Topfield TRF7160

request answer to problem – my question ,was helpto recover lost abality to record and to recover past recordings. the only answer i got was to read a full guide book. I do not have a full guide book , I then asked ,were can i buy one. ? no answer to this one. Show details

4 devices over the years - all great – I've used set-top boxes for about 13 years and with a couple of bad devices around, I keep returning to Topfield for great features, strong design and ease of use. I have 3 TVs each with a Topfield box - 2 are the TRF7160. They work as you want with almost no issues over the years. The instant playback is prone to being a bit pixelated, but for… Read more

everything else, it doesn't skip a beat.

I love that some characteristics can be personalised - like the bookmarking and jumping through recordings.

My daughter (7) has taught herself how to use it and that shows how simple the menus are to navigate.

I NEED A REMOTE FOR MY 7160 PLEASE – Great unit nothing wrong with it but please I need a new REMOTE CONTROL. Is the 7260 conpatiable. Your site says to buy a One fit all remote from Harvey Norman but they say that it will be no good with the Topfield. Please try to get me a remote I can't afford to buy a new PVR.  Show details

Confirmation problem – Hi I am having trouble with my TRF -7160 recorder when I press 'OK' to confirm it just won't switch to the required function when I highlight 'yes' it appears to freeze I have switched the unit off at the wall and it doesn't seem to rectify anything, can you suggest what the problem could be? it also is not responding on any of my confirmations… Read more

and I can't delete "Group 1 etc" on the recorded programme list I have never had this problem in the past maybe you may be able to throw some light on what is happening. Many thanks Barb.

Firmware update – I had many issues with my quad tuner set top box it would stall and not record ect but after it doing it again and again i took to my local repair shop "THE VIDEO FACTORY" at SOUTHPORT QLD & it cost me $45 they did a firmware update and i have never had another problem and its 4 almost 5 yrs later so happy.  Show details

Remote control issues – I'm another with issues regarding the remote. Fast forward/forward button doesn't work. Kinda pointless when playing a recorded show. Purchased remote from Topfield....waited waited. Sent 3 emails...received automated response. Made 3 phone calls...straight to message bank. Have since checked website and it now states 'coming soon' ....… Read more

There is no Aussie website. The parent company only has a phone and fax number. No email address. I'm not phoning Korea or Germany.

Topfield seem to be bottomfield – Same thing happened to my daughters Topfield TRF7160. HDD interface connector burned to a crisp. Lucky for her I'm a computer Nerd. had a similar connecter in my junk box I was able to modify. Now the Remote does not work with the PVR. Will need to investigate when I have time. She was happy with the PVR till it stopped working. Checked the… Read more

price of a new remote. $55 !!! what the??? It a cheap Chinese made unit which probably cost Topfield less than $5.00 to source. When I had to replace the Remote on my LG TV it cost me $45 but it is a good quality LG OEM product.

Don't think I'll be recommending Topfield to anyone any time soon.

Can’t live without it! – Purchased our first unit new around 7-8 years ago. Recently purchased 2 more used units as back ups, just in case our original decides to eventually stop working. Have found the Toppy to be an absolute gem when it comes to recording our favorite shows & would be lost without it. Pro’s - Intelligent recording is awesome! Just set you favorite… Read more

series to record automatically. - Ability to record 4 shows at the same time ( 2 different networks). - Transfer recordings onto external drives through USB port. Con’s - Occassionally records a random show. - Live tv occassionally can’t be rewound. - When live tv has been rewound, it can skip forward at times ( haven’t noticed this since updating to the latest firmware). - A couple of buttons on the remote have almost stopped working ( this is probably through over use, as it has had a good workout over the years).

Overall, I have been really happy with the unit. It has given us great service over the years and hopefully will continue to do so for many more. Although Topfield no longer produces pvr’s, you can still pickup a used unit for a reasonable price, if you look hard enough. If you are just looking to record your favorite tv shows & maybe save them for future viewing, this unit is the bomb. Even though live streaming seems to be the norm these days, I still think pvr’s have a place now & into the near future. There is an Australian Topfield wiki website that has useful information on all the models, including links to such things as firmware updates & TAP’s ( http://oztoppy.wikidot.com )

Reliable workhorse – I found it to be reliable -purchased 8 years ago, still working despite using it every single day. The only issues I have had so far: last year it started playing up, recorded parts of TV programs missing or of a bad quality. I did some reading and changed the cable for the HDMI cable and HDMI connections ( before it was YPbPr connection). Once a… Read more

week I open the Program guide and mark the programs I wish to record during the following seven days. Very simple and effective.

Very good machine, but – I've had this unit for years and it works well. Some recordings skip forward but it's because I've tried recording two many HD programs at once. I suppose it is a lot to ask to record up to four programs at once. Remote still work although the forward arrow button plays up sometimes. If I press it 20-30 times it works again. (Needed a pat).  Show details

I have found the Topfield PVR's extremely simple to operate when compaired with several other makes – People complain about jumping and pixilating when playing recorded programs. I have a TF7000 which I have had for several years and a TRF-7160 for almost 3 & a half years, the 7000 has never put a foot wrong but the 7160 started jumping and pixilating. I fixed it by simply doing a firmware upgrade using a download to a USB memory stick and then manually upgrading the recorder. Problem solved  Show details

Worst remote control – The unit is O.K. but the controller is really S#!T. I do not recommend to anybody, stay away from it, the keys started to go bad after few weeks and to replace it cost more than buy a new unit and is very hard to find. Buy something else. Robert

Transferring recorded program to Ext HDD – We got a Topfield TRF7160 included when we bought a Sharp Aquos flat screen TV in 2009. It has performed well. We recorded a movie and wanted to move it to an Ext HDD but got the message that the file was too big even though there was 166GB free on the drive. Topfield advised to format the HDD while it was connected to the PVR. Did this and then… Read more

transferred the movie but when we tried to burn it to a DVD got the message that the HDD had to be reformatted. Rang Topfield again and was told to reformat it while connected to the computer and then connect it to the PVR again and copy the movie to it again and then to disconnect it, go to settings, Installation and remove Ext HDD. Did this and it worked perfectly. Burnt the movie to a DVD OK.

Has been perfect, then – Was watching morning news before getting a shower to go to work. Got out of the shower to the smell of burning plastic and could not find the source. Turned TV and PVR off and head off to work. Get home and turn it all on to find the HDD could was not being detected.. Pulled the unit out of the cabinet and gave it a sniff and low and behold I… Read more

could smell the melted plastic.

Unit is out of warranty so I pulled it apart to find the power connector for the HDD had melted and the positive

and negative wires were touching.

Pretty pissed off that such a thing could happen and the unit was still functioning and allowing me to watch tv through it.

Great – Very happy with this purchase. The only thing I find the blue light very annoying on the front of the unit especially at night. It is easy to use but comes with very little instructions but most can be found on site. Also contacting Topfield helped with their helpful staff.

Faulty within 9 months – my unit played up within the 12 month warranty. Sent unit back to fix as well as the remote as the on/off button was almost popping out, and after about 2 weeks, both items came back with ALL the problems still present. Now after 2-3 years, this stupid player STILL skips ahead on playback even though i have reformatted the hard drive, downloaded… Read more

latest firmwear and it still plays up...by the way, the remote button is still just hanging in there. However i do like the features so if anyone knows of a better unit with similar features, id love to know about it...

cheers

Upgrade – Is it possible to get an upgrade on my Topfield TRF7160 It is jumping when I playback a recorded programme. Otherwise everything is great. I had an upgrade about 2 years ago and everything went well. Your advice would be greatly appreciated. I had other recorders and the Topfield was by far the best.

Crap – Had for 3 yrs nothing but trouble. Doesn't record shows whenever it wants to, replaced remote with a logitech. When hard drive half full get static in picture really not worth the money. Buy a decent brand for less money and save yourself the aggravation. Please avoid like the plague

Don't waste your money !! – We purchased a Topfield TRF7160, our third PVR from Topfield, we should have known better, all of our PVR's have been back for warranty claims, some three times. If you decide to buy one make sure you keep the packaging, it makes returning it, easier. One of the biggest problems is with the remote, they don't work well from the start and just… Read more

get worse until they don't work at all, this is a known problem, however Topfield make no attempt to fix it.........It's a great little sideline for the company @ $50.00 each. We have bought three remotes now @ 50.00 each.

Topfield products have some great ideas, its a shame they are such poor quality.......

Has done reasonably well but with a few frustrating glitches – Our TRF 7160 is about 3yrs old and has had occasional freezing episodes and pixellation problems that appear to self-remedy after a restart. However, smoke pouring out of the unit is not something I expect to self-remedy. Luckily we were at home watching and not absent and recording. After reading the reviews above we won't be buying another Topfield. Any suggestions from happy customers of the opposition?

Worst purchase decision of my life – My husband and I bought the TRF-7160. DO NOT make our mistake. Do not give Topfield your hard earned money. Awful product and even worst customer service. Extremely difficult system to navigate. Poorly designed product both functionally and aesthetically. But the absolute worst remote in history. Layout and design is extremely confusing. But… Read more

worse, it simply Does not work. We had (maybe) a few months where it worked fine. Then buttons started getting stuck and not responding. The buttons had to be pressed over and over again to elicit any action. Thought it was the batteries at first, replaced them with little to no improvement and the problem continued to get worse to the point where they stopped responding altogether. Several attempts were made by me to notify Topfield of the problem. Initially got NO reply whatsoever, contacted them again and received one email back, with a single question response asking what model number we had. My husband then attempted to get some decent assistance, and he was simply told to purchase another remote, for $50. $50 to replace a device which had been faulty almost from the word go. With no guarantee that the new remote would not be equally faulty. Never in my life have I been sold such a terrible quality product, only to then also be treated so poorly by the company. On the very rare occasions I have had problems with a product or service (maybe 4 times in my life) customer services have been nothing but kind, apologetic, helpful and swiftly reactive to solve the issue. Topfield should be ashamed of themselves. They need a complete over haul of production design, manufacture and more importantly, need to learn how to treat their customers with respect, not just a meal ticket. Buy any brand other than Topfield.

Rubbish – I cannot record a program it continually has video freezing the programs recorded also have freezing and pixalation. Am about to toss it out. Top field was a good brand but won't touch it with a barge pole.

Pathetic – Biggest pile of rubbish ever. The remote is the biggest waste of time and design in the history of remotes. Buttons so small and a replacement value of $50 for a piece of plastic and a circuit board worth $2. You can see where Topfield are making their money here. The machine only records 2 of the same frequency (9, Gem or Go plus 10, Eleven,… Read more

One) not the multitude of recording that it claims. You also have to watch out if you are using intelligent record that on the TV guide the program you are recording doesn't change it's name or you will completely miss recording them. I wouldn't buy another one of these if you paid me. Technology should do what it claims to deliver not the rubbish this system provides.

Most disappointing product I have ever had! – I bought a TR7160 in April last year therefore it is now barely 18 months old and it has ceased to work properly. It regularly freezes and nothing appears to be able to be done but to turn the power off. It is pernanently on recordings and I at least thought I may be able to watch the numerous programs I have stored but it is completely… Read more

unpredictable in how far you get through the recording before it freezes or scrambles the signal. It is the most frustrating and annoying thing I have had to deal with technology-wise. I have heard of inbuilt obsolescence but this is ridiculous. Topfield should be ashamed of this product.

Excellent product – I have had my 7160 for just over a year. Once I got familiar with the remote I was in business. I have a 1TB external hard drive which takes care of any storage. I like the skip buttons, 30secs forward and 10secs back. I usually don't watch 'live' TV but record it and watch later to skip the adds. The bookmark feature is also very handy. I… Read more

usually set up recording list with the red dot button and allow padding before and after start & end times. Definitely the skip forward & back feature. Also the blue light provides safe passage at night.

Brilliant PVR useless remote – I have had this machine for more than 3 years. Have been using Topfields since the start of digital television broadcasting. The functionality of my latest machine is miles in front of the other brands, particularly the EPG and Quad recording. My only complaint is that I am now buying my third remote control. The buttons just give up. The reviews… Read more

I have read have given me the idea to look at the logitech 650 as an alternate remote. Size of hdd , skip functions (programmable) , EPG , Quad recording, Intelligent recording and menus in general. Sorting of recorded programs correct bu not consistent, key programme search would be nice.

Unreliable and badly designed – I had this unit for a few years and finally it failed to respond to any remote, original or 3rd party. Topfield support ignored my inquiries. Until it failed, it worked OK but with glitches. It has a cool Intelligent Recording feature that allows you to pick a series and set to record all episodes of it with one button (in theory). In reality… Read more

this often failed and episodes were missed or different shows were recorded instead.

The user interface feels like it was designed by a 3rd grader who likes to play with colours - in some contexts 'delete' function is on green button, in others - on blue, but never on red. Different contexts use different colours for the same thing. Menu items buried in some odd places.

Now for the icing on the cake - the original remote. It is so bad that I had to pay $50 for a 3rd party good one, I couldn't bear it any longer. All the buttons are of the same miniature size and shape, arrayed in nice rows & columns. If you want to do something with the remote, you have to:

- turn the light on in the room (so you can see the button labels, there is no backlight)

- put you glasses on (so you can see the same labels, which are tiny)

- press the stupid button that you need

- reverse the first two steps Can record 4 channels (really it is up to 2 channels on each of 2 separate networks) simultaneously, intelligent recording (when it works) Useless remote, glitches and bugs, failed in the end after 2-3 years

Top field 7160 – I have top field 7160 no 3 first one lasted 12 mts no 2 just 2 Mts. No 3 first day all under warranty first one just stopped working others any one or two channels drop out, turn power off and on works fine set it to record records some times never drops a ch. You are watching .was told if signal quality drops to about 85% ch. Can Drop out. Harvey Norman are very good.

HDD failed – I originally liked this machine but after 2 years of not much use the hard drive has failed. It seems mine is not the only one. I have had a lot of HDD s in various computers and PVR s over the years and this is the first one to fail. Ability to record 4 programs at once. Everything recorded on the machine is unrecoverable.

Topfield TRF-7160 stay away – Just had smoke pouring from the entertainment unit, and found it was coming from our Topfield. This had been fixed after being stuck in 'loading' mode when it was just over 12 months, and recently it was pixellating every minute on recorded programs. Turned off and on at powerpoint and fixed this problem, but having it nearly catch fire is… Read more

enough for us. Will never buy this brand again. Luckily it did this while we were at home. Able to record four channels at once. Could have burned house down!!!

Constant issues – I have had this model topfield for a couple of years. Whilst I've found it's not difficult to use it consistently records in the wrong time frame. I have updated the software a few times to make sure it's current and still it plays up. I am looking at it currently and it's set to record something at 1930 tonight, it started recording about 40min… Read more

ago (An hour before the program starts.... I have preset all recordings to start 5min before program start) and will stop recording about an hour before the desired program finishes. I have checked the TV guide, it's all set up to record properly, and the time is set correctly on the topfield. Exact same thing happened last week with the same program. I can't figure out what is wrong with it.... Like I said all software is up to date. Soooo frustrating when you watch a recorded program and it has recorded the wrong time slot. Appears to happen way too often for me to give this product a decent review...

TV guide appears to jump around time slots when you scroll through channels. Records incorrect time slots.

Reasonable price, reliable and simple to use but terrible remote – Have had the TRF-7160 now for nearly 2 years and its an excellent PVR. Reasonably priced, simple to use and reliable. I'd give it 5 stars but the remote is terrible. The buttons are sticky and often won't work unless pressed very hard for a long time. I've just given up on it and bought a logitech 650 universal remote ($49) which is great and… Read more

can be used for everything.

But that's no reason not to buy the unit, just expect to have to buy universal remote. Ease of use, simplicity, reliability Remote control terrible

No problems so far – Purchased this after giving Foxtel IQ the flick in 2011 so have had it long enough to comment on reliability etc. The 500gb is a good amount of storage although some may find it restrictive ? The unit has a built in free to air guide which you can programme the recordings from plus you can also set up one off, weekly, daily or series… Read more ·  2

recordings, however if the station decides to move the show to a different time slot or their alternative channel (say 7 dig to 7 mate) the unit wont recognise this and it will continue to record based on the day, channel and time set.

The remote is a bit flimsy and I had to get it replaced under warranty but at least the replacement of it went well. The unit has good control features for playback such as slow motion, pause, rewind etc. I have found that it has trouble with the digital signal on occasion as if it is weak it will not record at all or record sections of the show only, also if live pausing with a weak signal and then resuming, the playback will be good for say 10 sec then it will skip about 10 sec of the programme and then resume again doing this over and over making it un watchable.

Overall it is an attractive unit, performs well and to date has not required a major service etc. It has other features I am not interested in but if you want a unit which can record shows just so you can fast forward through the Ads at a later date then at least consider this one. Hasn't failed in 2 years, looks, value for money Remote control is flimsy and has very small buttons (looks complicated)

It worked for just over one year – The software and hardware started to become unstable after 6 months and it finally crashed after one year of use. Now every time it is turned on the HDD Check come up and then it formats the Hard Drive removing all recorded programs, or every day the screen freezes and you have to turn it off and back on and the above process starts (HDD Check).… Read more

We also seem to have a problem with the signal scrambling, whereas our piece of Junk T-box would have a perfect signal. So it had to be re-tuned every week or so which is a long process, After a year of use I have placed the Topfield in the rubbish Bin. Point of interest, when it started to play up 6 months ago (when it was 6-months old), i did track down Topfield. They said it will take 4 - 6 weeks to repair and we had to cover the cost of shipping the item to Sydney for service. So no TV for 6 weeks and $100 postage bill, now that's service. it worked for 6 months, which i guess is longer than a Testra T-Box Unstable Software & Hardware, poor signal strenght (Digital), poor quality remote, poor service support

Shocking Manual – I have the above PVR for 5 months now and I still have not discovered how to use it effectively. The operating manual is the worst document I have come across in many years.Just 7 A5 pages of stuff that does not contain many vital instructions. I am very disappointed. Quality of recording fine Bad manual. Front display light is permanently on. Loses time if switched of at mains. No indication that programe is recording.