Folks,

Was talking with a contact at Philips today. Here is some info about the next firmware release:

Q: Regarding a newer version (2.3.13) firmware being reported for the 3000?

A: "The version 2.3.13 only contains an improvement for the calibration process within our factory. There is no impact whatsoever on the performance or functionality towards the user. As it may be confusing to the user I will investigate if we can use less visible version changes, so users will not think they need to upgrade."

Q: When do you expect the next firmware release to be out and what enhancements can we expect?

A: "The next Pronto NG update can be expected late March (you may spread that news) where both firmware and editor will be updated. The firmware update will be a major one with many improvements (e.g. battery life, macro execution time reduced, faster IR-sending) and some new features (timers, multi line text in button)."

(I am assuming this is the bigger update people have been waiting for, on the 3000. Maybe this one will be the "dual" version, usable on 3000 or 7000?)

So, hopefully we will see some new stuff soon.

Dave D'Arche
http://ProntoGuide.com

Great!

Thanks for the info,
CJ

I think an all-in-one version is still a ways off.

Gotta ask, did they mention the double button press issue?

What about the non repeating (toggle codes) on thomson freeview receivers, they called me regarding this and said it may be in there too, but heart nowt since

bump

Based on the lack of feedback, it doesn't seem likely they addressed it. Even after a year of use, I still can't remember to press those *@%# buttons twice. Maybe that's because my brain is wired to think logically. I'd like to be able to operate all the hard buttons without having to look down and check if the screen is on - is that asking too much Philips? If there were an industry award for goofiest universal remote control software design, Philips would win hands down!

And if they fixed this, the batteries would last a lot longer too :-(.

If they didn't fix this in this release I am going to be very pissed off. People spend a lot of money on their remote and I seriously doubt one person can honestly say that they enjoy having to hit the button twice. It makes ABSOLUTELY no sense. Seriously, is there anyone in this forum that isn't annoyed by this "feature". So as it seems to me this would require a one day max fix, I seriously hope that phillips fixes this now and not make us complain for another 4-5 months before it gets fixed.

Ryan

True, but only if they make the screen activation optional. Currently, even the single press buttons always activate the screen.

Ideally, all the hard buttons should be allowed to perform actions on first press and the screen should activate only if there is a jump somewhere in the action list.

That could be accomplished by adding two mutually exclusive choices for each hard button:

(*) Activate screen before performing action(s).
( ) Activate screen for jumps only.

Selecting the first choice would produce the current behavior. The second option would make it behave just like the 2000 did. The default could be the first, just for the sake of backward compatibility.

The problem is compounded on the 7000 because of the motion sensor that (sometimes) wakes up the screen when you pick up the remote. If you're trying to pause a playback, the screen may or may not already be on by the time you hit the hard button, depending on how much you moved the remote and how quickly you reach the button. Half the time, i remember to hit the button twice, only to end up sending the signal twice because the remote woke up by itself.

I would love to also be able to turn off the motion sensor. I really don't want the screen to turn on unless I touch it. The 2000 handled that perfectly.

Unfortunately, I'd be surprised if they fixed all that in the next upgrade.

Unfortunately, they're still in denial that there is a problem at all.

Which only goes to highlight the diffences in customer care between Philips and Universal Remote.

Mostly bumping. Wonder what the definition of "late March" is.

Up to early April, I'd say. But soon!