Looks like Philips is trying to make some big news with the new Pronto Professional that they will be announcing at CEDIA. I jts received my second teaser from them today and it looks like it's going to be in the same housing as the RC9800i.

http://www.remoteshoppe.com/images/teaser2.gif

I'd love to see some specs on this thing

I wonder if they will support it :)

you are right.

Does anyone have any additional information yet ? Prior to CEDIA........

remotecentral has two teasers on it. Don't know if they are the same two that remoteshoppe mentioned

same two. this is all the info Philips is leaking. The only other way to find more is to register your email on their site at http://www.pronto.philips.com/index.cfm?id=1286

For your viewing pleasure ... teaser 3

http://www.pronto.philips.com/

http://www.remoteshoppe.com/images/teaser3.gif

The newest flash animation shows the Pronto Edit Professional and their new. easier way to create favorite channel buttons with channel macros

some more info on RC

think this is interesting

http://www.pronto.philips.com/library/Icons.gif

look at icons 2,3 and 9

Looks a lot like a T4.

CJ

Philips released the 4th teaser today and i found this actual photo of the remote
http://www.remoteshoppe.com/images/pronto9600.jpg

When and how much

It's being introduced at CEDIA in mid September and beyond that there really hasn't been a lot of info regarding price & availability. The TSU7500 was launched with an MSRP of $999 so my guess is that this baby is going to be closer to $1500

a lot more info on it http://www.remotecentral.com/cedia06/show01.htm

but no price yet. two (I would guess optional) WI-FI bases

USD MSRP

TSU9600 $1299

RFX9600 $599 (RS232)

RFX9400 $299 (WiFi)

This thing is too awesome. The screen is gorgeous and the response is instantaneous. The fit and finish and the weight distribution are just right. The extenders are very powerful control units. You can make a nice robust system with these components.

I like the live state feedback. I hate crossing my fingers when I hit the remote button.

The only downside I see is weak battery life. Of course not a problem if you keep it in the cradle most of the time.

Ken

Ken, what is the battery life like?

Well, I don't know for sure he said 1-2 days off of the charger. I said that wouldn't work well for people that like to lose the remote in the couch cushions.

Then he added, "Well, it has auto shutdown so the battery won't drain once it goes to sleep". So I don't know exactly what that means. If it was 1-2 days of continuous use then that would translate into 4-6 months. :)

I took it all to mean that wifi does draw its share of power.

BTW, I went back to the Harmony booth to ask more questions about the 1000. It doesn't do two-way like the Pronto Pro.

Ken

when and where available? Does anybody know at this stage?

Can't remember if he said October or November....

Ken

Well, I don't know for sure he said 1-2 days off of the charger
cool that is all that is needed for a remote with a charger. Enough for an evening of TV/movie watching
. I said that wouldn't work well for people that like to lose the remote in the couch cushions.

I used to be like that and still am with the other remotes. But my Pronto TS-1000 just tends to stay on the charger when I don’t use it. I find that when a remote has a “home” it is much more likely to be put there then when it does not. My Pronto is in my HT and I am never looking for it. ON the other hand the Harmony 768 in my bedroom is always lost

PS with a touchscreen you also don’t want to sit on it by mistake :)

Is this going to be an installer only remote or will it be for sale direct to the public?

...BTW, I went back to the Harmony booth to ask more questions about the 1000. It doesn't do two-way like the Pronto Pro.Please correct me if I'm wrong but I understand that the Harmony 1000 is not fully customizable like the TSU-9600.

For example, buttons may be nice on the Harmony 1000 but you cannot make one with a picture of your kid (or dog) as you can with the Philips Pronto.

I understand that the TSU-9600 (much like the TSU-7500 or Marantz RC-9500 for that matter) is fully customizable and would allow you to have a single button as large as the entire screen (if you wanted to). With the Harmony, I believe you are stuck with the standard config.

Now I am not sure though about the conditional programmability that is apparently available on the URC MX-3000.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I understand that the Harmony 1000 is not fully customizable like the TSU-9600.

you are right

For example, buttons may be nice on the Harmony 1000 but you cannot make one with a picture of your kid (or dog) as you can with the Philips Pronto.


the 880 had a pic slideshow screen saver. So there might be upload pics for a slide show like the 880. But if you wanted a button with a personal icon for something

I need a remote with RF capability. I did not see anything about RF with this remote. How does the Pronto handle RF?

Sharp looking piece of equipment . :)

I need a remote with RF capability. I did not see anything about RF with this remote. How does the Pronto handle RF?

Sharp looking piece of equipment . :)

Ditto, I would also like to know this.

Does anybody have a date for the UK on the device yet?

AnthonyP, I see you are in Montréal. Are there any TSU-9600 out there?

dSly: no idea. Back in the day (6000/7000/3000) Philips stopped shipping to Canada (from what I heard it was an RF issue (i.e. they did not bother getting it certified in Canada). Hopefully that has changed.

PS you might want to try asking Daniel Tonks. I have seen his name here once or twice, but he is a fellow Canadian and the owner of remotecentral. He has contacts in Philip and might know more.


I guess this opens up an answer to the otyher two questions.

jacket_fan, Waza04: it uses standard wifi and not propriatery RF like many remotes. Even with RF remotes (like the 3000,6000,3500,7000,7500 and European counterparts) RF is built to talk to a base that then transmits IR, some times you can luck out (Like the Prontots and X10) but there is never a guarantee that it will work in RF with an RF device, RF is propriatery and the only reason it worked on the Pronto was that they bought the RF from X10)

the nice thing about wifi is that it might work with other networked devices. They already added support for RadioRa and Escient
http://www.remotecentral.com/cedia06/show01.htm

I know I need to do some more research, but the quote below does not completely clear up what hardware is required if I want to control components that are in a cabinet somewhere.

Optional to the Pronto Professional are two different network-based extenders, the basic RFX9400 WiFi-based model for out-of-box use with wired IR emitters, and the deluxe RFX9600 model that offers advanced capabilities including RS232 control and power status sensors. The built-in wireless system can also be used with Escient music servers and Lutron lighting systems

So you buy one of the RFX9400 extenders, then run IR to your components? If you have more than 4 components you have to get multiple RFX9400s?

dSly: no idea. Back in the day (6000/7000/3000) Philips stopped shipping to Canada (from what I heard it was an RF issue (i.e. they did not bother getting it certified in Canada). Hopefully that has changed.

PS you might want to try asking Daniel Tonks. I have seen his name here once or twice, but he is a fellow Canadian and the owner of remotecentral. He has contacts in Philip and might know more (...) Thanks AnthonyP. I have been a member of Remote Central for years and never realized that Daniel was Canadian...

So you buy one of the RFX9400 extenders, then run IR to your components? If you have more than 4 components you have to get multiple RFX9400s?

I am guessing double emitters (tends to be the standard). yyou can also get a cheap IR distributor instead of two bases if you need more

never realized that Daniel was Canadian...

yup Toronto

I have in stock if anyone is interested. Also have the RFX9400 wi-fi unit.

Dave

Any news on availability of this remote? Anyone got a hold of one?

Any news on availability of this remote? Anyone got a hold of one?

Mark, give me a call if you need assistance. 650-591-2110, San Francisco area.

Dave

Anyone have any hands on with this unit yet?

I just ordered one.

David

1) Any idea on who has the best deal for this unit?

2) Any reason to consider the Harmon Kardon version?

3) I assume this is the best remote in terms of price/performance? i.e. can do most things a Crestron can do but for a lot less money (and you can actually program it yourself I assume, whera Crestron and Panja are a real pain).

4) Any other thoughts?

2) Any reason to consider the Harmon Kardon version?


HK has a version of the 9600?

3) I assume this is the best remote in terms of price/performance? i.e. can do most things a Crestron can do but for a lot less money (and you can actually program it yourself I assume, whera Crestron and Panja are a real pain).

I would not say most, but it has more functionality then most other remotes. And yes someone can program it themselves. But you do need to do a lot of work.

http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/mboard/prontopro/list.cgi

where did you order and how much?

I haven't ordered it... I just got a PS3, HD-A2, and a bunch of other toys... I'll have to check around to see what I can find....

Pretty impressed with the TSU9600 - though I hope it is able to support Microsofts new SideShow technology.

It is finally becoming available in Canada. Got mine in Ottawa area for $1300 + taxes.

For those of you who have these now, how is the programming going? how have you found the response time to be when running through complex macros or activities?

Anyone have some results yet to discuss?

I've had mine for a week and found getting used to the "My Database" concept a bit annoying. It is nice to get IR codes for a wide range of equipment but the process is not always intuitive.

Programming is not difficult but I was used to a similar remote that I had for a number of years. I would say however that such a remote is not for the computer-averse person. As far as response time is concerned, it must be excellent as one rather has to introduce delays in the macros to make sure commands are received properly.

Now the big "selling point", the LCD touch screen. It is absolutely fabulous with VGA resolution, corresponding sharpness and great sensitivity. There is also a good number of hard buttons but the jog wheel around the cursor buttons is a bit annoying and may need a bit of getting used to (when using cursor keys). **Note the jog wheel is currently not programmable, I believe it is meant to be used with Escient music servers.

I recommend to check out RemoteCentral.com for lots more information about the TSU-9600 and other remotes.

For those of you who have these now, how is the programming going? how have you found the response time to be when running through complex macros or activities?

Anyone have some results yet to discuss?
Programming is identical to that of the ProntoNG line with PENG/PPENG. If you have experience programming with these editors there is virtually nothing new to learn with ProntoEdit Professional or PEP for short, the editor for the TSU9600. In fact, PEP is even more simplified as there is no longer a device overview page and gone are the SmartSurf and NavMode functions. There are some changes here and there, but nothing with regards to the actual building of ones configuration file. The most notable changes are listed below with regards to the editor and remote in general.

1) If the TSU9600 is to be used in conjunction with an extender the System device->Properties->Wireless Settings tab must be configured accordingly.
2) When using an extender the extender must first be added under the System device->Properties->Extenders tab. Once this has been done the Device Properties->Settings tab for any given device can be set to use the extender. Additionally, the IR Port port you'd like any given device to use on the extender must be chosen. The IR routing offered here is a very welcome addition and something that should have been supported since the ProntoNG line and RFX6000 were first introduced.
3) Uploading a configuration file from the remote to the editor (computer) is no longer possible. This is another welcome addition as it protects ones work.
4) Saving a configuration file as a "Pack And Go" file is now supported. A "Pack And Go" file is a configuration file packaged in an installer for download to the remote only. It can not be opened in the editor.
5) Unlike the Pronto NG line, many of the settings for the TSU9600 can only be setup via the editor. This is done by accessing the System device->Properties->Control Panel Settings tab.
6) The Page Up and Page Down buttons are now programmable. This is not possible with the ProntoNG line of remotes.
7) Two additional hard buttons are available over the Pronto NG line of remotes, the Power button and Firm 5 button. Both programmable of course.
8) The Simulator launches instantaneously where one has to wait a good while for it to load with the ProntoNG editors. Any given page can be loaded directly as well versus always having the Simulator start up at the home page. The one big negative with the Simulator for PEP over PENG/PPENG however, is that the Simulator for PEP does not run as a separate process. This is a very unwelcome change. As a result, the editor is not available while the Simulator is running. This prevents one from being able to actively review their configuration file with the Simulator making any needed changes or tweaks along the way in the editor.
9) There is no longer independent button volume for on screen buttons versus hard buttons as there is with the ProntoNG line of remotes. I find this particularly annoying as my preference is to have button volume off for hard buttons and button volume on low for on screen buttons.
10) The scroll wheel will force the screen to activate whenever it is moved even if there are no Escient devices as part of your configuration file, the only device which supports the scroll wheel currently. This is another annoying item as it's very easy to move the scroll wheel by accident when using the cursor pad.
11) The Home button forces the screen to activate no matter what you have the screen activation settings set to. This is not the case with the ProntoNG line of remotes and is something I find very annoying with the TSU9600. In my case I use the Power button as the Home button. This makes a far better Home button in my opinion as it allows me to group one extra function for each device over by the menu and guide buttons. As such, I don't want the Home button forcing the screen to activate everytime I use it. If using the Home button invokes a page navigation the screen is going to activate anyway. Fortunately, this item is going to be fixed via a future firmware update.
12) No programming of any type can be done via the remote only, including the learning of IR codes. To learn IR codes one must use the editor while the TSU9600 is docked in its cradle and connected to the computer.
13) The speed at which configuration files download to the remote has been dramatically improved.
14) A true type Pronto font is now used for text and button labels which is anti-aliased once downloaded to the remote. This is huge as it eliminates the need by and large to create graphical text in Photoshop for instance for use with ones configuration file. This personally saved me a lot of time when working up my current configuration file.
15) The screen resolution/clarity is mind blowing over that of the ProntoNG line of remotes. Enough just can't be said for how nice the screen is on the TSU9600.

As far as response time and the running of complex macros and activities I'd say the improvement we see here with the TSU9600 is drastic. The processing speed is lighting fast as compared to the ProntoNG line of remotes. Page jumps happen almost instantaneously and signals sent from the remote are sent much faster now while at the same time being sent more reliably (when used with an extender) via the new RF carrier, WiFi. In fact, for several of my IR codes I had to insert delay actions or increase the minimum IR duration of certain codes so that said codes would execute successfully when used in macros.

Dsly,

Where did you get it in Ottawa?

I am in Montreal and would love to get one.

Thanks!

I got it from Stereo Plus & Design in Orleans. You should check with Stéphane at 613-830-6787. That store seems to specialize in universal remotes.

(...) **Note the jog wheel is currently not programmable, I believe it is meant to be used with Escient music servers. (...)The jog wheel is now user-programmable. Great remote. Someone even designed a wheather module that picks up forecasts directly from the internet for display on the remote screen itself. I love this remote even more today...

Hi guys just ordered mine.I have armony 1000i remote also and what I find annoying when I turn it on it increases the volume on my sub.On my hd dvd player I select left direction or right it also controls my Sub Volume.Would the philips pronto fix that?

Does the pronto professional edit software work with Vista?

Ozzie

From what I have read yes it does but there are some issues with HID, you should check the Pro forum on remotecentral.com, ther are several threads about it.

Tom

Yes those were the problems I remember people having with Pronto Profesional Edit. I just don't see if pronto has addresed it yet.

Yes those were the problems I remember people having with Pronto Profesional Edit. I just don't see if pronto has addresed it yet.I ended up with the HID problem when I switched to a new computer running Vista. Pronto Team asked me to unplug USB devices until I find the one that creates the conflict. Then what? Stop using that device?