Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Perhaps satisfaction is a matter of perspective....., May 11, 2004
I am an owner of a TSU-2000, and I recently upgraded to the TSU-3000.I upgraded because I felt that the TSU-2000 lacked perfection in only 3 areas. First, the graphics (specifically the contrast) on the 2000's screen are mediocre, although they are very usable. Second, the 2000 lacks a physical toggle/cursor. Third, the 2000 uses batteries and, like any device that does, they must be replaced (or recharged) from time to time. The TSU-3000 does admirably solve the first 2 issues, and I never expected the third to be solved in my lifetime. The TSU-3000's graphics are very good, and it has a toggle. The TSU-3000's performance on the third issue, batteries, is illustrative of my faulty thinking when I upgraded. It never occurred to me that the upgraded model would perform significantly worse than the old model in lots of areas, but the performance of the 3000 is significantly poorer than that of the 2000 in many, many areas. In other words, not only does the 3000 need its little batteries recharged too often, but its performance in other areas is also deficient when compared to the 2000. I am woefully familiar with remote central dot com. The forums there are very helpful, and very informative. Evidently, when the 2000 was upgraded to the 3000, the starting point was the processor. The Motorola processor used in the Palm Pilot and the 2000 was discarded in favor of a processor made by Mitsubishi. Unfortunately, the newer Mitsubishi processor doesn't work as well as the old Motorola processor. The new processor required new graphic software for the 3000 and, you guessed it, the new software does not work as well either. The list of performance deficiencies goes on..... I'd recommend reading the whole saga at remote central. The problems appear to plague all the new Pronto models--the 3000, the 7000 and the iPronto. So, older is better. Oddly, prices reflect this, too. As of a few minutes ago, refurbed 3000s sell for less than refurbed 2000s. Now, if that doesn't make you stop and think, nothing will. Hmmm..... Is this another case of a company building a great product and then cutting costs in a new model, hoping to make money from past performance? I don't know the answer to that question, but I do know this: my 2000 is going to my bedroom, and my 3000 is going to my closet. For my living room, I'm going to buy a refurbished 6000, the one with the Palm Pilot processor. Bottom line: When compared to the 2000, the 3000 doesn't make it. Perhaps satisfaction IS purely a matter of perspective, and maybe my views are too influenced by the fact that I already own the best, that being the 2000, and the 3000 does not compare favorably.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Works well if you put in the time, devours batteries, May 5, 2004
I've likely put in no less than 100 hours configuring this remote using the PC software, and this is after I reused artwork and icons from many others who share on remote central. The result is a an attractive and easy to use display which can drive everything in my home entertainment system. Unfortunately, even with all the effort babysitters may still struggle to make everything work right. This remote and its software provides you great flexibility, but you have to really put the time in (on the order of weeks and months)to set everything up nicely. I rather enjoy doing all that, but I believe most people will not.
The greatest drawback with this device though is the battery life. I went through a set of 4 AAAs every few days. I therefore went to rechargables which I have to recharge every 2 days. I want to recommend this remote, but given the difficulty many will find in programming it and the battery life I have to stop short.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
This is an enthusiasts item, May 28, 2005
I owned a TS-1000 (the first version of the Pronto) and spent about 80-100 hours learning how to program it and getting my whole system working. Once it was programmed, my system - a front projector, electric screen, and 10-12 components in three rooms - was easy to use. Press a single button and the PJ turned on, the screen came down, the amp turned on, the volume was set, the (chosen) component was selected, and a Pronto screen with the most common controls for the component was brought up. Want to watch a DVD on the Jukebox? Hit a key, type in the slot number (from nice coffee table-style book thanks to dvdprofiler dot com) and everything switches automagically.
Well, I sold that house, and the Pronto went with it. I've just rebuilt a more modest setup, and the standard universal remotes just didn't cut it. I picked up a used TSU3000. It turnes out that some of them will lose their ability to sucessfully connect over the USB port, so I have a pretty, touchscreen paperweight right now. However, before I realized that it wouldn't connect, I looked at the new software. It's better than the old, but you can expect 20-40 hours learning to program (10-15 if you're an old Pronto user) and probably as much or more creating your first configuration. You've really got to love programming, and be a bit of a masochist, to really like these remotes. There are issues with the firmware from time to time, so even the best programming may not be able to do everything. As for batteries, the rechargables I put in the remote about a month ago, without using the remote, had about 1/3 charge left in them.
The entire support system from Philips is, perhaps, the absolute WORST of any consumer item I've seen. If you have problems, you may as well throw the dice and call tech support, 'cause you're not going to get any help on their web page. The software is generally very manual and couterintuitive (you can't edit multiple instances, there's practically no documentation, and the default system for creating configurations is byzantine and labor intensive - so much so that it's easier to bypass them entirely).
All that said, if you've got a bunch of spare time, a good helping of patience, some programming ability, and a desire to eliminate the clutter and really make your AV system look sharp, (and you don't have the extre $300 to get the color verion), you just might find this a fun experiment. IF you have a full time job and kids...well, you may never get the software up and running smoothly. Fair Warning.
BTW - I haven't tried the software for handhelds, mainly because (1) I don't have one with an IR LED strong enough and (2) I really like the "hard buttons" for volume, mute, and channel.
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