Topfield TF 5800 PVR User Manual
TOPFIELD
TF 5800 PVR
User Manual
Digital Terrestrial Receiver
Personal Video Recorder
ii CONTENTS
Contents
Contents ii
1 Introduction and getting started 1
1.1 Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 Remote control buttons and their functions . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.3 Rear panel connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.4 Connecting up your PVR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.4.1 Connecting the aerial to your PVR . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.4.2 Connecting the PVR to your TV using a SCART . . . . 9
1.4.3 Connecting the PVR to your TV using the RF output . 10
1.4.4 Connecting to your HiFi system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.5 Switching on for the first time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.5.1 Searching for TV and radio channels . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.5.2 Basic system settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.5.3 Time and date options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.5.4 AV output settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.6 Pay TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2 Watching TV 17
iii
2.1 Starting to watch television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.1.1 Volume control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.1.2 Changing channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.1.3 Radio channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.2 Electronic Programme Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.3 Time Shift television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2.3.1 Rewinding TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2.3.2 Pausing TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3 Recording and playing TV programmes 26
3.1 How your PVR records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3.2 Instant recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.3 Current event recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3.4 Scheduled recordings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.4.1 Scheduling a recording using the EPG . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.4.2 Altering the details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
3.4.3 Viewing your recording schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
3.5 Things you should know about recording on your PVR . . . . 37
3.5.1 Dual recordings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3.5.2 Watching television while dual recording . . . . . . . . 38
3.5.3 When recordings start or stop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
3.5.4 Leaving the PVR in standby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
3.5.5 Switching off while recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
3.5.6 How recordings are named . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
3.6 Playing back recordings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
3.6.1 Playback features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
3.6.2 Bookmarks and resume play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
3.6.3 After you’ve watched a recording . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
iv CONTENTS
4 Extra features 45
4.1 Make the most of digital TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
4.1.1 Subtitles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
4.1.2 Sound tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
4.1.3 Picture in Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
4.1.4 Digital teletext . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
4.1.5 Sleep timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
4.2 Organising channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
4.2.1 Favourite channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
4.2.2 Setting up favourite channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4.2.3 Managing lists of favourites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
4.2.4 Watching TV using favourites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
4.3 Organising recordings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
4.3.1 Renaming recordings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
4.3.2 Organising recordings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
4.3.3 Copying recordings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
4.3.4 Editing recordings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
4.4 Additional playback and viewing features . . . . . . . . . . . 58
4.4.1 Playing back multiple recordings . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
4.4.2 Slow motion playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
4.4.3 Repeat playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
4.4.4 Parental lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
4.4.5 Restricting access to recorded programmes . . . . . . . 61
4.4.6 Restricting access to TV channels . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
4.4.7 Organising the channel list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
5 The PC Connection 63
5.1 Installing the software and drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
5.2 Connecting the PVR to your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
5.2.1 Using Altair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
5.2.2 How files are organised on your PVR . . . . . . . . . . 66
5.2.3 Transferring files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
6 Advanced features 69
6.1 MP3 playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
6.2 Firmware updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
6.2.1 Installing a firmware update via USB . . . . . . . . . . 71
6.2.2 Installing a firmware update via a serial connection . . 72
6.2.3 Installing a firmware update over the air . . . . . . . . 73
6.3 TAPs - Additional software for your PVR . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
6.3.1 Installing TAPs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
6.3.2 Starting TAPs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
6.3.3 Starting TAPs automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
6.3.4 Troubleshooting TAPs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
7 Troubleshooting and How to 78
7.1 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
7.1.1 Unexpected channel changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
7.1.2 Failed recordings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
7.1.3 PVR crashes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
7.1.4 Incorrect channel numbers and duplicate channels . . 80
7.1.5 Unable to view Pay TV channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
7.2 How to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
7.2.1 Adding a new channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
7.2.2 Moving home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
7.3 Contacting support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
v
vi CONTENTS
A Technical Information 84
1
Chapter 1
Introduction and getting
started
Congratulations on buying a Topfield TF 5800 Personal Video
Recorder (PVR). The TF 5800 allows you to view and record
digital TV channels easily, via an ordinary television aerial.
You can receive all the Freeview channels broadcast in your
area, which includes a range of digital radio stations too. In
addition, with a small subscription module, you can access
some additional channels from pay TV broadcasters.
Your new PVR allows you to record two different programmes
simultaneously, and even to play back existing recordings while
you’re making new ones. With it’s large hard drive, there’s
plenty of space for all the shows you want to watch, and the
built in electronic programme guide (EPG) makes it easy to
find programmes and schedule automatic recordings.
As well as recording and playback of TV programmes, it has
plenty of other features. You can pause TV when the phone
rings, for example, or rewind a sports match to watch someone score a second time. Channels can be arranged into groups
of ‘favourites,’ and there are other useful features like picture
2 Introduction and getting started
in picture, interactive services and even a link to your home
computer.
We’ll cover all of those issues in this manual, starting from
basic installation and setup, then looking at everyday use, and
finally giving you an idea of some of the advanced features
that you can make use of when you’re comfortable with how
your PVR works.
1.1 Unpacking
Before going any further, check that you have received the following items with your PVR. If any are missing, please contact
your supplier.
• Remote control unit
• Two AA batteries for the remote control
• One aerial cable, to link the PVR to your TV aerial
• One loop cable (a short aerial cable)
• One SCART cable, to link the PVR to your television set
• A copy of this user guide
Unpack the cables, and insert the batteries in the remote control; make sure you insert them the correct way round, following the symbols on the inside of the battery compartment.
Before going any further, you should familiarise yourself with
the remote control and with the connectors on the rear of the
PVR. Let’s look at the remote control first. Dont worry if some
of the things we mention here seem a little unusual —all the
functions and features will be explained later on.
1.2 Remote control buttons and their functions 3
1.2 Remote control buttons and their functions
1
Power Use this button to switch
the PVR in and out of standby
mode.
2
Mute Press mute to temporarily
switch off the sound; press
again to switch it back on.
3
TV/Radio Switch the PVR be-
tween television and radio
channels.
4
Satellite This button switches the
output of the main SCART
socket between the PVR’s
picture and the device connected to the secondary
SCART socket.
5
Opt The Opt button gives ac-
cess to additional features,
such as subtitles, favourites,
soundtracks and the sleep
timer.
6
Numeric keys These are used to
enter channel numbers and
menu options. The 0 key
also cycles through picture
size options.
7
Recall The Recall button switches between the current
channel and the previously viewed one.
8
Info Press iIto display more information about the cur-
rent programme or a programme highlighted in the
4 Introduction and getting started
EPG.
9
Guide The Guide button displays the Electronic Programme
Guide (EPG).
10
Menu Use this button to access the PVR’s menus, or to
return to the previous menu from a sub-menu.
11
List Press List once to display a list of all the channels
stored for TV or Radio. Press it again when the list
is displayed to select a group of Favourite channels.
12
Exit Press Exit to leave the current screen.
13
V+ / V− These buttons increase and decrease the volume.
In some screens, they also work as right and left
movement keys.
14
P+ / P− The P+ and P− buttons move to the next or
previous channel in the channel list or the current
Favourites list. In some screens, they also work as
up and down movement keys.
15
OK/List The OK button is used to select items in menus,
and in interactive services. When viewing live TV,
it displays the channel list, and when viewing a
recordings, it will display the list or recordings in
the archive.
16
Up and down keys In system menus, the up and down
keys allows you to choose an item from the menu.
They are also used to navigate through the electronic programme guide, and in interactive services.
17
Left and right keys In system menus, left and right keys
allow you to change the options for a menu item.
They are also used to navigate through the electronic programme guide, and in interactive services.
1.2 Remote control buttons and their functions 5
18
Rewind Press to reverse playback; press again to increase
speed, or hold down to move along the progress
bar.
19
Play Press to go to normal playback speed, or to display
the progress bar for faster navigation when playback has already started. From the Archive, press
to resume playback from the last position.
20
Fast forward Press to start fast forward, and again to in-
crease playback speed, or hold down to move along
the progress bar.
21
Stop Press to stop playback, to stop a recording, or to
jump back to live TV from time shifted television.
22
Record Press to start a recording.
23
Pause Press to pause playback of a recorded programme
or live television.
24
Slow motion This button starts slow motion playback. Sub-
sequent presses change the speed of playback.
25
PiP move Press this button once to start the Picture in
Picture (PiP) function. Press again to change the
position of the Picture in Picture, and to turn it off.
26
Archive This button displays the list of recordedprogrammes
that have been saved on your PVR’s hard disk.
27
Text button The Text button is used to access or leave in-
teractive services, such as BBCi and Teletext.
28
PiP Swap This button swaps the Picture in Picture with
the main picture.
29
White key When the PiP function is being used, this key
displays a list so that you can choose which channel is displayed in the smaller picture. When the
Progress Bar is displayed, it allows you to select a
6 Introduction and getting started
2
1
3
4 13
7
9 10
11
14
5
6
8
12
ANT 1 IN
RF LOOP 1 OUT RF LOOP 2 OUT AUDIO
L
R
S-VIDEO
VCR
USB
RF IN
S/PDIF RS-232
VIDEO
TV
RF OUT
ANT 2 IN
section of a programme for repeat playback or editing.
30
Colour keys The coloured keys on the remote control are
used by interactive services, such as BBCi or Teletext —for example, you may see a message on screen
asking you to ‘Press Red.’ The keys are also used
in some of the PVR menus, where you will usually
see an on screen message telling you which key to
use for which function.
1.3 Rear panel connections
The TF 5800 PVR has a wide range of connections on the back
panel, and it can look a little complicated at first. Dont worry—
it’s much simpler than it looks, and not everyone needs to use
all the connections. We’ll explain some of the most common
ways of connecting the PVR after we’ve looked at the rear
panel.
1
2
ANT 1 This is the input to one of the TV tuners in your
PVR (it has two, so that it can record two things at
the same time.) This socket should be connected to
your TV aerial.
RF LOOP 1 OUT This is the output from the first tuner.
Normally, you should use the supplied loop cable
1.3 Rear panel connections 7
to connect this to the ANT 2 connector.
3
ANT 2 ANT 2 is the input to the second of the tuners in
your PVR.
4
RF LOOP 2 OUT This is the output from the first tuner.
5
Video output This yellow socket carries composite video.
This format is used by some video projectors, and
audio visual amplifiers; most users will not need to
use this socket.
6
Audio outputs These two connectors provide left (white)
and right (red) channel audio outputs, which can
be connected to a hi-fi system, if you wish.
7
S-Video The S-Video output is another way of connect-
ing some televisions, projectors or AV amplifiers to
your PVR. Again, most users will not need to use
this socket.
8
TV SCART This is the main output socket from your PVR,
carrying both audio and video connections using
the large SCART connectors. You should normally
use the supplied SCART cable to connect this to the
corresponding socket on your television set.
9
VCR SCART This is a secondary SCART socket. It is in-
tended to be used to allow other devices to record
the material you are watching or playing on your
PVR, and can also pass their signal through to your
television, so that even if you have only one SCART
connector on your TV you can use, for example,
both the PVR and a DVD player, selecting one or
the other via the Satellite button on the remote control.
10
RF IN The RF in connector allows you to feed a signal
from a TV aerial into the PVR, where it will be com-
8 Introduction and getting started
bined, on the RF OUT socket, with a signal showing the PVR’s display.
11
RF OUT This output provides the display from the PVR
as an ordinary TV channel, so it can be selected on
televisions that have no special AV inputs.
12
S/PDIF optical connector If you have an audio visual sys-
tem with a surround sound decoder or an amplifier
that has optical input, you can use this connector to
link it to your PVR. (Note that multi-channel digital surround, such as Dolby Digital, is not currently
broadcast on UK digital terrestrial TV channels).
13
RS-232 Serial port The Serial port connector allows you
to update the software on your PVR using a computer that does not have a USB connection.
14
USB port By connecting to your computer using this USB
port, you can upgrade the built-in software of the
PVR, transfer recorded programmes to your computer, or transfer music files from the computer to
play back on the PVR.
1.4 Connecting up your PVR
As you can see, there is a wide range of connectors on the back
of the PVR, and consequently you can set it up in a number of
different ways. To some extent, the way that you choose will
depend on the other equipment that you have. We’ll cover the
most basic cases here.
The first thing you need to work out is how you will connect
your PVR to your television.
Most modern television sets have one or more connectors for
other equipment, often referred to as AV, EXT or SCART connectors. If your television does not have any inputs, and can
only receive signals through its aerial connection, you will
need to use the RF OUT connector on your PVR; we shall describe how to do that shortly.
1.4.1 Connecting the aerial to your PVR
Whatever sort of connection you have between the PVR and
the TV, you need to connect the PVR to your television aerial
so that it can receive digital TV channels.
Note that in some areas, you may need to upgrade your aerial
to ensure that you receive digital television broadcasts—
good reception of existing analogue signals is no guarantee
of good digital reception.
The first connection you should make is to connect a cable
from your TV aerial to the ANT 1 connector on the back of
the PVR.
However your PVR is connected to the TV, you must ensure
that there is a connection to both the ANT1 and ANT2 connectors on your PVR, so that both tuners work properly. Normally, you do that by using the supplied loop cable to link
from RF LOOP1 OUT to ANT 2.
However, if you are in a weak signal area, or are using a signal
amplifier with more than one output, you may achieve better
results by connecting a cable from the aerial or amplifier directly to the ANT2 connector, rather than using the loop cable.
1.4 Connecting up your PVR 9
1.4.2 Connecting the PVR to your TV using a SCART or AV cable
For best results with a standard television set, you should use
the supplied SCART cable, plugging one end into the TV SCART
socket on the PVR, and the other end into a free SCART socket
on your television.
If you have more than one SCART connector on your television, you should choose one with ‘RGB’ (Red, Green, Blue)
support, since it can give a better picture. You may wish to
10 Introduction and getting started
experiment with different sockets on your TV, since some may
have different facilities, such as automatic switching when the
PVR is turned on, while others may not.
Some televisions have inputs via S-Video or Composite connectors, rather than SCART. If you have such a television, use
an appropriate cable to link the socket on the PVR to the matching socket on your television.
1.4.3 Connecting the PVR to your TV using the RF output
If your television does not have an AV input, you will need to
use the RF output from the PVR. In this case, you will need
to connect a cable from the RF OUT socket (number 13 in the
diagram) to the aerial connector on your television.
To ensure your television can also pick up existing analogue
channels as well, you will need to connect a cable from your
TV aerial or from the RF LOOP2 OUT connector on the back
of the PVR to the RF IN connector (number 12 in the diagram).
If you do not want to watch analogue TV channels any more,
this link will not be needed.
After connecting the PVR’s RF OUT to your television, you
will need to tune one of the buttons on your television to channel number 36 to see the output from the PVR.
1.4.4 Connecting to your HiFi system
If you wish to play the sound from the PVR through your HiFi
or audio visual system, you should connect either the S/PDIF
digital audio connector or the left and right audio connectors
to an input on your audio system.
1.5 Switching on for the first time
Now that you have your PVR connected, you should plug it
in to a mains socket, and switch on at the wall. Ensure that
1.5 Switching on for the first time 11
your television set is turned on and that the correct input or
channel has been selected, so that you will be able to see the
display from the PVR.
Now, press the Standby button on the front of the PVR or on
the remote control. As the PVR starts, the front panel display
will show first C4.56, followed by the word ‘run’. You will
need to perform some initial set up steps before you can start
using your TF 5800.
1.5.1 Searching for TV and radio channels
The first step in setting up your PVR is to search for the available TV and radio channels.
If there are no channels stored, you will not be able to access
other menu options. If you ever use the Factory Setting option in the menus to fully reset your PVR, you will have to
perform this procedure again.
When you turn on the PVR, it may automatically display the
Service Search screen. If not, press the Menu button on the
remote control, move to Installation with the arrow keys, then
press OK.
On the next screen, move to Installation, and press OK again.
Next select Service search and press OK.
On the next screen, move to Search Mode and ensure that the
Auto option is selected —you can change options by using the
left and right arrows.
All the system menus work in this way; in future, we’ll simply
explain which options to select; remember to move up and
down to highlight menu entries, left and right to change the
options, and OK to select or confirm.
Next, move down to Start search, and then press OK. The PVR
will start to search for channels, and will display a list of TV
and radio services as they are found.
12 Introduction and getting started
It may take several minutes for the search, and it is common
for no channels to be found until quite late in the process.
Be patient; when the scan is complete, you will see a message telling you how many TV and radio channels, or services,
have been found. Press OK to save the list, and then press
Menu to move back to the main menu from the Installation
screen.
If you receive signals from more than one transmitter, or are in
a poor reception area, you may miss some channels, or receive
duplicates of others when searching. You can find out how to
resolve this problem in the Advanced Features section of the
manual.
1.5.2 Basic system settings
As well as tuning your PVR in to the available channels, there
are also some other settings that you should check, to ensure
that you get the best performance from your new TF 5800.
Remember that you’ll also need to check these settings if you
decide to perform a full reset of your PVR at any time.
1.5.3 Time and date options
First, we’ll set the time options, which ensure that the PVR
knows where it is, and displays the correct time for programmes
in the Electronic Programme Guide. From the Main menu,
choose System Setting, and then Time setting. You should see
a screen like this one.
1.5 Switching on for the first time 13
First, select the top item in the
menu, Mode, and ensure that
it is set to Auto; this will allow
your PVR to receive its time
signal from the television stations, keeping it accurate all the
time. Next, move down to Time
Offset.
The left and right arrow keys change the offset in fifteen minute
steps; if you are not in the United Kingdom, you should use
this option to select the correct difference between your time
and GMT (or UTC as it is also known). Remember that this
difference may change with the start or end of summer or daylight savings time.
If you are in the United Kingdom, you should ensure that the
Time Offset is set to Auto; use the left key to decrease the time
offset to 00:00, and then press left once more; the offset will
now say Auto, and your PVR will automatically change to and
from British Summer Time.
Return to the previous menu, System Setting, and select A/V
Output Setting.
1.5.4 AV output settings
The AV output settings screen allows you to set the PVR options to match your television set.
14 Introduction and getting started
For most televisions, you will get the best picture by choosing
the RGB option. If, while you change this option, the picture
on your television disappears, or changes to black and white,
simply use the arrow keys to select another option, until you
can see the display correctly. Some televisions may take a few
seconds to adjust to a new setting.
Use the VCR SCART setting to change how the signal from the
VCR SCART connector is passed through to your television.
When set to Standard, it will be automatic, and so will depend
on the device you have connected to the VCR SCART; for example, a video recorder’s picture may display only when it
is playing, while a DVD player may display all the time. If
you set this option to External A/V, then the picture from the
device you have connected to the VCR SCART connector will
only appear on your television when you select it via the Satellite button on the remote control.
If you have a widescreen television, you should set the TV
Aspect Ratio option to 16:9; for a conventional television set,
set it to 4:3.
The 16:9 Display format controls how widescreen programmes
will appear on a non-widescreen television. If you select Letter
Box, then the picture will appear with black bars top and bottom; select Center Extract to see a picture that fills the whole
screen, with some of the side information lost.
Set the TV type to PAL for most
European television sets. The
Video Output option selects the
type of video signal that will be
sent via the TV SCART socket.
You can choose between RGB,
S-Video, YUV (also known as
component, and used with some
flat-panel displays), and CVBS,
also known as composite.
1.6 Pay TV 15
You can cycle through the different display size options by
pressing the 0 button on the remote control while watching
a programme; a message will appear in the top right of the
screen telling you which option has been selected, and the settings in this menu will also change.
The Sound mode allows you to select stereo, mono, left or
right channels; you should normally leave this set to Stereo.
The RF Type should be set to PAL-I for UK television sets,
and controls how the sound is sent when you are using the
RF OUT connector on the back of the PVR to link to your television.
If you are using the RF OUT connector, you may also need
to change the RF Channel option; it will initially be set to
36, which is the same channel used by many video recorders
for their outputs; if you experience interference, you should
change this to a spare channel number.
If you do alter the RF Channel, you will also need to change
the appropriate tuning settings on any televisions connected
to the RF OUT connector.
When you have made the necessary changes, if any, to the settings in this menu, you’re ready to start using your PVR. Press
the Exit key on the remote control to leave the menus, and turn
to the next chapter, where we’ll explain the basic features and
how to use them.
1.6 Pay TV
Although most of the channels broadcast on digital television
in the UK are free, including all BBC channels and all the existing channels available on analogue television, there are a few
that are only accessible via a subscription.
Your TF 5800 PVR is capable of receiving these additional channels when it’s fitted with a subscription module. If you choose
16 Introduction and getting started
not to add a subscription module, you will still be able to see
all the free channels and listen to all the radio stations.
Your PVR will automatically detect all channels during the
setup procedure that we have described, including any pay
TV channels being broadcast, but you will need to install the
subscription module, called a CAM (Conditional Access Module) before you can view the pay channels.
To install a CAM, make sure your PVR is in standby mode,
and pull down the flap at the right hand end of the front panel.
Push the module into either of the slots —it
doesn’t matter which one —until it is fully inserted; the button to the right of the slot will pop
out. Ensure that the CAM is the correct way up;
the multi-way connector should be pushed into
the slot, and the corner of the connector that
does not have a small plastic ridge sticking out
should be at the top left.
Next, insert the viewing card into the slot on the front of the
CAM. To activate your subscription, you will need to follow
the instructions supplied with the CAM and viewing card.
When your card is activated, it will be used automatically by
your PVR, so that pay channels can be viewed just like any
others.
If you attempt to view a pay tv channel without a subscription
module, or with an invalid viewing card, a message will be
displayed, telling you that the channel is scrambled.
17
Chapter 2
Watching TV
Your PVR incorporates twin digital television tuners, allowing
you to pick up more channels than an older analogue television set, together with some radio stations that are also broadcast on the digital TV service. In this chapter, we’ll explain the
basics of how you watch TV or listen to the radio with you
PVR, and start to explore a few of the new features that it offers.
Why twin tuners?
With an analogue television and a video recorder, there was a
tuner in each device, so you could watch one programme on
your TV and record another on your video. By having twin
tuners, the TF 5800 PVR allows you to do the same for digital
television, unlike single tuner ‘digiboxes,’ where you can only
record the channel that the box is displaying.
To start watching TV through your PVR, turn on your television set, and then press the Power button on the remote, or the
Standby button on the front of the PVR.
Some televisions will automatically switch to the correct connector when the PVR is turned on; on others, you may need to
18 Watching TV
select the appropriate channel or input.
After a short pause, the word ‘run’ will appear on the front
panel display of the PVR, shortly after that, you’ll see the television picture. The front panel will display the letter P, followed by the channel number.
2.1 Starting to watch television
Just after the picture appears, the information box will appear
on screen; it looks a little like this:
This box appears briefly each
time you change channel; as you
can see, at the left is the channel
number, while the channel name
appears just to the right of it.
Below that is the name of the
current programme, followed by
a short description.
Further to the right, you’ll see a graph showing the signal
strength and quality, and below that is the current time, information and a series of icons that indicate other information
about the channel, such as whether or not subtitles are available, or a $ symbol to indicate that a channel is a pay TV channel.
You can see additional information about thecurrent programme
by pressing the Info button [button picture] while the information box is on screen. Press Exit to hide it. Another press of the
Info button will display the box again.
You can also use the left and right keys on the remote control
to switch between the details of the current programme and
the next programme on the channel you’re viewing.
2.1.1 Volume control
Use the and controls on the remote to alter the volume
to a comfortable level. You may need to adjust the volume
on your television set too, so that the controls on the PVR’s
remote give you a good range of control, without too much
noise or distortion.
To temporarily switch off the sound, press the button on
the remote control. Press it again to restore the sound to the
previous level.
The PVR’s remote control changes the volume or mutes the
sound sent through the TV SCART connector, the left and right
audio connectors, and the RF OUT. Neither the volume nor the
mute buttons affect the signal sent to the VCR SCART connector, or the S/PDIF optical connector.
2.1.2 Changing channels
The simplest way of changing channels is to press the appropriate numbers on the remote control; if a channel number
has more than one digit, don’t wait too long between each key
press.
For example, to switch to Five, press 5. To switch to ITV4,
press 3 then 0.
2.1 Starting to watch television 19
You can also use the and buttons on the remote control;
press either of these keys to move to the next or previous channel in the list. They’re a good way of just flicking through the
channels to see what’s on—as each channel appears, the Information box will pop up, telling you the name of the current
programme.
If you’re not sure which channels you have, or you can’t remember the correct numbers, press the List, or OK/List button on the remote control, and you’ll see a display like this:
20 Watching TV
Use the up and down keys to move through the list, and press
OK to switch to the channel that you’ve highlighted.
2.1.3 Radio channels
As we’ve said, your PVR can also receive some radio channels.
Don’t be surprised if you can’t see them in the channel list, or
if you can’t change to them by typing in their number.
Radio and TV channels are kept separate, and to listen to a
radio station, all you need to do is switch to Radio mode, by
pressing the button on the remote control, and then select
the radio channel you want to hear.
When the PVR is in radio mode, it works in just the same way,
but the front panel will display a small letter R, followed by
the channel number of the radio station you’re listening to.
The only difference is that when you look at the channel list,
or move through the channels with the P+ and P− keys, you
won’t see any television stations. Instead, you’ll just see the
radio stations.
To switch back to watching television, just press the TV/Radio
button again.
Here you can see all the TV
channels that your box has stored,
with their channel number at the
left, and the name at the right.
If any pay TV channels were
detected, they will be marked
with a $ symbol.
2.2 Electronic Programme Guide
The Electronic Programme Guide, or EPG, is like a built-in
version of a TV listings magazine, allowing you to see what
programmes are on, for up to seven days ahead. You can see
a short synopsis of each programme, and in the next chapter
we’ll explain how you can use the EPG to schedule recordings
of programmes that you want to watch.
To access the EPG, press the on the remote control. You’ll
see a display like this, showing the current channel, with a list
of the programmes following the current one.
2.2 Electronic Programme Guide 21
The first time you access the
EPG after switching your PVR
on, it may take a few moments
for the information to appear. It
may also take a moment for the
information to appear when you
move to a new channel.
Use the up and down keys to highlight different programmes;
as you move down the list, you’ll see the short description of
the highlighted programme change, in the bottom right quarter of the screen. If you can’t read the whole description, press
the Blue button to see the next section of it, or use the Info key
to display the whole description in one go; another press of
the same key will hide it.
The left and right arrow keys allow you to view the EPG for
a different channel; when you use them, you’ll see that the
picture in the top right or the screen changes, so that it always
shows the channel for which you’re viewing the guide.
You’ll also see at the bottom of the screen that you can use the
22 Watching TV
Green and Yellow keys on the remote control to move backwards and forwards by one day at a time, so you can easily
see what’s on tomorrow.
Finally, pressing the Red key on the remote will change the
EPG from the current, single channel view, to a multi channel
view, like this:
In this view of the EPG, you’ll
see a time-line across the bottom
of the screen, and a grid showing
four channels at a time, with the
programmes for each channel.
The green vertical line represents
the current time, so you can see
how close programmes are to
ending.
Use the left and right arrows to select programmes on the current channel; you’ll see their descriptions in the top left corner
of the screen, and just as with the single channel guide, you
can press the Info button to see more details, while green and
yellow keys move by a day at a time.
If you’d like change the time span of the information, to include more or fewer hours, use the Fast Forward and Rewind
Keys.
Use the up and down arrows to highlight a different channel;
the picture at the top right of the screen will change. Pressing
Guide again, or Exit to close the EPG and watch the channel
that’s highlighted.
If you’ve moved a long way through the EPG to look at what’s
on in future, you can return quickly to the current time by
pressing the Red button to switch to the other EPG view at the
current time, then again to switch back to your current view.
2.3 Time Shift television
Because it has a hard disk inside, your PVR is able to constantly save the TV programme that you’re watching. That
means that it can make TV more convenient than ever —you
don’t need to miss something crucial when the phone rings,
or wonder what a character in a drama just mumbled, thanks
to time shifting.
Time shifting just means that the most recent hour of the television channel you’re watching is saved on the PVR’s disk;
each time you change to a new channel, it starts to save the
programme you’re watching, so if you’ve been watching for
20 minutes, all those twenty minutes will be on the disk. If
you’ve been watching for 85 minutes, then the most recent
hour will be on the disk, and the first twenty five minutes
won’t be there any more.
What does all this mean to you?
2.3.1 Rewinding TV
Simple. When you’re watching live TV, and you want to see
something again, just press the button on the remote control, and the programme will start to play in reverse. To go
faster, press Rewind again.
When you reach the point where you want to start watching,
perhaps to see a goal again, or to try and catch some important
dialogue, just press the button.
You’ll see a display at the top right hand corner of the screen,
telling you how far behind live TV you are and, if you like, you
can use the key to move forwards again, until you catch up
with the live broadcast.
When you do that, you’ll see a message with the word ‘Live’
at the top right corner of the screen.
2.3 Time Shift television 23
24 Watching TV
If you change channel, the PVR will discard the information
on its disk, and start recording the new channel, so if you swap
channels during the ads, you won’t be able to rewind when go
back to the previous channel. Since looking at other channels
in the EPG changes channel, it also clears the time shift information.
While the Rewind function is useful, the fastest speed is only
three times normal. If you want to go back a long way, it’s
quicker to use the Progress bar instead.
Press the and you’ll see something like this on the screen.
The Progress bar is the bar in the
box at the top of the screen, and
the yellow area represents the
information thats saved on the
hard disk.
You use the Rewind and Fast Forward keys to move along the
progress bar quickly, so you could go right back to the beginning, for example, if someone else has come into the room and
wants to view the programme you’re watching, or use Fast
Forward until you catch up with live TV.
Press Play again to hide the progress bar. You can also access
the Progress bar directly by holding down the Rewind or Fast
Forward keys.
At any time, if you decide you want to jump straight to live TV,
just press the button. You’ll see the Live message appear,
and you’ll now be watching at the same time as everyone else.
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