PRONTO TSU2000 - CONTROL IT ALL!
Written: Dec 22 '01 (Updated Dec 22 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Virtually unlimited macro capability, Pronto Edit software, Flexibility
Cons: Recharger sold seperately, for msrp it should be included
The Bottom Line: See Review
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| Placidman's Full Review: Philips TSU2000 LCD Touchscreen Remote Control |
Philips gets very little credit, in my opinion for their ability to come up with quality products. When you talk to people about home electronics they will usually mention Sony, Pioneer, JVC etc. Philips makes excellent products, and the topic of this review is one of their best ( in my humble opinion ).
The Pronto has been around for a few years now, and the TSU2000 is the second generation ( the TS1000 being the one before it ) model and it is pretty awesome.
The unit is relatively small at just over 5 inches long, and 3.5 inches wide. It weighs in at about 9.5 oz with the four AA batteries it requires installed. This remote has an LCD touchscreen display which measures 2.3 inches wide by 3.1 inches high. The screen has an available resolution of 240 x 320 pixels ( WOW!) , and I found it to be ultra sensitive to the touch ( no need to mash down on the screen to get the remote to respond ). To the right of the screen are five hard buttons ( labeled channel + and -, volume + and -, and mute ) which are backlit. Along the bottom are two additional hard buttons, and along the left side is the backlighting button, a contrast control for the LCD screen and a serial port jack. The entire LCD screen is illuminated ( aqua blue ) when the backlight is turned on.
The TSU2000 is a universal learning remote which is preprogrammed with hundreds of codes for products such as TV's, DVD players, CD players, satellite, amps/preamps, receivers etc. On top of that it has the ability to learn commands from gear that you already have, as long as you have the remote for that particular product. The TSU2000 also has macro memory command ability, and it's capability is practically unlimited. Macro commands are a series of memorized commands that the remote will perform with the press of a single button. The unit also has the option of building in time delays between the commands being sent out (the delays start in 1/2 second intervals and are adjustable ). For example I have programmed my Pronto to do the following with the press of one button:
Turn on the Receiver
switch the receiver to the DVD mode
turn on my HDTV
switch the TV to the DVD input
switch the TV to the proper display mode for anamorphic display
turn on the DVD player
open the disc drawer on the DVD player
switch the remote to the controls for the DVD player
This is just one group of macro commands I have implemented.
The remote has a built in clock, and days of the week. Why would this be useful?? The TSU2000 has a Timer function which will allow you to set up a series of memorized commands to be performed at a certain time on a certain day ( Cool! ). For example my wife,and I tape the TV show " ER " each week. I have a cable box connected to my TV and VCR. The problem is that every time we tape a show I have to leave the cable box on all night or else you will get nothing on the tape when the VCR's timer turns on for recording. Now, at 10:00 the Pronto will turn on the cable box, set it to channel 4 ( yeah sometimes we would forget to leave the cable box on the right channel ), turn on the VCR, and set the VCR to record. At 11:00 the Pronto shuts everything down. All we have to do is be sure to leave a tape in the VCR, and a relatively clear path to the components for the Pronto. It should be noted that the TSU2000's infared signal strength is substantial. I have bounced the signal off the wall, floor, and even a cabinet with an immediate response.
You can add as many timers/macros to the remote as you need. Each panel you add has five groups which each contain up to 25 commands each. The remote has a 2MB flash memory which is more than enough to hold all the info you can throw at it.
I found that it's learning function is simpler to use than any other learning remote I have used. All you have to do is press the " learn " button in the mode menu, point the remote that you want it to learn from at it's learning sensor ( located on the heel of the TSU2000 ), push which button on the TSU2000 you want to learn the command, and hold down the function on the other remote you want learned and that's it. I found this remote very easy to set up right out of the box. It uses a graphical interface for navigation with three main sections the first is " Home Menu " where a listing of all devices is stored, the other two are the " Macro menu " and " Device menu ". You can add as many devices to the Pronto as you require, and they are all customizable to fit your system.
Probably the biggest reason I chose the TSU2000 is Pronto Edit. Pronto Edit ( version 2.0 ) is a Windows based software ( CD rom ) that comes packaged with the TSU2000, along with a serial port cable for connection to your PC ( Sorry Mac users no compatibility here ). Pronto Edit will allow you to completely customize your TSU2000 by adding customized home pages, control buttons, icons, and most importantly ccf files containing function control codes for gear that you may have for which the remote does NOT have a preprogrammed code ( COOL! ). By going online and going to websites like Remote Central you can download ccf files containing TV network icons, cartoon character icons, manufacturer logos etc. You can really tailor the remote to fit your system, and family. For example I set ours up so that each family member has a home page for TV viewing. On my kids pages theirs contains the TV logos for Cartoon network, Nick at night, Fox family, etc. There is a TV icon on each page, pressing it will turn on the TV, and the cable box. All the kids have to do is press the network icon for the channel they want, and it turns it right there. The same is done for my wife and I. This is a truly useful ability, because I have a pretty extensive Home theater setup, and I really don't want the kids trying to figure out how to turn on the TV, cable etc. This way it's very simple, and fun at the same time. There are even some games that you can download to play on the Pronto, if you are really bored. Once you have set up the configuration the way you want it you would simply connect the serial port cable to an empty serial port jack on your PC, and connect the other end to the TSU2000. The changes would then be downloaded to the Pronto with a few clicks of the mouse. You can also upload info from the Pronto into the Pronto Edit program. All changes/configurations can be saved on your hard drive. Awesome.
The unit requires four AA batteries to run it, however as a seperate purchase you can get a recharger, and NiMH battery pack ( for $80 msrp ). More than likely I will invest in the Charger and batter pack although I feel that for with an msrp of $400 it should come with the remote.
I have found this remote to be everything I had hoped for in a complete system controller ( It will even dim the lights! If you are set up for it ). It's flexibility, ease of use, preprogrammed codes, and of course Pronto Edit make it highly recommended, and a heck of a lot of fun to use. Any questions or comments please feel free to contact me at placidman1802@netscape.net
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Placidman
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Member: Ralph Potts
Location: Middletown, NY
Reviews written: 22
Trusted by: 9 members
About Me:
I am an Audiophile who loves to read and write about Home Audio/Video.
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