[mattharesign]

just bought one of these - low power, ci slot version, software 4.9. it says in the instructions it can do series link but i dont appear to be able to do it?

anyone got any ideas?

cheers

[creddish]

Originally Posted by mattharesign

just bought one of these - low power, ci slot version, software 4.9. it says in the instructions it can do series link but i dont appear to be able to do it?

anyone got any ideas?

cheers

Can you confirm the software version? All the other reports on these units have said they have 4.8 software.

How are you trying to select Series Link events? Rather than just press the Record (red) button on the highlighted programme in the Guide (EPG) you need to press OK then select "Record Series" from the list of options given.

By the way most of the discussion on the LP/CI Slot Wharfedale PVRs is in the thread here or in the Digital Spy thread here.

Colin

[mattharesign]

hi its definitely 4.9 - says it was created on 18 jan 08 at 21:58 in one of the options

i tried using the series link earlier but it missed the program, nothing else was due to record at the time either. the series link appeared in the timers menu but it didnt show any of the details of the program, just the name of the series and the little "s"

was the gadget show on c5 if that is of interest. quick update: doesnt appear to like any channel 5 series links at the moment. have left some on to see what happems, but it hasnt put red lines underneath in the guide like it should.

has worked fine on bbc and c4 series links

no other issues as it stands, have been watching a recording whilst recording 2 others for the last hour or so.

oh, and mine is the non-hdmi version. woo.

[creddish]

Originally Posted by mattharesign

hi its definitely 4.9 - says it was created on 18 jan 08 at 21:58 in one of the options

i tried using the series link earlier but it missed the program, nothing else was due to record at the time either. the series link appeared in the timers menu but it didnt show any of the details of the program, just the name of the series and the little "s"

was the gadget show on c5 if that is of interest...

oh, and mine is the non-hdmi version. woo.

That is very interesting that you have the 4.9 software version. That is the first report I have seen of that version, but that may be because most (all?) reports so far have been on the HDMI versions. It begs the question whether that is an update to the 4.8 version which will now appear on all the LP/CI Slot models or is a separate version for the non-HDMI LP/CI Slot models. Can you confirm that the hardware version is still T825 (should be on the label on the underside of the unit or on the packaging).

Five have only recently started to provided Series Record data and they are still testing it. See the thread here and the post here in particular. It may be an idea to test your unit on a different channel to start with. If the Timers List did not show the start date and time information at the time the programme was due to start it would not record. One reason that this can occur is that if you have done a power cycle or a re-boot from the Low Power standby state within an hour or so before observing the Timers List. When the unit reboots from either of these states the Guide (EPG) has to re-populate from scratch which takes some time and it can take even longer (an hour or so) for the Timers List to be re-formulated from the info in the Guide. I supect if this did not apply to you then the problem is with the Five data and I suggest you try a test on say BBC1.

It will be very interesting to see if you get the same problems on your unit that have been reported in the Wharfedale LP250DTRHDMI thread I linked to in Post #62.

Colin

[mattharesign]

hi

the series link does work with other channels, have used it on bbc1 and 3 as well as c4 amongst others

will have to see what 5 do in the end

and it is a t825 as per the label underneath

apart from the above there have been no problems at all

[creddish]

Originally Posted by mattharesign

hi

the series link does work with other channels, have used it on bbc1 and 3 as well as c4 amongst others

will have to see what 5 do in the end

and it is a t825 as per the label underneath

apart from the above there have been no problems at all

A very informative test would be to see how your unit performs when you set a Series Link Timer for Hollyoaks on your Version 4.9 software. The behaviour on my Wharfedale LP250DTRHDMI on software version 4.8 is described in the post here (first few paragraphs). All the previous T825 software versions have performed in this way. In summary if you set a Series Timer on the Ch 4 18:30 event the unit will actually set Timer entries in the Timers List and record the same episodes that are broadcast on E4 at 19:00 on the day before it is broadcast on Ch4. As I understand the Freeview Playback requirements the PVR should treat the episodes on Ch4 as a separate series from the same episodes broadcast on E4. However it appears that the Vestel units have so far set Timers for the first broadcast of a particular episode irrespective of which channel it is broadcast on. One interpretation of this (with acknowledgement to Barry) is that the unit is incorrectly using the programme crid data and not series link data when it looks for future programmes in the Series. Hollyoaks is un-usual and therefore exposes this problem with the Vestels because the first showing of a particular episode is on E4 and then repeated on Ch4 the next day whereas most series are first broadcast on the "primary" channel BBC1, ITV1 Ch4 etc and then repeated on the "secondary" channels BBC3, ITV2 E4 etc.

Sorry if the above is rather rambling but basically if you could set a Series event on the 18:30 broadcast of Hollyoaks and report back what events are Listed in the Timers list this will answer the question whether the software has been corrected in version 4.9.

Colin

Edit:- mattharesign, I've sent you a Private Message

[mattharesign]

well, i tell you what i did do

i set a series link for peep show on c4+1 (2330) this coming friday as well as a timer for the law and order svu epsiode(2300) on 5 (series link still not playing ball with any "five" channel, btw) at nearly the same time. the recorder automatically decided to tape the earlier one at 2230 on c4.

Seemed sensible to me

will check with hollyoaks tomorrow, as i am off for some kip now

cheers

matt

[creddish]

Originally Posted by mattharesign

well, i tell you what i did do

i set a series link for peep show on c4+1 (2330) this coming friday as well as a timer for the law and order svu epsiode(2300) on 5 (series link still not playing ball with any "five" channel, btw) at nearly the same time. the recorder automatically decided to tape the earlier one at 2230 on c4.

Seemed sensible to me

will check with hollyoaks tomorrow, as i am off for some kip now

cheers

matt

Hi Matt, It looks from what you say that as on earlier versions of the software, the unit picks up the first showing of a programme rather than always the one on the Channel you selected. You can argue that this is a good thing and I guess if it's just a case of being an hour different and on the + version of a Channel rather than the "parent" channel or visa versa then it is no real problem. However, as a general rule it could cause confusion when recordings of episodes appear in the Library for a different day and on a different channel from the one you expect to get. Also for some programmes there are actual differences in the programme presentation depending on when and on what channel they are broadcast. For example some broadcasts of the omnibus editions of the ITV soaps have the same programme content but with the addition of "signing" for the hard of hearing. You could finish up with a different version from the one you wanted.

However, I think the main point is that the Vestel units are not complying strictly with the Freeview Playback requirements. Of course, if as a result of clashes caused by programmes running early or late and therefore not revealed at the time the Series Timer was set-up it is not possible for the "correct" event to be recorded then it is legitimate and very clever of the software to search for and record and alternative. My LP250 did this very successfully on several occasions.

Colin

[mattharesign]

ok

tried the hollyoaks test - set the series record on c4 at 1830 - in the timers menu it says it is going to record that instance of that show today and then the one on e4 straight afterwards(1900). for the rest of the week it will record e4 at 1900.

As far as i am aware the one on e4 at 1900 is the episode that will be shown the next day at 1830, so it is picking up the first showing of any particular episode. it has also skipped the weekend omnibus and moved straight on to next monday as well.

on setting two more timers for 1900 this evening (c4 news and emmerdale), the unit immediately brought up a menu telling me too many timers were set. i can select each timer individually to delete it or on hitting the red button on the remote it lets me select from a list of alternatives for each program

the list of alternatives for the hollyoaks episodes includes tomorrow at 1830 on c4 and 1930 c4+1 and and the 30th 1625 on e4 and 1725 e4+1.

the list of alternatives for emmerdale tomorrow at 0700 and 1300 on itv2 and again an hour later on itv2

c4 news did not have an alternative listed, even though it is repeated on c4+1

[creddish]

Originally Posted by mattharesign

ok

tried the hollyoaks test - set the series record on c4 at 1830 - in the timers menu it says it is going to record that instance of that show today and then the one on e4 straight afterwards(1900). for the rest of the week it will record e4 at 1900.

As far as i am aware the one on e4 at 1900 is the episode that will be shown the next day at 1830, so it is picking up the first showing of any particular episode. it has also skipped the weekend omnibus and moved straight on to next monday as well.

on setting two more timers for 1900 this evening (c4 news and emmerdale), the unit immediately brought up a menu telling me too many timers were set. i can select each timer individually to delete it or on hitting the red button on the remote it lets me select from a list of alternatives for each program

the list of alternatives for the hollyoaks episodes includes tomorrow at 1830 on c4 and 1930 c4+1 and and the 30th 1625 on e4 and 1725 e4+1.

the list of alternatives for emmerdale tomorrow at 0700 and 1300 on itv2 and again an hour later on itv2

c4 news did not have an alternative listed, even though it is repeated on c4+1

The behavior you described is exactly the same as that which applies on the Version 4.8 software so Vestel have not corrected the Series Record functionality. It should have recorded the Ch4 episodes at 18:30 each day as this is the Series you initially selected. If it had done so then you would not have got the conflicts on the two programmes you attempted to set for 19:00. You are correct in your interpretation of the repeats of Hollyoaks. The unit correctly ignored the omnibus editions as these are a different series.

Another issue you may want to test is the effect of setting a reasonably large mumber of Series Timer events if you think you may want to do this at some time. About 60 individual Timer entries would be a good test. If the performance is the same as the 4.8 software you can expect to get significant slowing down of the user interface. Time to access the Timers List and navigation of the Guide are the first areas of operation to suffer. Also the time to set individual recordings or additional Series Timers after the command to activated.

Colin

[mattharesign]

i dont think i will ever have need to set that many timers!

am happy with the way the series link functions except for the issues with 5 etc

cheers

[mattharesign]

quick update re the c5 series link: now working fine

super super super

Interesting comments above regarding the LP250DTRHDMI becoming sluggish with series timers. I have set a number of these, including Eastenders, and a few others. I have noticed that the unit records from other channels too. It was always sluggish though, not only when timers have been set.

I've had other problems with the unit hanging and channels not showing, recordings being missed. I posted a plea at the link below with more details - I'd be grateful for any thoughts anyone has on the matter!

Link: Wharfedale 250DTR Low Power version - software problems!

Cheers,
Syd.

[creddish]

Originally Posted by DeepSetSyd

Interesting comments above regarding the LP250DTRHDMI becoming sluggish with series timers. I have set a number of these, including Eastenders, and a few others. I have noticed that the unit records from other channels too. It was always sluggish though, not only when timers have been set.

I've had other problems with the unit hanging and channels not showing, recordings being missed. I posted a plea at the link below with more details - I'd be grateful for any thoughts anyone has on the matter!

Link: Wharfedale 250DTR Low Power version - software problems!

Cheers,
Syd.

I found on my Wharfedale LP250 that the user interface became sluggish to the extent that it was almost un-usable when more than about 60 events were set in the Timers List. It started to become noticeably more sluggish than normal at any more than about 40 events. It is possible to temporarily improve things significantly by doing a power cycle but it gets sluggish again as when new series timer events are added when the 8th day Guide updates are each day or recordings are completed and removed from the list.

Colin

I got one of these, and apart from the overly complicated remote control (too many buttons that seem to mean the same thing)it works OK, except.........

Every now and then it seems that is loses all the tuned stations and I just get a green screen. Now I have lost the instruction manual and can't remember how to re-tune from scratch.

Help - anyone got an instruction manual they want to flog???

[creddish]

Originally Posted by mikeharbour

I got one of these, and apart from the overly complicated remote control (too many buttons that seem to mean the same thing)it works OK, except.........

Every now and then it seems that is loses all the tuned stations and I just get a green screen. Now I have lost the instruction manual and can't remember how to re-tune from scratch.

Help - anyone got an instruction manual they want to flog???

You can download a PDF of a Manual from the Sharp site here. Follow the "Operation Manuals" link, select TUR160HA from the drop-down list, select Search. From the options given download the file called "TUR160HA Revised Operation Manual - Only applicable to units produced after Oct 2007". This is not a manual for your particular unit but it will be suitable for most functions.

I have had very occasional "green" screen on my Vestel PVRs but I don't believe it is a common bug. You can check the signal strength and quality of each of the signals from the 6 Freeview MUXs using the MANUAL CHANNEL SCAN facility. If you know the UHF channel numbers for your transmitter enter these in-turn in the box on the screen and read the data presented. If you don't know your channel numbers just scan through the range of numbers from 22 to 66 until you find the appropriate ones. Alternatively you can the data from the site here.

Colin

[GeoNeo]

Hi was think about getting this unit (Wharfedale LP160DTR) but i have some questions about the unit and subtitles i was hoping some one could answer?

1. do i have to turn the subtitles on for each record i make or will it auto record the subtitles and allow me to turn them off and on while playing back the recording?

2. Can i record subtitles on both the tuners at the same time?

3. When pausing live tv will the subtitles record also (if on?)?

thanks for any help anyone can give.

[creddish]

Originally Posted by GeoNeo

Hi was think about getting this unit (Wharfedale LP160DTR) but i have some questions about the unit and subtitles i was hoping some one could answer?

1. do i have to turn the subtitles on for each record i make or will it auto record the subtitles and allow me to turn them off and on while playing back the recording?

2. Can i record subtitles on both the tuners at the same time?

3. When pausing live tv will the subtitles record also (if on?)?

thanks for any help anyone can give.

1. It will automatically record subtitles and you can control them in playback.

2. Yes.

3. Pausing Live TV will only temporarily "record" the programme. If you want to permanently record the current programme then you would use the Instant Record function by just pressing the Record button. This then produces a normal recording which you can watch from the Library at any time, including immediately using the Chase Play functionality.

Have you located stock for this item at Argos? They are on clearance and are now hard to find.

Colin

[GeoNeo]

Originally Posted by creddish

1. It will automatically record subtitles and you can control them in playback.

2. Yes.

3. Pausing Live TV will only temporarily "record" the programme. If you want to permanently record the current programme then you would use the Instant Record function by just pressing the Record button. This then produces a normal recording which you can watch from the Library at any time, including immediately using the Chase Play functionality.

Have you located stock for this item at Argos? They are on clearance and are now hard to find.

Colin

Thanks for the help got 1 on sunday there was only 2 in stock and both are gone now.

Got an other question if anyone could help.

I got the TU160DTR, Software Version 0.46 was wondering does this have usb support it does have a usb port. If so can u just stick in a usb flash drive and transfer files?. If not is there any plans for a software update?

[creddish]

Originally Posted by GeoNeo

Thanks for the help got 1 on sunday there was only 2 in stock and both are gone now.

Got an other question if anyone could help.

I got the TU160DTR, Software Version 0.46 was wondering does this have usb support it does have a usb port. If so can u just stick in a usb flash drive and transfer files?. If not is there any plans for a software update?

Do you mean you have got the Wharfedale Top Up TV 160GB shown here. If so then that is a different PVR from the Wharfedale LP160DTR we were discussing earlier. The Wharfedale Top Up TV 160GB is made by Vestel as is the LP160DTR but it has the completely different Top UP TV software rather than the Vestel (Cabot) software in the Wharfedale LP160DTR and all the previous Vestel models.

The USB port does not work on the TUTV software. Only the Vestel LP models with the HDMI port option have a working USB port.

Colin

[Beta OS]

My brother called Saturday afternoon - he was in the Argos Clearance shop in Stanley, Co Durham. Did I want a LP160DTRHDMI* for £50? As I've been thinking about getting a PVR since Christmas, and I've missed a few Humax bargains, £50 seemed a reasonable starter.
Picked it up today, opened the box and... no remote or manual. Chasing that up with Argos, as the in-store details didn't mention any missing parts and the box was sealed.
It was going to go in the living room, but now thinking about hooking it up to one of the monitors in the room I work in. I might try to hook it up to a network drive.
As for jpegs - anyone got those working?

*Not his exact words!! On package details are '532/1416', which might be the part number, and 'sw ver: v.4.8'.

[creddish]

Originally Posted by Beta OS

My brother called Saturday afternoon - he was in the Argos Clearance shop in Stanley, Co Durham. Did I want a LP160DTRHDMI* for £50? As I've been thinking about getting a PVR since Christmas, and I've missed a few Humax bargains, £50 seemed a reasonable starter.
Picked it up today, opened the box and... no remote or manual. Chasing that up with Argos, as the in-store details didn't mention any missing parts and the box was sealed.
It was going to go in the living room, but now thinking about hooking it up to one of the monitors in the room I work in. I might try to hook it up to a network drive.
As for jpegs - anyone got those working?

*Not his exact words!! On package details are '532/1416', which might be the part number, and 'sw ver: v.4.8'.

If you get stuck for a Remote then any of the Remotes for any Vestel PVR except the recent Top Up TV versions will work. They appear on eBay from time to time. You can download a manual for a similar PVR if you need to. Ask again for a link if you need one.

I have used the USB port for loading JPEG images and MP3 files onto the Hard Drive. Others have extracted Video files from the Hard Disk. There are some posts on this in the thread here and other useful info for Wharfedale LP/HDMI PVRs. Software 4.8 is the original and only software used on the Wharfedale LP/HDMI units.

Colin

[rennaps]

Originally Posted by Wee Steve

What's the remote like? Big, small, ugly, nice to hold, good/bad response time etc?

sounds like my missus....!

[planetf1]

My '400 has just hit the "stuck in standby" problem after around a year and a half.

Upon power on the blue power LED lights after ~10s, but there's
- no fan
- no HDD spin up
- no CD activity
- no text on display
- no response to remote/front panel.

Any ideas (apart from it's broken). I did take apart and check internal connections looked ok. Also tried disconnecting CD, HDD to no avail.

[creddish]

Originally Posted by planetf1

My '400 has just hit the "stuck in standby" problem after around a year and a half.

Upon power on the blue power LED lights after ~10s, but there's
- no fan
- no HDD spin up
- no CD activity
- no text on display
- no response to remote/front panel.

Any ideas (apart from it's broken). I did take apart and check internal connections looked ok. Also tried disconnecting CD, HDD to no avail.

"400", "CD activity"? Are you sure you are referring to Wharfedale 160GB PVR?

Colin

[rogerc]

Hi, I'm a long time lurker, 1st time poster. I have just bought the Wharfedale 250gb pvr refurbished from Maplins off the net for £99. After reading all about it on here I was a bit dubious but it was such a good price and has a 12 month guarantee. The first day of using it, it must have crashed at least 10 times, not a good start, as I can return it within 28 days for a refund I thought I would press on. We are now on day 4 and fingers crossed it has stopped crashing. As others have said, for the money it's the best out there. I have recorded several things successfully, the EPG is excellent, in fact if it continues to behave it's self I shall be very pleased. So anyone buying one of these give it a few days to sort it's self out, although why it does not work properly straight out the box is a mystery to me. The blurp said refurbished but to me it looked brand new and unopened.

[creddish]

Originally Posted by rogerc

Hi, I'm a long time lurker, 1st time poster. I have just bought the Wharfedale 250gb pvr refurbished from Maplins off the net for £99. After reading all about it on here I was a bit dubious but it was such a good price and has a 12 month guarantee. The first day of using it, it must have crashed at least 10 times, not a good start, as I can return it within 28 days for a refund I thought I would press on. We are now on day 4 and fingers crossed it has stopped crashing. As others have said, for the money it's the best out there. I have recorded several things successfully, the EPG is excellent, in fact if it continues to behave it's self I shall be very pleased. So anyone buying one of these give it a few days to sort it's self out, although why it does not work properly straight out the box is a mystery to me. The blurp said refurbished but to me it looked brand new and unopened.

Unfortunately there has been two different Wharfedale 250gb PVRs sold at Argos. Although both are made for Argos by Vestel one has the original Cabot/Vestel software and the other has the TUTV software. Which one do you have? They are very different in functionality and user interface. If you post the software version that will identify which one you have. As you say the EPG is excellent then in my opinion then you don't have the TUTV version.

Colin

[technogran]

Originally Posted by creddish

Unfortunately there has been two different Wharfedale 250gb PVRs sold at Argos. Although both are made for Argos by Vestel one has the original Cabot/Vestel software and the other has the TUTV software. Which one do you have? They are very different in functionality and user interface. If you post the software version that will identify which one you have. As you say the EPG is excellent then in my opinion then you don't have the TUTV version.

Colin

Colin just been to the Maplins website and it is the one that I had with the HDMI! I am tempted to get one myself as you know I regretted letting it go. The give away is of course the HDMI connection. £99. Hmm, I haven't seen it anywhere else any cheaper. Go here Colin to see it. At http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?moduleno=228101

[creddish]

Originally Posted by technogran

Colin just been to the Maplins website and it is the one that I had with the HDMI! I am tempted to get one myself as you know I regretted letting it go. The give away is of course the HDMI connection. £99. Hmm, I haven't seen it anywhere else any cheaper. Go here Colin to see it. At Refurbished 250GB Twin Tuner Freeview PVR with HDMI Upscaling > Maplin

Thanks for that. That's exactly the model I have, and the same price I paid for mine new . I would have expected them to be a bit cheaper for re-furbished but if they are all effectively new then they are not a bad price. Personally I prefer my Humax 9200 but the Wharfedale makes a good back-up for the Humax.

Colin

[technogran]

Originally Posted by creddish

Thanks for that. That's exactly the model I have, and the same price I paid for mine new . I would have expected them to be a bit cheaper for re-furbished but if they are all effectively new then they are not a bad price. Personally I prefer my Humax 9200 but the Wharfedale makes a good back-up for the Humax.

Colin

Colin didn't realise you had the HDMI model?? Seeing as we are no further with the Philips I might get this. Does is still crash when there are two recordings to begin at the same time and you are watching another channel or not?
I loved the picture from it over HDMI.

TG