References

Here are some of the nice comments I have received from my clients. They are listed in chronological order. Most of these are from posts on the Dallas Home Theater Group internet forum. I was also quoted in a recent article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

posted 05-17-2003 10:21 PM

I heartily recommend Topp Robertson with Applied Science. He calibrated my Sony 55" XBR (non-HDTV) rear-projection TV and the results were truly amazing! His web site is www.idigscience.com ...

posted 07-26-2003 08:11 PM

OK, got my attic antenna up by myself, but had Topp come out to do the dish alignment and add the 3rd lnb. He did a great job, and my rain fade was reduced pretty radically. Makes a huge difference to have the dish aligned properly.

posted 07-29-2003 12:55 PM

I second the recommendation for Topp Robertson. He's in Grapevine (817-329-0962), and you will be way ahead to have him take a look at your setup. Unlike other installers/technicians, Topp is not selling snake oil & B.S. He is an engineer and it is evident to me that he takes pride in and enjoys his work. No extraneous fluff, no hard sell on stuff you don't need, just straight forward state-of-the-art setup and install. He will even come to your home and do what he calls a "site survey" (measuring signal strength) free of charge where others wanted $50 just to show up. I gave him $50 anyway because I felt he had earned it and I really appreciated his time and effort to drive out here and get my antennae up and running problem free.
His web site http://www.idigscience.com/ leaves a little to be desired, but his services are absolutely top-notch.

posted 09-16-2003 10:26 PM

Quality work from a quality guy!

Topp came out on Monday night, and had me hooked up to a Winegard HDTV antenna for Monday Night Football in beautiful HD!

Highly recommended. Good local vendor who I will have out again in the future for an ISF calibration. Thanks, Topp!

Greg Stone
Keller

posted 09-26-2003 12:43 PM

Well, after some admittedly half-hearted attempts at troubleshooting this on my own, I gave up and called in a professional. Topp Robertson, mentioned in posts all over this forum, seemed like a good place to start and I'm glad I called him. The man knows his stuff.
It turns out that I was never going to get this on my own. A little work by Topp with a spectrum analyzer and a dipole antenna quickly showed that the problem was not reflectance, multipath, or reception clarity, but an interference source within my house. A little detective work (flipping breakers - how's that for hi-tech?) tracked down the culprit: my 5.8 GHz VTech phone system broadcasts a pulse once a second at 191 MHz, which sits squarely at the top end of ABC's HD signal. Since this is clearly not by design - at least I hope not, since the FCC would have a major problem with it - I'm hoping to simply replace the phone system. For now, I can see a crystal clear ABC picture by unplugging my phones... who wants to be interrupted during MNF anyway?

Anyway, I can't recommend this guy highly enough. Quick, smart, equipped, and extremely reasonable pricing -

posted 10-09-2003 02:13 AM

Topp Robertson came out to my house yesterday, did a site survey and discovered a problem with my HDTV OTA antenna configuration, resolved the issue and increased my signal strength +6db. Took less than 1 hour, enabled me to receive 1 additional channel, only $50 and worth every penny. Now receiving a total of 16 OTA digital channels!
2,4,5,8,11,13,21,23,27,30,33,39,45,55,58,68

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Bob Tadlock
Frisco

posted 10-09-2003 02:04 PM

I too can heartily recommend Topp. He came out to my house on Tues. 10/7. While my OTA antenna turned out to be okay, he identified a configuration problem with my OTA/SAT multi-switch setup. Did all the signal measurements, told me I had plenty of signal and how to fix my problem. Great guy and knowledgeable!
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Larry M.
Flower Mound

posted 11-13-2003 11:37 AM

Just wanted to let everyone know I would highly recommend Topp Robertson from Applied Digital Science for any reception problems you are having. His number is 817-329-0962.
I wasn't able to receive Channel 5 (Digital 41) and now I get 100 percent. Great Job Topp

posted 11-13-2003 01:39 PM

posted 11-13-2003 10:11 PM

I haven't yet had a chance to mention what a great job Topp did running speaker wire to my surrounds on an outside wall where there was no attic access.
Topp did a great job running speaker wire to my surrounds on an outside wall where there was no attic access.

There, did it twice.

posted 12-03-2003 03:33 PM

I just had to confirm what everyone else has said - Topp from Applied Digital Science does great work. I got his info from this site and having had him install a new attic antenna today, I have to say his service is top notch.
My wife was especially thrilled that he fished the wires through the walls with ease, leaving zero impact.

Thanks Topp
M. Tookey
Dallas

posted 12-18-2003 09:22 PM

I had Topp come out and calibrate my Loewe Aconda 38. He was very meticulous and did a great job. In addition, he spent a lot of time looking at my antenna installation even though his advice was that I could fix it myself. I am going to hire him to set up my surround system in my theater room.

posted 01-08-2004 09:11 AM

Just wanted to do a follow-up message to say just what outstanding work Topp does. Living in Lakewood as we do, getting good OTA reception is never going to be easy, but Topp as pulled out all the stops to get us the best signal possible. We have had no less than 3 post-install visits to tweak the antenna to get the last few dB of signal, and what a difference it has made. Despite having the Dish-811 receiver, which seems about the most picky box ever made (i.e. it needs a clean signal and it needs it fast if it is going to get a channel lock), Topp has managed to find an attic location where we get every single channel in, and almost every one is clean as a whistle, even the analogs.
Oh, and he also pointed out a convergence issue with our new TV that we would never have noticed just from looking at it during the testing, so I would be sure his TV calibration services are pretty darn good too.

Makes a real change in this day and age to find such top-notch service.

posted 01-29-2004 12:12 AM

I also want to praise Topp for his professionalism. He came exactly on time, to the minute, to our house. He surveyed antenna locations for us. Ultimately he did not need to install an antenna for us, but gave me some good hints on self-installation.
Thanks Topp!

posted 01-30-2004 10:13 PM

Hi Guys,
Just wanted to echo my dealings with Topp, I was having trouble with OTA reception with CBS and I ordered a new Winegard GS200a (very small and sleak looking and I got all the stations including 27.1 (I live 38 miles from the antennas.
Topp came out today and installed it and readjusted my Directv with a much higher signal rate then I had.
I might also add his rates are very reasonable.
if you need any Antenna work or adjustments save yourselve a lot of time and trouble and give him a call.

posted 03-02-2004 10:07 PM

I stumbled onto this site from the AVSforum and found several posts saying good things about Topp Robertson & Applied Digital Science.

I gave Topp a call and he came out and installed an OTA Winegard antenna for my Samsung HDTV. It worked great even though I am north of the Metroplex. Topp also does ISF calibrations, so I asked him to work on my Samsung HLN567. For the most part the picture was very good, except it had what I call "green push". The green tint was most noticable in non-HD material.

Topp let me work with him and explained what he was doing at each step. The calibration included adjusting the color wheel timing and grey scale color temperature. The picture is definitely better!

If anyone has any questions about the calibration with the Samsung DLP just reply back to this thread.

posted 03-03-2004 11:21 AM

One more vote for Applied Digital Science. Topp installed a Winegard antenna in my attic and I am getting all of the HD stations up in McKinney. I'll have him back to calibrate my Samsung DLP at some point.
Highly recommended.

posted 03-16-2004 05:03 PM

I agree, give Topp a call. He set me up with an attic antenna and I could not be happier.
Dan D
Corinth

posted 03-22-2004 12:16 PM

Topp Robertson came and did an ISF calibration on my RCA F38310 direct view HDTV last Friday 03/19/04. Topp did a superb job. I have been tweaking this HDTV with Video Essentials since I purchased it in December 2002. Topp calibrated the S-video, component and the antenna inputs. I must say this HDTV looks great. At first I did not know if there was much that could be done since this is a direct view, but Topp knows what he is doing. HDTV looks incredible with all the colors so vivid, I feel like I am there. DVD looks incredible as well. Just watched The Two Towers again, and saw vivid colors that I had not seen before. Topp knows what he is doing. He utilizes the best video calibration equipment. His prices are very reasonable. You might think you have your HDTV looking great as I did. Topp will put your HDTV over the top. Call him today!

posted 7/18/2004 11:30:49 AM

Just wanted to recommend to anyone looking to add an antenna to call Topp Robertson of Applied Digital Science (817-329-0962). Topp poked around in my attic to find the best place for the antenna, got it installed and set up, and now I'm receiving the local digitals that I couldn't get with my rinky dink set top antenna. Even if you think your attic is too small for an antenna, Topp will find a way! Thanks Topp!

posted 7/27/2004 4:25:29 PM

I used to Topp to install my antenna. He did a great job for a great price. Unlike most installers, Topp knows the science behind the magic. I also used him to set up my home theater. Topp always wants perfection and to get the most out of your equipment that he possibly can. I highly recommend him for any of your AV needs.

posted 8/6/2004 4:23:08 PM

Decided a few weeks ago to invest in the HL*-46** Samsung DLP TV. Did some research and finally decided on the 3rd generation set, HLP-4663W. Surveyed the local shops as well as mail order. I have seen Topp Robertson's name a lot around broadcast HD so decided to give him a call for an antenna survey in association with my new set. While discussing my options and decision on the DLP, he pinged his distributor, and within a few minutes, I had a quote that beat the best price I had found in town! The next afternoon, Topp arrived to deliver and setup my new HLP! I didn't have my HD receiver yet, but he went ahead and did I quick check of my attic antenna and with a little work, it should be able to receive most HD broadcasts! I don't know if he is making a business of TV sales, but definitely worth a call. As other posts have said, very professional, extremely knowledgeable, and through! Will schedule a full antenna survey when my receiver arrives.

His number is: 817-329-0962 Web: http://www.idigscience.com

Thanks Topp!
R. Pinkerton
Lewisville

posted 8/23/2004 4:48:36 PM

Four months ago (April 2004), my spouse and I decided to have a small 5.1 HT setup installed in our master bedroom, and wanted the highly regarded Fujitsu 42" HD plasma television (wall mounted) as the focal point. I found the best price on the Fujitsu (Fujitsu model #P42HHA30WS) through Topp Robertson of Applied Digital Science. It was imperative to me that I purchase this unit from an authorized Fujitsu dealer so that the warranty would be honored, and Topp was willing to discount the plasma while the other authorized dealers in the area either refused or the discount offered was minimal.

In addition, Topp provided excellent guidance regarding HT equipment that would be synergistic and appropriate for this modest bedroom area, and did a knock out installation of all the equipment including a Rotel combination a/v receiver/tuner/progressive scan dvd player with DVD-A capability, 5 speakers, the plasma wall mount, and the plasma television. Once installed and after approximately 100 viewing hours, Topp returned and calibrated the Fujitsu. The picture is outstanding and the most realistic viewing my spouse and I have ever encountered from any television. In fact, it has caused us to want to upgrade to the 50" Fujitsu HD plasma which we will purchase from Topp once we find a buyer for the 42" plasma monitor! Topp also installed an excellent antennae for us, and we can get local broadcasts which we could only acquire through our satellite dish in the past.

This job was not an easy one ~ I had complicated the process by having painters and satellite television installers scheduled to work at the same time that Topp was coordinating and completing the 5.1 HT setup. Topp never complained ~ in fact, he had to assist the satellite installer on several occasions when this individual couldn't quite figure out how to get DirecTV's equipment operational.

Since this project, I have sent 2 referrals to Topp: (1) my parents needed assistance with an antennae, cabling, and trouble shooting with their out-of-date television setup, and (2) another individual in Houston, TX wanted a 5.1 theatre install with the Fujitsu as the focal point. Topp was professional and thorough, while extending excellent pricing for services and products, and both parties were pleased with the outcome of each project.

Thank you, Topp! I look forward to a long-term business relationship with you. And, once I find a buyer for our 4-month-old 42" Fujitsu HD plasma, I will be calling you to upgrade our plasma monitor to the 50" Fujitsu HD plasma television!

Sincerely,

mlcheist
Frisco

Posted 01/03/05, 03:05 PM

Rich,

My situation is a little different from what you may be facing. We were adding the 5.1 HT setup to our existing master bedroom suite, and the design needed to be clean (no exposed wires, speakers or a/v equipment) and require minimal space. We hired Topp Robertson, owner of Applied Digital Sciences, to install all of our HT equipment (including the B&Ws) and we also purchased a Fujitsu 42" plasma television (wall mounted) from him. Got a great price, and he is an authorized Fujitsu dealer. We purchased the B&W in-wall CMW Cinema speakers (5), B&W AWS600 sub, as well as our Rotel RSDX-02 surround a/v receiver combination DVD/DVD-A player, from Vu at Hi-End. Once everything was installed and run-in for about 100 hours or more, Topp returned and calibrated the plasma. We are extremely pleased with how the 5.1 HT project turned out. Topp and Vu were a pleasure to work with, and I intend to conduct future a/v transactions with each of them. You'll have to speak to Vu about how he conducts demos on speakers and other equipment...I have only demoed cables from him and I simply went by his store and picked them up. Some dealers prefer to deliver and setup their equipment, particularly speakers.

Here are a few websites for your reference:

www.idigscience.com -- Topp Robertson -- a dealer who has a home-based business like "HTCrazy" mentioned. You can check his product line out at the website (Snell, Canton, Fujitsu, etc). As mentioned, he conducted our HT 5.1 install, sold us our Fujitsu plasma, calibrated the unit, and also installed an antennae for us so that we could pick up local channels.

SemperFiMom
Frisco

Posted 10-08-05, 11:27 PM

I highly recommend Topp Robertson of Applied Digital Sciences. Check out his website at www.idigscience.com. PM me if you need his telephone # (they are listed on his website). He has already completed 2 jobs for me during the last 2 years, and is getting ready to start his 3rd for my family. Very talented, reliable, and a heck of a guy. Best of Luck!

Via email 05-24-08, 10:35 AM

Dear Topp,

Thanks for your very prompt email of the invoice and payment receipt. Double thanks for your very fast, efficient and effective work. We are delighted with the superb picture and fantastic sound you set up for us. You were highly recommended by my 'picky" brother-in-law, and you absolutely performed to that expectation. We want to make the change in antenna you recommended, and think the benefits will far outweigh the small cost. I am available most mornings most days in the next couple of weeks, just let me know when you will show up.

Many thanks and best regards,

P. Kaster

Richardson