I`ve been looking bor buying a TSU9600 for several years, and now, that i got a job and the opportunity to it, it seems that the pronto line is going to be discontinued...

Do you think that it is a good last chance to buy a pronto and use it the years to come or it is not a good opportunity because the lack of support and because there are going to be similar and better products in the near future??

Thar you all and sorry for mi bad english.

The software and firmware up through PEP2.4 are on this forum. As you can see, in the Classic Pronto Forum, the software is still around. So, if you want the 9600, take the plunge. You can pickup a used one from Ebay or buy yourself a new one.

I highly recommend the platform due to its javascript capabilities.

I would buy a TSU9400 any time. The problem is it's I am really happy about paying it so much as it is quite expensive for me.

I'm a relatively happy TSU9600 user, and if I was thinking about starting it all again now with a clean sheet, I wouldn't buy a TSU9600 until the future of the product line was more clear. It is a very expensive tool which is going to have limited or no support. If you have above average programming skills, then I would recommend getting a network connected IR transmitter like the Global Caché GC-100 and program an Android device to control it. If you have an Android phone with a keyboard you already have hard keys (like a Motorola Droid for example), you have an excellent touch-screen. And in the non too distant future I'm pretty sure you are going to have a great selection of tablets with hard keys as well.

In fact, I'm so certain that this is the right way to go in the current climate that I've started work on my own Android app and I'll be investing in a GC-100 in the very near future. I would definitely pick Android over iPhone though since for developing your own application you really want to be able to work with a more open device, and not have to deal with the vagaries of the Apple app store.

Based on the capabilities of the Pronto versus other options out there and the possibility to get a deal on a Pronto now, I'd say it is still a great opportunity to get one.

I somewhat disagree on the last part. There will be no new software revisions from Philips but all the software/firmware that has been released to date and published to this site will remain here. So, you have access to currently released firmware and editor for the duration as well as all the information on this site. Daniel has already indicated that he has no plans to remove the forums or the files..

With regard to calling Philips to get a bugfix, pretty much no one did that anyway. They would come here and we either find a workaround or one of us (beta team) worked with philips to get the issue reproduced so it could be fixed.

Admittedly, Philips will no longer be writing new software for the platform but the stuff in place will survive for many years to come. Look at the Classic Prontos, many of which, are still in use today and the last one rolled off the line at least 6 years ago when the NG models were introduced.

The problem with the lack of support is much more subtle than just waiting for bug-fixes. The problems you are going to have will concern things like:

1) New wi-fi features - 802.11 was only released in 1997, many of the features of wi-fi that we now take for granted only became popular in the last few years. We have only recently got WPA in the Pronto, but we will now be stuck with what we currently have, and in a few years time that will be obsolete.
2) In my experience, the Pronto is incredibly flaky with certain types of wireless access point. If the ones that installers know are good stop being produced, we could find ourselves very stuck.
3) IR databases. As new AV equipment is released, we need to stay up to speed with the IR databases. I can easily envisage this becoming a major issue in a few years time.
4) Regardless of the intentions of Philips for maintaining spare parts, it is going to be increasingly more difficult and potentially more costly to replace things that go wrong. I recently had to replace my RFX9400 to keep my system running. In a few years time replacements like that may be difficult and costly, or even impossible.

I'm sure there are many other potential gotchas out there - these are just a few potential ones I've thought about in a few minutes. I could not in all honesty recommend someone go out and purchase a niche device such as this, which costs as much as it does, when the company that makes it has pulled the plug.

I actually sincerely hope that Philips manage to sell the Pronto line as a going concern. But I can also see the writing on the wall. The ubiquity of inexpensive high powered touch enabled devices like phones and tablets will probably change the way people do universal remotes within 5 years. At the moment, there are still some steps needed for the leap to happen, but I have little doubt that it will happen. If someone wants to spend development hours on coming up with a home solution for universal remotes, I would have to recommend looking to the future rather than back to the past.

I agree with points 1,2, and 4. However, O1R database will be around and likely will continually be updated as they do license that database to other vendors. :-)

daveand

Point 2 , im actually finding more AP and wireless devices for the pronto becoming more reliable in the past year..

Point 3 , you can add to your own database so no issues there :)

Spares , these will beavailable for at least 7 years , and my guess is that will be longer, as im still getting spare for the older remotes.


It wasn't Pronto that Pulled the Plug But Philips ...

and lets hope some one does but Pronto...... i hope its not Crestron :(

Sorry but i don't see any real problems in those 4 points.

1) 802.11 will always be backward compatible. If you want a n network for your home you can add a g AP to the network just for the pronto. You have WPA which is almost an overkill for the pronto. WPA is here long to stay and I doubt pronto has any room left for a more complicated encription standard

2) there will always be some AP's that will work perfectly. It will only be a matter of finding them. In any case this argument would be "valid" with or without the support from philips

3) I never really cared about IR databases if a component is not there, I take the remote and learn the codes. You can even have dummy codes in the project until you get your hands on the real remote sou you can learn the codes at the end of the implementation

4) Philips is bound to EU laws that state that they have to provide spare parts for at least! 7 years after the end of the production of the device. That's a long way to go.

The problem is that prontoscript makes the pronto pro's very powerful devices, there is very little you can't do and I believe it's quite future proof. We need to see how long will it be when the tablet apps will provide such flexibility.

There are interested parties negotiating right now, I am pretty sure Pronto will prevail.

Even if it doesnt happen, which it probably wont, Pronto's real support team is right here and not going anywhere. Over the years I will have to admit that although a Pronto dealer I never seen such a more knowledgeable bunch of guys here (Lyndell, and others). I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to purchase this product. I think you will be fine for repairs due to the size of Philips, and that only leave tech support. To me, that is right here, as well as the true resource for codes, etc.

Thanks for your opinions guys.
i've taken the plunge and have bought a TSU9600 right this morning!!

I guess you're going to see me a lot in the forum from now asking how to program my new remote ;-)

Congratulations they are a fantastic remote.

For communication between the Pronto and some device that it controls and nothing else, yes, maybe WPA is almost overkill.

But the real problem here is that once an encryption standard becomes obsolete (compromised somehow), an AP on your network with that encryption standard makes the whole network insecure.

There are, of course, workarounds. But it would not be as simple as just adding an AP.

I agree with you about n and g, though.