Personal Video Recorders, or PVRs, take the stress out of watching TV by recording programs with a single touch of a button. Topfield wants you to ‘Break free from the way you watch TV’ with its new PVR, and we would have to agree.
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Measuring 430x60x265mm, the TF7100 is a slick box that you can place just about anywhere. Simple is the word to describe the control layout of the unit: the front panel consists of a standby button, channel controls, and volume controls. A tiny ‘flap’ on the bottom right-hand side of the box reveals a USB port that you can use to connect USB devices like a memory stick or external hard disk drive.
The rear panel has an abundance of ports, giving users freedom to choose how they want to connect the unit. There are two sets of RF loop outs and antennae to receive (and record) digital broadcasts, a composite and component out, two audio out (L/R) ports, S-video out, Ethernet port, USB port, D-Sub out, HDMI out, S/PDIF coaxial and optical ports, and an RS-232 port.
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After scanning and saving all the available channels, users can sit back and use the remote to control the unit from afar. The remote’s layout is straightforward: one can adjust the volume, change the channel, view the electronic programme guide, instantly record a show, and playback recorded movies straight away.
Want to know what’s on? The TF7100 comes with a electronic programme guide that shows the current and scheduled programmes that are or will be available on a channel. A user can use this to pre-record programs or just find out what program is on at any given time. The Topfield TF7100 also provides full access to IceTV, which means that you can view a full week’s programme guide and even tell the unit to record a particular show.
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The 320GB hard drive can store hours of HD/SD content, with users having the option of extending the storage capacity of the box by hooking up an external HDD via USB. The twin HD tuners allows a user to simultaneously record two shows, and even comes with a time shift feature that can pause, resume, and rewind a live TV programme.
Our overall experience with the unit was brilliant; Recorded HD shows looked and sounded great, playback was a snap, and icons and functions were clearly labelled. This PVR from Topfield really made the whole recording experience easy, which is probably the most important thing users look for in a device.
The Topfield TF7100HDPVRt exceeded our expectations and gave us a stellar performance. This PVR comes with a large storage device, can be connected to your network, has IceTV functionality for anywhere recording, can play music files, and can even save files to an external USB device. The Topfield TF7100HDPVRt is now available with an RRP of $899.
See page over for product specifications and final rating.
Topfield TF7100HDPVRt Specifications:
DVB Compliant A/V Decoding
Aspect Ratio: 4:3, 16:9, Pan & Scan, Letterbox
Video Resolution: 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i
Main System:
Main Processor MIPS64 5Kf, 420MIPS at 300MHz
HDD: 320GB + External HDD is supported
Front Panel:
Keys: 5Keys(CH-/+, VOL-/+, STANDBY)
LEDs: Standby
RCU: 48Keys
A/V & Data In/Out:
HDMI: Digital AV output(576p, 720p, 1080i)
VGA port: 15 pin D-sub type
S-VIDEO: Video S-VIDEO output
RCA A/V: Video (CVBS), Audio (L/R) output
S/PDIF: Digital audio output (Coaxial & Optical)
USB: USB 2.0 (Front & Rear)
Ethernet: 10/100 Base-T
RS-232C: 9 pin D-sub type
Power Supply
Input Voltage: 90 ~ 250VAC, 50/60Hz
Type: SMPS
Power Consumption: Running: Max. 39W, Standby: 5W
Physical Specification
Size (W x H x D): 430 x 60 x 265mm
Weight: 3.5Kg
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Topfield TF7100HDPVRt PVR | $899 | 
| www.itopfield.com.au
For: Ease of use; Connectivity; Hard drive; Includes Wi-Fi USB dongle; Expandable storage; Performs smoothly; Dual tuner; MP3 compatibility
Against: Some lags experienced when scrolling through the interface
Conclusion: Topfield shows its competition how PVRs should be made.
