Wharfedale 160GB PVR from Argos - Q &A

Damn, wish I'd known that. Given Trading Standards advice that there wasn't anything I could do, I've been poking around inside the unit and have split all the 'warranty void if tampered with' seals. Do you still think I should take it back?

yes take it back 100%, make sure you say it doesnt work at argos and they will replace or refund it.
argos are good like that, but make sure you say it doesnt work.
 
I've noticed that Argos do a different version of this one now which has series link. Does anyone know if there's an update for the original to give it that functionality? My firmware is dated May 2007. I check for updates over the air but it doesn't find any. However, I don't receive all the channels, so wondered if the update is on a "channel" which I can't receive either.

Any help much appreciated.
Vestel have not produced any OAD updates for their PVRs since the updates for the original T810 single record versions for which the last update was in early 2007 I think. It seems that now you are stuck with the software they come with on purchase.

Only the T825 versions have the Series link functionality.

Colin
 
Just got one of these today from the Penrith branch. Impressed, but is the AUX socket supposed to be input and output? I get sound input but no picture. I'm trying to plug a dvd player into the aux socket so I can use the hdmi feed for my projector. Sound appears to go via the scart cable to the wharfedale unit, but I get a blank screen. I think the dvd player outputs RGB on the scart cable, should this work?
I think you will find the AUX input is only a feedthrough of an RGB or CVBS signal.

As you got yours today I assume it is one of the new LP/CI Slot versions which have come in stock only in the last couple of weeks. These are different versions from those discussed in the preceding part of this thread.

Colin
 
Hi

Have this Wharfedale LP160DTR hard disk freeview recorder working via scart on my CRT great. I would like to buy a plasma screen and wondered what the other connections on the back of the recorder are - there is one that says optical output and there is three component looking connectors which say (left, right, CBVS) on would these be component connectors for video component output or am a being a muppet ?

Sorry for the dumb question i really dont know very much about TVs and connectors

cheers

chris
 
Hi

Have this Wharfedale LP160DTR hard disk freeview recorder working via scart on my CRT great. I would like to buy a plasma screen and wondered what the other connections on the back of the recorder are - there is one that says optical output and there is three component looking connectors which say (left, right, CBVS) on would these be component connectors for video component output or am a being a muppet ?

Sorry for the dumb question i really dont know very much about TVs and connectors

cheers

chris

CBVS is Composite video (typically yellow coloured) ie all the picture (no sound) information on just one wire = the lowest quality possible way to pass signal. The L (white)/R(red) are needed to get left/right audio to go with it.

SCART is better and integrates pic/sound

SCART set to 'RGB' is better still (assuming the Wharfedale outputs in RGB, which it ought to but sorry dont recall, similarly should check at other end of SCART cable that auto set as RGB in)

The digital out will be the SOUND out as digital.
 
SCART is just a type of connector, which can be used to carry various different types of signal, including those that can also be carried on separate cables (like CVBS aka Composite).

SCART, when used to carry CVBS (composite video), may be more convenient that separate cables, but it no better in a quality sense. In fact, because of crosstalk in the cable it may actually be worse.

However, yes, using RGB (however it's carried, and it IS usually carried by SCART) will offer substantially better results than CVBS.
 
before you buy, check out bigpockets.co.uk. I bought 2 pvrs from there for a grand total of 21 quid each. they currently have wharfedale pvr's in as well
 
My local Argos store(Bromborough,Wirral) is currently selling the 250gb version(with HDMI and CI slot) for £99.99,reduced from £149.99,and actually 30 quid cheaper than the 160gb HDMI version!!:thumbsup:
Needless to say I swooped for one. Haven't set it up yet but if it's anything like the previous Vestel clones I own(Digihome
plus Hitachi) then it should be a breeze.
 
Readers of this thread should be aware that several different Wharfedale and probably some other brands of PVR made by Vestel have been discussed so far. Whilst they all have similarities they have differences because they are built on different hardware and software versions. When the thread was started in Sep 2007 the current hardware version was the T816 although some of the earlier T810 versions were still available from Argos. Some of the units discussed use the later T825 hardware with HDMI ports with software version 1.7. There are later Vestel T825s without the HDMI posts but with sofware version 2.7. although these are branded Digihome so may not have appeared in this thread. The very latest T825 hardware is a Low Power (LP) version fitted with a CI Slot. These latter units have the 4.8 version software.

I would suggest that to minimise confusion, discussion of the HDMI versions be concentrated in the thread specifically for these here . Although that thread is also somewhat mixed as it has posts from owners of both the latest LP/CI Slot versions and the earlier non-LP/CI Slot versions.

Colin
 
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
 
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
 
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.
 
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
 
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
 
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
 
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
 
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
 
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

:)
 
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
 
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

:smashin:
 
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: http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=781276

Cheers,
Syd.
 
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: http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=781276

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
 
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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???
 

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