Replacement for Topfield TF5810?

I am on my second Topfield TF5810 Freeview PVR and am wondering if there are any decent alternatives out there?

I know there are some pretty good Humax machines but they need to be net-workable (I have networked mine using a Buffalo network HD but it is still basically USB between the PVR and the hard disk).

I love the Toppy but they don't seem to be able to stay alive for a full 12 months and they are not cheap. The last was replaced (eventually) free of charge because it was within warranty but I'm not sure the replacement starts again from scratch or whether it is covered by the original warranty.

Before going down this route it would be nice to see what else is out there...

Posted on Jan 25, 2010 via Howwl

I'm sure you'd get a better consensus via something like the digitalspy pvr forums(http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=90). There's a good feature comparison chart thingy here (albeit Freeview HD):http://www.pvrjunction.co.uk/resources/compare-freeviewhd-pvrs/

I suppose a card-in-a-computer option isn't what you want? We had an eyeTV PVR box for our Mac which isn't quite the same thing as standalone box. It's a shame Tivo never made a dent in the UK market.

From emsquared on Aug 21, 2010

Post 2138 via Howwl

Thanks, I will take a look at those forums (it's things like this where I really miss CiX!).

I did have Windows media centre at one point but with the amount of hammer a PVR gets in this family it was nice to have a dedicated box (especially as I have it networked via a Buffalo Linkstation to the PC so I can get to watch stuff as well).

From ssherlock in reply to emsquared on Aug 21, 2010

Post 2139 via Howwl, in reply to Post 2138

it's things like this where I really miss CiX!

Early days. Howwl will bypass CIX very soon, not least because Howwl is indexed by Google.

From frank in reply to ssherlock on Aug 21, 2010

Post 2147 via Howwl, in reply to Post 2139

Second bvox has just died again, but this time with a loss of the hard disk. It powers on and shows TV for about 15 minutes but then freezes and needs rebooting. No recordings and/or TAPS as HD not showing up (makes a thunking noise as it tries).

I will be contacting support on Monday but while trawling the web found the Topfield SRP2100 - http://www.topfield.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31:topfield-srp-2100-media-solution&catid=13:pvr-a-hdd-receivers&Itemid=10

It looks absolutely lovely but with the atrocious reliability of the 5810 it's just too much of a gamble I think, especially at �600 plus ...

From ssherlock on Aug 21, 2010

Post 2135 via Howwl

Box has now gone back to Topfield under 2 year manufacturers warranty so will see what happens.

I'm becoming more and more tempted just to build my own using a small Linux box and something like mythbuntu - http://www.mythbuntu.org/

Be interested in hearing whether others have done similar (as I am sure they have) and how they integrated it into their TV setup rather than just had another PC on a network i.e. how to keep it quiet, do you use a bluetooth keyboard (is a remote even possible) etc, etc?

From ssherlock in reply to ssherlock 5 days ago

Post 2262 via Howwl, in reply to Post 2135

We have a fledgling mythTV setup. Connects to the TV via HDMI or component. Can't say I'm aware of compy noise but then my hearing's not 100%. We use an iPod touch or a netbook for the frontend -mythTV has the backend on your storage compy and the front end controller can be installed on something else or you can access controls through a web browser). A standard replacement or ideally programmable remote control can also be used (with appropriate receiver on your compy) as can Wii controllers with a little jer-jer-jiggling apparently.

From emsquared in reply to ssherlock 5 days ago

Post 2273 via Howwl, in reply to Post 2262

Wow, that sounds exactly what I am after (and I love the idea of using ipod/iphone as a remote).

Do you have any further details of kit specs and cost?

Thanks.

From ssherlock in reply to emsquared 5 days ago

Post 2275 via Howwl, in reply to Post 2273

It's not a million miles away from this: http://www.mini-itx.com/store/?c=53#ION-ITX-A-may-2009-bundle (some components that we have are now superseded).Ours is similar in that it's an ION based setup, 4GB RAM, external NAS storage - Only difference is we have a DVB-S2 card and share a multi-LNB satellite dish with a neighbour. There are a few Nvidia ION bare bones units and motherboards out there.
My partner is the big TV,iPlayer & film watcher whereas I'm more an Internet radio and music consumer so it doubles as a uPnP server accessed via the iPod touch and WiFi radio.
Anyway MythTV is the main way of accessing a library of media on the TV . Not everyone's cup of tea as a solution I know but I was OK with the initial setup learning curve.

From emsquared in reply to ssherlock 5 days ago

Post 2277 via Howwl, in reply to Post 2275

Brilliant thanks. I'll take a look.

From ssherlock in reply to emsquared 5 days ago

Post 2283 via Howwl, in reply to Post 2277

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