I had an older Pronto and upgraded to this guy a while back, with generally good results. It can program or automate virtually anything that speaks IR remote codes, and you can organize the functions and make them look any way you want. Understand many of the functions that are available on this unit can be replicated at lower cost on something like an iPod Touch. The reason you'd use the Philips is that it gives you a completely custom look that can add a lot to make an installation look really custom.

Understand that you will definitely need computer and programming skills, as well as a reasonably good understanding of how IR devices work. But if you're comfortable and know a bit about programming, you can truly get wonderful and highly professional results on this device. It can be a true competitive advantage if you're a pro.

Although the programming itself can sound intimidating, it's really not as bad as some make it sound. First, you might not need to start from scratch...there's a community of users and pro installers who distribute cool looking templates on the web. This lets relatively non-technical folks get the benefits of this device in a simpler way. There are also databases of IR codes for thousands of devices, and in my experience, if you email just about any manufacturer, they will send you the details of their device IR codes to you. If that fails, you can even just point a device at the Pronto, and it will read the codes of any particular device - it just takes a long time to do this part for a device with lots and lots of buttons.

The wireless networking capabilities that connect to the extender unit are a big help, especially if you have a large plasma screen. I find that many large plasma screens generate quite a bit of IR interference, and so wireless between the head unit and the extender is a great idea. This is especially important if you tend to do complex macros with lots and lots of steps...missing even one command due to interference (or whatever) can cause problems. It also gives you essentially unlimited range (indeed, even over the Internet if you setup your network correctly).

The built-in display can be used to show the status of certain devices, such as media servers and so on. Turns out any device that lets you "read" status can be displayed here, and this includes things like home automation equipment, thermostats and so forth.

To an extent, the results you get depend on the equipment you use. For instance, some devices have codes to "toggle" features, while others have discreet codes for each state. If you want to turn on your TV, regardless whether it's on already, you'll have an easier time if your TV supports a command called "ON" rather than one that says "toggle the ON/OFF switch".

Recommended for experts and perfectionists.

Product Overview

p Ultra-thin with a stunning 3.5 inch QVGA color touch screen the Pronto TSU9400 is a hybrid of full functionality! It can blend into practically any modern interior with its designer looks and geometric aluminum and black gloss finishing. /p

Product Feature

• Philips TSU9400 Pronto Universal Remote Control

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 05, 2010 10:58:15