RC User Reviews: Philips ProntoNEO TSU500 Remote Control (6)

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User reviews for the Philips ProntoNEO TSU500 from Philips Electronics.

Ratings	Reviews	MSRP (USD)
Average: 3.29/5.00 Median: 3.67/5.00	52	$249

The ProntoNEO TSU500 is a lower-cost addition to the Pronto Family. But with a graphical LCD touchscreen, full code learning, macros on any button and complete PC editing software with custom bitmaps, the ProntoNEO itself is no lightweight.

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Now viewing user reviews page 6 of 8 for
the Philips ProntoNEO TSU500 remote.

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Written by John T from Hollywood, CA.

The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 17 made on Sunday April 21, 2002 at 4:13 AM.

Strengths:

Good hard buttons, decent ergonomic design, programmable, connects to PC, bright backlight

Weaknesses:

Poor programmming software design (NeoEdit), no way to have backlight turn on with every button press (important for home theater), not USB = slow up/download

Review:

I chose this unit over the other Pronto units not because of price, but because it's the only one with enough hard buttons to operate Tivo and DVD shuttle controls w/o having to look at the touchscreen. I could never understand why this isn't the norm in touchscreen remotes...

I bought the TSU 500 at Best Buy as a restock for $150, and spent the next 10 hours programming it for a moderately complex home theature system - HK AVR 80 mkIII receiver, Pioneer Elite 610 rptv, Sony SAT-H100 HD receiver, Hughes DirecTivo, Pioneer DV38a DVD, Technics outboard digital audio decoder.

I've got most of the kinks worked out, and I do love the device - plenty of macros to set up all the components for various viewing modes - HD, DVD, Tivo, etc..., and even some simple pages for my father (77 years old) who isn't too fond of universal remotes and their sixteen million tiny buttons.

It's a shame that the editing software has so many limitations, but I imagine that this will change over time, and I am glad I invested the time to program the unit - it's the best one I've owned, so far.

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Written by Richard Newton from Montclair, NJ.

The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 16 made on Monday March 25, 2002 at 7:41 PM.

Strengths:

didn't keep for long enough to find out

Review:

I tried the neo-edit, every time I tried to upload or download it crashed my system. Called tech support, and they informed me that the software is not supported by Philips. They also said that, since the software is "free", they don't feel that they have any obligation to support it. Too bad, as perhaps it is a good product, but there are too many competitors that actually seem to want customers, and they are the ones I will purchase from.

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Written by Denis C from NY, USA.

The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 15 made on Wednesday March 6, 2002 at 12:40 PM.

Strengths:

Shape and size good for one hand operation. Granted I do have larger hands then most.

Software upload and download capability. Uses a serial connection instead of infrared for PC communications. Very configuable.

Good web presence, i.e.: this web site. Good user base on this web site and others.

Weaknesses:

Trouble learning some buttons. Limited brand data base. Goes through batteries quickly. A bit high on price. Only 1 meg of memory.

Sporadiclly loses some links when uploading and downloading, no ryme or reason to it I can figure out.

Review:

I bought the NEO just a week ago. I paid 200.00 for it at Best Buy. At first I was frustrated that it would not learn some buttons, especially ones that are key for the functionality of my system. I was also disappointed that the NEOEdit software that comes with the NEO did not have an upload option. Like others have said, I agree that not having an upload option really renders the software useless. But a long download at 24kbps and version 1.3.3.2 I was up and running both uploads and downloads.

I installed the software on a win2k laptop and a win4.0 server with no problems at all. The software does take some time to open the nfc's but that is not a big issue with me. And of course it takes time to upload and download but that is to be expected at serial speeds. I found the software very easy to use.

I was able to enter discrete codes using Charles Lee's prog NEOHacker (Thank You Charles!) There are many possibilities with NEOEdit and NEOHacker. I hope Philips and Charless continue to be update their programs.

Please note that I work with network hardware and software. I have a lot of experience with PC's and software so others may not be as comfortable with the software as I. I also enjoy tinkering with stuff like this. The NEO will take some work to get it just the way you want, but so will other remotes.

It took me sometime to get everything working but I did. I was even able to get some buttons on my Sony Receiver working by using another NFC file that had a similar Sony. Using NEOHacker I got 3 out of 5 components discrete on an off codes programmed. Now I have some good macros working great. All I really need are the discretes for the other two pices of gear. One is a Panasonic VCR PV-V4611, and it may not even have discretes, might be a TOAD. The other is my Satelite reciever, An Optimus from Radio Shack, about 4 years old.

I looked at the Sony RM-AV2100 for not much less. I didn't want a remote that needed two hands or was hard to use with one hand. With the PC connection and software, lots of hard buttons the NEO was an easy choice. Take into account the user base on this web site, people like Charles Lee, the NEO is a real winner.

Bottem line, I do not need any other remote then the NEO, and that was the goal.

I would like to thank the users on this website, the webmaster, and Charles Lee. This place was a big help!

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Written by Chuck from Connecticut.

The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 14 made on Monday January 7, 2002 at 5:15 PM.

Strengths:

Slim design, nice button layout with a a good ammount of "hard" buttons, including directional arrow "hard" buttons. For the functionality you get, the price is pretty good(<$200 at Best Buy).

Weaknesses:

Touch screen needs better calibration. Software needs to get better, although it took a huge step in the last version by adding upload capabilities. I bit hard on batteries.

Review:

I bought this remote after finally deciding I needed a remote that would last me thru several component upgrades, instead of having to get a new universal remote, everytime I upgraded to the new stuff. The price was a bit high, but I felt this gave me the best combination of a "touch" screen and hard buttons along with a descent price.

After I downloaded the new firmware and software(this is an ABSOLUTE must), I was off to work with programming it. The software still has some annoying quirks in it, like losing some links and you can't re-design the top level screen thru neo-edit(you can manually, however). It was a bit time consuming, but once I got it programmed, I am loving this remote.

I would recommend this to people looking for a very programmable remote that is affordable and has a nice combo of "hard"/touch screen buttons.

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Written by Chris Howden from Dallas, TX.

The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 13 made on Monday January 7, 2002 at 4:00 PM.

Strengths:

More hard buttons than other LCD touchscreen remotes. Custom configuration via software. Price.

Weaknesses:

Software has poor user interface. Touch screen poorly calibrated.

Review:

Now that Philips has updated the software to include an UPLOAD function, the one major issue I had with the remote has been taken care of.

Other than a few minor annoyances with the touchscreen and the remote's reluctance to learn from some of my other remotes, I really like the Pronto Neo.

You can't beat it for the price, and I really like the fact that it has more hard buttons than it's costlier bretheren. The form factor and button locations are much better for using one-handed as well.

I agree that the software has a poor user interface and almost no documentation, but I'm personally glad to have it. Some other LCD touchscreen remotes won't even let you change the size or position of buttons, let alone completely customize the entire setup of the remote with your PC.

Now that I've replaced all six of my other remotes, I'm one happy guy!

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Written by John Daws from Glendale, AZ.

The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 12 made on Monday January 7, 2002 at 12:16 PM.

Strengths:

Fit and finish of the hardware product is very good.

Weaknesses:

Software is not finished yet. Short catalog of supported devices.

Review:

The NEO has excellent credentials on the box. When I got mine opened and began to try to set it up with my system, I had lots of problems.

The first was simply the lack of many supported devices in the catalog. Also, many of the device codes in the supported devices appear to be bad. For example, I have a Sony DVD player. The NEO listed the Sony and gave a specific code, which I entered. The IR codes did not support and eject function. In another case, there was a code for the Onkyo receiver. After I programmed this code, the still would not control the receiver. The NEO was able to control these devices with the learning mode, however.

The NeoEDIT software would probably be OK if it were not for the problem cited above. The software does not support an UPLOAD to PC funtion. Since you can only create programming and macros for devices IN THE CATALOG, there is a problem. If you download anything to the NEO, all the codes you have spent hours teaching the stupid device are immediately wiped out.

Recommendation: Buy a NEO only if all your devices are supported 100% correctly in the catalog. Otherwise, wait for Philips to finish writing and testing the software.

The learing remote that came with my Onkyo receiver does everything that the NEO claims to be able to do, and it was a freebie! Don't waste your money unless you're looking for something to spend hours and hours on.

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Written by John West from Virginia, USA.

The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 11 made on Sunday January 6, 2002 at 4:40 PM.

Strengths:

Form factor, price, plenty of hard buttons

Weaknesses:

Low resolution screen, immature software, no rechargable battery option

Review:

The remote itself is very fine with solid construction and good heft. I like that it is long and and not wide, as it fits better in the hand. Also notable is the number of hard buttons. There are volume and channel buttons as well as a four-way navigation pad with enter key. The two aspects about the hardware that I do not like are that the LCD screen is very low-res (160x100) compared to the other Prontos, and there is no option for rechargable batteries. It would be great if there were an optional recharging station like the original Pronto. But for $250 this is a great deal.

The biggest downside is the software. The new NEOedit software and NEO firmware are leaps and bounds above the original. NEOedit still has some UI annoyances, but it's now possible to upload from the remote. Importing BMPs is trying because of the low-res screen; every one must be resized. Until there are more NEO users creating BMPs and .ncf files, one is pretty much left to do all the setup work from scratch.

All in all, a great set of features for the price with a few minor but glaring annoyances.

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