Topfield TF5800 PVR

seat comfort waste

3d glasses totally waste,i exchanged it 3 times

Topfiels TFR5800

I've had this box for about 3 years and initially thought problems were down to me not being techno savvy and failing to fully understand how to operate it.

Not so however and problems have multiplied as time goes on.

Initially this box would not load channels in order (something even a £5 special out of cheapos'r'us can do with ease)but allocated them all the place in duplicate or triplicate with many not actully receiving said channel and the ones that did beeing numbered 1000+. This was partially remedied with a download but some stations are still duplicated but with the same number now with one of them not actually working.

This box has loads of great features - or at least it would if they actually wored. For example, set up a series link and it will go along nicely for two or 3 weeks and then just stop recording the series.

Other faults are that it tells you it has recorded the requested staion for the required amount of time but when you try to watch it won't play and then you notice the length is noted at 0mb.

another foible is it recording some strange station at random for countless hours. My box seems to particularly partial to recording radio stations and gay rabbit in particular.

This box has had so manny faults i think I've probably forgotten a few but its latest trick is that whatever station you ask to be recorded it will set up another parallel recording on BBC1 at the same time.

Allegedly this has a great site from which you can download many useful apps to improve its performance. Only if you have a degree in computer speak though (well it was 3 years ago anyway), it is not for the layman.

This is an expensive box and has to be the biggest heap of useless junk I have ever bought.

I would say that the Topfield TF5810PVRt is a great disappointment, and in no way merits its apparent status as one of the top PVRs. I can say this with confidence having owned a Humax 9200 TB, a TVonics DTR-FP-1600 (odd looking but works really well), and a Thomson DTI-1600 amongst others. In short, I am well positioned to judge from a practical ownership position.

First the good points about the Topfield.

i. It is a nicely made PVR (although case a bit flimsy on the top) with a good scrolling display and generally nice looking.

ii. It does have an HDMI output and the picture quality up scaled to 1080i is reasonable (although certainly no better than the above).

iii. My unit is fitted with a 500 GB hard drive so there is plenty of space.

iv. The Altair software works for file transfer. The Humax unit supposedly could also transfer files to PC, but large transfers always failed to copy across i.e. a file for a 2 hour film. In practical terms, the Humax system doesn't work.

v. It is quite quiet and responds to the remote control quickly, although not as quiet as the TVonics and nothing like as quick. The Humax can be slow to respond. I'll come to the remote control unit below

Now for the bad points;

i. The remote control is a cheap and nasty unit. Topfield should copy TVoincs or Thomson and use their Sky based system. It is too small and an ergonomic disaster. Keys used the most should be on the top of the remote, not bottom, and should not be too small as they are on the Topfield. How this remote ever passed the design stage is beyond me for a supposed premier product.

ii. The EPG is OK but only lists 4 channels. Should list at least 8. I know you can download a 3rd party MyList EPG which is comprehensive, but that's not the point. It should be designed properly in the first place.

iii. The EPG lacks a find facility. Again, available with a TAP but should have been installed in the first place.

iv. And now my biggest gripe. Why doesn't the 5810 have a resume feature!!?? I frequently stop what I watch and can usually go straight to where I left off; the Humax, Thomson and TVonics all do this. The Topfield doesn't. Fast forwarding(and why only 16X max!) is ineffectual, and there isn't even a skip function.

In short, the Topfield 5810 is a badly designed and mediocre product. It certainly does not deserve the accolades it has collected. For a £130 PVR, I would give it 3-stars. At £229, two stars is a generous rating.

I wish I had bought the new TVonics DTR-HV250.

Excellent box but only after you have added the TAPs and firmware

Have owned 4 PVRs before the Toppy, and this one outshines all of them by a country mile, but there is an important caveat.....

Right out of the box this is a very ordinary PVR, you have to be prepared to devote some time and effort by installing some Topfield Application Programs (TAPs) and associated Firmware upgrades. These TAPs are free and can be downloaded from an independent user group located at Toppy.org.

The 'Killer TAP' is something called 'Mystuff' currently on release 6.1, and I would have to say this is a stunning piece of software, customizeable to the n'th degree and is far better than any other PVR front end I have seen or used, makes Sky Plus looks like a clunky piece of software that we all used in the 80's on those 'green screen' PCs !

So if you are prepared to put a bit of effort in, and can handle some simple software installs you will get an outstanding and powerful PVR

I have owned my Toppy for more than three years now. In that time I have updated the firmware a few times, and added some of the 'TAPS' which have enhanced its capabilities and added features such as series recording that didn't even exist when I bought the PVR.

Sadly my Toppy just had problems with the power supply - which then caused problems with the hard disk. That's the bad news. The good news is that the repair is easy and is fantastically well documented on the independent 'Toppy' forum. The power supply repair will cost me under £5.00. I now have to add a new hard disk but it is the perfect apportunity for me to upgrade from 160Gb to 500Gb.

I know all that sounds a pain, but if this were any other make I'd probably have to throw it away and buy a new one. As it is, I get to upgrade to 500Gb for less than £50 total.

One recommendation - using ANY PVR. Turn it off or put it instandby when you're not using it. The timeslip feature of any PVR means it is constantly writing to disk and deleting to disk all the time you have it turned on. That's what caused my power supply and hard disk problem. If your PC was writing to, and deleting from your hard drive 24 hours a day you'd probably have problems too.

After three or four years with my Toppy I'd still choose no other!

i have owned 3 pvr!s last 1 from tesco for £73.00 scart plug failed

so i thought i would get a better one top price topfield £215.00

should have saved some money and got another techwood this could

jump the ad!s with 1 or 2 taps of button lot clearer menu better

layout of remote and a clearer telly text i know it is ending but not the point,the remote control is like somthing out of a pound shop tiny little

buttons ,carries on recording even after the channel has closed.

screen closes down to4:3 from 16:9 wide screen for older progs have to

reset ,did not happen on the cheeper one, thats all i can think of for now

very un happy .

The Topfield TF5800 PVR is exceptionally reliable - looks good; has never failed unlike others I have tried.

Bang on MyStuff+Logos and a few other TAP's and you have a dream freeview PVR. Seen some people slating the TF5800, well everyone is entitled to their own option but IMHO this is the best darn freeview PVR on the market. Download the tools available for it and your away!You will not be disappointed. My wife thinks this is the best darn thing since electricity, she loves hitting one button (skip) during Emmerdale and all the ad break is gone, marvellous!

If you can download and unzip a file on your PC then you have the skills necessary to upgrade this beauty. Freeview Play just isn't reliable, a Toppy with pre/post padding and AccurateBookmark wins every time!

Very quiet - no fanGood size not bulky. Can be used with a computer. Equal to the Humax model. Good picture and easy to record. I was able to buy it for £64 from Dixons incl delivery. I like the volume control on the remote.

EPG very efficient and now that the models are slightly reduced they make a good buy.I had to replace my Panasonic pvr where the hard drive packed up. This is a worthy replacement.