Philips TSU3000 13-Device Pronto Universal Touch Screen Remote Control

List Price: ~~$349.99~~

Brand: Philips
Binding: Electronics
Warranty: 1 year warranty

Features:

Built-in U.S. Universal Database with pre-installed codes for over 500 brands in 13 device categories
LCD display has a high resolution and provides a bright backlight for convenient operation in the dark
USB Port - remote can be upgraded via the Internet
Virtually Unlimited Macros
ProntoEdit allows you to fully customize the user interface to suit your personal remoting style

Customer Reviews:

Perhaps satisfaction is a matter of perspective..... [Posted on 2004-05-11]
I am an owner of a TSU-2000, and I recently upgraded to the TSU-3000.

I upgraded because I felt that the TSU-2000 lacked perfection in only 3 areas. First, the graphics (specifically the contrast) on the 2000's screen are mediocre, although they are very usable. Second, the 2000 lacks a physical toggle/cursor. Third, the 2000 uses batteries and, like any device that does, they must be replaced (or recharged) from time to time.

The TSU-3000 does admirably solve the first 2 issues, and I never expected the third to be solved in my lifetime. The TSU-3000's graphics are very good, and it has a toggle.

The TSU-3000's performance on the third issue, batteries, is illustrative of my faulty thinking when I upgraded. It never occurred to me that the upgraded model would perform significantly worse than the old model in lots of areas, but the performance of the 3000 is significantly poorer than that of the 2000 in many, many areas. In other words, not only does the 3000 need its little batteries recharged too often, but its performance in other areas is also deficient when compared to the 2000.

I am woefully familiar with remote central dot com. The forums there are very helpful, and very informative. Evidently, when the 2000 was upgraded to the 3000, the starting point was the processor. The Motorola processor used in the Palm Pilot and the 2000 was discarded in favor of a processor made by Mitsubishi. Unfortunately, the newer Mitsubishi processor doesn't work as well as the old Motorola processor. The new processor required new graphic software for the 3000 and, you guessed it, the new software does not work as well either. The list of performance deficiencies goes on..... I'd recommend reading the whole saga at remote central. The problems appear to plague all the new Pronto models--the 3000, the 7000 and the iPronto.

So, older is better. Oddly, prices reflect this, too. As of a few minutes ago, refurbed 3000s sell for less than refurbed 2000s. Now, if that doesn't make you stop and think, nothing will. Hmmm..... Is this another case of a company building a great product and then cutting costs in a new model, hoping to make money from past performance?

I don't know the answer to that question, but I do know this: my 2000 is going to my bedroom, and my 3000 is going to my closet. For my living room, I'm going to buy a refurbished 6000, the one with the Palm Pilot processor.

Bottom line: When compared to the 2000, the 3000 doesn't make it. Perhaps satisfaction IS purely a matter of perspective, and maybe my views are too influenced by the fact that I already own the best, that being the 2000, and the 3000 does not compare favorably.

This is an enthusiasts item [Posted on 2005-05-28]
I owned a TS-1000 (the first version of the Pronto) and spent about 80-100 hours learning how to program it and getting my whole system working. Once it was programmed, my system - a front projector, electric screen, and 10-12 components in three rooms - was easy to use. Press a single button and the PJ turned on, the screen came down, the amp turned on, the volume was set, the (chosen) component was selected, and a Pronto screen with the most common controls for the component was brought up. Want to watch a DVD on the Jukebox? Hit a key, type in the slot number (from nice coffee table-style book thanks to dvdprofiler dot com) and everything switches automagically.

Well, I sold that house, and the Pronto went with it. I've just rebuilt a more modest setup, and the standard universal remotes just didn't cut it. I picked up a used TSU3000. It turnes out that some of them will lose their ability to sucessfully connect over the USB port, so I have a pretty, touchscreen paperweight right now. However, before I realized that it wouldn't connect, I looked at the new software. It's better than the old, but you can expect 20-40 hours learning to program (10-15 if you're an old Pronto user) and probably as much or more creating your first configuration. You've really got to love programming, and be a bit of a masochist, to really like these remotes. There are issues with the firmware from time to time, so even the best programming may not be able to do everything. As for batteries, the rechargables I put in the remote about a month ago, without using the remote, had about 1/3 charge left in them.

The entire support system from Philips is, perhaps, the absolute WORST of any consumer item I've seen. If you have problems, you may as well throw the dice and call tech support, 'cause you're not going to get any help on their web page. The software is generally very manual and couterintuitive (you can't edit multiple instances, there's practically no documentation, and the default system for creating configurations is byzantine and labor intensive - so much so that it's easier to bypass them entirely).

All that said, if you've got a bunch of spare time, a good helping of patience, some programming ability, and a desire to eliminate the clutter and really make your AV system look sharp, (and you don't have the extre $300 to get the color verion), you just might find this a fun experiment. IF you have a full time job and kids...well, you may never get the software up and running smoothly. Fair Warning.

BTW - I haven't tried the software for handhelds, mainly because (1) I don't have one with an IR LED strong enough and (2) I really like the "hard buttons" for volume, mute, and channel.

Great product [Posted on 2006-02-16]
I've been using this remote for about 7 months now, and I like it a lot. My wife and I use it in our theater room to control a projector, reciever, cable box, DVD player, VCR, and lights.

A few tips:
1. Get the docking station and the RF/IR extender. These are a must. Setting the remote in the docking station twice a month for 45 minutes is no hassle at all. You can use it while it's charging. If you have the RF/IR extender you never have to aim it at anything.
2. Adjust the contrast, calibrate the screen, and download the latest firmware and software updates before doing anything else.
3. Use Pronto Edit - not the remote's built-in UI - to learn from other remotes. This will save the IR codes to your hard-drive with your configuration.

As others have said, programming the remote is hard work. I spent an entire Saturday (about 6 hours) trying different button layouts until I got everything exactly how I wanted. Since then, I've spent an hour here and there making small tweaks. When I created the cable box screens, I added macros for our favorite channels and downloaded images of the channel logos to use as buttons. To go to a favorite channel, I just touch the logo - very cool.

But I quickly found the limitation of macros. My projector (Panasonic AE700U) has toggle states for some of the video modes (there is 1 composite/s-video button and 1 pc/hdmi button). The result of pressing one of these buttons depends on which mode the projecter was already in. I wanted to add a "Watch Cable" button that switches the receiver and projecter to s-video input, and then displays the cable screen. But I still had to add an extra "video mode" button to toggle the projector to the correct video mode if needed. I also wanted to add macros to switch between the projector's user-defined video settings. Couldn't do this either because the projector's menu cursor always starts next to the item that was last selected - so I can't be sure where the cursor will be when the macro starts. This certainly isn't a problem with the remote - but rather a problem with my projector not being "macro-friendly". Unfortunately, this isn't something you'll know about most equipment until you buy it.

A few issues I noticed:
1. Sometimes immediately after reprogramming the remote, the buttons can be slow to respond at first. This goes away as you press each button for the first time. No big deal.
2. While using the Pronto Edit software, on 2 occasions some of the system graphics got corrupted and appeared as a block. The only way to fix it was to start a new configuration file from scratch (or re-open an older good copy) and copy/past my work into the other file. This was a bit of a nuisance. I think both times it happened after importing some images.

Since I've spent far more time using the remote than I spent programming it - and it works very well once it's programmed, I rate it highly. I should mention I'm a computer programmer, so I kind of knew what I was getting into when I bought it.

Dashed Hopes [Posted on 2007-02-04]
I can't speak form how the item works because I never did have a chance to evaluate it. philips sent my order broken in two areas. Missing parts in the battery compartment, and the USB connector to program the unit was broken off of the printed circuit board ( and they told me it had the latest update. How I don't know). My biggest complaint is with their customer service. If companies strived for the worst customer service possible, philips could write books and give seminars in how to achive this feat. This is without a doubt the worst customer service I have had the misfortune of dealing with. The quick summary of my ranting; After three days of calls (hours on the phone getting bounced around) and emails concerning an item that was delivered unusable, I had to resort to filing a dispute with my credit card company to recover the money I spent on the item. The only thing this company was quick to do was take my money. If you order from them pray the unit works or you are in for countless hours of frustration.

Screen burned out within months of purchase [Posted on 2007-05-26]
After spending an additional $150. to have it professionally programmed following purchase (as the earlier version programmed of Phillips Pronto couldn't be "converted"), the LCD screen "died" within only months of purchase and couldn't be repaired. The repair company representative told me he has seen this several times with the Prontos and urged me to try a different brand (Aurora), which I have.

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