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Topfield question please. |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Rochdale
Posts: 93
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Topfield question please.
Hi
I’m thinking about buying a topfield but have one question please. Does the topfield have a genre search menu, similar to the keypad function used on the humax 9200T? thanks. Northern Soul |
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#2 |
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: SW London, Crystal Palace Tx
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I have just bought a Toppy 5800 and put MyStuff on it, which means that I don't have a hard copy of the manual as it now applies. In the original manual for the "untampered with" Toppy, there is no reference to Search of any kind (apart from the search for channels in the initial setup) in the Index.
Before you buy a Toppy, have a good browse of www.toppy.org.uk, including the forums. One shock I have had is that this PVR cannot record in standby - unlike any other PVR I've had That can severely restrict the number of gadgets you can connect, and how you connect them.parthena
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#3 |
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: NW London
Posts: 19,904
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Quote:
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One shock I have had is that this PVR cannot record in standby - unlike any other PVR I've had That can severely restrict the number of gadgets you can connect, and how you connect them.parthena ![]() ![]() Mine does. Or do you mean that, if you leave the telly on, with the Toppy in standby, it switches the telly on when it comes out of standby to do the recording? K |
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#4 |
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London
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Yep; it's a little confusing to say it can't record in standby - makes people think you have to leave it on 24 hours a day.
It's more accurate to say that Toppy will not remain in standby when a scheduled recording starts - it powers up exactly as if you had turned it on to watch TV, and then powers down afterwards. So you can, of course, put it in standby and go off to work, or bed, or on holiday, and recordings will still happen. The important difference is that, because there is no difference between normal operation and the operation during a scheduled recording, the signalling on the SCART socket is exactly the same, and so if you use an automatic switch, or a TV that switches automatically, then the Topfield will be selected when the recording starts. In the most extreme case, if you have a TV that turns itself on when it detects activity on the SCART, then that will happen too. I'm not sure who originally coined this "record in standby" term. Of course no PVR actually records in standby, which is a low power mode where nothing much is done. But many do keep their AV outputs disabled if the reason for starting up from standby is a scheduled recording. It would be more accurate, I think, to ask not "can it record in standby?", which everything can (bar some old VCRs, which had a timer mode you had to put them in), but "are the AV outputs active when waking for a scheduled recording?" More wordy, but a far more accurate representation of what is actually meant. Nigel. |
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#5 |
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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The term "in standby" to me indicates that the power supply is on but the PVR appears to be inactive, switched off at the power button.
In future I will say "It can record from standby, but not in standby". I have also noted with dismay that if a recording starts whilst a recording from the Library is being watched, the watcher is switched to view the new, active recording in the place of the one they were watching. I'm making a list of "issues" as they arise and will cross them off as and when I find fixes/work-arounds, then I'll be off to Toppy.org with the remainder. I dread that the above two have to be lived with as I think it would mean I have to forsake either the DVDR or one of the PVRs. Which doesn't answer OP's question, "Is there a genre search?". I'm still looking, OP. I'm sure it can be arranged, the Toppy seems to be an organiser's dream ![]() parthena |
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#6 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London
Posts: 4,517
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There isn't Genre search built in, but there certainly some of the various add-ons can do it - MEIsearch might do it with the Freeview data, but it's been a while since I used it, so I'm not sure.
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#7 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Bristol
Posts: 447
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" I have also noted with dismay that if a recording starts whilst a recording from the Library is being watched, the watcher is switched to view the new, active recording in the place of the one they were watching. "
Cant say mine does that, infact it doesn't, It has just started a recording and it is currently playing back a recording
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#8 |
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: SW London, Crystal Palace Tx
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Have you got MyStuff and/or other TAPs on yours, Brava? I think mine did it before I put MyStuff on but can't remember for sure, I'll have to test it out... but fooball's on now, am busy toggling between the two matches
![]() parthena |
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#9 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: NW London
Posts: 19,904
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Quote:
The term "in standby" to me indicates that the power supply is on but the PVR appears to be inactive, switched off at the power button.
In future I will say "It can record from standby, but not in standby". ...I dread that the above two have to be lived with as I think it would mean I have to forsake either the DVDR or one of the PVRs.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SC...nout_Color.svg K |
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#10 |
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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Thank you Kenny - I have that diagram+tip (not such a clear pic as you've kindly given me). But there are 2 problems associated with Toppy's behaviour, and I didn't think that the Pin8 blank-off would help the other one - stop the Toppy from sending out a signal, when it wakes up to do a recording, to the TV on the SCART which it shares with another PVR. If the other PVR is being watched at the time, then the picture is totally garbled because of 2 signals into AV1.
I have been told I should daisy-chain instead, but I've got too many gadgets to accommodate that way... I have to think ![]() My head just goes ![]() ![]() ![]() parthena |
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#11 |
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: NW London
Posts: 19,904
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Ah, I see.
I had a similar problem when I got a new LCDTV. My old one had 4 SCARTs, the new one only has 2. I solved it by putting the Toppy into the Component RGB connection. See this thread... http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s...991&highlight= But note a side effect: http://forum.toppy.org.uk/forum/view...ombing&start=0 K |
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#12 |
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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I'm not ignoring your valued advice, Kenny - you've opened up a can of worms on yet another new learning curve now
![]() I don't think I should take this any further in this thread as it's inappropriate to the original query, so I may revive your other one with any questions I have. Thank you! parthena |
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#13 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Bristol
Posts: 447
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I think with the Mystuff Firmware it should not dump you to live TV...
![]() Gary |
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#14 |
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: South Manchester.
Posts: 132
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Quote:
" I have also noted with dismay that if a recording starts whilst a recording from the Library is being watched, the watcher is switched to view the new, active recording in the place of the one they were watching. "
![]() Also SimonC's site is enlightening too. http://www.toppy.org.uk/~simonc/dp.html I believe the Xw patch is the one you will be wanting. HTH. |
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#15 |
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: SW London, Crystal Palace Tx
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Thanks very much, Gary and Wendo
![]() parthena |
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That can severely restrict the number of gadgets you can connect, and how you connect them.



