Setting up IceTV and Topfield TF5000PVRt PVRs

To set up IceTV's electronic program guide (EPG) on your Topfield Personal Video Recorder (PVR), please follow the simple instructions below. 

Note: The instructions below assume that you have already registered an account with IceTV and have selected which TV Guide region (EPG region) you would like to receive IceTV Guide data for. If you haven't done this or are unsure please go to My Account and select your region and time zone and then click "update".

Contents

1. Setup your Topfield PVR
2. Download IceTV software onto your PC
3. Setup the IceTV Guide for Topfield using a PC
4. Fetching the IceTV Guide
5. Setup the IceTV Guide for Topfield using the IceBox2 WiFi access bridge
6. Fetching the IceTV Guide using the IceBox2
7. How to use your Topfield remote control
8. Troubleshooting

1. Setup your Topfield PVR

If you have just purchased your PVR, connect and install it according to the instructions supplied with it. Scan for channels and make sure you can receive all expected channels.

Organise Channels

Once you have installed the PVR and scanned for TV signals there are two ways to organise the channels you successfully scanned that will make life easier for you. Simply do one of the following:

1. Deleting Channels. You may want to delete all unwanted channels from the Topfield, such as the secondary services and "guide" channels. This is not essential, but normally you will only want the 7 main channels (for example in Sydney they should appear on channel numbers 2, 7, 9, 10, 3 (for SBS), 33 (for SBS Digital 2) and 21 (for ABC2)). To delete channels: press OK while viewing normally to bring up the channels list, select the channel to be deleted, press the Red button for Options, then follow the onscreen instructions.
   
   
   
   
2. Setting Up Favourites. This is an easy way to eliminate unwanted services (channels) from being displayed in the EPG without having to delete them one by one.
   1. Press the Menu button on the remote, then select Organise Favourites from the menu.
   2. Move cursor down to New in first column, press OK.
   3. Create a favourites group called IceTV by pressing OK on the required characters on the character matrix, then Save.
   4. Press the Red button to move the cursor into the right-hand column.
   5. Move cursor to the services you want to add to the favourites group (e.g. ABC TV) then press OK to move it to the centre column.
   6. Press Exit.
   7. Enable the IceTV favourites group by pressing the 'Fav' button (just below the V-) and pressing OK twice.
   
   
   
   

Check the Topfield's Firmware Revision

Before you go through the IceTV setup process for your PVR to receive TV guide data you must check the current firmware of the unit. A minimum firmware version is required to be able to use the guide, as long as the "Last Update" date is later or equal to the dates shown below you do not need to update the firmware on your PVR.

1. Press the Menu button on the remote control (while the PVR is "ON")
2. Select Information.
3. Select IRD Status.
4. Look at the Last Update date. Check the date shown with those listed below & the corresponding PVR model:
   
   Classic Silver - May 10, 2005
   Black Panther - April 24, 2005
   Masterpiece - April 24, 2005
5. If the firmware is older than the one shown above you will need to update it. Please refer to the manual for your Topfield and the Topfield website (www.topfield.com.au for full instructions and the latest firmware.
   
   

2. Download IceTV software onto your PC

Ok, now that you have successfully setup your Topfield PVR you can move onto the next step and begin setting up your PC and installing the IceTV software.

Setup Your PC

1. Download the latest IceTV software onto your laptop or desktop computer by clicking on the link below;
   
   IceGuide4Topfield_setup.exe
   
   
   
   Save the file to a location of your choice (e.g. desktop) and when download is complete, click "Run" to start the installation process. Follow the prompts, the default settings should be fine in most cases.
2. When installation has completed you should see three icons for appear on your desktop: "IceGuide4Topfield", "Altair" and "TFDN USB".
   IceGuide4Topfield is the IceGuide loader, used to fetch the latest TV guide listings for your region, the other two programs are maintenance tools you may not need to use.

3. Setup the IceTV Guide for Topfield using a PC

Note: The instructions below describe the process for using a PC to transfer the Guide data to your Topfield PVR. There are other connection options available for transfer of the Guide data to your Topfield such as a wireless connection using the IceBox2 (Please note that the IceBox2 product is no longer available).

Connect Your Topfield to Your PC

1. Connect your PC to the Topfield using a USB 2.0 cable and then turn the PVR "ON" (see connection options). It should be detected by Windows and if this is the first time you have connected the Topfield to this computer, the "Found new hardware" wizard will run to install the USB driver.
   
   USB Driver Installation;
   
   For Windows XP
   1. Select "Install from specific location" and click next.
   2. Select "Include this location in the search" and browse to the folder where the applications were installed (by default, C:Program FilesIceGuide4Topfield).
   3. Select the folder "TfBulk" and click OK.
   4. Click next. The driver installation should then proceed.
   5. It should now say that the wizard has finished and that the software is installed and ready for use.
   6. Click Finish.
   
   For Windows 2000
   1. Select "Search for a suitable driver for my device" and click next.
   2. Make sure that only "Specify a location" has a tick next to it and click next.
   3. Click "browse" and browse to the folder where the applications were installed (by default, C:Program FilesIceGuide4Topfield).
   4. Select the folder "TfBulk" and click OK.
   5. Click OK again.
   6. Click next.
   7. It should now say that the wizard has finished and that the software is installed and ready for use.
   8. Click Finish.

Configure IceTV

1. Double-click the IceGuide4Topfield shortcut previously created on the desktop.
2. Click "Fetch". You should see the progress bars indicating fetching from the server and uploading to the Topfield PVR.
   
   
   
   The first time data is fetched IceGuide4Topfield will prompt for your IceTV Member ID and Password. This will then be confirmed with the server and the download will begin.
3. After the first data is fetched, it will prompt you to configure an auto-fetch schedule. Select the time of day to update your IceTV EPG and on which days to run the update. Click "OK". (Note: the auto-fetch only applies if you have a physical connection between a PC and your Topfield at all times or if you have our IceBox2 connected to your Topfield PVR).
4. Close the IceGuide4Topfield loader program and it will automatically open at the scheduled time, do the fetch, then automatically close again.
5. Notes: If this is the first time you have updated IceGuide then you will need to reboot your Topfield to activate the IceGuide TAP (the Topfield Application Program that runs on your Topfield). The IceGuide4Topfield loader program will also prompt you to reboot.
   
   
   • The first time the IceGuide TAP runs it will bring up the "Channel Mapping" window.
   • Go down the list of channels and make sure that for every channel (listed in the left hand column) you want to see data on there is an IceGuide channel listed next to it (in the right hand column). If it's not listed, press the "left" and "right" buttons on the remote control to change which IceGuide channel in pointing to which local channel.
   
   If you select the Trace option from the Options menu, a window showing progress details of the file fetching will appear.
   
   If you uncheck the option "Upload immediately to PVR" then click Fetch, the files are fetched and stored locally on your PC, but not uploaded to the Topfield. You can do this as a separate step later, by clicking the "Upload to PVR" button. This is convenient if your computer is not connected to the Topfield at the time you fetch the guide from our server.

4. Fetching the IceTV Guide

To manually update your the IceTV Guide data:

1. Double-click on the "IceGuide4Topfield" icon on your desktop (If the icon is not on the desktop you can access the loader by opening the "Start" menu, going into "Programs" then "IceGuide4Topfield" and selecting "IceGuide4Topfield").
2. Ensure that you have an active internet connection and that the Topfield is connected via the USB cable to the PC. The Topfield will also need to be on.
3. Click the "Fetch" button. You will see the progress bars updating as the data is downloaded from our server and uploaded to your Topfield.

To use the automatic update option:

1. Your computer needs to be turned on and connected to the internet when the scheduled update is set to happen.
2. The Topfield PVR needs to be connected via USB to the PC and be turned on.
3. The IceGuide4Topfield loader program can be open or closed. If it is closed, it will open automatically at the scheduled time and close again once the updates have completed.

To setup automatic updates:

1. Open the IceGuide4Topfield loader program that is installed on your PC.
2. From the "Configure" menu select "Configure Auto-Fetch Schedule...".
3. On the window that comes up select the time of the day you would like the scheduled updates to occur, then tick the days that you would like IceGuide to be updated.
4. Click "OK".

To remove scheduled updating:

1. Open the IceGuide4Topfield loader program that is installed on your PC.
2. From the "Configure" menu select "Configure Auto-Fetch Schedule...".
3. On the window that comes up un-tick the boxes for each day.
4. Click "OK".

5. Setup the IceTV Guide for Topfield using the IceBox2 WiFi access bridge

This document describes the process for using an Asus WL500G Deluxe Network Bridge (IceBox2 WiFi Access Bridge) to transfer tbhe IceTV Guide data to your Topfield PVR. You can either set this up to be a wired or wireless solution.

Setup for Wireless Operation

Follow these steps if you are connecting to a home wireless (WLAN) network. If your network is wired (CAT-5 Ethernet Cable) then skip forward to the section "Setup for Wired Operation".

1. Connect the Asus Bridge directly to your PC via a CAT-5 Ethernet cable. Connect the Ethernet cable to one of the four LAN ports on the Asus Bridge.
2. You will need to specify an IP address for the Ethernet port in your computer that is connected to the Asus Bridge. If you are not sure how to do this you will need to refer to your operating system manual. The details that need to be specified are:
   
   IP Address - 192.168.1.2
   Subnet Mask - 255.255.255.0
   
   The rest of the settings can be left blank.
3. Open Internet Explorer (or your preferred browser).
4. Type in the current IP address of the Asus Bridge in the address bar (you will need to add http:// before the IP address). The IP address of the Asus Bridge will be 192.168.1.1 (this is the factory default address). Press the enter key. You should see the Information page of the router, including an IceTV logo.
5. Click "Wireless Settings".
6. Put in your wireless network ID name in the SSID field.
7. Choose the Security option that is applicable for your network, either "No Security", "WEP" or "WPA/WPA2".
8. If you have WEP enabled on your wireless network you will need to put in the WEP Key as well. If WEP is enabled then your access point also must be set to "Open System" as opposed to "Shared Key Authentication". The WEP key must be entered as a HEX string (HEX strings can only contain numbers and the letters A to F, if there is any other characters in the WEP key then it is probably not in HEX and will need to be changed).
9. Click "Save Settings...".
10. The Asus Bridge will now reboot and apply the new settings.
11. To configure the network settings you will need to connect to the web interface of the Asus Bridge. Open Internet Explorer (or your preferred browser). Type in the current IP address of the Asus Bridge in the address bar (you will need to add http:// before the IP address). The IP address of the Asus Bridge will be 192.168.1.1 (this is the factory default address). Press the enter key.
12. If you wish to use a Static IP Address then choose "Network Settings" from the menu. Change the option to read "Manual - Static IP", otherwise set the option to "Automatic - DHCP" and skip forward to step 14.
13. Enter the IP address, Netmask, Default Gateway and DNS server addresses on this screen for you network.
14. Click "Save". This will reboot the router using the new IP address settings.
15. Disconnect the Asus Bridge from the PC.
16. Connect the Asus Bridge to the Topfield as per the following diagram.
17. Continue with the section Configure IceGuide further down this page.
    

Setup for Wired Operation

Follow these steps if you are connecting to a home wired (CAT-5 Ethernet cables) network.

1. Connect the Asus Bridge directly to your PC via a CAT-5 Ethernet cable. Connect the Ethernet cable to one of the four LAN ports on the Asus Bridge.
2. You will need to specify an IP address for the Ethernet port in your computer that is connected to the Asus Bridge. If you are not sure how to do this you will need to refer to your operating system manual. The details that need to be specified are:
   
   IP Address - 192.168.1.2
   Subnet Mask - 255.255.255.0
   
   The rest of the settings can be left blank.
3. Open Internet Explorer (or your preferred browser).
4. Type in the current IP address of the Asus Bridge in the address bar (you will need to add http:// before the IP address). The IP address of the Asus Bridge will be 192.168.1.1 (this is the factory default address). Press the enter key. You should see the Information page of the router, including an IceTV logo.
5. Choose "Network Settings" from the menu. For DHCP, change the option to read "Automatic - DHCP". However if you wish to use a static IP this can be achieved by setting the option to "Manual - Static", with this selected you will also need to enter the IP address, Netmask, Default Gateway and DNS server addresses for you network.
6. Click "Save". This will reboot the router using the new IP address settings, you can now unplug the Ethernet cable from your PC.
7. Connect the Asus Bridge to the Topfield as per the following diagram. Note that the Ethernet connection into the Asus Bridge will need to be into one of the four LAN ports.
8. Continue with the section Configure IceGuide (hyperlink) below.
   

Configure IceGuide

1. Power on the Asus Bridge and ensure that the Topfield is on as well.
2. You will need to determine the current IP address of the Asus Bridge. If you have a DHCP server on your network and have not setup an IP address in the network setup process then connect to your DHCP server (in most cases this will be either an ADSL modem/router or a wireless access point) and check for a section marked as "Active Leases", "LAN Clients" or something similar where it will list all the current IP addresses that the server has assigned. You will be able to see the Asus Bridge in this list. If the name is not listed then the MAC address will be listed, the MAC address of the Asus Bridge can found on a sticker on the base of the Asus Bridge.
3. Open Internet Explorer (or your preferred browser).
4. Type in the current IP address of the Asus Bridge in the address bar (you will need to add http:// before the IP address) and press enter (If your home network has a caching name server then you can also browse to the Asus using the address http://icebox2/). You should see the Information page of the router, including an IceTV logo.
5. Click on "IceGuide Settings".
6. Type in your Member ID and Password.
7. Select the time of the day that the Asus Bridge will update the guide data in your Topfield. Tick the boxes next to each day that the Asus Bridge should perform these updates.
8. Click on the "Save Settings..." button to save these settings.
9. Click on the "Fetch Now" button to confirm that no errors are received when fetching the guide and to install the IceGuide program on your Topfield for the first time.
10. A "Fetch Log" screen will come up and continue updating until the fetch is finished. "Fetch complete" is listed at the bottom of the screen when complete.
11. When the fetch is complete you can click on the IceTV logo at the top of the page to go back to the start screen.
12. Put the Topfield into standby (either by pressing the power button on the remote control and the Standby button on the front of the Topfield) and then turn it back on again to start the IceGuide TAP running.
13. Your Asus Bridge is now setup to automatically update the IceGuide data in your Topfield.

6. Fetching the IceTV Guide using the IceBox2

To setup automatic updates of your IceTV guide data:

1. The Topfield PVR needs to be connected via USB to the Asus Bridge and turned on.
2. Your internet connection will need to be active.
3. Open Internet Explorer (or your preferred browser).
4. Type in the current IP address of the Asus Bridge in the address bar (you will need to add http:// before the IP address) and press enter.
5. Click "Guide Fetch settings".
6. You will be presented with your IceTV Member ID and Password. Ensure these are stored in the boxes and then select what time of the day you would like the automatic updates to occur.
7. Tick the days that you would like IceTV to update the TV guide data.
8. Click "Save settings..."

To manually update your IceTV guide data:

1. Open Internet Explorer (or your preferred browser)
2. Type in the current IP address of the Asus Bridge in the address bar (you will need to add http:// before the IP address) and press enter.
3. Ensure that you have an active internet connection and that the Topfield is connected via the USB cable to the Asus WL500G Deluxe. The Topfield will also need to be on.
4. Click "Guide Fetch settings", make sure your details are stored there and click on "Fetch Now".
5. A "Fetch Log" screen will come up and continue updating until the fetch is finished. "Fetch complete" is listed at the bottom of the screen when complete.

To remove scheduled updating:

1. Open Internet Explorer (or your preferred browser).
2. Type in the current IP address of the Asus Bridge in the address bar (you will need to add http:// before the IP address) and press enter.
3. Click "Guide Fetch settings".
4. On the window that comes up un-tick the boxes for each day.
5. Click "Save settings...".

7. How to use your Topfield remote control

Navigating the guide

1. Press GUIDE on the remote control.
2. You will see a list of programs for the current channel.
3. To change channels on this screen you need to use the Left (V-) and Right (V+) buttons.
4. To go to later times press the Down button (P-), to return to earlier times press the Up button (P+).
5. Use the yellow button to go forward one day and the green button to back by one day.
   

Changing to multi-channel (grid) view

Press the solid red button to change the display to a format that shows the guide for several channels at once.

Scheduling a recording

To program a recording simply use the Up and Down button to highlight the desired show and press the record button (the one with the red dot). A red "R" will be displayed on the selected show. You can see programs up to a week ahead by continuing to press the Down button. When you go to another day, the date will appear along with the time of the show in the left-hand column.

Recording Options

While the show you have scheduled to record is selected in the guide, pressing the record button again will give you a menu where you can manually change the recording length and select whether you want to record the program every day, once a week etc.

Auto-padding

Auto-padding will automatically add a set amount of time to every recording you schedule (unless both tuners are occupied with other recordings). Note that the added time will not be shown on the timer until the show actually starts recording. With many programs running past their scheduled finish time, using this feature greatly increases the likelihood of recording the entire program.

To use Auto-padding:

1. Press the "Exit" button on the remote while watching live TV to bring up the IceGuide TAP menu. The title bar will say "ICE EPG Loader".
2. While "Timer Padding" is highlighted press the "Left" and "Right" buttons on the remote to decrease and increase the amount of padding that will be attempted.
3. Press the "Exit" button on the remote to close this menu.

Return to TV viewing

Press EXIT to leave the guide.

Checking Scheduled Recordings

To see what recordings are scheduled, open the Guide again and the red "R" will be displayed next to each scheduled program. If a program has "Rt" listed it means that this is a repeating timer, for example it may be a timer set for weekdays. To see a complete list, press the Menu button then select System Settings and then Timer Setting using the Up, Down and OK buttons. In this mode you do not see the program names, just the scheduled times.

Playing back a recording

List your recordings

Press the "file" button (the middle one above the coloured buttons). Use the Up and Down buttons to highlight the desired recording. Press Play.

Fast forward/rewind

Press and hold the Fast Forward button (two white arrows pointing to the right). A yellow progress bar appears, and a marker shows where you are advancing to. The longer you hold the button, the faster it advances. Release the button to start playing from that position. Rewind button (two white arrows pointing to the left) works similarly to go back in time.

30-second skip

Yellow button skips forward 30 seconds each press. If bookmarks are set (see below) the yellow button skips to the next bookmark instead.

Bookmarks

Pressing the green button during replay sets a bookmark. Press the Yellow button to skip to the next bookmark (skips 30 seconds if no bookmarks are set).

Stop and return to TV

Press Stop button (white square) to stop replay.

Deleting recordings

Press the "file" button (the middle one above the coloured buttons). Use the Up and Down buttons to highlight the desired recording. Press the white button at the bottom of the controller. Choose "Yes" on screen and press the OK button.

8. TroubleShooting

If you incur any technical difficulties during any of the setup process please contact Customer Support.