B9-01   Where would I use bitmap files?

All buttons on the Pronto are actually bitmap icon files. This means you may change buttons so they look exactly as you want. Many users have gone to the effort of creating entire new graphical environments, however this can take many many hours of time to design and refine.

A simpler use of bitmap files would be to add a manufacturer's logo to your pages, add a photo of a small one or convert a favorite channel button's image so it looks like the station's logo.

You must use a bitmap editing package, such as PhotoShop, Corel Photo-Paint, Paint Shop Pro, Irfanview, or even MS Paint. These all will allow you to edit bitmaps on a pixel-level and modify them to meet your own needs. Unfortunately, the quality of work will depend solely on how familiar you are with these packages and your own skill level. So, to begin with it is recommended you start off with someone else's bitmaps and try to modify them to suit your own needs.

Bitmaps can be any size from 1x1 pixel up to 240x219 pixels, but must be saved in Windows .BMP format and contain no more than 256 colors.

Since the software for B&W remotes will roughly convert 256 colors down to the B&W Pronto's 4, it is recommended you do this beforehand in the bitmap editing software, using "dithering", for best results.

The RGB values for the 4-color palette are:

Black	000  000  000
Dark Gray	085  085  085
Light Gray	170  170  170
White	255  255  255

Note that the actual remote will not display grayshades exactly as shown on your computer. Thus, it is best to create graphics that do not require the user to discern the difference between dark gray and black, or light gray and white. ProntoEditPro can accept full-color images that will appear on your computer as they would on the remote.

To change the icon of a button in ProntoEdit v1.05 and earlier or RC5000 Setup, double-click on it and select the "Active Icons" tab. You'll see two windows labeled "Unselected" and "Selected", each with a preview of the icon assigned. "Unselected" is how the button will normally look, and "Selected" is how it will look when pressed or running a macro. To load a new icon, click the "LOAD" button and locate your image. To save the existing icon to disk for modification, click on "SAVE". Remember that both buttons must be the same physical dimensions.

The "Inactive Icon" tab is of no use to the majority of users, so you should either assign the same icons as on the Active tab or delete the icons assigned. However, note that you should not store "old" icons here -- a button will take the physical size of the smallest bitmap assigned, meaning larger graphics could appear truncated (see below).

To change the icon of a button in ProntoEdit v2.0 or newer, ProntoEditPro and RAVedit, double-click on it and select the "Icons" tab. You'll see four windows labeled "Unselected Active", "Selected Active", "Unselected Inactive" and "Selected Active". "Unselected" is how the button will normally look while "Selected" is how it will look when pressed or running a macro. "Active" are the icons that will appear during normal use, while "Inactive" are those that appear only when a button has no function and you are programming on the remote -- PC software users should ignore the two "Inactive" states and either assign the same image as "Active" or no images at all. To change a bitmap, right-click over the existing image and select "Load", then locate your image. To save an existing icon to disk, right-click and select "Save". You can quickly load an image onto a blank position by double-clickig on the square, or save an existing image by double-clicking over it.

Currently the answer is no, you can't. The only provisions are for "active" and "inactive" icons on a single button. Though transparency is an oft requested function, Philips has not announced any plans to include this in the near future.

When assigning a bitmap, you must change both the Active and Inactive designations. Though the Inactive setting will most likely never be used or seen, your button will appear truncated (chopped off) if the Inactive icon is physically smaller than the active icon. You may also fix the problem by deleting icons associated with the Inactive state.

The smallest bitmap assigned to any of the four states will translate to the physical size of the button.

By default ProntoEdit and RC5000 Setup will only allow you to save files up to the maximum size that the remote can hold - either 380KB, 460KB, 960KB, 1404KB or 6144KB. However, if you'd like to create a REALLY large gallery file you can.

For ProntoEdit v2.0 and earier and RC5000 Setup:


1. Using Notepad or another text editor, open c:\windows\pronto.ini (or for an automated method download Pronto.ini Workshop).
2. Change the line that reads size=xxx (where xxx is one of the numbers mentioned above) so that it reads size=9000.
3. Restart the software package. Open gallery.ccf, edit it or merge in other files, then save and exit.
4. Edit c:\windows\pronto.ini so that it again reads size=xxx (where xxx is the original number).
5. Load the software package once more and your new gallery file will be active.

   Note: if you're running ProntoEdit v2.0, ignore the universal_size=960 line.

   ProntoProEdit and RAVedit store this setting in the registry, so you will need to download Pronto.ini Workshop as linked to above.
   

For the most part, the procedures to creating graphics for the ProntoPro and RC9200 is similar to that of the black and white models: they're just in color. You'll still need a bitmap editing program and perhaps even something else to initially create the shapes in, such as Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW. Take the shape, convert it to bitmap, size appropriately, then convert to 256 colors. For specific tips on creating the best graphics possible, view this separate document created specifically for ProntoPro and RC9200 owners.

Although ProntoEdit will automatically convert color graphics to grayshades when you re-save a color file in black and white mode, the results are generally not optimal. One option is to make use of a real bitmap editing program’s converter, which should do a much better job of dithering. To complete this task you’ll need to download the "CCF Tools" program, which includes "CCF Decompiler" and "CCF Compiler".

First, load up CCF Decompiler and run your file through it. You’ll get a new directory that contains all of that file’s images in regular .BMP format.

Next, you’ll need to make use of a bitmap editing program with a "batch processing" mode. All programs operate differently, so you may need to read your software’s manual in order to figure out how this works. I use Corel PHOTO-PAINT, which requires me to save a script (or macro) with all of the necessary steps required to properly convert a file, and then run batch mode on the desired files. Tip: don’t merely have the software convert to 4 colors, have it convert to the Pronto’s specific 4-color palette. You can obtain this palette from any Pronto screenshot or saved B&W file.

After all images have been converted, run your file through CCF Compiler, which will merge all of the new graphics into a new file. You can now load the file back into ProntoEdit - which will still be in color mode - and then re-save it as black and white.

Yes, however it is not easy and you will need to REALLY want to change those items to make the whole process worthwhile.

Eigeny Oulianov has created a command-line program called "ImgRep" (find it in the file area), which can be used to replace any of the built-in bitmaps with ones of your own choosing. When run, the program extracts the system-level bitmaps from the firmware update file included with Philips ProntoEdit or Marantz Touch Screen Setup.

Modify the extracted bitmaps, and then run the program again - it will create a new firmware update file incorporating your graphics. Run the generated update program to copy the bitmaps to your remote, and enjoy!

Full instructions on how to use ImgRep are included with the download. Another program, called "FontRep", can also be used to modify the Pronto's default font.