This is the response from the iPront support team to my report of the problem with VNC.

"We have investigated this issue, and the thing is that input fields implemented by Java applets are not supported by the iPronto software. Also this functionality of the software will not become supported within the near future.

Forcing the keyboard to display is also not possible, as the iPronto software is not registering any input fields, there would be no field to direct the input
to.

So sadly for the time being you will have to use other methods of input than the Java applets."

My real question is why Philips do not see this as an urgent problem. If VNC could be made to work on the iPronto, it would immediately open up a wide range of additional third party home media applications - fulfilling much of the promise of the system. Is this a technical or marketing issue? Do we have to wait for Philps to release their own specific web based media aplications with iPronto clients?