I have to tell you, I love the Pronto, but I find myself using my Tivo remote a lot nowadays. There's just no good way on the Pronto to control it (I have tried all the tivo .ccf's and found one I like and have modified it beyond that) and the lack of the hard cursor really is a sticking point. But, with that said, I'm still not giving it up, I'll just live with 2 remotes. I still like tweaking the Pronto and to me that is the appeal, the challenge of programming it the way I want it. I'll never get back the time i've spent programming it in increased efficiency in surfing, but I guess that's not really the point to me anyways. Philips is a victim of its own success on this one, they've created an amazing product but maybe should have marketed it to a different audience or maybe even put a warning label on it like they do packs of cigarettes! :)
One last point...I've never had to go back to a different remote that i've replaced with the Pronto once. Ever. That's the beauty of it, any obscure key or setting is there if I need it, something that a lot of the other touchscreen/hard button combo remotes that I looked at really couldn't do. How often do I use em? Honestly, not often, but considering that I have used all the batteries in my old remotes now, the time I'd have to waste going to the store, picking up fresh batteries, finding the old remotes, using that odd key.... :) It makes up for it for me (your mileage may vary). I understand Pablo's frustrations, i've had calls from people from all over asking programming questions and am trying to break away to help someone else locally program their pronto (If work ever LEAVES ME ALONE FOR ONE MINUTE!) that I realize that the high frustration factor is a big drawback if your not ready for it. Heck even if you are ready for it it can be frustrating.
Well, to each his own! And i have to repeat the sentiment that this is one of the most respectable forums i've ever seen or been a part of. Great job everyone (esp. Daniel!)

I managed to program my RC5000i in about four days. I finally decided that it wasn't necessary to be able to perform every function on every remote, which greatly simplified the task.

For example, I really only use my VCR as a converter and rarely play or record tapes (ooooo... DVD...), so I didn't bother trying to incorporate any play/record/timer functions into my design. This alone saved me tons of time.

The same goes for all the other remotes. There are many features on each that I rarely (or never) use. As a result, the RC5000i now allows me to do all the things I normally do with my system (without any seven-tab devices, for example). Granted, if I ever needed to, say, play a tape, I'd have to either dig out the remote or just hit play on the front of the VCR, but I'm fine with that.

I am still honing the design. I have been keeping a notebook alongside my remote for a little while now and I make notes about adding a button here, removing a button there, moving a button I use a lot but have trouble reaching, etc. Later, when I'm on my computer and have the time, I make the changes. Eventually, I hope to have something I'm perfectly comfortable with and can easily use. My motto has been, "Keep it simple." :)

Of course, I still have to look at it when using the touchscreen. The "glue" concept posted earlier is an excellent idea. Have to think about that one. :)

I was able to customize and program my remote in two days. Of course i merged several peoples ideas together and then modified them to suit my purposes. I've had no problems using my cursor controls but i wouldn't mind seeing hard button cursor controls on the pronto.

Unforunately for me the fun part of this remote is the programming, not the actual use of the remote. I spent roughly 20 hours programming my ccf and will probably spend half that with some modifications i have in mind. The main changes i plan on is a more uniformed format from device to device but in all honesty i love my current set up and wouldn't change it except i just can't quit tinkering with the programming.

I love my remote, the few times i've used it, it's the only remote that has ever managed to replace all of my remotes and perform every function that the original remotes did.

This Tivo device has me curious and i think i will look into making a user friendly ccf for the Tivo. What the heck, it sounds like a cool challenge.

Hi all

May I congratulate you all on putting you opinions across without droping into the usual internet forum habit of abusing each others opinions. I have had My RC5000i for less than a month now and have a high level of technical understanding, but I still had difficulty in programming the thing. Havong read this excellent site over the last few weeks, one thing has jumped out at me. Philips and less so Marentz not supporting the product. Well there is enough of us here, why dont we all send them an e-mail? All it takes is for someone to provide a decent adressee and a prewritten email and we can electronicly petition them for more support. Im not looking to create negativity, in fact I hope it will create a positive reacvtion and let them know just how big their customer base is on this product. its just my two cents.....
Keep Up the excellent work

k

I have been a Pronto user for about a year-and-a-half and am also a casual lurker on this forum. I couldn't resist adding my 2 cents. I am not a programmer, but I am comfortable with computers. I really like the Pronto, not because it is intuitive or easy to use (hardly), or because it is the best remote out there or because I like the way the buttons feel when I push them. I like it because I can change it over and over again, figure out exactly how I use the various components in my home theater system and then customize the remote to handle repetitive and fairly complex tasks with one button push that would ordinarily require juggling 3-4 remotes and multiple hard button pushes. The Pronto is clearly not for everyone or even for someone who wants a flexible universal remote. I think to appreciate the Pronto, you have to actually enjoy the process of customizing it. That means the time and energy devoted to the programming is part of the "fun", not an onerous task or a waste of time. I have to believe that someone who spends about $300 on a remote should also be willing to research the product in some detail ahead of time. Just reading a few threads on this forum should be enough to make someone realize that programming the Pronto to make it worth the money you spend on it is time-consuming and occasionally very frustrating. I don't mean this as a criticism. But I do think you have to know your own personality to know what you enjoy doing with your "free" time. If sitting in front of your computer and copying and pasting hex code isn't one of those things you enjoy, by all means don't get a Pronto.

We'll Nice forum.
Notice a lot of non spam stuff re these remotes
Anyone in here who wants to off a RM-TP501 or RM-TP501E
Lemme know i kinda want one heh :)
Any advice suggestions?

How about an RM-AV2000
I have one for sale.
Email me if interested.
Kevin

I have now owned my Pronto for 4 days. I agree with Pablo about the tactile feedback. I have a hughes dss reciever that has this "quick menu" and I find myself hitting the wrong button on my Pronto often. I have a feeling this will take some time to get used to. Also I have been thinking about moving the buttons further away from each other and going to a more generic screen.

After a few hours of working with Pronto edit, I find the software to "get the job done" that is the best thing I can say about it since it crashes often and does take some time to get used to.

Another thing I have found out is that there is one device that I own that will not use discreet codes for power. This is a real punch in the face because I figured that all devices had discreet codes to power on/off the device, so now I have to make some sort of "question" macro in order to ask if the dss reciever is on, or just leave the damn thing on all the time. Pretty annoying (this isnt phillips fault, but hell I figured for 250$ I would have a system that could shut down or power up with one click!

The feeling that I get from this forum is that in general the Pronto is a great remote, but it could use some improvements. My only problem with that is after spending 250$ on this remote, this had BETTER be the last remote I ever get or my wife will kill me.

I found a workable solution for the power problem you're having. I have a Toshiba TV, Philips VCR, and a Pioneer DVD, none of which have discrete power commands. My Yamaha receiver does have discrete power.

On my top home page (I have 2), I have one button for power on, and one button for power off. I also have 2 tabs at the bottom of the panel, to toggle between home panel 1 ("System Power"), and home panel 2 ("Component Power"). Home panel 1 Power On button contains macros to cycle power to all the non-discrete devices, and powers on the receiver. This is because the assumption is made that everything is currently off. Home panel 1 Power Off button contains macros to cycle power to the non-discrete devices, as well as putting my receiver in "standby" (essentially power off). At the beginning of using the home theater stuff, everything is off. Hitting Power On turns on everything, that way you don't have to worry about powering up individual pieces. The last thing done when finishing using the home theater is a jump to Home panel 1, then press Power Off, which turns everything off. The next time the remote is picked up, it's waiting there at Home panel 1, ready to turn everything back on.

One tab on my Home panel 1 jumps to Home panel 2 which contains a power on/off for each non-discrete, and a power on and standby (power off) for my receiver. It also has a button to jump to my "Activity Selection" Device panel. The second tab on the Home section jumps back to Home panel 1 from Home panel 2.

I know it would be preferable to have the discrete power codes, but for some short-sighted reason many equipment manufacturers have not seen fit to do so. With the advent of so many programmable remotes, perhaps they'll do so in the future. In the meantime, powering EVERYTHING on and off at the same time is a workable solution, at least for me. As long as you hide the original remotes, and keep people from touching the power buttons on the equipment itself, everything stays in sync.

Sorry this explanation was longwinded, and may not be too clear. I'll post my CCF later this week (as most of you can relate, it's still under revision) so anyone interested can see some of it's interesting features. I plageurized ideas and graphics from several individuals including Barenata and Daniel, and a couple of the graphics were modified by me. Modifying the graphics was actually kind of fun, and fairly straightforward using Photoshop. I'm sure I'll be doing MUCH more of it in the future. Rob.

I'm over in the UK, and nobody seems to be able to get their hands on it - apparently they won't sell it to people from the UK. Has anyone tried using outside the US, and does anyone know how to get it outside the US.

Andy

Get your hands on what? Have I missed something?

got my pronto moments ago (i'm still at my office looking forward to getting home).

and these posts scare me. :O

a webmaster i am. a programmer i am not. the difference between a designer and programmer gets more and more shady... :|

andrew

Andrew all you need to be is a designer.

Pablo, your opinions have some truth.
I have had my Marantz RC5000 for approx. 1yr. I did not find the programming too difficult but very time consuming.

I have found a way around the two hand promblem by resting the remote on the right side arm of my chair and using my index finger on the touchscreen and my middle finger on the hard keys on the side. The bottom two hard keys are useless!! I still have to look at the darn thing though.

The draw backs that you talked about are greatly offset by the fact that I replace 6 remote with one. When you have a two year old around, puting up one remote is easier than many. Also my wife can finally use the home theater system without me now.(I still don't know if that is a bonus or not)

Well, that's what I have to say.

Todd

I've just bought a Pronto and amazingly got ProntoEdit to work with a windows emulator for my mac and an adapter cable (macs don't have serial ports). I can see I have a lot of work ahead of me with programming. I noticed in this thread someone said something about either making or buying a cover for the screen to attach tactile glue or other points to. Where could one buy such a cover or make one?

Thanks,
Jon