What are the benefits of going from a Digifusion to a Topfield?

I have a couple of fairly stable Digifusions but have a little cash spare and haven't upgraded any gadgets for months so I'm thinking of the new Topfield 5810, when it lands. Interesting features for me are:
[LIST][*]HDMI output[*]Options for searching EPG[*]USB connection[*]Freeview Playback[*]Quiet Running[*]Bigger Disks[/LIST]Can anyone with Digifusion and TF5800 experience please tell me of any other features I'll benefit from?

IMHO the main benefits of a Toppy come from its ability to run 3rd party add-ons. It's a very individual things as to what people find useful.

e.g. Some people want the ability to set recordings remotely using a mobile phone, or via the web. That may be crucial to them, but isn't something I want.

For others it's the ability to have a different look and feel to the EPG that's important.

Personally I like the built in EPG, but not the built-in timers screen, so it's the latter I replace.

I'd suggest browsing www.toppy.org.uk and www.tapworld.net to see the possibilities.

Not sure if the Digifusion has it, but one of the things that would drive me mad is not having folders for organising recordings, which the Topfield does offer; if you like to keep lots of stuff for a rainy day, it's very useful.

Thanks for the info guys. The taps do look great but I'm unsure whether many of them will work on the long awaited 5810. I guess at least initially, the 'vanilla' machine will be more functional than what I'm used to.

I have folders on one of my Fusions but I have to be honest I've never thought of using them. I don't really keep any recordings long-term. If I did on the Toppy I think I'd prefer to offload them to my PC or even DVD.

Thanks again. Just watching out for a launch date now!

I have owned both and had the same conderns as yourself. However I can say I have honestly never looked back since buying the Toppy. It is almost noise free in comparison to the Digifusion and the EPG in conjunction with the MyStuff TAP is far, far superior.

In addition, the USB connection to a PC gives lots of options for transferring and playing with recorded content.

Thanks for that. I'm almost willing one of my fusions to break by the time the 5810 is launched!

I'm not much of an early adopter usually but I can't see the point buying a 5800 now. Hardware wise I'm hoping that there's little difference from the 5800 so any potential teething troubles will be restricted to software.

The 5800 has USB and big disks and will get an upgrade to Freeview Playback standard, as I understand. Apart from the addition of HDMI does anyone know of any hardware changes?

A much bigger HDD (500GB), a 12 digit (4+8) display on the front panel and the case is 4cm wider. So, if you don't need 500GB or HDMI, you're probably better off getting the 5800. I'm rather taken with the 5810's improved front panel, but I'm not sure it's worth the extra £50-£100 it's likely to cost.

Yes, 500Gb sounds great and I will use the HDMI. I'll hold out for the 5810 too. Thanks a lot.

The Topfield only has an 8 day EPG to the FVRT's 14.

HDMI and 500GB sound great though. Let us know how you get on if you decide to go for it.

Nooo! don't wish bad upon the digifusion,
I keep trying new ones and just can't leave the easyness and well integration of the 'fusion. see my other posts here and on the digifusion group for more...

My Toppy has a 14 day EPG. That's the beauty of having a machine that can be tinkered with!

Glen.

Thanks Mr_Rob. I've reviewed your posts and it's good to get a summary side by side comparison.

I figured in my mind that I'd have to get 'down and dirty' with the TAPs to get the best out of the Topfield, but I didn't really think I'd have to mess with them just to get back to the old Fusion functionalities I've had for years.

I do flip between multiple running programmes, especially if I remember to schedule something while watching something else. I also assume I can record a live programme from the buffer with one touch.

I won't rule out a Topfield but I'll have to do some research on the effectiveness of the appropriate TAPs before I commit to one.

Are you using a TAP for that and if so, which one please?

To get the 14 day EPG you need to have the Toppy connected to the internet via a PC or NSLU2. The PC or NSLUG2 can be set up to automatically download the Radio Times programme guide and transfer it to the Toppy. EPG Uploader, mei2eit or MyStuff are the TAPs you'd be interested in.

Cheers.