I had the opportunity today to play with a Phillips Pronto TSU9600.

I had the MX3000 in one hand and the TSU9600 in the other. NO COMPARISON!

1) Screen quality, brightness, contrast, and colors make the MX3000 look horrible. Note that the MX3000 had the standard metallic background.

2) TSU9600's small LCD custom buttons were very precise to the touch.

3) More ergonomic than the 3000. One hand capable for channels, volume, and joystick. Two hands for macros and other LCD commands.


Please note that: I am an avid URC user. In fact, it is all I use.

I am aware that the price point is much higher on the Pronto, so maybe URC just needs a higher price point piece with an OLED screen and better ergonomics.

Also, I highly doubt that it is as easy to program as the URC stuff. For that matter it wasnt on a functioning system so I couldnt test its reliability.

Im not bashing URC..... Just giving other CI's some info.

I played around with the 9600 and it's software quite a bit at CEDIA. It does raise the bar for a color touchscreen and the software is far easier to use than any of Philips previous offerings. I think you'll probably see an appropriate response from URC with their next generation of the 3000.

Mike
www.SurfRemoteControl.com

If you guys get the chance, go to the dealer only website (urccontrolroom.com) and download the new Alpha Template for the MX-3000. You might like what you see.

Glenn

That being said, I encourage you to download the latest version, 2.1. The template has evolved since its creation, taking installer comments into account to add and adapt features to make the template as easy to use and as attractive as possible. For example, I recently uploaded seven new sets of buttons that work with the Alpha template to make it easy to change the look of all the buttons with just a few mouse clicks.

Thanks,
Dale

I don't suppose any of this will ever be available to anyone other that dealers, eh?

It is available for dealers and custom installers who handle the URC line. It is designed to be an asset for them, and even though I am a DIY'er, I applaud URC for providing this type of template for their custom installers.

Yeah, I created Alpha as a sales tool primarily. If it's quicker and easier to program an 3000 and get a truly custom look for your efforts, it's easier to sell the remote. While it does definitely look nicer than any of our previous templates, the primary goal was fast programming and customization.

Dale