TF7700HDPVR Q&A in English

[Top4]

No network support yet, what I know about (maybe firmware update).


I have a PROBLEM:
One recording was not descrambled at recording (that they usually are) and I can't watch it!

The recordings might not be descrambled at the recording time (happend sometimes), but no problem. It's possible to watch them anyway. Now I have one recording that I can't watch. I try the day after recording day, so the codes should be on the smartcard.

Anybody more getting this fault? What todo?

[Top4]

Hi

Regarding the scrambled recording problem, I have taken a closer look.

The archive list in the Toopy indicate a not descrambling recording, i.e. blue symbol.
The strange thing is that the transport_scrambling_control in the TS packets indicate not scrambled. However the video and audio PES packets are not starting with the correct packet_start_code_prefix (0x000001). It seems like the payload have not been descrambled or incorrectly descrambled.

I write a program that sets the transport_scrambling_control bits in the video and audio TS packets. To try to get the stream to be descrambled. It did not help.

I have now discover that sometimes when I switch on the box. The picture will freeze after approx. 10 seconds (and no sound). It can stand so for long time, forever I think. If I at this moment make a recording. I can see that the file gets the same as at faulty recording.

So the two faults belongs to each other.

I have now got many faulty recordings and are really sad.

[Top4]

Hello all toppy lovers, waiting for new firmware!

I'm little concern about one problem I have, I'm I alone or does somebody else have this problem?

When I use timeshift or play from USB, the picture is sometimes disturbed/blurred/fuzzy. It's not all time, it comes and goes during time. During one hour it can change between good and bad, zero to maybe five times. It always have, partly, been bad during timeshift. Have not used timeshift so much, put maybe seven times. I don't think I have seen this picture fault during live or playback a recording from HDD.

Let me try to describe how it look like. It's easy to see if there are subtitles burned into the video. Put it is also easy to see on some channel logos. It's like every second line have moved down (or up) two steps. This will make the details in the picture blurred and higher, only vertical (not horizontal). It can also be describe that the picture have a second (spoke) picture, dislocated a little bit verticaly.

I'm running over HDMI, but have also tested composite.

Note: the OSD (info boxes and so on) does not have this problem. So it can't be my TV.

[toto-dk]

Hi

I have 3 major problems:

1) Sound dropouts. On one channel the sound makes small/short breaks, part of a second. I can see that the signal disappear for the applifier. This occur maybe twenty times in one hour. Sometimes several minutes between, but some times 3 times within one minute. It only occur on the channel "SVT HD" (Thor), a HD 720p channel with dolby digital (AC-3) 5.1 sound. The normal stereo sound is ok. One funny thing is that if I record the event and watch it (playback) the dropouts is very few. One time (1 hour event) actually no dropouts at all.

2) DVB subtitle does not work. On the channels (five HD channels) I have that are using DVB subtitle, it does not work. No subtitle shows up. Please note this is for DVB-subtitle, not the teletext based. In the menu there it is possible to select current language/subtitle, the string "DVB" is written in front of the language code, e.g. "DVB[swe]".

3) Smelly. When the box get hot it's smell awful. It's seems to be the big transformer on the power supply board. I run without the top cover, so it don't get so hot. The smell seems to be long lasting. I have had the box run for several days in another room, many times. Is it possible to repair or exchange the power supply board?

I have the same problem with DVB-subtitles on HD-channels here in Denmark.

I have written several times to TF Korea, and they have promissed to fix the problem in the next update, BUT I have waited all year - and still no luck !

I also reported failure on the ordinary teletext-subtitles in timeshift-mode; the live broadcast subtitles are shown instead of the time-shifted ones.

These problems are more significant to us in Scandinavia, because we luckily use subtitles instead of voicesync like our southern neighbours....

[Top4]

toto-dk: Great that you have contacted Topfield. Thanks

My self have not done any problem reporting so far. I have decided to wait for a better firmware first. Since the current one contains so many faults and several basic functionality are not even implemented finnish yet. This firmware is not in beta state yet (as I see it).

PS. Discover yesterday that if I watch timeshifted for 2 hours, it will jump back a bit.

[toto-dk]

[quote="Top4"]toto-dk: Great that you have contacted Topfield. Thanks

My self have not done any problem reporting so far. I have decided to wait for a better firmware first. Since the current one contains so many faults and several basic functionality are not even implemented finnish yet. This firmware is not in beta state yet (as I see it).

PS. Discover yesterday that if I watch timeshifted for 2 hours, it will jump back a bit.[/quote]
GREAT - the new firmware just released (2008jul31.tfd) solves many problems incl. the missing subtitles on the scandinavian HD-channels !!!!
Good luck with this......

[Top4]

Yes, the DVB subtitle shows up. Not so nice, but I think that that is not the box fault (it's the channels that sends out bad fonts/background). However, the timing was not so good when I checked. Time will tell how it works.

I have not time yet to check it out more, but I tested a little bit. Not all bugs have been fixed. New bugs have been added:

16:9 - 4:3 switch does not work at all. Before it works for the live, but not at playback.

While copy file to USB, the on-screen keyboard popups!!!

[OddErik]

[quote="Top4"]I can not play/descramble old recordings. It's seems like it can not learn the smartcard with the old keys. It will play the recording faster than normal (with black picture). [/quote]
I have the same problem, it must be a bug.
I have used a TF5500 for several years, and before that I had a TF4000. So I should know what to expect from a TF receiver. I also know about the Conax key aging problem.
There are serious problems with the 7700 that did not exist in the 5500.

I have several times lost 'sync' when playing back a decoded recording. The time indicator counts like fast-forward.
I was playing a one-hour recording and in the middle I wanted to fast-forward the commercial. Then it lost sync, and there was no way to make it sync again, I tried all positions from 1 to 99%.
Had to stop playback and restart, it worked to play at normal speed all the way through.

I have a repetable situation where it will not record at all. The Discovery channel is set on timer once every week. At the same time I watch NRK (the local Norwegian channel) for about 15 minutes, and then I switch over to Discovery.
When I play back the recording it is always black from the beginning, but it starts working from the point where I have switched over.
I had the same setup on TF5500 with no problem. Discovery is on tuner 1, NRK is on tuner 2.

My dealer has tried to contact TF Europe to get some answers, but it seems that the replies are just nonsense.

[Top4]

OddErik: A question to you. Can you, at all, playback a recording that was not unscrambled at recording?
For example start a recording of one channel. Jump to another channel on the other tuner start recording. Wait a minute or two. Stop both recordings. Now the last one should have been unscrambled, but the first should be partly scrambled. Can you watch the first?

PS I should try to reproduce your fault (repetable situation).

[OddErik]

I tried this twice.
First starting with NRK and then jumping to Discovery. NRK was partly scrambled, but I did not see any problem playing it back.
Then I started recording Discovery and jumped to NRK. I could play back Discovery, but when I tried to fast-forward or jump the recording, it fails. The picture freezes and the indicator couts at high speed. This is what I call 'loosing sync', and consistent with the problems I have seen before.

So a 50% failure rate here.
PS: I have the latest firmware upgrade.

[Top4]

OddErik: It seems you have problem playback a scrambled recording, i.e. the CAM/smartcard are used during playback. I recorded 1 hour scrambled, not unscrambled. When I spend several minutes jumping (yellow button and number buttons), fast motion and reverse playback. No problem. Except that at 3x reverse playback the picture goes like step by step (I think there is a technical explanation for that), for an unscrambled recording the picture goes smooth/flow. Sometimes it took several seconds for the sound to come back, but that is no problem.

So maybe the communication with your CAM or smartcard is not so good. If you goto the information menu and select CAM, which text (version) do you see for the CAM?
I have "Conax 4.00e".

Do you have good reception?

[OddErik]

But there is never a problem when NRK is scrambled, only Discovery.
NRK is 94% level, 90% quality.
Discovery is 84% level, 98% quality.
Then I tried another channel than Discovery. No problem.
This channel has 64% level, 77% quality. (there are showers in the area).

So the problem is specific to the Discovery channel.
I also have Conax 4.00e. I have tried a differen CAM, no change.

Not sure if this is significant, but there is another artifact on the 7700:
NRK does a daily switch to regional programs. Picture and sound always 'stutters' significantly every time. This never happened on the 5500.

[adelrania]

usb update problem

i have a problem to update the last firmware .24 via usb , although it is formatted FAT but always the receiver can not read from usb.

anyone can help please??

best regards

Adel

[OddErik]

Can you see the directory listing (filenames) on the USB disk at all?
Tried with another USB disk?

[Top4]

Maybe some strange filenames on the USB, space! Even files that the Toppy should not access, must have characters that the Toppy can handle in the filename.

[Top4]

OddErik: You have bad reception. The quality should be full (99). I have it on all channels. Well I think so, haven't thought about it the latest days. So I recommend you to fix the disc/LNBs, maybe an adjustment.

You can use a small program I have written to analyze the files. I'm interested in the result, so I will find it interested to see it from a couple of your recordings. The program is named RecToTs and can be found here http://web.telia.com/~u13125598/utils/
Run it with the switch: /i /7
You will get some statistics showing Continuity, should be zero or very low value.

I have set up 7 timer recordings each night. All 7 was impossible to watch, all with green scrambling symbol!!!!!!!!!!!! NO

I tested some more (four times):
1st The same fault.
2nd OK
3rd Blue symbol, impossible to watch. During the recording frozen picture.
4th Same as 3rd

The two last ones have the fault I have written about earlier in this thread. So it is not fixed. But the ones that have green symbol and impossible to watch, is new for me (I think). I will test some more and see if I find any pattern.

THIS MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO USE THE BOX FOR RECORDINGS

[Top4]

OddErik: Which Discovery channel are you watching (complete exact name or MHz and so on)?

[Top4]

I have now checked this nights timer recordings. It's 8, not 7 has I write above. All with green symbol and all are possible to watch!

[OddErik]

Discovery on Thor, 11.229H

I have tried to optimize the reception, but not much improvement. Discovery was at 99% at one time, but now it is raining again.

Analysed 3 files. NRK is OK, while A and B has problems.

[adelrania]

usb update problem

thank you for your help!

i have sloved my problem to update the last firmware .24 via usb , strange enough that the same flash stick i used to update the last firmware .20 was not workable for the new firmware 0.24 ,
this time i used mp3 flash !!! and it worked !!!!!!.

this is to share my experience with you...

best regards

Adel