The biggest change involves an updated user interface for ProntoEdit Professional, which now supports the simultaneous editing of multiple pages along with movable, resizable and dockable windows. It’s been a long time coming! Other enhancements include improved font style and size selection, reusable macros, customizable actions for the rotary wheel, iPhone-style gesture support, faster file downloads and more dynamic elements for ProntoScript. Also new are UDP network communications and UPnP/DLNA support.

Here’s a complete rundown of everything that’s new, as provided by Philips:

ProntoEdit Professional v2.4.18:

• Display and editing of multiple pages on a single screen to help with smoother, faster programming workflow.

• Re-sizeable and dockable window panes to assist in more complex programming tasks, such as, creating user interface graphics. You can also move a pane to an external second monitor to create more space.

• Re-usable macros; once set up and used, programming macros can be simply stored and re-used when configuring repeated actions in multiple locations in a project.

• Rotary wheel enhancements; actions can be ascribed to the rotation / counter-rotation of the controller’s rotary wheel eg controlling volume or light levels.

• Improved font selection; any Windows PC font can now be easily selected and used in PEP2.4.

• Faster download time; When downloading the configuration file after the first download, the time it takes is significantly reduced.

• Faster installation of the editor; the installation is not only faster but it provides you also with more options to skip parts like specific galleries.

• New channel icons; for many countries new channel icons have been added or updated. During the installation you can select which channel icons you wish to have installed in the library.

• Increased font sizes; now any font size up to 255 is supported.

New ProntoScript Features:

• Dynamic user interface; PEP2.4 brings improved dynamic graphic (dynamic widgets) and text property control, adjustment and object manipulation through improvements to ProntoScript.

• Text is now more dynamical as the following text properties can now be changed in ProntoScript: color, font type, font size, bold, italic, alignment.

• Automatic library inclusion; instead of adding the required library in each activity you can now simply tick the box and it will be included automatically.

• Scripts can now be contained completely in ProntoScript libraries, allowing easier re-use.

  Important: The PEP2.4 software requires the use of the latest control panel firmware.

Firmware v7.2.22:

• Rotary wheel enhancements; actions can now be ascribed to the rotation/ counter-rotation of the controller’s rotary wheel, eg for controlling volume or light levels.

• UPnP/ DLNA; The UPnP/DLNA engine now incorporated into the Pronto platform will make it possible to hook up instantly with other UPnP enabled components. One interesting example is Sonos for which a dedicated ProntoScript module is created.

Firmware ProntoScript Features:

• Gestures; this feature will allow the creation of an iPhone style interface on any Pronto. Homeowners will be able to adopt a finger-slide approach to Pronto operation, covering a range of common system functions, such as, the super-fast scrolling of song lists and sliding volume control.

• Network communication with IP-based devices can now be performed using both TCP and UDP transport protocols, allowing control of an even wider range of network-enabled devices. Multicast UDP (used in dynamic discovery protocols such as SSDP or mDNS) is now also available in ProntoScript.

  Important: This firmware also requires an update of the editor to PEP2.4. It is not garuantied to be compatible with PEP1!

For more on the Pronto, visit our Pronto Professional forum.