I inadvertently posted this on the general remotes forum.


I only want the Pronto if it can send discreet on/off commands for the following Sony TVs. Can you please confirm this capability?
Sony KV-19TS20
Sony KV-27V10
Sony KV-25XBR

Thanks,
-bs

Buy the Pronto.

Hi Bruce,

If you only want to buy the pronto to use it for discreet codes, it will be cheeper to buy a one for all. But If you want to buy the pronto because of its excellent GUI forget it if there are discreet commands missing. For my German Sony TV model KV-D3431D there definietly no discreet on exist. Most Sony TV use the power button only to swich off the TV. To swich on you have to press a programm button. I use a makro which send the program 0 command followed by the available discreet Video input 1 command (I use my TV only as a Monitor and Video1 is the general input).

Buy the pronto

:-) Rainer

Sound advice, buy the pronto.
It needs to be setup for Sony stuff, it is a philips device and comes loaded only with philips codes. If the discrete codes exist though, the pronto will handle them. You should be able to find discrete codes for most Sony kit in the files archive right here at remotecentral.

Yes, most Sony devices have discrete codes posted in the file area here.

Hi,

I own a Sony KV-E2541B (Swiss model) and noticed it does NOT support discrete on code! And yes, I tried Sony codes 46/47 (actually I tried all of them). I know they should be discrete On/off for Sony TV - but on mine it does not work. If anybody knows a way to put the tV in a mode such that discrete codes are supported, I would be VERY (!) grateful! Maybe only non-european models support a discrete on?

Well, to be precise, there is a way I found - but it is a complicated and slow one. Nevertheless, it is interesting and might be of help to others. The trick is Sony Code 127, which seems to be a "Test" Code; in Hex, it looks like

0000 0067 000d 0000 0060 0018 0030 0018 0030 0018 0030 0018 0030 0018 0030 0018 0030 0018 0030 0018 0030 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0018 0540

If I send this code once while the TV is running, I see a green "T" on the screen; if I press it again, I see "TT" and teh TV seems now to expect 2 digits from the keypad (like after pressing -/--). Most of these codes switch the TV in some "funny" display mode, like solarization effects and the like. To codes are of particular interest:

TT13 : display software version of TV (mine is version 3.45, dated 1993, as far as I remember) and its capabilities (number of AV channels and the like).

TT49 : ends test mode and switches the TV in "default" state (particularely volume setting).

The point is that sending a "T" also turns the TV on if it was off. So, what you can do is just sending the following:

'T'
Delay 1 sec
'T'
Delay 1 sec
'4'
Delay 1 sec
'9'
Delay 1 sec
-/--
Delay 0.2 sec

The long delay seem to be needed (I did not spent too much time trying to minimize them though). The -/-- seems also to be needed because it seems having "-/-- 4" memorized (leaving it away and sending just "9" switches to channel 49 instead of 9). but after some seconds, the -/-- mode is reset.

Anyway, after this sequence, the TV should be in On mode, on the channel it was on before, and its picture and volume setting on a default state.

Maybe somebody else found out other useful things to do with the T modes? Maybe some TT setting puts the tV in a mode that accepts discrete codes... I didn't try all things thru. What I noticed though is that some T codes seem to switch certain program places into parent-lock mode. So don't play with these codes shortly before you want to watch something important on TV :-)

Andy

Hi Andreas,

good idea. I try this on my german Sony TV. When I generated all codes with Prontoutil and IRPanel I remember, there was a moment when there was a T on the screen, but I did not know what this meens. I think you are right, that there are realy no discreet on for elder European Sony TV. And what the experimenting with codes conserned... Some days ago I analysed the codes of my AKAI VCR by hand and created a new entry in the ProntoUtil.ini without using IRtools, because IRtools sayd this codes are RAW codes. The codes worked very fine but as I pushed on special button (I dont know which code it was) The Disdplay of my VCR started tot jitter and I cold not stop it. After a few minutes the VCR made a reset on every memoriced Input and I had to reprogramm the Time, the station buttons and so on. So everybody listen to Andy

BE CAREFULL

by Rainer

Sony codes are very simple and I have yet to see a "modern" Sony unit that did not obey discrete codes for on and off, yet many such units are being reported.

There is a quirk that many of you might not know about. Sony components normally want to see more than 1 repetition of the code for verification if it comes in through the IR window as opposed to the wired s-link connection. The code should be encoded as a repeatable burst set. That is, word 3 should be zero and word 4 non zero. Sony uses 3 basic formats of 12 bits, 15 bits and 20 bits. Word 4 of the hex pattern should therefor be (normally) a d, 10, or 15. This is because you need to account for the AGC burst, so the burst count is 1 higher than the bit count.

I have run into many situations where the patterns were encoded as one time patterns and would not work until changed to repeatable patterns. You also have to hold the button down to make it repeat.

The other more advanced method is to store the code as a one time code (word 3 is non zero and word 4 is a zero), and repeat the pattern (Words 5 through the end) at least two, preferably three time. The control word (word three must then be multiplied by 2 or 3 as the case requires). This is the method I use in my code generators and it appears to work reliably with a repetition rate of 2 for the sony equipment I own.

The Pronto tends to learn all sony codes as repeatable codes.

Barry: That may be for a certain number of devices reported, but I have one such completely uncooperative unit myself. And the problem here isn't that it won't respond to the code, but rather that it doesn't seem to work RIGHT with the code.

(You've probably heard this before, but...)

My S500D DVD player, when issued an Off command, will shuffle around, power off (like normal) and then power back on. I can't remember right now, but I believe this repeats. The On command appears to do nothing unless you've just issued an OFF command and it's come back on... the word "PLAY" will appear on screen, but nothing else will happen. Very odd.

And discrete codes simply don't appear to exist at all for the x50 series of Sony DSS receiver.

Barry: Yes, I found that out myself. All my sony codes are machine generated and as one-time bursts that repeat the code three times (I did so because, except for the volume command, I don't like the auto-repeat function which often "repeats" too soon in menus or in teletext mode). All these codes ARE recognized, and all work fine. Except that the code that is expected to be discrete power on and off are just ignored. My normal Power button (code 21) does not toggle Power though, but seems to behave like a "discrete power off". Codes 46 and 47 don't do anything.

as I said, this is for a Sony TV KV-E2541B 8software version 3.45, from 1993). Also other codes I would like and seem to be common in USA TVs are missing, for example a "Previous Channel" function. I tend to think the lack of these codes is not because the TV model is that "old", but because it is an European model. I think it might also be possible to put the TV somehow in a "US-compatible mode" such that discrete codes and maybe PC work - if anybody knows something about this, I would be really glad about this because discrete on and PC are 2 very valuable functions! But not valuable enough to buy a new TV (yes, maybe mine is not the most up to date model, but the picture quality of it is still excellent!!)

Andy

Yes, I think the problem is model specific. It's certainly not age - I've got a 1986 14" Sony TV here that responds perfectly to discrete on/off and inputs! :-)