Rating: Summary: Bad experience with this one Review: I received my Pronto Neo and found that it had obviously been returned by someone else. The batteries were installed, and the packaging was opened. The device would not work. I returned it and received a new unopend device within two days. After programming and using for three days, the new remote quit working. It will not even reset. Now I know why my first remote was returned. Based on my experience, the quality of this remote stinks. I've had two and both have failed miserably. If you feel like taking a risk, order one but I can't recomend it.
Rating: Summary: Great concept, bad execution! For $... I expected better! Review: I recently purchased a Philips ProtoNeo remote control for $.... Seems to work ok after I got it all setup (which took about two days) but it wont record some of the function from a couple of my remotes. For instance, I am able to get it to learn the fast-forward button on my DVD player (Panasonic about 4 years old) but it wont learn the rewind or eject functions. It just says "failed" every time I try to learn it. The built in codes also wont work for these functions. Also, when I try to have it learn some functions from my receiver (Harmon/Kardon about 2 years old) I have problems. Some of them record fine, some say "failed", while other record ok, but when I try to use them nothing happens. In general this is very upsetting since I spent $170 on a remote control! I upgraded the firmware and the NeoEdit software, but that doesn't seem to help. I also tried learning these same functions with a remote that came with a friends stereo and they worked fine on his remote. I then tried to record them from his remote into mine but again that didn't work. I'm probably going to return it since I was $... and can't rewind my DVD!
Rating: Summary: this thing does everything Review: I've been using this remote for two months now with my rather complicated A/V system, and I love it. You can make this thing do anything you want; I've even got it controlling my lights and air conditioner. However, do not buy this if you want to pull it out of the box, press a few buttons, and watch it go. You'll need to program it on your PC, and the software is pretty anti-intuitive, buggy, and requires quite a bit of tweaking for good results. On the other hand, if you like that kind of thing... you're in for a treat, just be sure to check out www.remotecentral.com for invaluable resources. This is a cheap programmable remote with no limitations as far as flexibility and customization.
Rating: Summary: Excellent Remote Review: It may seem a little pricy, but its worth it. I haven't had any problems with this remote at all. It learned everything I wanted it to. Some of the things that make it so great:1) Backlight on everything, including hard buttons 2) NeoEdit software can be used to customize the look of your remote (you can use your own bitmaps if you really want, or just use the ones provided), and to backup/restore the remote if anything ever happened to your programming. 3) Nice, easy to read LCD (adjust the contrast if you are having difficulty) 4) LCD buttons are just as easy to press as every other LCD remote (I have tried several others), just need to get used to it. 5) Remote response to button presses is very fast, as opposed to other learning remotes I have tried. 6) Good selection of hard buttons, I like having the navigation and selection buttons, as every piece of equipment I own needs them. Also, you get 2 hard buttons you can give custom labels to for each device right underneath the lcd screen.
Rating: Summary: How "Chincy" can you get??? Review: Let's see, can it be customized easily? I may never know! The thing ships with an outdated SCSI female 9-pin serial cable. My new laptop doesn't have an input for that, so I'd need to buy a gender changer ($15), and an adapter to convert it to a USB input ($50). For a $200 remote, you'd think the thing would have an up to date configuration rather than 1980's hardware requirements. Want a USB input? Philips makes you shell out another $200 for the next level up. Give me a break.
Rating: Summary: A Geek's Delight Review: Need a universal/learning remote? Like software development? This is the remote for you... it comes with a PC-based development environment (Think "Visual Basic", only much simpler.) The screen is Palm-like, unlike other "do everything" remotes (like the Sony Commander) this one fits in one hand. There is extensive `net support, and several on-line communities supporting this remote. Not for the faint of heart, but for a tweaker, it can't be beat - except possibly by the higher end Prontos.
Rating: Summary: Decent Remote for the Money Review: Overall I think that the concept of this device is outstanding. Having the ability to combine functions like Volume onto your DVD settings allows you to use only one remote instead of two. Also, the price makes this an excellent value for someone who has a few remotes, but not overloaded. My only two complaints are that the touchpad is a little hard to use. Sometimes your thumb will hit a couple of numbers and unlike remotes, you do need to look at the remote while pressing the buttons. However, I was able to remedy that porblem by velcro-ing a PDA pen (like a stylus) onto the side of the device. The second complaint is that the software they send you is not that easy to use. It seems like once you make updates to an additional screen, you need to re-program all of the "learned" functions. Overall it still solves alot of headaches at a great price.
Rating: Summary: Best value for the money Review: Overall very happy with this remote. At first a bit intimidating to program the remote, but the NeoEdit software that comes with the remote makes programing the remote very easy. Be sure to download the new version of FirmWare and NeoEdit from Philips web site. To make life simpler, I deleted all pages under the devices. Delete the devices I don't use (LD -- any one still using this ? ). The I dragged and dropped the buttons on new pages under the devices. I kept the buttons to be simple and the ones I use frequently. I will break out the original remote for the functions I use once every two years. I felt that removing the clutter from the remote would make it more simple a user friendly ( want to cut down the time spent on teaching the mother in law to use the remote, so user friendliness is a big priority). After adding the buttons, I used the original remotes to program the IR codes into the TSU500. The process of setting up the remote took over an hour, but it was a fun thing to do..
Rating: Summary: Useless for its real purpose Review: Purchased after reading mixed reviews, was convinced that the problems people were having were due to technophobia, etc. Figured I'd try it. What a huge waste of time and effort. Upgraded to most recent firmware, spent time carefully familiarizing myself with instructions, etc. Code set is nowhere near complete, does not have, for instance, ability to control my 4 year old Sony AV receiver. No problem, I thought, I'll teach it with the Sony remote. Impossible. Its learning function is not at all up to snuff. Will not learn from or activate newer Samsung equipment (their remotes are finicky anyway) and will not learn from several others, even though they transmit on a frequency that the remote is supposed to work with. Tech support is not very helpful, limited to "upgrade firmware" replies. I am quite comfortable with complex tech. stuff, arcane computer applications, etc. I, at least, am convinced that the problems lie with the Pronto and not the end users. For simple applications, this works fine, especially if your equipment just happens to (luckily) mate with what this remote can natively handle. But I could buy a cheapo universal remote for $10 at Wal-Mart for what this does.
Rating: Summary: Useless for its real purpose Review: Purchased after reading mixed reviews, was convinced that the problems people were having were due to technophobia, etc. Figured I'd try it. What a huge waste of time and effort. Upgraded to most recent firmware, spent time carefully familiarizing myself with instructions, etc. Code set is nowhere near complete, does not have, for instance, ability to control my 4 year old Sony AV receiver. No problem, I thought, I'll teach it with the Sony remote. Impossible. Its learning function is not at all up to snuff. Will not learn from or activate newer Samsung equipment (their remotes are finicky anyway) and will not learn from several others, even though they transmit on a frequency that the remote is supposed to work with. Tech support is not very helpful, limited to "upgrade firmware" replies. I am quite comfortable with complex tech. stuff, arcane computer applications, etc. I, at least, am convinced that the problems lie with the Pronto and not the end users. For simple applications, this works fine, especially if your equipment just happens to (luckily) mate with what this remote can natively handle. But I could buy a cheapo universal remote for $10 at Wal-Mart for what this does.
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