15:14, Andy Dee
wrote:
royc wrote:
"bugbear"

wrote in message
...

Having found the impressive website for the

Topfield,

I'm a little worried. I mean, it's all very

impressive,

but I wanted a PVR, not a new hobby ...

It appears to be a very impressive,
and widely recommended machine.

But is it usable WITHOUT all
the customisation and tweaking?

BugBear

if you want want all the extras, go for a
humax

roy

Apart from the fact the Humax's all over the
country are locking-up
regularly AGAIN!

mine isn't



nor mine!

roy

"Robin" wrote:

... But, for the avoidance of doubt, I
do agree the Topfield is the winner by several laps in terms of capacity
for customisation (and everlasting devotion ).

Which is one of the reasons that I decided *not* to get a Topfield. It's
too much temptation to waste time. I already waste enough time on
computer stuff (I've even replaced the firmware on my wireless-router
and my network-attached storage with Linux) and I don't want to start on
my audio/visual equipment.

Also when I was making a decision about a PVR, I read about the Topfield
taking several seconds to start the audio after a fast-forward. Does
that still happen with the latest firmware?

And the great thing about the Humax is the two advert-skipping buttons.
30 seconds forwards and seven seconds back, which I find is just right
for finding the end of the advert break. Those are the most-used
buttons.

Beyond that I can only echo others in saying our Humax has been used
vigorously with no lock-up now for over a year.

I've had no lockups since I bought my Humax a few months back. It's got
the 1.00.10 firmware which I understand is the most stable. I also
understand that there's a later firmware which gives automatic
start-and-end-time adjustment, which is not liked so much because the
broadcasters keep failing to broadcast the time alterations correctly,
so people go back to specifying a buffer period.

--
Dave Farrance