Topfield 2400 Masterpiece & IceTV issue

[neevo]

I spent ages convincing the wife we needed a new PVR with IceTV, mainly for the series record which was missing from our LG previously. Then as luck would have it the LG crapped out, and after researching a fair bit it looked like the Topfield was a great, solid, feature packed machine.

I picked up the 2400 Masterpiece as t met our requirements, and the IceTV compatability seemed like it would make my life simpler. I purchased the wireless USB stick at the same time and set about setting it up.

I have had issues with the reliability of IceTV, mainly how it downloads the EPG and a few missed recordings and its getting a little frustrating. I suspected it may be the wireless USB stick, so I bought a wireless bridge so the machine had a more robust internet connection, however whenever I seem to check the EPG its totally blank.

I've reset the machine countless times and reloaded the EPG and it gets back up and running temporarily, but not to the point where I can rely on it. Naturally I am looking like I bought the wrong product

I requested the EPG again this evening and then double checked the IceTV website and it logged the visit from the PVR, however I am not sure where to go looking to fix this for good.

PLEASE CAN ANYONE HELP?

Details: 2400 Masterpiece PVR, System ID 32020, Loader Version 1.02, Device Version 1.0.1

What options do I have to get it up and running smoothly other than driving over it with the car! Not sure if the problem is PVR or IceTV related. I love the machine and IceTV service, just love to get it working consistently.

Cheers in advance.

[IanL-S]

What firmware is the Toppy running? (Aka "application version"). I assume you have tried the obvious things such as reset to factory settings and firmware reinstallation.

I sometimes get blank EPG data. Usually rebooting the Toppy gets it back. I suspect it is caused by an incomplete EPG data fetch.

Ian

[IanL-S]

Significant improvements to the IceTV implementation on Toppys was made at the end of 2011. If you have not updated the firmware, it is possible that the one you purchased was sitting in the retailers warehouse for a year or more. So, if you have not already done so, updating firmware may improve things for you.

We also need to establish if it is the Toppy or the wireless bridge that is causing the problem. You need to confirm the connection, Can you access the Toppy from a PC via ftp? Alternatively, can you access weather from the Toppy (oddly under entertainment: in pre April 1 2013 firmware there is a separate option for weather under Entertainment; for April 1 firmware is is part of the (TV) Portal.

Be careful when installing the TV Portal, as you sometimes end up with a corrupt installation. After the portal software has downloaded, power down the Toppy then power it up and try accessing the portal.

Ian
 

[Paul55]

I'm running a 2400 with Nov 2011 firmware and a wireless bridge - very similar to your setup. Very stable with IceTV as long as I don't run it 24/7.
Suggest you call IceTV support - they talked me through some issues I had early on. Just make sure your home network is solid as per Ian's advice.
Not sure I would be going down the 'Portal' route yet - I'm sticking with the traditional firmware until the 'Portal' is proven.

[IanL-S]

I'm running a 2400 with Nov 2011 firmware and a wireless bridge - very similar to your setup. Very stable with IceTV as long as I don't run it 24/7.
Suggest you call IceTV support - they talked me through some issues I had early on. Just make sure your home network is solid as per Ian's advice.
Not sure I would be going down the 'Portal' route yet - I'm sticking with the traditional firmware until the 'Portal' is proven.

I am not a great fan of the Portal. From a purely PVR perspective the 'Portal' is irrelevant, so as Paul55 says, it may be premature to update solely to get access to the additional features that the Portal provides:

• Facebook
  Twitter
  Picassa (ability to upload images)

All of those features use a poorly thought out user interface (no way of saving user details and pass word).

They key thing is that the firmware has the best IceTV Implementation (as far as I know there has been no tweaking of that part since late 2011) and that other features you use are sufficiently stable. Stability issues are prevalent in recent firmware are with the ftp server and mounting of USB devices.

Ian

[neevo]

The application version should be the very latest as I got it from a European site (was required as the wireless dongle wouldn't work initially). Version I am running is: TF-BCPF 2.01.00

Is that the latest?

My portal is also not working. I installed it, opened it, but it shit itself and hasn't worked since. Can I reinstall the application software or something similar?

Not really fussed about the portal if it means I can go back a version and have a much more stable PVR. Any thoughts? Should I roll back the software version?

[IanL-S]

Yes, 2.01.00 is the latest firmware.

Not 100% certain what your problem is with the Portal. The major problem is the propensity for a corrupt installation and there is no way to fix it until a new version of the Portal becomes available. (I suspect there is a way of doing so, but that involves reformatting Partion 0 of the HDD which requires removing the HDD and reformatting it with PC or MAC - not a viable option.)

If you do not use the Portal and everything else is OK, then no need to revert to an earlier firmware (there are links to earlier firmware on the oztoppy wiki - http://oztoppy.wikidot.com/firmware-list). I recommend you follow the procedures on the wiki when installing firmware - http://oztoppy.wikidot.com/updating-your-firmware. The only thing that definitely does not work with these earlier firmware is Weather.

Hope this helps

Ian

[neevo]

No probs Ian. Thanks for the links, I may look to roll back the software 1 step and see if it gets better. Appreciate the help.