Which Pronto?

[siberian]

Hi all, I'm new to pronto and was pretty sure of the TSU2000 but now I am wondering if I should jump up to a TSU3000 or even higher. To top it off resident expert Andrew has definent affinity for specific models.

So, should I stick with the TSU2000 range or jump up to a TSU3000? What are the tradeoff's there?

Thanks, ready to pull the trigger on this but got nervous on the optionality

John-

[Andrew Pratt]

Depends what you want and how much you're willing to pay.

Basically here's a run down of the various models...

TSU1000
Has 1 meg of onboard memory and is the original pronto.
Has a black and white screen (well green and black really)
Runs the SuperNudelist software
Uses the CCF file format
Uses ProntoEdit 4.0.5 editing software which is the latest version available. Its stable and very reliable. The learning curve is rather steep for the editing software as it was never intended for public release rather it was designed for custom installers. Still its not difficult once you get some of the basic concepts down.

TSU2000
The TSU2000 replaced the TSU1000 as the entry level pronto
Has 2 meg's of onboard memory and built in database of codes...which eats up most of the extra meg of ram over the TSU1000.
Has a black and white screen (well green and black really)
Runs the SuperNudelist software
Uses the CCF file format
Uses ProntoEdit 4.0.5 editing software.

TSU6000
The TSU6000 is the first colour screen model in the pronto line
Has a lot more memory then either black and white model as file sizes are much larger
Runs the SuperNudelist software
Uses the CCF file format
Uses ProntoEdit 4.0.5 editing software.

Pronto NEO
This is a combo LCD and button remote that tries to fit in both the LCD and button lovers camp. Its not really good at either and never really became as popular as the pronto's. If you want something similar check out the MX500 etc.

TSU3000
The TSU3000 replaced the TSU2000 as the entry level pronto
Has a similar screen to the TSU1000 and TSU2000
Uses the new PCF file format which means it can't run the Supernudelist software...at least not easily. There's talk that a version may be written for the PCF file format at a cost of $20 per copy but it might not happen for some time.
The PCF file format allows for some new functions like transparency
A new editing software package was released to handle the new file format which had a lot of bugs in it and crashed more often then not. A newer version was released that fixed most of those issues and is now for the most part stable and functional.
The TSU3000 breaks away from the older remotes in adding a cursor pad below the screen for navigating menu's which is a big plus.

TSU7000
This replaces the TSU6000 as the colour pronto
Like the TSU3000 it uses the PCF file format and has its own special version of the editing software. Unfortunatly while the TSU3000's software got updated the TSU7000's has not and remains buggy. The TSU7000 also has a lot of onboard memory...but only half is currently available as a new firmware is required to unlock the other half. Philips has been promising to release a new firmware for months but so far no luck. I think this model has a lot of potential but at the moment its a crippled product with poor software...and pricey!

For what its worth I own two TSU1000's that have served me well for years. One of them was dropped and broke the screen but I was able to replace that LCD for a very reasonable cost from a 3rd party vendor.

For those wondering about what Supernudelist is click the hyperlink for the programmers site or read this monster thread to learn more. Basically though its a 3rd party application that allows you to build a graphical interface to CD or DVD jukebox's that integrates with your base CCF file on the first gen prontos. (click here for a screen shot)

[Dmantis]

I feel the Tsu2000 is a overall better solid remote then the Tsu3000 or 7000.

In the past I have had little trouble with the tsu2000. The 3000 and 7000 seem to have many problems.

Dan

[siberian]

What sorts of problems have you seen?

So far so good with my TSU3000 but I'm still a newbie with it

[Andrew Pratt]

The 3000's pretty stable now that there's a solid firmware available...the 7000 though is still pretty rough around the edges.

[Kevin P]

BTW there's new firmware on Remote Central for the 7000 that lets you use the full memory capacity of the unit. Maybe it fixes some of the other issues as well. I'm about to try it on my friend's 7000.

[Andrew Pratt]

Maybe that will also address the learning functionality that's failing on one of my clients remotes.

[Dmantis]

We have been using Home theater master remotes for the past year and man what a dream. Pronto sales are slim to none now and all of us programmers are extremely happy.

The Mx850 is the top dog seller followed closely by the mx3000. before that the mx700 and mx800 where selling full force.

With as many remote as we do(99% of our jobs) we needed a great compnay like this. The return visits for remotes where cut 90%. Thats incredible as I see it.

Pronto was a big kid on the block but with all the problems since the release of the 3000 and 7000, I personally have no confidence in them. I sold all my Pronto remotes and now own Mx series.

Dan

[Andrew Pratt]

I've seen a big drop in the number of pronto clients I'm getting as well. Its really to bad that the 7000 is such a pain to work with. At least they've now got the 3000's working well.