Messages

The TF7100HD-Plus, TRF-2400 and TRF-2460 do not upload timers to the website.

Daniel, clearly the ICE client in the current gen Topfield models needs some work. It would not be difficult to add this feature (particularly when they already have the code in the 7100!). Some initialisation bugs need addressing, repeat flags etc need to be added.

Are you on to Topfield to address these issues?

I just don't understand Topfield. Their TMS PVRs are fundamentally superb and after a mere week or two of work on the ICE client they would own your market.

Just got the email about the IceTV Valentine sale.  Saw they had the 7100HD Plus.  I vaguely remember hearing about the plus, but at the time I thought it was just the 7100 with a bigger hard drive.  Is it actually a different piece of hardware to the 7100?

The 7100HDPlus is completely different to the older 7100. The 7100+ is from the same "TMS" series as the 2400, 2460, and 7160. It has almost identical software functionality to the 2400 but has slight hardware differences. See the comparison function on the topfield web site at http://www.itopfield.com.au/products.asp?category=2. The forums there are the best place to find answers.

I have a 7100+. It is a good machine.

As for your being "gobsmacked that the Topfield doesn't check in regularly even in stand-by mode": for Topfield and the Beyonwiz PVRs (and many others) "standby" really means "turned off except for the front panel". It's nothing like a PC being in Standby or Hibernate mode. It's like a PC when it is in Shut down mode.

If I was designing an internet connected PVR I would make "standby" mode shutdown all the analog outputs and harddisk etc but keep the firmware running merely to maintain the ICE service polls. In such a state the PVR would consume an insignificant power and generate insignificant heat, and ICE would work much better!

There's an FAQ about what's known of how Topfield PVRs interact with IceTV on the Topfield forum.

Yes, I know about that but that FAQ is on the community forum and created by public contributors as a "compilation" of observed and guessed information. It is not really authorative and certainly not in a place likely to be found by non-technical users.

There is also this one:

http://www.icetv.com.au/cgi-bin/websupport.cgi?op=show_faq&cat_level=3&faq_id=115&faq_cat3_id=110

There is not enough detail there Daniel. E.g. There are EPG polls, and there are timer polls. What is the relationship/timing of them? What happens when your device boots? What if your network is down? In particular - what if you PVR is left in standby? Now you and I know what happens but a newbie won't have a clue and will probably assume the ICE client still polls while in standby. After a few years trawling around the various forums it is clear to me that very many people avoid ICETV because they think it is too complicated. You can improve that by documenting things a little better on your site.

When I bought my Topfield 7100+ and set it up with ICE a few months ago I was also shocked that neither Topfield or ICE publish a description of how and when the ICE EPG and timer polling is performed. They would probably try and argue that it all "just works" but they are wrong, as for example, a user needs to know the minimum time before a program start at which you can set a remote timer (and what if your PVR is in standby etc). I have picked up an understanding of how this all works now, but only by trawling around this and the Topfield forums. Why this is not all stated clearly in an FAQ etc on the ICE site just perplexes me?

Seems pretty good now. All of the bugs I and others have mentioned seem to have been addressed, and some of the features I requested have been added. Thanks heaps for adding the metacritic and rottentomatoes links for movies. These really are useful - would be good to have this feature added to the main ICE web site also!

Found it impossible to use so a lot of recordings were missed due to this app.

FYI, until ICE fix this app you can use http://m.icetv.com.au in safari. Works pretty well on iphone.

UPDATE: it seems this problem can be resolved by resetting the application (see under 'Settings').

Not for me. All the data reloads etc but then the problems all quickly come back.

Also, apart from fixing the bugs, ICE really need to add a "Go to Now" button on the guide. And buttons for +/- 6 hours are needed for coarse time movement I suggest, or better still, adopt the Apple UI convention and add a scroll bar so that pressing on it gives a "direct" jump to that position.

Well thanks for the detailed reply!

Is there any pattern to this that you can see? We have had a few staff members using the app full time for the last few weeks and have not seen this kind of behavior.

No, no pattern. Only upgraded this morning however so all this was in about 15 mins of "review". I also did a "Reset Application" to make sure I did not have a corrupted iphone app database.

There is a known issue with guide corruption that we are working on for the next release that sounds a little like what you are describing, could you possibly send a screenshot to our support staff?

Actually, just brought the app up, it crashed, then I brought it up again and the guide page is now ok. A screenshot is not too valuable however as all you would see is the guide stopping at the last 11:55pm entry for today. Has crashed a couple of times since this again btw. I think it crashes if you push buttons too quickly? I have a strong and reliable wireless connection btw, so it is not related to that (as you are probably thinking!?)

As for the "My Shows" page, to say that this was a controversial debate at IceTV HQ would be an understatement. In the end the decision was made that "My Shows" is largely a maintenance function and did not deserve a spot in the home screen.

Well I am happy this was at least debated internally and not just the result of some programmers whimsical button placement. I guess I am in the other camp that prefers the "My Shows" button on the main page. It is a view page like any other view after all. Also, it is a damn useful facility - don't hide it away! I also favour consistency with the main web site.

As far as the "2 about buttons", I assume you are referring to "About" and "Help", while it may appear that they are the same they do serve two different commercial purposes, about is aimed more at the "guide only" users who may not know anything about IceTV while help is intended more for full members.

No, I am talking about the 2 "About" buttons! One on the main page and one under settings. You may think this is trivial but this is inconsistent with every other app in the world. Customers like consistency as I have said before in previous app feedback (That's why we all buy iphones and ipads btw. Only Steve Jobs seems to really get this?).

Thanks again. I do think ICE do a pretty good job given the small resources you probably have. The web site is excellent, really quite well designed and implemented. If you could just convince those Topfield guys to fix their ICE interface bugs I would recommend the whole setup 10/10.

Still quite a few bugs in this version though. Just use it and set one-off or series timers a few times and you will see them. Sometimes app just dies. Sometimes gives a error popup when trying to set a timer and to contact ICE support. Right now I press the guide data and it shows data for Wed (yesterday) from 10pm by default and then Thu (today) data but not the rest of the week. Scroll ends at midnight today. The "Today" button (to change date and time) is not sensitive for selection. However, the My Week button shows 1 week of data.

I am not sure why ICE have changed the app to appear as a PVR device to the ICE web site? That just seems to slow things down compared to the "direct" interface the previous app used. Is there any advantage to this change?

There are some basic UI errors also. Why are there 2 about buttons? Why the inconsistency compared to the web site? E.g. "My Shows" is really just another view like "TV Guide" or "My Week" and is presented as just another tab on the web site. On the new web app, why is it is hidden under "Settings".

This is all basic stuff I see in 15 mins so I am sure there will be more bugs. Needs more careful testing in-house before release.

Russell, note a warning that at least one person on the Topfield forums reported he sees "low memory" warnings when he uses the new 2.0(9) app. So I suggest you also have memory leaks/errors in this new app as well. Hopefully you have caught those in these newer versions?

Actually, my post above was a few hours before I saw a new ICETV app get updated to my phone. In fact, the new app looks like a rewrite and now does remember the date + time position in the guide, e.g. when you run away to the browser! So thanks ICETV.

Could ICE consider adding rottentomatoes + metacritic links to the movies? (+imdb I guess although I personally don't trust the ratings there). ICE could just add a generic site search url for the movie title so that this would not impose more work on the guide compilation process. Of course the url may sometimes fail to find the program but we users would still be happy with that. So, e.g., just add a link http://www.rottentomatoes.com/search/full_search.php?search=attack%20of%20the%20killer%20tomatoes to the movie description page in the app.

Also, as an iOS4 user on an iphone4 (and wifes 3GS), I don't like apps using in-app browser frames. I prefer that the app open urls in safari because then I can surf links where I want and just use ios multi-task switch to get back easily to the ICE app. So perhaps a user option for this behaviour (in-app browser, or not) would be nice?

Of course I quickly found that shocker bug in the new version that once you select the "Store" button the new app takes you to an in-app browser window but gives you no mechanism to return! Booted up the PC to post about it here but I see Daniel Drysdale has already announced it.

1. Would it be possible to open the application at the last used page, like the previous version?

Yes, please fix this. The app should always reopen exactly to the position (e.g. exact time and day in the guide) where it was last open.

Particularly need this because ICE have not yet thought to add rottentomatoes and/or metacritic links on movies so we always have to run away to the browser. It is a real pain to lose our place.

So the iphone app doesn't work anymore - and no response from ICE about it?

Not sure how long this has been happening but I noticed today that my ICETV app is not working on my iphone. All of my timers are series recordings but if I select one that is already set (i.e. full red series) then the program detail display always says that the episode is part of a series recording but not scheduled to be recorded. My options are only to cancel the series recording or to record that episode (even though it is already set to record).

If I select any random program (not queued) and set a one-off recording via the app, then I can't cancel that recording via the app because when I select it again then I am only given the option to record it again, even though it is marked with a red circle on the guide page.

All seems to work ok on the ice web site. Iphone app version 1.4(6) on iphone 4 with iOS 4.2.1.