Philips TSU7000 Universal Remote Control | List Price: $999.99
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Brand: Philips
Binding: Electronics
Features: - Universal touch screen remote control with 3.8-inch TFT LCD display
- Pre-installed codes for more than 800 brands; learns new codes as system changes
- Digital user interface lets user add, delete, and personalize buttons and functions
- 32 MB internal memory for creating large custom configurations
- Ergonomic design with 1-hand operation; includes PC software package
Good Effort, But No Cigar [Posted on 2004-08-19]
A tremendous amount of work went into Philip's line of programmable touch-screen remotes. I admire the effort, and in some complex "go-into-watching-a-DVD-mode" usage situations that don't resemble mine, I know that many people are happy with it. But...
If you are a channel surfer, if you change channels a lot and control inputs to your TV a lot (e.g., from TiVo to Satellite and back again), and if channel surfing is mostly what you use a remote to do, you may not be happy with this box. Why? Because you can't easily operate the thing without looking at it. It's a touch screen. The buttons cannot be felt; they have to be seen and then gingerly activated.
The remote is pretty fat to begin with (to get real estate for the soft buttons), and for me at least, I never learned how to press those pretty on-screen buttons without both hands and looking. To change the channel, or to popup Direct TV's guide--things I do constantly--you have to hold the thing in one hand, and CAREFULLY tap a button with the other. In comparison, my dedicated remotes can be operated without thought--after a few months, boom, your thumb goes the button you want and the channel is changed.
It's also a bear to program. I've been a professional programmer for 20+ years and found the Pronto development model confusing and just plain hard. If I could I would go back in time a year and get back the $600 and 50 hours or so I spent programming it, and buy accordian lessons instead.
Nice try, but not for this clumsy channel surfer. I'd rather have three, or five, separate dedicated remotes. I haven't touched the Pronto in months.
MORE POWER! Tim the toolman would like this one. [Posted on 2005-01-05]
Now this is the way to go if you have several components that are being controlled as in many of today's better home theater setups. Not only does it work great but looks great to.
ProntoPro can be programmed via the touch screen but you will be greatly limited as to its capabilities. If computers aren't friendly to you, either buy this remote from a local dealer that will program it for your home theater setup or be pared to spend quite a bit of time at your computer programming it. Yes, you can have it 'up and running' in a short time but most likely this will only wet your appetite for more refinement in programming.
The great thing about this remote is how you can customize it in so many ways no matter if there is few or many components to your HT system. Program the ProntoPro to turn on/off all of your HT components with the touch of ONE button. If the kids want to play a Nintendo game and have it in surround sound you would have to set your TV input, and set your AV Receiver input.
Then when you wanted to watch a movie there is several more functions that you would normally have to perform by a few different remotes to do so. The ProntoPro can be programmed to carry out multiple functions with one button press. This is the most loved feature for my wife and me.
In customizing the display, graphics can be downloaded from various web sites devoted to remote controls or make your dazzling work of art using third party software.
Control almost anything that can be controlled by infrared signals. Can be used with RF signals but I haven't as yet had any first hand experience with it. Control room lighting, curtains, fans, and etc., nearly anything that uses a IR remote.
Remote comes preprogrammed with a basic program for many features but it will need to be set for your particular components. Doing all of this sounds a bit daunting but if taken a bit at a time can be learned and improved.
The manual has many pages but doesn't get into much of the deeper programming that you may want to attempt. There are third party manuals for this on the internet that can be found.
The remote isn't as light as a feather. It is thicker than any remote I've used to date. My wife and I still at times use our regular remote for flipping through channels on the digital cable because it is lighter/thinner and has buttons that you don't need to look at to navigate with. So the beautiful flat display on the ProntoPro has many good points but still there is that lack of feeling a button for navigation. Although there is the basic Channel up/down, mute, volume up/down, and other hard navigation buttons on the remote that can be custom programmed as can be seen in the picture.
This remote, when programmed properly, makes operating a HT simple. This is great for anyone who doesn't want to sit down to eight different remote controls to switch between. Watching a DVD movie, cable TV, video game, and etc. should be relaxing, not an aggravation. Many older people or those technically challenged will like using it, IF it is programmed for ease of operation.
I bought our ProntoPro in Nov 2004 for about $450 from an internet site. Try looking at pricegrabber.com. It was a refurbished unit but works and looks perfect. The retail price seemed a bit much at first but knowing now what I do, it would be worth every penny. I'm planning on buying another one as a gift for my parents to use in their HT.
I rated this remote at 5 stars in spite of any negatives I mentioned because if how good it does what it is supposed to do, that is to make simple operation what was once unorganized chaos.
The Ultimate Universal Remote [Posted on 2005-10-06]
I have been a long time user of the Sony RM-AV3100 remote. It helped cut down the number of remotes I needed in my Home Theatre system. After reading many reviews on the Philips ProntoPro NG (TSU7000) I decided to spring for this remote during my home theatre upgrade.
What can I say? This remote features a beautiful backlit screen and the windows software to make custom layouts for this remote is easy to use. I have used some templates that can be found on the Internet and created a very user friendly and pretty to look at interface.
The remote is being used to control my Pioneer Plasma (PDP5050HD), Pioneer Elite DVD Player (59AVi), Yamaha Receiver, Toshiba SVHS, Pioneer Laserdisc player, DirecTV HD Tivo and X-10 lighting.
This remote is much more configurable and programmable than the Sony remote which it replaced. I also find the strength of the signal the remote sends is enough to get through the perforated steel doors of my TV\Audio Rack.
One drawback to this remote are that there is no different feel for the channel, mute and volume buttons that run up and down the side. I often end up hitting the wrong button. Another drawback is that the unit sometimes can take a little longer than would be expected to change the page you are viewing on it. Another potential problem is the plastic side where the channel\volume hard buttons are. The plastic feels a little flimsy. I can feel the plastic moving when I hold the remote or push in on the side.
Overall this is a great remote that can be programmed to control any IR source. It has replaced 9 remotes for me so a universal remote in a setup like mine is a no-brainer. It also allowed for me to make custom GUI's and macros so that my girlfriend can more easily control the home theatre system.
One last comment, www.remotecentral.com host a wealth of information about this remote and many files that you can download to aid in the programming of the remote.
Click here for more details and discount information...
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