HI Just thought i would review this box for anyone lookinf for a great HD set top box. I have owned and trialled quite a few including dgtec teac LG and MTV

Build quality 4.5/5 - small but looks pretty solid
Inputs/outputs 5/5 - normal assortment HDMI, component, composite S video and Toslink spdif
actually has component and composite cables included.
Remote solid feel very quick response
Tuning - quick to tune all channels very sensitivethough I have not had an issue at my place
Picture quality - excellent
EPG - reasonably fast not the fastest I've seen but close to
Channel changes quick
Good sound quality - sound is louder when output in stereo mode than other set top boxe i've used

Pros:has a standby clock, quick response excellent picture and sound

Cons: cannot sort channels other than favourites ie cannot have all channe 10 streams together then all channel 9 7 etc they are ordered numerically ie 1 2 37 9 10 11 12 etc (if anyone knows how to sort please let me know)
No USB port need to upgrade via serial cable

Overall 4.5/5 good picture sound and fast response

The favourites group is how you get around the sorting issue (well is for the SD Toppies, Beyonwiz, and presumably the HD Toppies). Once you are within a favourites group then your channel surfing is in that order also. With the Beywoniz your multichannel guide format is also in the favourites order (and the Wiz remembers your multichannel view preference rather than having to hit the red button every time you go into the EPG), the 5K doesn't have the same order as faves in the guide unfort, don't know about the HD Toppies.
Regards

thanks will give it a go when I get home

can you guys tell me where i can get my toppie fixed in Sydney,i had a freezing problem last year and took it in when i got it back the remote wouldnt work ,i have since lost the address and need to get it fixed cheers

TOPPRO Pty Ltd
TEL : 1300 766 440 they should help you out

SPAM reported

Yes you are right, this thread is spam

can someone please explain this thread to the uninitiated ? I was thinking about buying this stb for my spare room .Is this STB not good ,is Aussman lieing ..?? Why is this a spam thread ?/

cheers

I would say charlesc had reported a spam post which appeared above his post (not Aussman), which was subsequently removed. As the 'cake' post will be probably some time tomorrow.

cheers , that is what i suspected .

I don't understand why the mods don't also delete the "spam reported" post also, so the threads continue to flow and don't get newbies confused like this

maybe when you post "spam reported" you should also report your own post for removal?

Yes it worked to organise channels and stays on fave list when you turn it back on. However order is not changed in EPG

Bummer, Topfield still haven't done the simple things right (like remembering your guide selection to be multichannel view, like allowing you to channel surf the guide without changing the PVR channels at the same time, like ordering the guide channels in the same as your favourites order). The 5K has had this issue since 2003, luckily for it these things have been tidied up with third party patches and TAPs.
At least the faves group filters out the chaff out of your guide, you have to give it that at least.
Should have got a Beyonwiz :-)
Regards

I find that quite disappointing. What's the point if you can't surf the EPG in the same way??

Most other HD products with Fav lists do it this way

I bought this Topfield model today. I plugged it to my analogue sony tv (about 8 years old) and works fine. The only thing I'm finding difficulty with is getting a good signal from Ten, One, and SBS. I'm sure that this problem is not the set top box's, right? If not should I look towards the antenna as being at fault? Should I invest in an antenna amplifier/booster?

no prolemshere with signal strength so must be your antenna

I bought the Topfield TBF-7200 on Monday, set it up and the picture was great. However the mute button only mutes the sound on the channel I'm on when I press mute. If I change channels, even though mute still appears on the screen, the sound can be heard again. It doesn't go back to the volume it was before, it's about a 1 or 2 on the scale. Anyway I took the box back today and exchanged it for the same model, thinking it must be faulty. However the new one does the same thing - mute stops working when I change channels. Has anyone else had this problem? Do you know how to fix it? After connecting the STBs to the TV, I tested both boxes on my HP LCD screen using the HDMI cable, and the same thing happened - sound reappears when I change channels even though the mute sign still appears in the top left corner. I contacted Topfield and spoke with one of their technical guys, he said he hadn't heard of this before. He suggested I do a Firmware upgrade to see whether that might fix it, but I don't have the cable that's needed to do that.

I am considering buying this model as well. Does anyone know whether it has MPEG4 support? I'm just curious. This won't influence my decision all that much compared to price and how well it seems to work for people.

It's just typical dodgy Topfield firmware. One of the firmware versions for the 7000PVR did this too. They don't bother to test their firmware before they release it because they're clowns. It's a relatively simple test to turn on the mute feature and verify the sound stays off when the channel changes but clearly that simple test is beyond their capabilities.

Personally I'd ring the Sydney distributor and ask what they're going to do about it and if you don't like their response, take it back for a refund.

Thanks arc888. I contacted Toppro P/L (the distributer) and they told me to return the STB. So I did, and recieved my money back from JB Hi-Fi. The guy in the store seemed pretty annoyed at getting two of these boxes back within a few days - but hey, if the box has an annoying fault they can't expect me to put up with it. It's unfortunate though, because the picture quality on this box was very good.

Mine stays on mute when you change channels you may have just got 2 faulty boxes

Is this Topfield HD STB still the best one available?

I was looking to get one to replace my PDP508XDA's internal tuner. I have heard good things about the Topfield ones.

Anyone advise if any of the toppies have raw BER numbers available when installing?

Hi Mr Phoenix,
You might also want to consider a Strong SRT-5410. I went from a Topfield HT7000 to the 5410 about 6 months ago (due to the Topfield locking up once every week or two) and have been very happy with the unit so far. It's on 24x7 and since upgrading to the Mar 09 firmware the box has been rock solid. No lock ups, fast channel changing and excellent image quality over HDMI.

Regards,
Stephen

Also look at Strong 5440, same as above unit but with PVR option, can be had for @249 from Klapp electronics in Melbourne.
I bought mine a week ago to use it as PVR with my Pio.

I'm looking to replace my sony dst-hd500 because it continually locks up on me many times a night. Not too fussed for a pvr just yet so is this toppie model a decent replacement?
N00b question ... will it allow Freeview?

I bought the Topfield TBF 7200 today and I'm really happy with the quality. However I can't seem to get ABC1 or ABC2? I tried 2 searches aswell as manually searching. Anyone having this problem or can help me? I don't have a booster antenna but I still receive all channels very clearly!

Just bought a Topfield 7200 and Im having the same problems as 2 other people mentioned. I can get most chanels ok but I cant get 10 HD/SD or One HD/SD very well. Sometimes I can get 10 and One ok and its a litte edgy but acceptable other times I cant get them at all and I get a blank screen. Heard some people say its related to the weather but hopefully it cant be that. Although it has been raining intermittedely since I got it.

I have a normal ariel coming off the roof and live in a high building in the sydney cbd and never had reception problems with my analogue tv. Have even used special Digital Ariel Cable as Harvey Norman suggested that cost $150 !! or so and its still the same (Im going to take the cable back its useless)

Does anyone know how I can get Ch 10 and One normally ?

luitzen,3 dec 2009 hi folks,i am living in a over 55 village had installed a number of toppies with the idea to convert to digital.we all live in the tweed heads area and can only recieve the mt tamborine transmitters.(great fun ,if youre considering the daylight saving time shift).same problem,no abc 1 and2,plus a weak signal also on prime.most of the oldies are fuming,since the installer doesn,t want to know.my expertise is limited to cabling and aerials but i suspect the set top box is the culprit.any brains around to help me.thanks luke.

Sounds more like a reception issue than a STB issue.

Well i bought 2 of these and both are great . I am Not having any reception issues , the channel change speed , the EPG and the quality of picture and sound are all great .
Excellent value for money imo.

Just as a follow-up to this conversation, wondering if the Topfield 7200 is still the best option for image quality at a reasonable price? It seems like some people mention having problems receiving certain channels with this model. Is this an inherit problem with model or something that can be fixed with a firmware upgrade?

Also, has anyone experienced any problems with the Strong 5440? If it can be had at $250 as mentioned above and also has PVR functionality, it seems like a very good alternative to the Topfield 7200???

Toppys have traditionally had pretty good PQ.

The other unit you may wamt to consider is a Beyonwiz DP-H1

Thanks, I will look into those as well. Any experience with the Strong 5441?