i have just returned my 2nd faulty daewoo pvr.
so im in the market for a replacement.
its a toss up between a toppy and a humax..

the one thing that drove me mad about the daewoo was the buzzing chassic noise from the h/drive.

i have read the toppy is much quieter than the humax as it doesnt have a fan,is this true?

also does the toppy get updates??
does it have series link recording yet??
what warranty do you get??

thanks for looking at this thread, any other info would be helpful coz im still undecided on the make of the replacement( but it will not be a daewoo)

Yes, there's no fan in the Toppy.

There have been loads of firmware updates for the Topfield; there have been more than 20 for the TF5800 since launch - some with minor fixes, some with major fixes, some with new features.

A series link firmware will be along soon, though I can't put a firm date on it. In the meantime, thanks to the ability to add third party software - knows as TAPs - to the Toppy you can make the TF5800 do series link now.

Warranty is two years.

As for whether or not you should wait for the TF5810, all I can say is that it's close, and the anticipated date is "around christmas." I'll know more this week, I hope. Note that the new model will be more expensive, as it's a) new and b) will have a larger hard drive and other stuff.

There's tons more info on the Toppy site, www.toppy.org.uk

Nigel I am also planning on buying the new TF5810 so can you tell me, will I have to get it from Turbosat when it becomes available, or will other retailers have it in stock when it launches?

Thanks in anticapation GG

I've answered that on the Toppy site but for the benefit of others here, the simple answer is that Turbosat are the importers, so it'll obviously arrive there first.

As far as I know, appearance with other retailers is just a matter of logistics after that, ie no planned delay.

Yes I know you have Nigel and thanks again! (Just covering my bases by asking the question over here and over there as well!)

GG

Just spoken with the distributers, there is now no stock expected before Christmas They do however have a-graded 250GB units for £190

i hope you are wrong about none before xmas as i have sent my faulty pvr back...

now its a gamble do i wait for the new model or jump and get the older one... so i can record all that great xmas tv ..

Well, I can't guarantee anything, since I don't work for the distributors, but I wouldn't rule out before Xmas just yet, based on my conversations with them. It's pretty fluid at the moment, and there's a lot going on (like testing the new updates for the TF5800 too).

All I'll say is "watch this space." I don't think they'll suddenly run out of stock of the TF5800 anyway, so if you're desperate you should be able to get one of those at pretty short notice.

Turbosat told me today they hope to have it by the end of Jan.

I'd be very surprised if they didn't have it by then! I'd equally not be at all surprised if it were a *lot* sooner than that.

Like tomorrow I hope! (GG wishful thinking and wanting it before Xmas!)

GG

I just ordered a Toppy from Empire Direct (collect from store so hopefully no issues re delivery etc) for £199.

However they state that the warranty is only 1 year, but would this mean that Toppy would cover the 2nd year or have I been gipped?

Re the new model, from what I have read on here it doesn't seem to do much more than the 5800 except look prettier, and have a larger drive. It will likely be more expensive so I will stick with the 5800.

Thanks,

It has HDMI too, an a much improved user interface.

Don't have a HD TV (nor likely to get one anytime soon) and the interface is what you make it with TAP's

Not sure if the new interface is better than My Stuff etc

A pretty significant number of people - probably the majority - don't actually use TAPs, and for that majority, the addition of series link and the new interface will be a major improvement - though the 5800 is of course getting Freeview Playback too.

Equally, a lot of people are looking for HDMI these days; it may not be what you want, and you may prefer to load TAPs, but for a lot of folk those - and some of the other improvements under the hood - are worth paying for.

Not that it matters seeing as you've already ordered a 5800.

Glen.

[sacrcastic]I bought a £2000 PC recently to play Minesweeper! I don't want to start installing any scary software![/sarcastic]

Seriously, the Toppy is a good piece of kit out of the box, but it is TAPs that made me want to buy it. I resent having to do everything the way "the man" makes me do it.

Well, indeed, some people do buy it for the TAP ability.

But others buy a Toppy for different reasons - it was the first twin tuner with CI slot available in the UK, for example, just around when TUTV launched. For me, it was largely a combination of that and the availability of Mac transfer software.

I don't think anyone can really get hard figures, but from chatting with the distributors, I know that the number of people registered on my Toppy web site is a minority of users, and of those who are, the vast majority have not taken advantage of the ability to register for notifications when TAPs they use are updated. Anecdotally, many of the people who call Turbosat's support line are not TAP users.

Of course TAPs can enhance and improve the Toppy; I'd never deny that. But you don't have to use them, and with the changes in the new model, I think many casual users will be less likely to feel the need.

It was also the ability to transfer the recordings via USB unaltered that appealed as well. It the best method I have found of archiving TV shows to DVD without losing any quality. The Toppy rocks!

I use TAPs but have never bothered registering to get notifcations as I tend to browse the site at least once a day so keep an eye on what's new. If you want to use those stats to assess TAP usage then I *will* register to do my bit for accuracy.

They're never going to be very accurate, of course; but they're about the only indicator that there is, at present.

any news on the release date and price, or spec??

i got coins burning a hole in my pocket and with the empiredirect price being so good may have to jump for the 5800 before they all gone

is there any point in getting one of these when freesat will be out soon?

Yes

a) If you don't want satellite

b) If you can't or don't want a dish installed

c) If satellite reception is not very good in your area

d) If you are more than happy with Freeview.

Yeah but isn't that just because they are in a different pool of people? Ie, say the techie people using TAPs use a bit of common sense to fix their own problems rather than calling some premium rate help line.