Philips Pronto TSU9600

Buying a Philips Pronto TSU9600

“The Philips Pronto is the grandfather of all universal remote controls with touch screens. The current generation has established itself as a trusted solution for beginners seeking a device for controlling their apartment and home theater.”

There are lots of new features on this operational device. The design is especially unique. Due to its size, it cannot really be managed well with one hand. Since you operate the remote horizontally in your hands, though, it seems far less cumbersome than the Pronto Pro NG. The fancy casing with its silver aluminum look sits upright on its base, which also doubles as a docking station for charging. The platform beneath, which is made of clear plastic, is also lit up, making the Pronto remote a real eye-catcher for home theaters.

The remote is equipped with a large screen that is surrounded by various buttons. This means that standard functions like “On/Off”, “Volume”, "Channel Up/Down” and a navigational cross-shaped pad are always able to be used without the screen.

The 3.7 inch touch screen has a resolution of 640x480 pixels. You can basically organize the screen however you like with the software that Philips includes with the remote control. The software “Pronto Edit Professional” gives every remote control a unique touch. The software can both configure and arrange the various remote control functions in a very precise way. Philips includes numerous graphics for buttons and labels along with various background pictures and network logos. Pictures can also be downloaded if desired, so a picture for the DVD player, receiver and projector can be stored.

Operating and configuring the Pronto TSU 9600 is a piece of cake for Pronto owners. Though you can spend a lot of time editing graphics for individual functions, the basic functions are able to be set very quickly. Philips offers an extensive database of manufacturers with numerous codes for TVs, projectors, DVD players and receivers. However, those who still cannot find the right code need not panic. All remote control signals can be quickly and easily “learned” and transferred to the Pronto remote.

We tried this with our Sanyo PLV-Z5. The projector was delivered with a small remote control that was able to be transferred to the Pronto remote quickly and easily. The only question that then remained was what the layout should look like. What should the buttons from the original remote control look like on Pronto’s screen? It is best to think up a general concept beforehand for how you can quickly and easily activate all of the functions. For starters, the most important functions should appear on the first page. You can add as many additional pages as you want.

In order to be able to enjoy controlling your home theater, it is advisable to use “macros”, especially for members of the family who are less technically inclined. Macros are little programs that execute a series of functions. One useful macro is for instance “home theater - on". With this macro, you can automatically turn on the projector, lower the projector screen, set the receiver to "DVD" and dim the lights all with the touch of a button.

The Pronto TSU 9600 works both with infrared signals and wireless signals. Wireless Internet can even be used. This means that the TSU 9600 is not just a remote control. There are many other available functions, such as being able to control a music server and have the song titles displayed on the Pronto screen. With the available accessories and various extenders, controlling devices between previously inaccessible rooms is also possible.

The Pronto TSU 9600 is delivered with a docking station, a USB cable and a power adapter. A short user’s guide as well as the Pronto Pro Edit software are also included.

The wireless extender (RFX9400) and serial extender (RFX9600) are also available. These allow for comprehensive controller concepts for the living room and home theater. Communication between the Pronto remote and these controllers is based on a standard Wi-Fi connection. According to the model of the controller, Philips only offers IR (RFX9400) or IR, RS232 and relay interfaces as well as voltage sensors (RFX9600).