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Philips Makes Pronto Home Control Mega-Remote More Mega: TSU9800
Posted by Kit Eaton at 6:52 PM on August 28, 2008
It's been a long while since we mentioned Philips range of Pronto home-control remote systems, but Philips hasn't forgotten them: it's been making the mega-remotes even more mega with the upcoming TSU9800. With a bigger touchscreen (6.4-inches, folks), and an dock that also does ambient lighting, it can also be mounted on the wall of your swanky Wi-Fi-enabled remote-controlled house to let you switch on "audio/video servers" for which it gives "feedback information such as album/DVD art and song information." Philips has also updated the software used to program the remote through a PC, and now ProntoEdit Professional 2.0 lets you drag and drop design your configurations and user interfaces for the 9800. Swish indeed: which is why it's due to cost US$2,400 when it's out in September. Press release below.
DENVER - Philips Electronics marks the 10-year anniversary of its industry-setting Pronto home control line with the launch of its newest touch screen panel, Philips TSU9800, at this year's CEDIA Expo in Denver, Colorado.
Philips TSU9800 Pronto Control Panel merges functionality and design, featuring a stunning 6.4-inch VGA colour screen and a premium docking station that offers ambient lighting, and the option to completely hide all cables when used in a board-room setting, or coupled with the optional wall mounting plate. The high resolution display is the largest in Philips Pronto line, providing exceptional readability and a control panel designed for maximum comfort, efficiency and ease of use.
With a vibrant display, extended control and personalised performance, Philips TSU9800 builds upon Philips award-winning innovation in home controls. It can control audio/video servers, provides feedback information such as album/DVD art and song information and allows for intuitive and convenient content browsing with a rotary wheel.
"As Philips continues to expand the Pronto line, we add features that simplify user interaction with the system," said Glenn McImail, Vice President, Philips Peripherals and Accessories. "Philips TSU9800 gives customers a faster and smarter home control system with new features geared to make central home control an easier and more pleasant experience."
Besides the rotary wheel, Philips TSU9800 comes with just the right amount of hard buttons and cursors for the most used functions such as volume and channel switching. With the added benefit of a reliable one-touch control system for your home, it offers the latest in technology through its advanced infrared learning and sending circuitry, which has the ability to learn and send virtually any infrared code in the AV market.
Also new from Philips is ProntoEdit Professional 2.0. With this advanced PC-editor, custom installers can promptly create any customised form of configuration and/or user interface. This latest version includes many new features including:
• Flat user interface with full drag and drop functions,
• Single-page view allowing easy access to various building blocks,
• Quick start wizard that allows any installer to set up a project with three easy steps
• Revamped page view that incorporates the latest graphical tools to simplify transitioning from portrait to landscape and from QVGA to VGA.With the added feature of ProntoScript, Philips TSU9800 gives users the option to realise full two-way communication via RS-232 and/or WiFi/IP with third party equipment and selected ProntoScript Partners. Philips TSU9800 is also fully compatible with extenders RFX9400 and RFX9600.
Available in September of 2008, Philips TSU9800 will retail for $2,399 and is available through authorised custom installation distributors across the country and at authorised Pronto dealers and retailers. Philips' line of award-winning Pronto control panels starts at $499.
[Philips]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
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SBM_from_LA
Posted 7:36 PM 28/8/08
Ouch!!!
SBM_from_LA
Hvedhrungr
Posted 8:55 PM 28/8/08
Puts the TSU in TFSU!
Hvedhrungr
mrbofus
Posted 3:51 AM 29/8/08
It looks nice and all, and I'm sure it does what it does well, but when you can get the Logitech Harmony One for $220 online, what would be the justification for the Philips TSU9800 besides the fact that it looks cool?
mrbofus
tech-tard
Posted 1:56 PM 29/8/08
why use a Harmony when for less than that $220, you can find an older (used) windows ce pda w consumer infrared and touch screen AND use existing (or design your own) multi page remote templates made with the older version of this very same ProntoEdit? You only need to add another 20-30 dollar remote app to the ce device.
a few years ago i had this very same setup with me during a demo being run for a fancy distributed media system one of my clients wanted me to sit in on. I knew in advance what products the installers were trying to push so I set up the IR profiles on generic remote templates the night before on my pda. When they tried to push their $1000 in wall control pads and $2500 touch control tablets I showed my client how we could control all of their products with the same touch screen pocketpc pda she already carried around with her and that we could practically outfit every room with these $400 (price then)pdas and have more capability than their overpriced controls.
tech-tard
tech-tard
Posted 2:48 PM 29/8/08
actually for something that competes more directly with these Philips units, for that same client, when they wanted to update their controls last year, instead of the other company's new $2500 wireless but proprietary control panels we went to $1100 Samsung Q1U UMPCs in every room wirelessly sending commands to a control bus running WACI units and IR & RF sender/extenders.
Because these UMPCs are full on XP Pro tablets, they have access to everything a real computer can do except on a LED backlit 7" touchscreen. Capabilities include control of all home media and home automation control, their IP connected baby grand player piano, Lutron multi zone home lighting controls, control of mechanical window blinds, access to corporate vpn & email, viewing their property surveillance feeds, full internet browsing, VOIP to landline calling, video conference/intercom between all UMPCs and pcs in the house, internet fax, AND the UMPCs can run as digital video/photo frames as their screen savers when not in use.
The other cool thing is we got the version of the samsungs that have the fingerprint access control, so when they have guests over, they lock the units down into guest mode so the more "sensitive access" is blocked out. When they need to use the unit, they merely swipe a thumb to log in. In case you"re wondering time to full on from sleep (including swipe login) is 4 seconds - but these pretty much stay on constantly.
So it behooves me why someone would still pay $2400 for these Phillips(or similar) units - when more powerful, more feature capable, and more customizable controls are available for a little to a lot less.
tech-tard