Cheap pronto's from Philips!

[Andrew Pratt]

Anyone looking for a cheap Philips pronto?

TSU1000

Some people have reported that philips even sent them 2000 model instead of the 1000 (not that its much different)

[Lex]

Nice deal really




Cable Guy DVD Collection

[Energeezer]

Andrew
I just ordered my remote. Will I need any accessories?
Steve




The Future of HT lies in FP SPREAD THE WORD

[SiliGoose]

Cool!
Download ProntoEdit and you're set. The recharging cradle is nice but not necessary (the Pronto isn't much of a battery hog).




-Sili

[Andrew Pratt]

Steve the best accessory you'll need is a set of bulk AA batteries. I've found the yellow ones from superstore are cheap and last a long time for a knock off brand. You should get 4-6 months from a set of batteries though so its not like the old Marantz MK1 remotes that could eat a set in a night As goose mentioned download pronto edit 4 (link on my site) and just start playing with it. There's no reason why you couldn't have the CCF file built and ready to go before your remote even ships.

[Burke Strickland]

Some people have reported that philips even sent them 2000 model instead of the 1000 (not that its much different)

If you are planning to program the Pronto from scratch or use/modify someone else's template, then there really isn't any difference between the 1000 and the 2000. However, if you re looking for something that can be used almost "out of the box" to control multiple components without any programming other than "highlight and select", the 2000 has a huge built-in data base that covers the basic (plus a lot of not-so-basic) commands for a wide range of components.

The "default" 2000 command scheme for a particular component won't look pretty, but it will work, if you've selected the right one from the choices offered. (They give you a chance to test it before "installing" it from the database to the user interface.) And somewhere down the road, you'll still probably want to customize it to cut down on the number of screens you have to navigate to get to the commands you actually use. (The 2000 generates a bunch of pages to hold all those commands it has available for a given component and they may not be arranged in the most intuitive fashion -- that 's where a skilled/experienced Pronto programmer can be a real help.)

At any rate, if you are looking for a 1000, can't beat that good deal!

Burke

[SayersWeb]

What does model this lack compared to the more expensive models? Functionality-wise are there any limitations?

Thanx!




Sayer - Musical Creations and Home Page

[Andrew Pratt]

That depends on which more expensive models you're talking about. If you're refering to the TSU6000 then it would lack the colour screen, rf support and two less hard keys that the 6000 offers. Other then that they're essentially the same. There's a new model (TSU3000) that is just coming out now that offers more hard keys and looks pretty cool...the only issue at the moment though is that its software is very buggy. The 3000 model is currently selling for $400 I think which is only a little less then a colour pronto from ebay.

[SayersWeb]

Ok, just went through the online demo and it answered my questions!

I now have two TSU1000 on the way!!!!




Sayer - Musical Creations and Home Page

[SiliGoose]

Hopefully this will be the start of a trend, rather than simply a close out of a model. (though I doubt it)

The Pronto is a fantastic product but it is way over priced. Especially now that new remote apps for PocketPC devices (coming soon to Palm PDAs) can use Pronto .ccf files and out-perform any Pronto on the market for several hundred dollars less.

I can buy a $300 Compaq iPaq and do everything the Pronto Pro does. I can spend a little more and get limited two-way communication between my HTPC and my iPaq (read which track I have playing on the iPaq's screen via TCP/IP, for example).

While I love my Pronto -it's days are numbered.




-Sili

[Andrew Pratt]

and out-perform any Pronto on the market for several hundred dollars less.

Untill they make PDA's with an IR strenght that's as strong as the pronto's with out having to resort to some bulky add on I think the pronto's will continue to do well...but you're right prices have got to drop before they'll really be accepted by the masses. Interestingly enought though if you consider that buying the pronto for me started out as a need and turned into a way to pay for my other toys the pronto has made me way more money then it initially cost :LOL: I wonder if I can use that logic to buy a new 3000 since its new software

[SiliGoose]

We would all be so lucky to use one of our "toys" to make enough money to pay for itself!

I don't know if you've used the newer iPaqs but they have much more powerful IR emitters. In a normal sized living room an average user wouldn't see much difference in the IR power of an iPaq and a Pronto. That said, you would need an IR repeater if you had a larger room.

I use my Clie to change the channel at sports bars. It's good fun.




-Sili

[Andrew Pratt]

My IPAQ is a 3650 so its a little older. I'd like to try one of the new ones though

[SayersWeb]

I showed a friend the link and he ordered one of these remotes. He showed two other friends and they each ordered one...

Andrew, what is your affiliation with the Pronto?




Sayer - Musical Creations and Home Page

[Mats]

:?: what ipaq model would you suggest, and is there downloadable sw that would enable this as a remote? if i'm going to drop a few hundred on a remote, might as well get some additional use out of it!

[Lex]

I use my Clie to change the channel at sports bars. It's good fun.

:LOL:

Good one.

Lex




Cable Guy DVD Collection

[Andrew Pratt]

Andrew, what is your affiliation with the Pronto?

I custom program these as a side business to fund my upgrade projects but I have no actual affiliation with philips at all.