I'm currently considering either a ProntoNeo or a Sony 3000. I like the idea of the soft buttons and programmability of the Neo, but after looking at one in a store I was a bit concerned at how few buttons are actually displayed on the screen at any one time.

Is this a significant disadvantage? Does anyone have any other comments about the two remotes?

John

Not sure how many buttons were on the screen you seen, but I can have no problems with 15 buttons per page. Not sure if that is alot to you or not, nor sure how many the Sony allows.

If you wanted to use a styles all the time, I'm sure you could fit more on a page.

-steve

PROGRAM YOUR OWN BUTTONS. THE SONY IS FIXED. I CHANGE MY SCREEN TO FIT MY NEEDS. NO ROCKET SCIENCE!

RJC

I'm perfectly happy doing any programming necessary (hey I'll do the assembly code directly if I have to).

The thing is that with the limited resolution of the screen, surely there is a limit to how much can be displayed. Whilst I might be happy flipping through multiple pages for a single device, I want to make sure that I can put enough a single screen that will allow my wife (or a babysitter) to be able to easily watch a DVD or flip to the TV and change cable channels/view cable guide etc.

Am I going to have to use multiple screens for basic functionality or is the resolution adequate?

Yes, all good ncf's will consist of several pages. I don't have a sony so I cannot say how much different it would be from it. One thing I have done for my wife sanity and myself is make a page with all the power buttons that can be easily accessed from most pages. I suppose you could dedicate a page to your wife with all the essential buttons she needs. I'm not sure this would be possible on the sony since the buttons are fixed, but again I don't have one and am not familar with it. You can program 25 buttons including the hard buttons comfortably without a page jump in my opinion.

I don't think resolution is the limiting factor, but finger size.

I had (!) the Sony AV2100 for about 3 months and then was thinking about upgrading to the new AV3000 because my friend bought one and was impressed with the new additions. After seeing his, I figured I'd try the Pronto just for giggles (and to allow for a direct, side-by-side comparison). We had the remotes together for a total of 20 minutes when my buddy got a serious case of "Pronto Envy"... he went *right then* and exchanged his Sony AV3000 for the Pronto.


The resolution is adequate. There are tons of ways to customize the Pronto that will allow you to make only the necessary functions show up on a single page. This will require a bit of tweaking using some of the tools available on this site (especially ChocoboLee's NeoHacker). Compare this to the Sony's non-editable LCD screen and the choice isn't that hard... (the AV3000 does have some editiable labels at the very bottom, but wouldn't you rather have the wife/babysitter push an intuitive icon rather than a cryptically abbreviated label?)

My friend and I are both Computer Engineers so we are a little more comfortable with the flexibility that the Pronto offers. It sounds like you aren't squeemish either when it comes to code. Those that aren't interested in customization and want a "fixed" remote should stick with the Sony (you can't screw it up that much), but if you take the time to customize the Pronto, then it BY FAR the way to go for almost any situation... especially for the occaisional user like wives/babysitters that don't want to have to figure out the complexity of the Sony just to do basics. The bottom line is: the Pronto is as easy as you want to make it. The more time you spend customizing it, the better off you'll be. In the end, the Sony is left waaay behind. You could easily create a "Babysitter Page" with basic functions on it that even a monkey could use... the Sony can't compare. The Sony is a great product but, since they are both the same price (or within a few bucks of each other), I would highly recommend the Pronto over the Sony... besides its nice to see your friends sticken with "Pronto Envy" as well! ;)

Have fun,

Chris









This message was edited by DerCritterMeister on 05/16/02 16:00.26.

I had a AV2000 for years. Great product, understand that 3000 is even better, but what sold me on the Neo was that all my buttons now have the correct label, so no more guessing what things do. Basic programming is easy. If you want to tke more time and get fancy, then it will take longer. The Neo is definately the way to go!!!