Hello,

I have had my pronto TS-1000 for what looks like 5+ years now (I see I haven't updated my ccf here since 9/19/1999!) - I guess I look like a newb, but I used to hang around on this site a lot prior to the registration system being in place. Regardless, I think I'm finally fed up enough with the problems my remote has developed that I want to get a replacement. My pronto has had the "reboot problem" to varying degrees for years now; I've tried everything I've ever seen anyone suggest and it hasn't fixed the problem. While annoying, I could live with that, but recently the screen has also started acting up such that it either doesn't register me pressing it, or registers a press in the wrong place (or, very rarely, it works perfectly fine). I've also tried everything I could think of to fix that problem, short of buying a new screen, so I don't know what the problem is there.

So, it certainly doesn't seem like it's worth the money Philips wants to fix the thing - a used 1000/2000 on ebay is cheaper. Then again, a refub 3000 isn't much more money than an "old" pronto, which is what brings me here.

Obviously, I'm concerned about the reliability of the 3000, have there been reports of it developing anything like the reboot problem or has it been more stable?

Also, I just assume all the new features, especially the added hard buttons (which is the biggest thing for me) and the ability to use more of the screen real estate, makes the 3000 a better remote, but Daniel's review and some of the posts I read here when the 3000 first came out seemed like it wasn't necessarily a clear winner on all fronts. Have the problems that are described in his review (especially the slow macro performance) been corrected via firmware upgrades?

I guess that's really what I'd like to hear, from those of you who upgraded from a 1000 or 2000, was it worth it? Are there any reasons why someone would prefer an "old" pronto to the 3000 or is it now essentially as good as or better than the original in every way? The fact that my 1000 is only marginally functional at the moment, coupled with the fact that there doesn't seem to be much of a price premium for the 3000, certainly has me leaning towards getting one, but I just want to make sure there's nothing I'm missing that would make me unhappy with it.

Also, I surmise that the docking station is pretty much a "must" for this one? I did not have one for my 1000 but it seems like the battery life plus issues with using rechargeables make it worth the money? And, does anyone have any comments on "AV outfitters", I guess the fact that they advertise here at least makes them somewhat reputable?

Thanks for any advice, I certainly look forward to loving my pronto again instead of always feeling like chucking it against the wall to "force the issue"...

todd.

I have never used a 3000, but Philips has improved it a lot over the two years since it came out. I have used and programmed a few 7000's and I would definitely not consider an old 1000/2000/6000 over it. As for the docking station, I have been using them since the first Pronto and considered them a good accessory of convenience. The 3000 uses AAA instead of AA and so the batteries last even less, so I consider it an even better investment. As for reboots, I don't think I have heard of any such problem with the 3000

I have had my TSU3000 for about a year now, and I am quite happy with it. I never had any other Philips remote so I cannot provide you with a comparison. From my experience with the TSU3000, I believe that there are a number of issues that you need to consider before purchasing such remote:

1) It is programmable by a PC. The software that came with mine was outdated so I had to download the new version from either this website or the Philips website (I can't remember). There is no instruction book for how to use the software, so you have to figure that out yourself. The software is somewhat intuitive. The software is very versatile and enables you to become the master of your remote. The more versatile the software, the more of a pain to master it. So be prepared to spend many hours to perfect the remote layouts the way you like it (e.g., jumping from one screen to another, tying a number of screens together, etc.) With the software, you can virtually make every soft or hard button a macro button.

Once you master the software (in a few hours), programming it is more tedious, but not difficult. It's tedious because you have to enter or learn numerous remote commands (some available from this website, depending on the hardwares you own; thanks to the generous few who have uploaded their codes). The only difficult thing left is the logic that you must keep straight in your head as to which button does what. Think of it like a Window directory, with folders (menu page for each component) and subfolders (pages within each component for soft buttons), whereby you can crosslink between menu pages and/or component pages.

2) Purchasing the docking station is a must. I tried it without the docking station the first few months, and I had to replace the batteries quite a few times. Especially at the beginning, when I had to program it via the computer, which kept it on for extended periods of time.

3) My wife purchased the remote for me as a gift from Amazon.com. It was $150 less than the price at our local high-end hi-fi store. I suppose you can purchase online at other sites for a cheaper price, but we trusted amazon.com and went with it.

Good luck.

Todd,

HURRY !!! Go to [Link: cgi.ebay.ca]. You'll find a brand new full 12 month warranty TSU3000 plus the DS3000 docking station for US $275.

No, I'm not associated with RRDeals.com, but I did buy from them. I paid close to the same price for a refurb TSU3000 and new DS3000, before this sale came on. When I contacted RRDeals.com, the guy even offered to exchange my refurb for a new one. I don't want to vouch for this guy, but he really went out of his way to accomodate me at every step.

This apparently is a limited quantity 1 month deal from Philips for brand new, sealed box, units.

I turned down the offer for the exchange. When my order got delivered, I lived a nightmare with UPS, something I didn't want to relive. But the main reason is that I went to my local Philips depot and had the main board (there is only 1 anyways) replaced with the latest revision. I figure it's as good as new.

Thanks for the advice and suggestions, although after spending some more time today browsing around on this forum, I was disappointed to see that Philips has apparently not yet addressed the problems with delayed commands, dropped keystrokes, and slow macros that Daniel talked about in his review. I also don't get any real sense as far as whether Philips is planning to do anything about those problems, but if there hasn't been a firmware update since April I'm not too optimistic...

So I'm probably going to have to go find a local store that carries them and play around with it to see how bad the problem is and if I think I can live with it or not, although for $300 I'm not inclined to really want to "live with" any problems, especially ones that didn't exist on the 1000/2000. But, obviously there are a lot of happy 3000 owners around here so maybe it's not that bad. I am also still somewhat concerned about reliability given that there doesn't seem to be any economical way to repair an out-of-warranty remote.

I knew it wasn't just going to be simple :)

todd

I've owned a 1000, an Ipronto, and now I've switched to the 7000. As far as I know its identical to the 3000 only in color. I could be wrong here though. Anyway, adding the hard buttons has been a huge improvement. Its fantastic to not have to lose the real estate on screen to a large cursor arrangement. I havent had any problems with it so far. And I havent noticed any of the problems Daniel expereinced. My macros probably only have 10 or 12 steps in them, and I havent noticed any loss in speed over the 1000 or the ipronto. Or at least if the problems are there they havent bothered me enough to notice. So far my only gripe is that the volumn buttons dont feel different enough to me. I've turned the volumn up several times when I meant to turn it down. To me its been a great balance between the 1000 and the ipronto. I hated the ipronto. Too big, too heavy, too slow to wake up. And the web page thing was pretty much useless. Anyway, the 3000 will be a great investment Im sure. Good luck with it!

You can buy a "refurb" 7000 for less than $500 if you look around the Internet. (I recently saw a listing for $475 including shipping.) I would not bother with the 3000. You will spend an equal amount of time fussing with either model to get the confuguration you want working the way you want it to. Unless you value your time at peanuts, the price differential between the 3000 and 7000 is relatively inconsequential. Also, I believe that Philips is putting more resources into the 7000 than the 3000. I think you will see many more software/firmware upgrades for the 7000 in the future.

I have a 2000, a 3000, and a 7000. I can tell you, if you have the extra cash available, go for the 7000. It is awesome. The 3000 is definitely a great improvement on the 2000, but the 7000 is in a different league. It has tons of memory (now) and the color screen is amazing compared to monochrome. I think I like my 7000 better than most of the pieces of equipment in my HT and whole house audio system.

Mark