Topfield TF5800PVRt 250GB 250GB Storage PVR Reviews: 2 freeview tuners HDR with HDMI

+ Set-up is simple and it functions well. No problems in operation although slightly confusing initially.

- No real bad points.

+ Flexibility, programmability USB2 port, TAPs

- User interface as installed not as intuitive as Thomson product used previously.

+ Out of the box it is not good. Add TAPs and it becomes excellent. Then it is the best Freeview PVR you can get.

- Clunky standard features and interface. TAPS transform it.

+ Best available

- Reviewer left no comment

+ A great piece of equipment - I now have two!! - easy to use feature rich and very reliable a great but.

- None

+ Great that you can record two channels and watch a third.
Pausing and rewinding live TV is useful
250 GB provides plenty of space for storing programs
Impressed that Topfield keep updating the software on-line so you can keep your machine up to date for free

- The hard drive makes faint buzzing noise, my wife and most of our friends can not hear it but I can and find it quite annoying.
Freeview EPG is not always up to date (This is not a fault with this model)

+ Extremely easy to use and programme, 250Gb version has huge capacity - over 40 full length films, plus 50 odd other programmes stored and still space for more! We can now watch what we want when we want (even before a programme has finished recording) and have not tapes or DVDs all over the place. Sound and picture quality are great. Machine is very quiet. Setanta Sports CAM module (available separately) is very easy to set up. Overall, one of the best pieces of kit ever bought.

- Fairly pricey compared to other (more standard) PVRs on the market, but seems worth it. Gets hot if left on for long periods (i.e. overnight) and not put on standby, but doesn't seem to affect quality. Not enough time to watch everything recorded! Our digital reception for Channel 5 and other channels on same frequency is poor, and affects our Setanta Sports freeview signal, but that's probably down to an old arial. (Something else to buy!)

+ gr8 pvr. in the past i've had 2 freeveiwboxs on a pvr and both had been rely bad. finaly a good pvr. easy to record once you learn how to use it, reliable, good sound and picture, and haveing a usb cable is good to because you can put films you recored to dvd with your laprop it think i dont know because i haven't test that yet. overall gr8. PS. looks good in black to.

- take a while to turn on (about 5-10 second) but that's not a problem it must be the harddrive booting up. takes a while to get used to but fine. loads of plugs on the back makeing it hard to plug in but thats not much of a problem ether.

+ Lots of features and additional TAPS make this a great buy. The picture quality is great; much better than my old Freeview receiver.

- Low pitch hum gets really annoying after a short time! I fixed this by sitting it on some cheap washing up sponges. Cost next to nothing and damps out any vibration nicely. I'd say it's perhaps a little complex for some users. However, the instruction book is good and it easy to use once you've put the effort in. You definitely need to read the manual though.

+ big hard drive and

- had to update to latest firmware

+ Good range of features probably best on market at the moment.

- Some features are not totally reliable. Buttons on handset are too small. Software needs some improvement

+ Brilliant bit of kit very user friendly. Never miss a programme now.

- can not think of any

+ It has two digi boxes so you can record two things at once, has an on screen guide with picture of what you are watching so you can see what is on other channels or coming up and you can switch channels, set reminders or record programmes.
You can pause live TV and not miss a thing. You can connect to the PC (cable not supplied for this) and add little customisation programs, I haven't done this yet so can't say how easy it is.

- The picture on my new HD LCD TV deteriorated as soon as I attached the Toppy, and the sound keeps hesitating. It doesn't seem to be HD compatible. i had been reading reviews on this for ages before buying when I spotted a bargain price, but I am disappointed by the quality of picture and sound.

+ Good manual, functions and ease of set up

- small buttons on the remote and lacks style

+ Just love it, especially when you load on the taps from toppy.org

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Very easy to make and then view recordings.
Having two tuners.

- Bit expensive.
Support for HDMI?

+ Really easy to set up. The instructions are fantastic - really clear and easy to follow.
Ability to pause live TV is invaluable. Also, being able to record two things at once, whilst watching a third, is really good.

- The TV guide isn't very good - you can't see much in one go.

+ Easy to use and set up

- Not so easy to use download
Still need some help!

+ Ease of use plus looks good
First class product and well worth the money

- Can not find any

+ The ability to write your own programs to run on the machine adds great flexibility.

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Easy tro set-up. If you want more features there is a useful website and online forum with additional software you can download and transfer using USB connection.

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Very easy to use - if my 60 year old technophob dad could use this it is great! It has changed his TV viewing habits, he now doesn't ever stay in to watch a show and never has to search for a blank tape to record on it.

- We did purchase one that had a louder than usual humming noise - but returned without a problem and the next one had no problem.

+ You can record two digital programes while watching another- You can play a programe you have started recording and watch it. You can download progreams to your computer and with the right software commit them to a dvd disc.

- haven't found any as yet...

+ Easy to use, lots of great features. Very clever piece of kit.

- Have not found any yet.

+ Stylish mirrored exterior, absolutely silent operation (no fan noise even when TV volume is low or TV is off), good reception of channels, excellent picture quality, Picture-In-Picture feature, CAM slot for Pay TV & subscription services, twin tuners, easy to set reminders, single programme or series link recordings. User manual including set up insturctions written in plain English and very easy to follow with clearly laid out diagrams and pictures. Overall, this is a fantastic product, very well designed with good build quality and ease of use.

- No bad points so far.

+ The Topfield is a very good machine,and is very easy to programm with other software via usb or serial connection.One of the features I really like about it is,once it is programed with mystuff software,you can jump adverts,and the jumps can be finely tuned to jump adverts exactly with one press of the remote control.Overall I am very pleased with the machine.One other point is it is a very quiet machine with no noisy fan.

- Non.

+ A good platform out of the box. Then it's upgradeable with 'TAP's for nearly anything else you want, such as a different EPG or for keyword searches. The USB link to computer helps easy management of recordings. Very quiet in use and the design of the box gets better. Picture quality is good with few breakups. Looks great on my 40" LCD. The 5800 pushes 5.1 sound to my home cinema system. I love it: we have two now.

- So much capability means lots of controls on the remote!

+ Massive range of features.
Expandable.
Excellent range of software.

- EPG can take a while to load.

+ Easy to use with lots of features and you can add your own personal touches too by uploading your MP3s, pictures and even control commands. Come with its own games.

- Remote control signals not always acted upon instantly, requiring one or more prods of the relevant key.

+ Excellent product, top of the shop. Easy & simple set up. easy to record up to 2 programs at a time. Easy to play, fast forward & reverse recorded programmes. Easy to delete old recordings. Time delay/pause and watch facility great. Huge memory. Great picture quality. Would reccommend to anyone. I cannot understand why they do not advertise this product more.

- Only one - sound control low, you need to turn up tv setting to get it to work adeqately.

+ Easy to use, clear info display and excellent features like pause live tv. Like having sky plus but with the freeview channels and no monthly costs. Can watch programme previously recorded while recording another 2 different channels. Remote control is also easy to use.

- Can be slightly noisy when watching a programme back which has been recorded, but not enough to put me off machine.

+ Stunning picture quality, very easy to record programs with the on screen menu and almost silent in operation. With the Taps feature there are many programs obtainable from the internet to enhance the machines capabilities further.

- Long delay when first switching on, program menu screens sometimes jump a channel to the one selected.

+ works perfectly as it says on the tin ...

- the internal display could be of a higher resolution and more informative

+ Easy to setup and use for the basic functions

- Reviewer left no comment

+ An awfully clever box of tricks but you need to read the manual to find out how to use many of the functions

- Almost too many features

+ Size of Hard Drive (bigger than expected)
Ability to record Series

- Recording is not as simple as expected and has resulted in a couple of failures in the early days.

+ Overall a very user friendly product. Not being really computer literate, I find the Topfield extremely uncomplicated. Initial setup was a breeze and in general use I find the product/remote so easy to navigate

- I can genuinely think of none for my level of requirement.

+ Almost everything is good about it

- unable to download the software update from the website, but it still works fine as it is

+ Excellent device and easy to customise

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Very easy to set up - good features, veryversatile.

- Manual could be clearer and more specific - no troubleshooting help and conection diagrams would be helpful. Manual assumes a level of knowledge and understanding that manyusers will not have.

+ Easy to use, good program guide.

- Reviewer left no comment

+ so simple to use,so many valuable aids to recording

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Great device, excellent features and reliable. Well worth spending a little extra.

- None!

+ Reviewer left no comment

- Poor usability out of the box but can be upgraded if your are technically minded

+ Ability to record two programs and watch a third, plus availability of "TAPS" to customise to your exact requirements

- Needs TAPS to give full potential - with these installed, it would be 10/10

+ Able to download recorded material to PC

- I've also got a Humax PVR - the Humax is much better for ease of use, and overall a better unit

+ Can record 2 digital channels and watch a recorded programme all at the same time. Also you can set you timer just my a torch of a button

- When recording 2 channels, not every digital channel is available if you would like to watch live a third channel.

+ Flexible - ability to use TAPS written by third parties is wonderful. Performance is superb. Ability to download recorded programmes onto a PC and from PC to the Toppy is one of the reasons I bought it, but the simplicity of recording programmes has been an eye opener. It has revolutionised our TV watching.

- would be nice if Topfield had better Linux support.

+ programmability

- None at present

+ Very useful system used extensively for recording programs. Good sized hard disk.

- Developed a noisy drive with standard settings. This has been resolved by switching off the 1 hour program recording cache.
Slow interface for transferring files to PC

+ It was easy to set up and freeview reception quality is much better than my old set top box. Recording using the EPG is quick and easy and playback is even simplier with the added benefit of no videos to search through.

- No particular bad points to report.

+ Generally good, works out of the box, easy to use for general day-to-day tasks.

- Takes a little more time to boot than my last PVR, also does not remember which type of TV giude you have selected.

+ The topfield allows you to download software from the internet meaning the machine can be customized to suite the users needs.

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Great to be able to load additional software (TAPS) to customise the performance - available through an excellent user developed website. If you're happy with basic fiddling with a PC this is a great bonus and makes the box very flexible

- Slightly slow to start up but this is a minor point

+ twin tuners, computer downloadable for updates, ease of use, simplicity of setting recorder

- Unlike a sony digital recorder I have which when finished using to view recorded programmes can be swithed off and will continue to record programmes this one can not be switched off easily

+ quiet operation (no noisey fans), good hard disk size, good library function (arranging recorded programs into folders)

- aweful remote control, whole system crashes when trying to use digital teletext

+ Ease of use and number of features

- Reviewer left no comment

+ The support for TAPs makes this THE best freeview PVR for anyoone prepared to tinker a little.

- When recording the box switches itself on and switches the tv to the scart socket even if you don't want it to.

+ Twin Tuners - Record two programs at once or watch one and record another
Program Guide makes timer recording a doddle
Range of add-on software provides additional features - like proper MP3 playback
USB connection to a PC enables you to copy recordings to a PC - so you can burn them onto DVD etc

- None really

+ menus and features can be added or modified by downloading software
recordings can be transferred to PC
two tuners

- can only record from internal tuners

+ Good manual to help understand what initially appears to be a complex bit of kit.
(Poor section on connecting up, a set of pictures would be easier to understand.)
Does what it says on the box.

- 1st unit failed (hard drive fault) with 'dropping' of playback signal (similar to missing frames on film) after several months.

+ This is more than suitable for purpose - did not realize it had games but would like to see more.

- The EPG is sometimes not up to date!!

+ This is a good player right out of the box, some reviews hark on about the need to add taps etc. After a month of great use I'm just starting to add the odd one to tweak it to my personnel taste. The ability to be able to do it is what sets this player out from the rest. Before this I had a digifusion but this beats it easily.

- Still looking for one, the software for PC transfer could be abit smarter and included in the box but no a difficult download.

+ loads of features -- will work with your PC, can be programmed externally ------
looks good
good picture
easy programming if........

- EPG is terrible
I lost 50% of my recording (signal not sent) software/firmware should not be in place if i doesn't work with the channels
cannot override timer

+ Easy to use, record a programme with a touch of a button and record up to 3 channels as well. Picture quality is good but that depends on your freeview reception. You can also change how the Toppy interfrace looks by using TAPS which is relatively easy to do.

- Sometimes when it is in sleep mode the time is incorrect.

+ Ease of use.
Can record on two channels and watch a pre-recorded programme at the same time.
Downloadable software either on-line or from the tv channel
All my tech friends have one and rate it highly
Controller range is great

- Controller is unnecessarily small, with small buttons and has to be held to operate it, otherwise it tips over.
Couldn't get it in silver
Rather plain and uninteresting design
Take a while to boot up. Once used to it though, its not such a problem

+ Extremely customisable and if you don't like the way it works you can probably change it how you like it.

- Can be a bit over complicated for those who just want the basic functions

+ TAPs, folders for storing recorded programmes, series link, transfer video to PC

- STB asks if you want to stop recording when trying to power off to standby, pip does not work when watching a video. no time guard on series link freeview playback (latest firmware)

+ Easy to use, lots of features.

- Latest firmware providing FreeView Play capabilities has several bugs.

+ After reverting back to a previous firmware and using TAPS the Topfield has lots of features.
It is 100% silent which is a must if one uses it in the bedroom

- The existing firmware for FREEVIEW playback is of no use to man or beast. Fails to record about 25% of programs set.

+ Very easy to set recording. Picture quality better than analog. Quick to set up a recorded program to watch.
Only required a brief read of the manual to get set up and running.

- Sound has to be at full volume to get the TV at the same level of sound.
Has managed to record three times without being set to our knowlage. Havent figured that out yet.

+ Ease of use, practicality, quality of picture, brilliant piece of technology, the 'mut's nuts'!

- I didn't find out about it until now!

+ Easy to use, excellent recording quality. Ability to record 2 programmes simultaneously whilst watching a 3rd.

- noisey hard drive.

+ Excellent, best freeview recorder on the market, bar none.

- None. Though the device is probably not suited to a non-techie.

+ Great machine, not missed a single recording. records 2 channels while you watch a recording.

- tv guide could be a lot better. when you go to another day in the guide it starts at 00.01 every time!! you cant turn it off/standby while you are recording, you have to set the sleep timer to 10 mins and then leave it to go off

+ Quality picture, easy EPG, twin =tuners means you can watch one channel and record another

- Transfer to PC for archiving fiddly, button for recorded programme list not obvious

+ Good all-rounder

- time delay for records would be good as it sometimes misses the end of the program

+ Very flexible - can be programmed to do more stuff. Very extensive functionality - can watch a third program when recording two others (with constraints), has series-record but can set manual timer too etc.

- Clunky look, including very poor front panel display wich simply showed the time very brightly. Very complicated to understand. Slightly grainy feel to the picture. Unreliable - failed to record one program, would not play another program which had been recorded earlier. Poor standby ergonomics. Eventually (after two days) developed a fault where it screeched loudly when switched to standby - had to be switched off at the mains.

+ twin tuner,
download to pc capability
Good information on the recordings made, well structured.
EPG info as displayed is very informative.

- Cant change order of programmes in EPG even in favourites list.
Forward and reverse top speed is not fast enough at 16 times, should be 64 speed.

+ After reading various reviews I chose the Topfield 5800T and have been delighted with the ease of set-up, simplicity of use and every aspect of the recorder. I would strongly recommend it as it does exactly what it says on the can.

- None found

+ pretty easy to use
very fast/responsive

- Menu's aren't as nice as Sky+ or Media Centre PC, but they're not too bad.
Some things are a bit strange the way they are done - e.g. difficult to get to timer schedule

+ Excellent picture quality and very easy to set up and use.

- No bad points

+ Good quality picture and sound.

- Poor remote. Expensive.

+ Easy to set up and easy for very technically naive (i.e. grandparents) to operate with a minimum of training and very little support needed afterwards

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Top of the league when comparing PVRs

- None yet.