I've tried to get help from my local delar. He has also written in this thread. He wrote that the proffesional login is only for the certefied delares and distributors. Softwares and support I can get from this forum (Yes, I know, I've been a member for many yeras here. Just I had a copuple of years off,when I was not programming between the my 2nd and 3rd model så I needed to registrate again, cause I lost my login detail) Other support he pointed to were I bought my control which is B&H in new york.
They have been very fast to answer my e-mails yesterday. So my local delaer in sweden. But they asked for the order number at B&H. I was in the shop and bought when I was in New York. I've been moving two times since I came home and it was almost two years ago. So I can't find my reciept. If I'm looking at the creditcard that I think I used, I can only see 15 month back in time. And I also switch bank when when we bought a house to make my dream complete with a dedicated Home theater. I wrote to B&H and explained and I saisd I was in the shope and wich 10 days I was in NY. I explained that I was in your shop and I don't know if you have several shops in NY but this one was placed close to Rangers Ice hockey stadium, and a big shopping mall with exclusive watches and handbags etc. I recieved answer that there is no big shopping mall with exclusive handbags and watches.
So no I got more upset. Sorry folks. But for me "close" is walking distance, it's not around the corner.1km is close to me if you talking about NY. And what about Rangers ice hockey stadium. He didn't told me anything about that. How many unit can they have sold during these 10 days?
I'll try to call them tonight. But it really seems to have a dead end for me

No need to be rude here. It has nothing to do with Euro thinking, it's a market thing, as everywhere else in the world. To remind you Sony just took Linux away from the PS3. A feature that was advertised in big letters. It is not a singular event, things like this happen all the time. It's a free market.

Now please everybody read Barry's post, a couple of times if you need. Then take a deep breath.

I can tell you from my side. This forum has helped me alot to program my units from my first B/W Pronto model to the 9600 . Just cause I haven't post many times. You can see I've been a member longer time than many of the "Regular Members" I believe in "Search" function, and it helped most of my problems. I have three different kind of works and I don't have time to write so much at forums and in facts, many peoples here are alot better and have much better experience then I have also. I'm using severals forums and differenet interests that I'm trying follow up as much as I can. I don't write much at those either.
I also read another "Regular Member" that has been a member shorter time than me, also complained why people that are beginners or low posting members now starting to write. Well we all are disapointed, and we bought a unit which we at least thought we have all right's to get the training for levelling up and use the softwaraes that were availible at that time (scripts and PEP3 etc). I can't see why we posting our disapointing thoughts here so we hope Philips will change there minds, could cause any problem or inconviniance for you other people that posting more than me. Cause I'll hope somehow they will read this and hopefully cahnge their minds.

But I can't understand what our low posting counter has to do with who can or who are allowed to write in this thread? I can't see anything that violates the "Terms & Condition" to the forum rules...

Barry,
Which app are you talking about?

I've had a look at Command Fusion which looks impressive.


Cheers
Jason

I just pointed out that some people I never saw since I joined are the most loud in this thread and some are really rude. My point was, if you're mostly just a "leecher" (sorry can't remember the exact word), please don't rant in a way that puts the forum in a bad light, like here are only people who complain. I know I haven't seen such behavior from other regular contributors who are DIY-ers too, and are in the same doubts as those who rudely express their anger here. I believe in freedom of speech, so everybody is entitled to an opinion. But an opinion can be expressed in different ways, and posts like F**** philips, u SU** aren't helping no one. So, write, it's your right, but keep some decency, that was my point, I hope my view is clearer now.

I guess I was the target of that one, so I'll bite. ;)
(but I said the action was a f-up, not Philips per see)


I actually don't see a big problem with this:
It is contained in one thread, it is in a thread which, if nothin' strange happens, is only about letting out steam and expressing our feeling about the actions taken.
So I don't see this bloathing the forums as such.

But I can be humble and rephrase it:
A TSU9400 cost about $1400 USD in Sweden.
What kind of support should I expect for a remote control in that price range that I can buy from a retailer?
Is the ability to access available firmware upgrades on the Web asking to much?

Detta är en fråga du skall ställa till mig, skicka ett PM så kan vi ta den diskussionen.

bra sagt

i hape that's correct and not rude.. :)

Mark, you write swedish like a native!!! ;D

I work with a range of customers. Most want me to program their Pronto, however, some programs are cooperative efforts. I'll do the heavy scripting and give the customer a program shell. The customer will populate and maintain the TV channels and their own flavor of navigation. (Mostly, I think that they add too many buttons, but it is their remote and they take great pride in their work)

I view chasing the ever changing cable channel line-up as a nuisance. I prefer that the customers maintain this part of their program.

If these customers are stuck at PEP2 and I move on, supporting these cooperative customers will be difficult. If I don't move on, I will not be able to sell the newer product.

I can't wait until one of these existing remotes breaks and in the repair process the unit is updated to a firmware version that is incompatible with PEP2.

My Pronto does most of what I need it to do, and 90% of the reason for that is this forum. If I need it to do more I'm 90% sure that somewhere in this forum I'll find the answer to help me achieve the desired outcome. Sure, I'm pee'd off at losing my access to the Professional area but it's not a fatal blow. A far greater disaster for me would be getting locked out of this forum, and fortunately Philips have no say over that. So let's just be grateful to Barry and Lyndel and the sun will continue to shine in Pronto DIY land for years to come, whatever hurdles Philips might throw our way.

I hope someone from the Philips Marketing Department is reading this. I will not buy another Pronto product unless I have free access to the tools I need to program it myself. I will not pay for a professional to program my Pronto, just like I won't pay for a professional to paint my ceiling when I can paint it myself. Having a go at doing it yourself is all part of the fun, don't take that away from us!

BTW, Barry, welcome to the dark side. I too am using iPad to do some neat home theater control. It's not as a complete solution as Pronto, but it can be slick with the right app.

I keep reading things like "you still have the current software", which while true doesn't mean I will in a few years.

I had PEP running on ly desktop using xp, when that computer died I bought a laptop with vista on it. PEP no longer worked on my new computer and I had to come on here for a work around until a new version was released that was compatible.

Then when windows 7 came out I had to do something similar. Basically I have a working remote for now. But if after a new operating systems comes out that is not supported by PEP2, then I have to pay to have what is already working just fine redone because I switched bluray players or something to that nature.

And before someone says well just keep a computer with windows 7 working on it, that is not an acceptable solution for someone who has $5000 worth of a product in there house that will cease to work whenever a new OS is developed.

re my comment vis a vis the iPad.

The System is iRule. It is just starting out so it is not very sophisticated. It has potential but they (iRule) will have to do many things to bring the full potential of the iPad out. I am watching it but since I have no iPad (yet) I am in my learning phase for Objective-C, Xcode, and Cocoa, which are the basic frameworks and tools needed to program the iPad in native mode. iRule allows you to build a prior generation (pre Prontoscript) system just the way we did for older Prontos but does support putting out TCP/IP and UDP strings in the same manner as IR and RS232.

To develop natively for the iPAD you do need Mac OS X running on something and then you probably have to fight with Apple if you are only developing for yourself, but the ability to "Jailbreak" (Make it so you can install non-Apple certified apps) will probably solve any issue Apple brings up.

As I said I am just starting to climb the learning curve so I have bought several books and started reading. I will delay buying an iPad until I have code which I have tested and need the real thing.

I am not a big fan of Apple, but I have great respect for their technology. I really do like the Pronto's and have been a Philips Pronto user since the first Pronto came out.

When I was in Cedia I had a discussion with the Pronto Team management re the iPad and the industry (A/V controls, home Control, automation etc.). The iPad changes the playing field. For $500 US you get a very sophisticated touch panel, but not designed for lay folks to develop for. It assumes you are a competent programmer and have a MAC environment. To develop for the iPAD you need to be a registered apple devleoper (wihich gets you all the tools) and that costs $100 per year! Maybe Philips ought to do something similar. If you pay for a service and the service is changed or not delivered there are legal remedies. If you buy a device which has specific support tools at the time you buy it well that is what you bought.

Guys, Don't get me wrong I am on your/our side. I just tend to lay out both sides and discuss what appears to be going on. Some thing about know your enemy. The preceeding sentence is just a phrase, I do not consider Philips my enemy. Probably better said as know the playing field.

With regard to posters; Yes the more the better. Just lets be constructive. Rant to get you feeling better then think about solving the problem. When I was a corporate Executive many years ago my metaphoric reputation was that when I disiplined an employee it was done in a quiet voice using big words with the employee not feeling too bad until he nodded his head and it fell off. Much more satisfying to me.

I just called Pronto Support, us peons are out of luck. I did have them start a ticket, maybe if they get enough things will change. In the US call...

888-773-7384

Here is my last intercahnage with the Pronto management team (30 minute ago) reprinted with their permission:

*********************************************
SENT by Me:
You guys have really stirred up a hornet's nest, but in the grand scheme of things it might be a small one. The thread is very strong and active on remotecentral.com. My advice for what it is worth is to set up a hobbyists tier, and support it.

When I looked at your distributor/dealer list for the US it is very sparse. In today's economy dealers come and go. A consumer may buy based on what he can find on the internet, leaving eBay out of it. It is hard to tell if they are authorized dealers. Sales people will say yes since they think they are since they have the product. Let's assume they were and then the dealer went out of business or decided not to handle the Pronto Line. What is the purchaser to do then. Many US consumers are brand oriented and that is a good thing for you. Brand loyalty is a very strong force (or so I am told by my marketing friends). To me and to many others the Pronto brand means something. Do not let that get destroyed.

****************************************************
RCVD from Pronto Team Management:

Hi Barry,

That is exactly the plan. We are seeing the thread and we will probably post on it next Monday offering a solution especially towards the DIY community.

Hope that will not be too late ;o)

*****************************************************
A further comment by me:

Just to clarify, My impression is that they will be setting up a Hobbyists tier which I believe is what we want. There may be a registration process, but it should not be too onerous.

So lets just give them a chance to do what they plan to do and understand that all of us fumble once in a while. As in US football, it is the recovery that counts