ozboyz

Hello. I have posted this on the topfield forum also but would like to hear views here too. Loss of service is happening on a regular occurence. EPG, not ICE. Normally just curse, retune it and sit back and wait for the next service drop out. This time it has done it and I am unable to get it to do a service search past 30 %. Not sure what to do. Have done factory resets, switched off at the mains, took the ariel out of the machine, installed an earlier firmware (again this only allowed me to service search to 30%) and then gone back to the 1.00.10 which has not fixed the issue of only being able to tune in to 30%. I am becoming increasingly frustrated and would welcome any advice. Not keen on throwing the box out of the window but that would be an option :-) But anything that may deal with this problem would be appreciated. So have gone back a firmware to 0.99.82 - no luck. cannot find 0.99.84 firmware so not tried that. 1.00.10 is doing nothing other than letting me tune in up to 30%. Have lots of recordings on the hard drive so not keen on doing a hard drive format, though I do not think this is the problem. Any help would be appreciated. Alan

Hello. Not posted for a while. Recently been having problems with the old Topfield. Keeps switching to System Setting mode which means if I have any timers set, when it fires up it goes into the system setting mode which means I have to rescan the channels and then put the channels back into my favourites section. This happens almost on a second or third daily basis and is becoming a pain in the backside as I am not getting to record programs that I have set the timer for. It is frustrating as I cannot work out when it will happen so if I set a timer then it may or may not record for me. I just wondered if anyone else has encountered the same problem? Using version 1.00.00 About to update to 1.00.10 but would love to hear from anyone else who may be having the same issue. cheers ozboyz

A friend of mine is looking at the DMP-60 and has found one on eBay for $479 and it says it is region free. Looks like it is coming from America. Can anyone tell me if the Australian version of this player is region free or would they need to have it modified? Also if they bought the US model would it work over here? Not sure if the voltage would be an issue and if they would need to use a transformer to get it to work. thank you all Alan

I was given the 785 for Christmas and have had problems trying to get the device to recognise two DVD players. I have a Pioneer DVD recorder LX60D and the Sony Blu-Ray BDP S550. In the set up it only allows for me to choose one machine for watching a DVD. Is there a way around this? Do I make one of the DVD players a video recorder so that it becomes a separate input? Or would that not work? Also I have an iPod plugged into the amp via a generic cable, not a docking station. Is there a way of getting the Harmony to just switch the amp on when I say play music as it is asking me for a model number of the iPod which I guess it is referring to a docking device with IR capabilities. Another issue is the PVR's. Two Topfields with the same remote command. I am sticking with the HD one as that is the most used device, but obviously there is no way around this issue? Thanks Alan

Is that only with Sony Central though? We bought at Domayne. They do not have any deals on other than the interest free promotion which ends on Sunday. Alan

Probably not much of a bargain but picked one up today from Domanye in Sydney. Paid $580 with the three discs in the box. Main reason for going here is that they are doing 15 months interest free so I took advantage and bought the S550 and S350 (paid $390 for this one - Xmas gift for someone). Also this was the only place where we actually found the S550. Guy from Domayne said he could drop the S350 to $390 to compete with HN as they were doing the same interest free offer. I told him that Sony Central were doing the S550 for $599 with the extra discs but since they were not doing the same interest free offer he said he could not really do much in regards to the extra free discs. Also he said that they would probably be a redemption system to get the extra discs. Good Guys have the S350 in for $388 and Harvey Norman have it for $394. Do not have internet access to use the BD function as no wireless set up and no cable to connect the player to the computer. Also unable to see if the software with the machine needs updating. Off now to see what we can get out of the video shop so we can sit back and enjoy it. Have seen the films that come with the player so not wanting to sit through them again. Alan

Hello. I am running the sound for the topfield via my amp and wanted to know if I should be selecting PCM or bitstream for the sound option? cheers Alan

Also another problem which I see is as soon as the RBA puts up it's interest rates, all of the major stores fight back with promotional campains. David Jones, for example, is now offering another interest free period and if you buy Pioneer they will give you 15% of the purchase price back on your David Jones card. RBA put up rates to curb spending. Retailers put on ridiculous sales or offers to encourage spending. And then if we do not spend, retailers make a loss, threaten job losses etc. Where is the balance? Alan

Hello. I am happy to do that but I am not subscribed to any file sharing sites. Just let me know what I need to do and I will see what I can sort out. I have copied it to my desktop so the computer is recognising it so I can post it somewhere. Does anyone have a file sharing site where I can download the file to? Alan

Hello. The firmware 2.08 disc arrived from Pioneer today. Have upgraded the player. Had to get the directions on how to do it from here as Paul only sent me the disc with no instructions at all. It took about 5 or ten mins and after going through the update process it just showed up four lines on the front panel. no on screen directions. Also put the disc in the computer and it shows up a file and name of sr07P208.mem and is 14.1 MB in size. Alan

Good service from Pioneer. However to blame the station for the relatively insensitive tuner in these DVDRs is a cop out. John It was not the DVDR's tuner but the tuner in the LX508 he was talking about. The DVDR's tuner does not appear to give as good a picture as either of my topfield pvr's, but still serves a purpose in offering me an additional tuner and hard drive to record on. Alan

Paul rang me today and said he will send out the firmware 2.08. He asked me how I heard about it and what I had done to find out which version is on my LX60. Disc should be here in a couple of days. Also he says he uses Nero to burn the discs. As a side note he is aware that SBS drops out when watching using the LX508's tuner and also that ABC has different volume levels, and he said to watch the Midday Report as it is noticable during this programe. He tells me that he has reported this to Pioneer back in Japan but feels it may be something to do with poor quality broadcast rather than the internal tuner. Alan

Interest free options are an excellent way for someone to get their hands on anything they want now rather than later. Like all things though you do have to think it through thoroughly. I do not subscribe to the "if you do not have the money now then do not buy it" school of thought, though it is very easy for these deals to get people hooked and caught up. I think you need to look at what it is you are buying, work out if you can afford the repayments and for the time they are asking and if it is something that you can manage then certainly go for it. With GE finance they do offer some excellent terms, but yes, they do charge $2.95 a month admin fees which adds to the purchase price. But if it means you can buy a TV etc and spread the cost over a specified time then why not. Whenever I take advantage of these terms I always look at the price of the goods, divide it by the number of months and work out if that is a reasonable monthly repayment. I then make sure that I pay that money each month regardless and that way you avoid interest charges. I look at it like any other bill ie gas, electricity, rates etc, they have to be paid first before anything else. They also have different interest terms, some where you have to make a payment each month and others where they do not. It is the latter which is the killer because if you do not make payments then yes, the interest hits you. They also have a clause which states that if you do not make the minimum payment each month and do not pay off the goods at the end of the term then you will be liable for the interest, so it pays to read all this carefully and I find the only way to go is to make the payment each month. I do like the idea of putting the money on the mortgage but unless you are very focused, the best way is to make the monthy payment and that way you know that at the end of the term it is paid off. No hidden bills at the end. Cash may offer you a greater bargaining power for a price reduction, but again it depends on what they offer in the way of a discount. Sometimes these places offer very little incentive whether it is cash, credit or finance. It all depends on what you are buying and the overall price. I had a friend buy a plasma and she did so with GE finance, and they still agreed to give her a nice little price reduction even though she was doing the finance terms. I agree that this is not always the case though. Again, finance can allow someone to buy over two years and afford $100 per month rather than have to pay $2400 up front or even $2000 allowing a possible $400 cut for paying cash. Alan

Anybody in Sydney had their TV calibrated and if so can they recommend them, or does anyone know who can offer an excellent calibration service in Sydney? cheers Alan

Yeah. Of course the blu-ray guys are doing just that and then the HD guys hit back with the same. It all boils down to peoples preference. Both sides put forward their points for chosing either blu-ray or HD. Personally I would prefer to wait and see which format is going to be the winner, which it looks like blu-ray and then see how the pricing goes for these machines. I think pricing on blu-ray is still quite high though Sony seem to have a couple of players which are reasonably priced ie under $1000 but still lack the current recommended formats ie 1.1 (soon to be 2.0). Then there is the issue of region. No region free players yet. This is another reason that I want to see how the new blu-ray players pan out. I do not expect them to become region free, but I want to see if they start producing players with the 2.0 profile. I am not a DVD collector, just rent, so again, it is not that important for me to buy yet, but I put forward the option of the Toshiba as being an affordable stand alone HD player, and especially extra value with the discs they are giving away as part of their promotion. Alan

Toshiba have reduced the price of their HD players. I believe http://www.toshibaav.com.au/spec_hdxe1.html has been reduced to RRP $599 so not sure if that is cheaper than an xbox or if you are looking at xbox for gaming also. Also you can get 8 HD films via redemption. The Toshiba gets lots of rave reports on the blu-ray forum. Alan

Chances are the insurance company will increase your premium if you make a claim, so for the price increase put the money towards a surge protector. Seriously, for $100 it is peace of mind stuff. If anything goes wrong at least you have the protection there. It is one of those things where you just do not know. Who knows if Belkin pay out for any claims? If it is part of their warranty then they must have to, but no doubt they will have certain "clauses" in their small print ie you will have to be using the surge protector correctly ie not plugged into another extension lead etc. Alan

Other prices I got out of curiosity were Blue Ray Player: Pioneer BDP LX70A - $1600.00 Pioneer: VSX70 AVR - $2300.00 Someone else has posted that they took in MN-Roberts Harvey Norman receipt somewhere and got the LX70A for $1000 as a direct price match. David Jones in Sydney, I believe. Now I am not an expert here, and it may be worth looking at the Blu-Ray site on here, but there is talk about different formats for blu-ray ie the current profile of the Pioneer player is 1.0 but the latest profile should be at least 1.1 This allows you to use functions like PIP if the disc allows. The LX70A is not upgradeable so it is an expensive machine unless the newer features that 1.1 offer are not of interest to you. Then the next agreed upon profile now is going to be 2.0 which allows internet connectivity, again check out the forum on blu-ray. The Playstation seems to be the choice at the moment as it is upgradeable, but has issues with some of it's sound formats (I am not an expert on this either so again, check out the blu-ray part of this forum as it is very informative. It also covers the issue of which discs are region free etc as the blu-ray players are not region free). Alan

Total budget for everything is 20k including install and programming of everything so would appreciate suggestions though the panel is non negotiable. Cheers Al If you are paying cash then check out www.digitalcentre.com.au They have the LX608 listed as $9113 with their four years interest. You can take out the terms and then pay it all off in one go without incurring any interest. I believe someone also said that they rang them and if they paid cash they would go to $9000. You may be able to get them down a little furthur. So it may be worth your while getting in touch with them and seeing what they can do. Worth a phone call at least. Warranty is carried out by Pioneer so you will not need to be in touch with the store should anything go wrong. I have not dealt with them and not sure if anyone else has but if you are unsure then you could print off their page, take it to a local store and see if anyone is willing to price match. I think you will have some pulling power if you are offering to pay cash for it. And delivery is part of the deal ie with Pioneer. Alan

Thanks for that Alan. It shows up as version 2.07. Gotta read the last few posts now to make sure what is the latest version. Cheers 2.08 is the latest firmware. when I rang Pioneer I told them which version I had, that I believed the latest is 2.08 and the chap said that was correct, but it is Paul who deals with this. So ring on Monday and you will catch him then. videographer had a disc sent to them, but they could not copy it for me as the computer did not see the files, as I was hoping they could email the details to me. Hopefully Paul will send out the disc to me and if I am able to get the computer to read the files then I could email them on if people wanted. Or just ring Pioneer and ask them to send out the disc to you. Alan

I'm ready to buy the LX608 and want to do some pricing tonight to compare to what the custom installers are quoting. If anyone has a receipt they can pass on for the 608 can you please email it to quozl@internode.on.net Thanks for any help Cheers Al Digital Centre has it listed as $9113 with four years interest. Many DJ stores have been price matching the LX508 price of $5199 as also advertised by Digital Centre. You may get lucky with them. Otherwise you could just go into JB HiFi or HN etc and just haggle. See what they are willing to do for you. I doubt they will be shifting a lot of the 608's as they will be out of the reach of most people. If they are not moving as many they may be willing to budge on a price a little. No harm in trying. Alan

I just checked the build date on mine it says September 07 and this came straight from Pioneer themselve a couple of weeks ago. Without having to re-read this whole thread how to i tell what F/W i have again and what is the Phone # i need to call. Thanks. I think you go to the home menu, then go to set up and then go to audio out annd highlight the dolby digital section and press 9 on the remote. it should show up the firmware version. I have just rang Pioneer FREECALL 1800 988 268 and Paul is away until Monday (how dare they have holidays - shame on them). Left my name and number and they are going to get Paul to ring me on Monday. I may ask if the file is small enough to email and get them to do that rather than post it out, depending on how they like to do things. Alan

How to the Toppys go with the same channel at the same time? Is it only SBS? The Topfields and the DVDR go fine. No problems at all. I think it was only SBS. It was during the news so I ended up switching over to the Topfield. I did not change chanels to check the others as I wanted to watch the news. The problem is that I mainly watch TV via the Topfields, but from time to time I just use the TV as an alternative (no real reason) so need to establish early in the game if it is a fault or not. Alan

Just read in the Connect supplement that comes with the Daily Telegraph that the RRP is now $699 but that the street price is $589. They also give a basic review of the player, and says that at this price it is a good introduction for people to get into the blu-ray market, but then say it has real competition in the form of Sony's BD-P300 as that was origionally priced at $999 but RRP now is $799 but has a street price of $689, and with this in mind you would be getting a $1000 player for $689. Alan