Topfield Trf 7160 Firmware Upgrade
There is also a new TAP being ported across that can automatically search the EPG for your favourite shows and automatically set timers for them plus it will work on all the current 4 quad recording models. That is very cool, season pass without an external connection. Yes, the Toppy (this recent generation, not the 7000/7100) is definitely a force to be reckoned with, hopefully they have ironed out the missing timer (or failed to record, whatever it is I read) issue now, and it will be a solid unit. So with DNLA would I be able to hookup IQ2 to say toppy 2400, record from the IQ to toppy & copy the file to pc drive for dvd burning you can do that now without DLNA.
What DLNA will add is the ability to stream content from your PC or DLNA device (eg some NAS devices are DLNA servers) to the Topfield to play on your TV. It's possible that they may make the Topfield a DLNA server, so that recordings can be streamed to another DLNA device, eg you might have a 2nd TV that is DLNA capable, so you would be able to access the Toppy's recordings and stream to that TV over your LAN.
TRF-7160; Topfield TRF-7160 Manuals Manuals and User Guides for Topfield TRF-7160. Firmware Update 84.
Given they already have web server capability, it's not unreasonable that they may do this. We are currently in the market to purchase a HD PVR and have decided to go with another Topfield having been very happy with our 6000 SD model. This latest firmware seems to fix and / or improve on a number of features on all three of the models listed: Topfield has released it's Quad Recording Firmware for 3 models today 7160 7100HD+ 2400 I spent some time at our local specialist dealer this evening trying to decide between these three models.
I am struggling to justify the extra $ for the nice to have features on the 2400 which I probably won't use. Both the 7160 and 7100+ have all the features we are after but I was keen to confirm whether both could record to an external drive (as mentioned in the manual for each). In the shop the 7100+ with November 2009 firmware listed the option to set the Recording Drive to External (Settings / Recording / Recording Drive) but the 7160 with May 2010 firmware did not offer this option (in both cases we were trying to record to a USB thumb drive formatted by the Topfield). I was unable to ascertain whether the 7160 had this option before the firmware was updated (only done this evening).
Can anyone confirm whether this is functionality that has been removed with the latest firmware or was it not there on the 7160 previously? If it is not available on the 7160 then I am tempted to go with the 7100+ for an extra $100.
My understanding of the main differences (with the new firmware installed on both) is that the 7100+ has an extra USB slot and the option for wireless dongle. Am I missing anything? Thanks in advance for any advice that can be provided.
Wouldn't it just as easy to simply transfer the completed recording from the internal drive to an external drive? Yes both devices are capable of doing this as I understand it. However the manuals for both also list that they are capable of supporting up to a 1TB external USB drive and can record directly to either internal or external drive. If the functionality is there then why not use it. My question is simply whether the latest firmware has removed this functionality on either model (having only seen old firmware on the 7100+ and new firmware on the 7160).
I was looking at the 7100+ until I found the 2400 could hookup to my Foxtel IQ. As I need to replace my bedroom toppy & to setup up a new toppy to my lounge room I needed a way to archive my recordings from the IQ as I would be using the pioneer DTB/DVR in the bedroom. Well I got the 2400 last night, they call it a masterpiece & yes the name says it all, it is a masterpiece.
I got it from DSE for $799.( such an improvement from the 5000) the latest firmware added quad recording & wirless support as well as NTFS support. The main difference in the three models 7160,7100+2400 have the web sever but only the 2400 & 2460 will do WLAN or LAN Streaming. This will be I think on the next firmware update that they are working on now. My question is simply whether the latest firmware has removed this functionality on either model The TRF7160 User Guide shows a Recording Drive option but that option is not presented on screen for App ver TF-BCPF 1.02.00 dated Apr 19 2010.
I tried a memory stick and a portable hard drive. Both can be seen by the PVR but there is just no option to select a Recording Drive.
Not even greyed out like the Remove USB Device option when none is present. Incidentally, that option is not even mentioned in the User Manual. Be aware this PVR does not seem to handle AVIs well.
It can play them OK, but if they are not full screen 16:9 they get stretched. The Centre 16:9 option is no different to Full 16:9. But for a freebie PVR with the Sharp LCD it's great! Will give it a go. Can you recommend a site that shows you how to install TAPs on the 7160 please.
You will usually copy a TAP from some site to your PC, then upload it to the PVR's /ProgramFiles folder or /ProgramFiles/AutoStart folder. The former is better if you want to test it first but the latter is best if you always want to restart the TAP whenever the box restarts. I always put mine into the /ProgramFiles folder over the network via an ftp client(FileZilla) first to see how they go. Alternatively If you use USB to transfer it, simply put the.tap on the USB stick, and when you copy it to the pvr it will automatically put it in the ProgramFiles Folder. OK, I am looking at upgrading my Toppy 5000 MP (which is still going strong), but I would like HD and the ability to play avi's. I have read this and quite a few other threads/forums about BW's, TIVO and Toppy's, but would like some confirmation about some feature for the TRF7160: 1) is it as robust as my 5000?
Not really a feature and probably difficult to answer, just want some feedback if anyone has had experiences of both units 2) What does 'DivX HD Certified' mean? (This is on the feature list) Stab at the obvious, it will play DivX avi's, but will it also play Xvid and other format avi's? Not too sure about the whole avi codec/format? Can the 7160 play run of the mill downloaded avi's? 3) What is the media player like for DivX/avi files – is the experience the same as playing rec files, ie skip buttons, jump to% by entering value, etc 4) Can you connect to a share on a PC from the toppy and play video files?
Carvaka Philosophy Pdf Articles here. Or is this DLNA? Just spotted the Web/ftp server feature, any good? 5) I see that TAP's are now supported (Excellent). On my 5000 I run JustEPG, Filer and ProgressBarKeys. Can these TAP's be installed on the 7160? Is there a version for the 7160 or completely different sets of TAP's as it is a whole new ball game? I think that will do for tonight, need to get to sleep, ZZZZZzzzzz.
Thanks in advance for any answers. 1) is it as robust as my 5000?
Not really a feature and probably difficult to answer, just want some feedback if anyone has had experiences of both units Yes, the 7160 does the basic record, sleep-wake, playback etc well. 2) What does 'DivX HD Certified' mean? (This is on the feature list) Stab at the obvious, it will play DivX avi's, but will it also play Xvid and other format avi's? Not too sure about the whole avi codec/format? Can the 7160 play run of the mill downloaded avi's?
Look here for more: Divx Avi's should be fine but not sure about Xvid. 3) What is the media player like for DivX/avi files – is the experience the same as playing rec files, ie skip buttons, jump to% by entering value, etc Not quite – you'll need my skip TAP to skip media files. And the AspectRatio TAP is useful for auto/manually selecting the right aspect ratio if the firmware doesn't pick up the AR from the media file.
4) Can you connect to a share on a PC from the toppy and play video files? Or is this DLNA? Just spotted the Web/ftp server feature, any good?
Yes, there is a TAP called NASMount to mount a remote NFS device and it looks like an internal drive to the PVR. DLNA is coming for streaming but we don't know yet which devices get which features. 5) I see that TAP's are now supported (Excellent). On my 5000 I run JustEPG, Filer and ProgressBarKeys. Can these TAP's be installed on the 7160?
Is there a version for the 7160 or completely different sets of TAP's as it is a whole new ball game? JustEPG is bigger and better on the new boxes. Filer has been ported. PBK has not but some of the features are built into the firmware and some others are provided by TAPs (such as jdaSkip). The 5000 taps cannot be installed on the new boes – they must be ported/rebuilt. There is now a TAP called TAPtoDate which is like the Apple AppStore – you can pick TAPs from a menu and get notifications of updates. Thanks for the great info, jda.
In a previous posts, the list of fixes for the latest firmware includes 'ICE TV guide improvement', does this apply to the 7160, as the feature list states that it does not support ICE TV? Just noticed the word 'Interactive', does this mean ICE TV is supported, just not the ability to scedule recordings? Where do you get the list of fixes in a firmware? All I can find is the actual tfd file. I think I read somewhere that the FTA recorded files on the 7160 are encrypted, and so cannot be played on a PC, is that true? Do you know about Topfield resellers? Should you only buy from a reputable/authorised Topfield resller?
When I purchased my 5000MP about 5 years ago, there was quite a big issue with non-authorised resellers importing Toppy's that would not be covered by warranty? Any thoughts?
Thanks heaps Mark. In a previous posts, the list of fixes for the latest firmware includes 'ICE TV guide improvement', does this apply to the 7160, as the feature list states that it does not support ICE TV? Just noticed the word 'Interactive', does this mean ICE TV is supported, just not the ability to scedule recordings? My understanding is that the 7160 does not support icetv (which would mean no EPG or Interactive). However as the 7160 does support TAPs, the JustEPG TAP allows you to use an icetv xml file. So in effect you can get icetv EPG by using the JustEPG TAP and selecting the icetv option.
Best to confirm this on the itopfield forum though. Where do you get the list of fixes in a firmware? All I can find is the actual tfd file. If its not in the firmware kit then we won't get anything else. But generally there will be some detail posted on the forum. I think I read somewhere that the FTA recorded files on the 7160 are encrypted, and so cannot be played on a PC, is that true? Well they're mpg2 – no they're not encrypted.
If you download them to a PC you can play them with a number of software media players. Do you know about Topfield resellers? Should you only buy from a reputable/authorised Topfield resller? When I purchased my 5000MP about 5 years ago, there was quite a big issue with non-authorised resellers importing Toppy's that would not be covered by warranty? Any thoughts?
I would only buy from an authorised reseller – that way you know what you're getting. I'm not aware of any issues at the moment with Topfield's being sold by anyone and warranty not being honoured. But my first point still applies. Thanks jda for the info. I am now possibly looking at buying the TF7100HD+ over the 7160. Is TF7100HDPVRt+ and TF7100HD+ refering to the same device? I have seen both model numbers advertised.
I do not want to buy a TF7100HDPVRt+ and it is just a TF7100HDPVRt non-plus with a bigger HDD ie 500GB and have the same issues as the 7100 non-plus. Does the 7100HD+ run the same TAP's as the 7160? Particularly the ones mentioned in my previous post, JustEPG, PBK and Filer. I know the 7100+ has more features, but is it a 'better' unit than the 7160, since it is from the previous TF range? I like that it is the full 430mm component size and is better looking than the 7160:) and the USB on the front and ICE TV, and DLNA coming soon, and etc.
There are only 2 7100 models: the original 7100HDPVRt and the 7100HD+ from the new range. So the 7100HD+ is from the same platform as 7160 and 2400/2460, it is totally different to the original 7100.
It does run TAPs just like the 7160. Whether it is a 'better' unit is hard to say. It has more features, and as you say I think its better looking as well so I would say yes (I have one). The only thing to be conscious of is that the remote control buttons are different on the 7160/7100+ to the 2400/2460 so TAPs that say use the white button on one model might not work the same way on the others. This is particularly evident with TAPs written for the European model which is similar to the 2400.
However they now have a new model which is similar to the 7100+ and their TAPs are now becoming more adaptable to other models. Do we believe that ICETV support is stable with the current firmware??? I want to set my timers via ICETV and like specs of the 7100hd+ There have been some reports on the itopfield site of issues with icetv on the 7100+ but others have it working ok.
One user is a beta tester and he believes his issues are fixed in an as-yet unreleased firmware. In my opinion it has something to do with a timing issue with the network being available and the icetv code on the box trying to connect. So if you have a fast network with a quick connection then you're more likely to succeed. Maybe buy from DSE who have a 14 day return policy and check it out for yourself?