Updating Your Firmware

All the HD Topfield models can have their firmware updated. These are usually supplied to fix bugs but sometimes they also add new functionality. For example, various firmware have introduced recording 4 services, wireless support, NTFS support, and Home Media. Each firmware is standalone, not cumulative, so you can install either a newer or older firmware than the one currently installed.

There are 2 ways to update your firmware:

  1. manually, by copying the firmware file onto a USB stick and connecting it to your PVR, or
  2. Over the network, by connecting to the firmware update server at Topfield.

It is recommended that you update manually as the firmware available from the update server (at Topfield Europe) has not always been tested locally.

Before you start

For the 7160 and 7100+ you need to select the firmware build with the you units System ID as there are two different system IDs. You cannot accidentally install the wrong version. If you use internet update it will only look for updates with the same System ID.

If you use TMSTimer you can save your timers and restore them after the firmware update has been made. Smart EPG has the same facility.

Installing firmware compiled after 1 January 2014

Changes to the firmware require abundant caution installation. Once the initial service scan has been completed, do a factory reset, power off the Toppy. Power-up the Toppy and do another factory reset.

If you do not follow this procedure output will be stuck 576i and output via component connection may not work. The yellow skip key also may not work.

Manual update

To update manually, copy the firmware file available from Topfield Australia's website to your PC. This will be a file with an extension of .tfd - if it is a zip file then you must first unpack the file and extract the .tfd file out.1

Next, format a USB stick in FAT format and copy the firmware file to the top level directory of the USB stick.

Now prepare the PVR for the update. First perform a full factory reset on the PVR (Installation Menu->System Recovery). Reboot the PVR and then insert the USB stick. Wait a few minutes for the USB device to be attached.

Next go to: Menu->Installation->Firmware Upgrade. You should see your USB device next to USB Firmware Upgrade.

Click OK and select the firmware file to install.

Once installed perform another full factory reset, reboot the PVR, and then scan your channels and setup your timers. If you use TMSTimer you can restore timers if you backed them up before the firmware installation. There is probably a similar option in SmartEPG. If you use IceTV Interactive, your use IceTV interactive to resend all timers. For firmware November 2011 and later it will include timers created on the Toppy as well as those created via IceTV Interactive.

++ Internet update (not recommended)
The only difference is that rather than selecting USB you select 'Network Firmware Upgrade'. The server name is update.topfield-europe.com. There is only one version of the firmware for each Toppy model on the server, and it may be the same build, or an earlier build, than that already on the Toppy. If so, a message appears indicating there is no updated firmware.

Abundant caution firmware update

If the Toppy is behaving erratically, or when significant changes have been made in a firmware, you may need to follow the 'abundant caution' process.

  1. Save you timers (TMSTimer; SmartEPG)
  2. Do a reset to factory settings, and power-down the Toppy
  3. Power-up the Toppy and do another reset to factory settings
  4. Install the firmware from USB stick
  5. When the installation has finished, do a reset to factory settings, and power-down the Toppy
  6. Power-up the Toppy, do another reset to factory settings, and then do a service scan followed by customising the settings

Do not save and restore your settings when using the abundant caution firmware update approach.

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