My parents PVR has just died (a Matsui), and they need a new one quick. Basically they want one that is very easy to use and reliable, and I'm searching for the best machine. Freeview Playback looks great. The ultimate bonus would be to set up an way to copy programmes from the box to PC or similar via USB etc), but I realise that might be unrealistic.

So the question to you Topfield owners... is the default TF5800 simple to use? Are there any TAPs I could set up for them that would help?

I'm new to the world of Topfield, so all help much appreciated!

From various opinions I've seen, the vanilla toppy is OK but probably less 'pensioner friendly' than a Humax. If they want 99% recording confidence, then a Toppy + MyStuff TAP is about as good as it gets, in my experience. The Humax does seem to be a bit over-reliant on the Freeview Playback functionality which is a bit 'broadcaster-reliant' at the moment. The MyStuff TAP (in conjunction with Accurate Bookmark TAP) seems to be the best combination. But, you have to be a 'bit of a techie' to set it up for them. The Toppy does do the copy to PC via USB functionality pretty well. Visit www.toppy.org.uk for more extensive help.

K

Thanks for the pointers! Should be able to set up for them OK, as long as it is easy to use once there.

So does, say, using My Stuff mean that Freeview Playback isn't used? Or am I confused?!

Easy to get confused...

MyStuff timers have a built in capability to set default pre- and post- buffering. So, when you ask it to, say, record monday's "Corries", it will, for example, record from 1928-2006 and 2028-2106. By adding the 'Accurate Bookmarking' TAP, it puts 'bookmarks' at the actual programme start and end points and MyStuff will start playing at those points. However, if, as is common, ITV don't put the start points at the right time, you've still got the buffer to move around to get to the correct point. In this way, it's the best of both worlds!

The current version of MyStuff uses what are called "Control Timers". These are basically based on a text matching algorithm (so if you ask it to look for "Doctor Who", it will pick up the main show and 'Confidential' in one search. You can limit the searches by day of week, time or channel so you can avoid too many duplicates. As another example, I asked it to record anything with 'medieval' in the title or description and it picked up 47 BBC4 programmes for me! I then did a bit of tidying up to get rid of the inevitable repeat shows that appear on BBC4...

However, the next major release of MyStuff is planning to make use of the series link data that is another part of Freeview Playback to enable it to avoid duplicates and even avoid clashes by using "second broadcasts" where appropriate.

The MyStuff programmers are a pretty darn smart group and are very responsive when it comes to issuing fixes and workarounds (far better than the Korean Toppy manufacturers!) so I'd trust them to do a good job.

There are screen grabs of the MyStuff menus at BobD's site http://www.BobDsMyStuff.co.uk so you can see what it looks like and judge if it's suitable for your use...


K

I love my Toppy, but under no circumstances would I let my parents near one.

Glen.

I suppose the key question is...

Were they capable of programming a video recorder? If yes, then once set up, the Toppy (in the same way as any other PVR) is a doddle. If they couldn't manage the video, jury's out!

K

Thanks Kenny T! They managed fine with the Matsui til it fried (an Access Devices machine).

It seems that almost every machine has someone somewhere saying it is full of bugs / fries the hard drive etc, and the Topfield seemed to come out best, hence the enquiries.

My Stuff looks great... but if you can indulge a newbie a little further, what extra could it offer my parents above the standard Freeview Playback? Is the latter not all that reliable in practice?

FB is totally dependent on the ability of the broadcasters to use it correctly. I can't comment on the Series Link aspect, but the Accurate Recording is very hit and miss at the moment, especially on ITV (see the 'Get your finger out ITV' thread in the Humax section) so if your parents watch Corrie and Emmerdale...

It will, of course, improve over time but I still like the 'insurance' aspect of MyStuff's Control Timers.


K

In my opinion I think your parents might have difficulties using the Topfield. It is certainly far more complex than any of the other 6 PVRs that I have had.
However if YOU install the TAP(s) especially MYStuff and clearly explain how to use the 'very basics' of the PVR they should not have any difficulty.
After they become more confident using it, then show them the extra features eg jump forward and back, folders etc etc

My 89 year old (confusable) neighbour misses her video, and I told her she should get a PVR if she wants to record stuff, anyhow 6 months on and she would like to get one now.

I had always thought TVonics was the one to go for, from things I've read. I was trying to tempt her to go the sky route, because that's what I have and its very simple, but for a Freeview box I think I'll get her the TVonics, they have them at Tesco and Aldi.

I've never used them though, so I'm just going off reviews and comments online.

As someone with a ferguson PVR (same guts almost as matsui) and a topfield, I'll say the topfield will disappoint in comparison.