I am ready to toss this thing out the window...!... I had no idea this would be so involved.......I bought the TSU3000....
I have tivo, denon receiver, denon cd/dvd player, Hitachi wide screen......and surround sound.....anyone out there with some sympathy for me........?........

I feel your pain, but actually its not that bad, and I'm speaking as someone new to this also, after I purchased the how to manual it all came into play, now, it is labor intensive but if you have a little time on your hand it can be fun, atleast its better than paying twice the price of the unit for someone else to program it for you. If you are having a specific problem I'm no where near an expert but I would be glad to help pass on the little that I have learned.

Sympathy, yes. A silver bullet, no. I am also a new user with the 7000. Yes it is comples, yes it is involved, but the payoff and ROI is huge. The thing that hlped me most was the $20 (approx) I spent on "The ultimate Pronto Guide" at www.prontowizard.com

Did it have me up and runnign in 30 minutes? No. But it gave me an understanding and a roadmap. I still juggled 4 remotes for a week ans slowly built and tested my Pronto config.

The Pronto is far from "point and click". But with some work and effort it ihas become my favorite piece of hardware I own.

I sure could use some pointers.....i have the pronto guide that you mentioned, i followed step by step the first chapter.......hours later, all i have is four buttons......now, my first question is this....can i download someone else's config. into my pronto and cut and paste my IR codes into it?...and have it work...?......or should i just keep on pluggin away at my own config.......it is taking forever since i am not really PC literate, i use mac exclusively, so i had to borrow a friend's laptop to start this project....i feel double-whamied.............feel like helping...?......

thanks......

I think (I' sure others with chime in with their thoughts) that you can use others config but I'm not sure this will enhance your own learning curve, I would atleast try to program one of my units and get it working and then if you choose to copy and paste other configs you will have a better idea of what you are doing, at this point your questions will be detailed enough that some of the old timers or the search on this forum can help. But for now I think some of us new folks can help you get to that point. hope this helps

yes you can, if one has a layout and buttons you like it is an easier way of getting started. But you still need to understand how the Pronto works

Absolutely. You have a huge choice of designs to choose from in the Remote Central file library. Pick one you like. Get rid of the functions/buttons you don't need or won't use often. Add any buttons that you may need that weren't in your downloaded file. Substitute your IR codes for those of the original (by learning them rather than using the ones in the database). You should then be off and running. Over time, you'll add convenience macros and customization features to better accommodate your family's activities.

Reinventing the wheel makes little sense.

Ok, if i borrow someone's config that i like, but their components are different brands, is it possible to rename them (ie: naming my denon receiver for a sony) and substituting my codes (learned) ---will that work?......or do i have to find one that uses the exact same components........?(i'm a slow learner when it comes to electronics.......)........left brain.

Simply stated, yes you can. That's one of the greatest things about the Pronto remotes. Their are various schools of thought as to how to set up & program these units, all of which are correct. I have used both the learn from the original remote
approach as well as selecting a Brand & model from the internal database & had
excellent results with both. Their are many other ways to set your unit up as well as the two I just mentioned so,the best advice I can offer, & I'm far from an expert,
is to try things as your knowledge permits & let it expand from there. We all want to jump in right away & come up with really impressive graphics, but the truth is , it
doesn't happen that way in most cases, so be patient. Read the FAQ on your unit & definately get a copy of The Ultimate Pronto Guide and then just have fun. This forum is filled with many very accomplished people when it comes to problems you may encounter, so feel free to ask when you have questions. Happy learning & have fun.

There is a lot of great advice in this thread: All these pros who posted, hit the nail on the head. There is not a real fast track to doing this. Before the Guide, the curve was rather enormous. Not that I can claim I have reduced the curve but I think we are getting closer to reducing it. You will need to exhibit some patience, which often is not what a new user wants to hear, who just plunked down some serious $ and now has to manage all of the BS to get to creating a config.

Take it a bit slow at the beginning and accelerate as you go. Things will begin to come to you as you go. They will not come to you all at once. It is a complex process but the outcome will be significant. Stay with the methodology in the Guide and you will cut a lot of hours off your development time. Most importantly, visit this excellent forum on a regular basis and don't be afraid to ask questions. You will find a lot of great helpers here who have been-there-done-that.

Hang in there. Don't fight it, solve it!

Dave D'Arche

I agree with everyone. This thing takes a lot of time. You have to be patient, and you said you've only spent hours on it. This thing is a continuous work in progress. You just bought a hobby. Enjoy the process of making your config, and then making it better. When you have spent months on it, then you will understand it.

Mark

It's also about learning or discovering new capabilities of the software and the remote. I found myself, many times, finding how to do something new (utilizing Jump Backwards, etc...) and the wanting to do that change my config. It's a constant rework but in the end. If it makes using the equipment easier, it's well worth it.

Just remember UI design is a learned art. They have courses in college for the stuff. Graphic design is the same. Some folks can do it, some can't. Those who can't, borrow.

Just like Dave's guide says. It's painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Or doing serious drugs... Very addictive.

I am in the same boat, I just got my remote 2 days ago and was ready to send it back when I saw the tivo controls that are default with the 3000 (5 pages to scroll through [NO WAY]) I searched the ccf files and found 1 that had 1 page for the tivo. I got it here:

[Link: remotecentral.com]

The tivo screen worked "right out of the box" I then just needed to substitute my dvd codes with the ones dennis had for his dvd,tv,etc. To do this just go to the home screen and press the IR button. This will give you the raw ir codes. From there select the DVD codes(orTV,etc) and then you will see the labeled "raw" buttons. then all you need to do is press and hold the hard botton on the lower left corner of the screen. That will bring you to the tools menu. From the tools menu just press learn-->learn button. This will bring you back to the raw ir button screen(black square buttons) from here just select the button that you want to "learn" and then point remotes at each other pressing the old remote button that you want to learn. I am very new to this so this may be bad advice but at least I do not feel like I want to return this remote anymore and I am using this remote exclusively. I did this all from the remote without prontoEdit. I have a few small probs (see my other post) but so far this remote is great. The wife even likes it!
PS Thanks Dennis for the ccf!!!

Thank you for saving my Christmas vacation.... I bought a Pronto 3000 earlier this year from someone that had just given up and wanted enough money for it to purchase a Harmony remote. So with an Infocus projector, 4 TV's, 5 Tivo's, a VCR, and a reciever all in one room, (I enjoy NFL football on Sundays) I figured the Pronto was my only solution. After a few attepts at trying to set up the Pronto and still nothing to show for it, I ran across your post for The Ultimate Pronto Guide from www.prontowizard.com. Over the past few days I have built my own configuration from the ground up. I now know how to put my ideas into action on the Pronto. While I still have a lot to learn, I am finally a proud Pronto owner.

The Ultimate Pronto Guide was money well spent. This Ultimate Pront Guide should be the user guide that comes in the box instead of that scratch paper Philips puts inside the box.

Thanks for the nice comments, Bubba. Glad the Guide worked for you. Over 1600 satisified users since the Nov 2003 intro. Of course, it would have never happened without this forum!!

Happy Holidays!

Dave D'Arche