apeferreira

Those percentages are pretty good, the same as mine when I had the PVR. I am starting to suspect that the problem happens with the area. Which is your area? Maybe channels 7's repeaters? If so, why only the Wintal has this problem? My old Toppy is perfect (SD only).

No sound gaps at all??? Congratulations! Just as a matter of curiosity, what is the signal strenght in your area?

Thanks Megan, I checked the link suggested by TWITCH and it is very good. I am still to decide if I go for the Beyonwiz or Topfield. They seem to be excelent units. The nuisance you mentioned above re the ad-skiping feature is exactly the same with the Wintal PVR2HD. After a while I got tired of pressing PLAY and right arrow to skip the ads. Because the ad time is not constant, you may have 3 min or maybe 1 min only of ads, I would always having to fast backward to not miss the beggining of the segment. Annoying...

Interesting what you said about not having had the probem... I tried both, optical and analog outputs into my amplifier with the same results. This was suggested initially by the technician at Radio Parts who said that, yes, we had problems with the optical circuitry (yet, another problem!). My amp, a Pioneer VSX917, has HDMI in/out but my TV has not so I could not test in HDMI mode. Video is pretty good though. Even in my old AWA TV, the 1080i mode was very good, no complaints about that. All I can say is to keep the channel 7 on or record and pay attention to the sound during playback. If you do not have the problem you might try the Lotto tonight because I think that you are very lucky!

Hey guys, I'm new on this thread and would like to ask a question... I went to the Beywonwiz site and had a look around and got confused with the different products (S1, P1, P2...). What are the main differences? Apparently it is going to be a bit difficult for me to decide between these two names. I still have my Topfield 5000 and it is a pity sometime soon I will keep it for emergencies. Great machine. You guys seem to have a lot of experience with the Beyonwiz so allow me to pick your brains... Update... Another user (twitch) directed me to another thread that answered my question: http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=68937 Cheers!

Well guys, this morning, I gave up. I just could not watch TV or recordings properly. I rang Radio Parts and after having confirmed that the PVR2HD model had a design problem, I took it back and got a refund. No hassels. So, for you guys out there, be aware of the problem. I moved my beloved Topfield back to its place until I can get a HDef PVR. Maybe I will go for the Topfield 7000 as the price dropped last time I checked. Any suggestion about other brands? Cheers!

It seems that this unit unit is really badly designed hence the low price. I would suggest, if I may, that everybody email Radio Parts (directly through the Wintal email in the Wintal site) and report these problems. I am not sure at this stage if we could get a refund because the product is faulty or if we should wait until they fix the problems. Any feedback about this? When I took it back the first time I was told about these two problems: The channel 7 issue related above and possible problem with the recording from EPG and date/time wrongly assumed by the unit. Yesterday I experimented the problem with the fast forward supposedly fixed with the new firmware. Has anyone experimented this as well? I have not applied the firmware yet.

Sorry the silly question but are you sure your time and date and GMT are correct?

Mddawson, All the info, including the channel no. and the time of recording appear at the bottom of the information screen for the recorded programs. It is a bit confusing visually but they are there. Regarding the "tomorrow" time recording, apparently this feature has a problem as well. I experimented recording using the EPG starting in the evening and a program of 2 hours kept recording thoughout the night for 6 hours. EPG mode does not give an option to set the stop time. One has to go to the scheduled programs and set the stop time manually otherwise one may miss the ending of the program. The unit receives the timing from the network that usually is incorrect (programs may start before or after the broadcasting time in EPG so do not trust it). It also does not give us the opion of AM and PM so you have to keep an eye and start the day from 00:00 hours and check th right date. Have you bee watching/recording the channel 7? Have you noticed the problem with the sound?

Update on the Wintal PVR2hd sound problem - email received today from Radio Parts: "The sound issue is something we are still working on and hopefully will be addressed in an upcoming firmware update." Lets keep an eye on that. Cheers!

Yes, it does. The points for the argument are: 1 - Not everybody thinks or knows about this potential problem. 2 - It is a fault and as such, should be rectified but the authorities don't give a damn about the policy. And the retailer, unless you ask or mention the "acceptance level" they will not mention it or make you aware of the potential problem. I have a friend who, unaware of this, has a TV with 4 dead pixels but cannot replace it. As you said, he's got used to it. He's luck because the pixels are dead not stuck so the little black spots are not very noticeable (only when the screen is all white) however, if they were stuck I don't think he would like it very much. I, from now on, will adopt and recomend the friends what I suggested above and open/switch the TV in the shop. Theoretically, the chances of developing the problem are remote during the life of the product. It occurs during the manufacturing and because the panels are very expensive to replace they let it go and tell you to deal with the policy after you bought it. So much for quality control. Lets hope that this will change in the future. Or maybe the laser TV will take over? And if so, the laser beam may hit our eyes and they will create another policy like "we will replace the TV only if you go completely blind" ...

Well guys... Some bad news since I bought the PVR2HD from Radio Parts. Apparently this unit has a problem mainly with channel 7 regarding the sound. Either watching TV or recording, SD or HD, there are gaps in the sound which can become quite annoying (these are interruptions on the playback). This is noticeable particularly when the music is playing. Video is OK. I took it back to Radio Parts and had a debate about this. They say that they are aware of the problem and that they are working on the new firmware that would fix the problem and that "it is due to the way channel 7 streams the sound" (their words), whatever this is. Because I had a Topfield 5000 before and never had this problem (I miss my Topfield ) I insisted in having the unit replaced. After a few punchs back and forth they agreed and guess what? The problem is still there. Less pronounced, I'd say, but is there. The signal strenght at my place is very good on all channels (>86%) so this is not the problem. I will wait for the "new" firmware and continue the fight. I hope they fix this before my warranty expires. Although this not the topic here I would like to mention another problem with another Wintal product. At the same time, I bought a 26" LCD TV that came with a stuck red pixel. I complained on the same day but the guy told me that it was below the "acceptance level" and could not replace it. I started to get annoyed watching that bright pixel on the screen and in less than 7 days I took it back. It was another fight and they did not want to replace the TV. I talked to Consumer Affairs Victoria and they told me that I was entitled to a refund or replacement and go ahead and file the complaint. To make a long saga short, they agreed to replace it with a new one but I had to pay an extra $ 100.00 because it was bought in a sale ($ 300.00 less than the retail) or they would take the TV back but in this case I would have to pay the "restocking" fee of 20% that would be $ 140.00. Although I was entirely within my rights because it was not a "change of mind" or "product wrongly ordered" as their policy states, I was tired of the argument already (my son and I told them that we were going to camp inside the store until the issue was resolved and call the media) and decided to pay the extra $ 100.00 and get a brand new TV. End of the saga. Now, for the dead pixel, I will never buy another LCD TV from anyone without opening and turning it on IN THE SHOP before taking it home. That policy is a joke! Spread the word. I will keep you guys posted regarding any new development about the PVR2HD. In the meantime, DON'T BUY IT. Cheers! Last minute news: I went to the Wintal site and they have released a new firmware to fix another problem with the fast forward that I never expermented. I emailed them asking about the problem with Channel 7.

Well, there was a Radio Parts sale and I bit the bullet and purchase a PVRHD for $ 418.00 and so far, I like it. For the price it is excellent. Both tuners behave pretty well and the sound decoding in AC3 is excellent. The video output in 1080i is very good and my old AWA TV dislays a very good image. The operation is quite intuitive (if one has handled a PVR before and know what all the tec terms mean). I set it up in less than 30 minutes without opening the manual including channels scan, favorites, all settings and started recording right away from various channels to experiment. All went well however ( there is always a "however"), one detail that I don't like is that there is no facility to name the program one wants to record before it is recorded. One can do it after or during the recording though. The default name is whatever the EPG broadcasts and if the recording starts before the program you want the record the name is of the prior program so you have to start the playback to check which program you recorded and then change the name. After 6 or 7 recordings I was annoyed and bored with that. Topfield 5000 was good on this. The scheduling directly from the EPG works well but you must be very careful with the stopping time. It can divide the recording when the program changes in the EPG so, if it started recording 10 min before the main feature, there will be 2 files: one for those 10 min before and other for the rest of the program. But, what the hell? Good picture and sound in High Definition and a 320 Gb HD for that price, I can live with that... Can anyone tell me what is the recording format? The Topfield was .REC. Is this normal MPEG? Any suggestions on replacing the HDD with a larger one? Cheers!

Thanks Austen, Yes, I forgot to mention it was a 3.5 " and you're right about the RPM. In any case, do you think that say, a Maxtor or WD, with Acoustic management set would worl OK and with less noise? I thought that the acoustic management was to decrease the noise caused by the seek not the spinning... Cheers!

Hi guys, I'm a newbie on this topic and been reading with interest this discussion. At this stage I cannot contribute with anything because I'm still thinking in buying a HDD MP. However I have a (non technical) question and hope one of you gurus can answer. A friend bought a MV102 with a Seagate HD 500Gb and I went there for its debut. I thought it was pretty cool playing MP3, mpgs and DviX perfectly on his LCD TV but I could hear the high pitch noise of the HD spinning and iver time, it became pretty annoying particularly during the silent passages of a movie. We put a smaller WD HD to try, maybe the high speed (7200rpm) of the seagate caused this, but the noise was still there. Is there a way to avoid this? Do other units have the same "feature"? I don't think that the so called Acoustic Management would work on MPs. Or am I wrong? Also, I've been looking the specs for the Sarotech, TDvico, etc. What are your recomendations? Cheers!

Hi Green, Yes, I have the same problem and did not find a solution yet. See my post above. I'd appreciate if somebody offered a way out. The email I sent to the support has been answered yet. Cheers!

Hi Flatcat, Yesterday I bought a QMR300 at JB and started playing with it. It does the job so far and I had no problems recording -+R/RW DVDs. After finalizing a couple of test DVDs however, I found out that, when playing them in my Neuston player, the playback was jerk, freezing and jumping (like when you try to see a HD TV channel in a SD TV) and the picture, originally recorded in 16:9, was squashed to the 4:3 ratio. Playing the DVDs in the Soniq was OK. I tried every setting I could but I may have missed something. Did you guys have a similar problem?

Thanks Peter! Yeah, I am stuck with it now. And worse, after watching DVDs and the excelent images from the Toppy on a LCD screen, it is quite a disapointment to see the s*** images from Foxtel. And they sell it like "cinema quality and CD quality sound"! Well I will enjoy it for the duration of the contract and nevermore! Cheers! Ape

I have a Topfield5000MP and connected Foxtel to my home. Usually a PVR do not have other input than the antenna. My question is: is it possible to get the Foxtel signal to the PVR? Tuning the PVR (searching the channels) does not get the channel 41 UHF band where Foxtel is. Does anyone knows a way out for this?

Yes, it is. I found out last night how to rename the channel titles and delete them. It is the way I want now. Cheers!

I bought first a TF5000PVRt BP and could organize the Favorites OK, deleting the entries in the All Services list, particularly the HD stations that I donºt use. I swapped the BP for a Masterpiece but that "feature" doesn't exist anymore. I cannot delete the unwanted services from the All Services list anymore. Is it still possible and I am missing something or do I have to live with Favorites I had to create? Cheers!

Hi Peter, Thanks for replying. You're right, I apologise for not starting a new thread. I didn't think about it at the time. I will read the FAQ more carefully re the firmware. My question about the SD box has nothing to do with the present situation and I do not intend to "pig-back" as you suggested. Sorry I wasn't clear. I was just curious about connecting a HD box to a SD TV. I found out that there is no problems. The TV just will not handle the HD signals and the image will be SD, maybe a bit degraded. In any case, thanks again. Cheers!

Hi guys, I've been reading this topic for a while and finally decided to byte the bullet and buy a TF5000PVDt from Dick Smith. I'm a newbie on this and would appreciate your advice. Before this purchase, I tried Omni, Yess (both for less than $ 350.00 each) and Teac (didn't like the Favorites setup although it has an excellent picture). The info of my unit is: ID=466 Loader=V L4.66 Device=5.2.78 Application=TF-NPTSA 5.12.12 Last update= Oct 05 2005 I visted the sites you guys pointed out and got pretty confused regarding all the latest firmwares versions around. Would someone tell me if "you have this data (above), you should update to version xxxxxx? I thought interesting all those TAPs in the sites, etc. but basically the unit is working OK and I had no bugs so far (well, I didn't use it that much yet). Do you think I should update the firmware? If so, which version should I download? Is there something simpler than the Toppy Tools that I could use? Also, I have a AWA LCD, 81cm that is excellent for the price, SD. A HD receiver would make much difference or none at all? I understand it picture would go down to SD on its way to the TV, right? Should I go for a HD box instead of a SD? And finally, was it worht to pay $ 850.00 for the TF5000? Thanks for your advices in advance. Cheers!

Well, I bit the bullet and decided to buy one (Melbourne). The unit is excellent for the price but I particularly had a problem with the Channel List/Organizing/Favorites. This unit would "forget" that I had organized my channels and make a messy of it, sometimes while I was watching TV. I got sick of and after 5 days I returned it to the shop. I mentioned the problem to the service but so far they have not return my queries. I'm sure they have a firmeware bug somewhere. I did not try another unit however... ...I paid a bit more and took a YESS 2688 home. Had problems right out of the box. The RF out to TV would not work and the unit thought that my SBS signal was too weak to process (never had problems in my area and I'm back to my good old Wintall box). The "technician" was a bit rude on the phone and tried to convince me to replace the antenna. Yeah.... thank you very much. Returned the unit and a full refund. Both units have a great thing in theory, at least: dual tuners. You can watch one digital channel and record another. Time shift is good and the timer also good (Omni calls it "Bookings"). The image is very good in my LCD TV and the menu quite intuitive and easy to follow. Editing is limited to the name of the program so you cannot take the extra bits before and after the recording nor the ads in between. I think that if they fix the memory problem it will be a great unit for the price ($ 265.00 in Melbourne). The YESS cost $ 320.00. See if your shop has a good return policy and try it. Maybe you are luckier than me... Cheers!

Hi Guys, I think I'm gonna buy a Kross tonight (and hope it will not be "Cross", sorry the pun). I have a more technical question for the experts: Any info about replacing the HD? Any problems with the current firmware recognizing the new HD? Any place I could download the firmware plus instructions, etc? Geewhiz.... I haven't even bought the thing and am already thinking in upgrade... Cheers!