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Philips Present Pronto Touch-Screen Remote Control Family (1/2/2005)

Background information for the Philips Pronto touch-screen remote control family

Philips has a long and distinguished history in designing and developing easy-to-use remote control units for consumer electronics. But when the company launched the original Philips Pronto(TM) in 1998, it took the functionality of 'universal' remote control devices into a different domain.

The original RU890 Pronto was the first universal remote control to use a graphical touch-sensitive LCD screen and include a fully customizable user interface. The Pronto RU890 Intelligent Remote Control (model number TS1000 in the United States) brought together total home entertainment control, complete command customization, an intuitive interface and a unique, ergonomical design. It could replace all other remotes in the home, resulting in less clutter in the living room and less confusion for the user.

The RU890 was designed to offer flexibility and convenience with a 1MB memory. It featured easily accessible hard-keys for the basic functions-channel up/down, mute and volume control. Measuring 13.8 x 9.2 cms, the backlit LCD screen was larger than most hand-held remotes on offer in its category. Familiar icons and a smartly designed layout allowed anyone to quickly and easily execute routine commands. The layout featured a virtual keyboard, which could be used for labeling or re-labeling buttons on the screen.

Philips followed the RU890 with a second Pronto, the RU940 (US type number TSU2000), doubling the memory of its predecessor to 2MB and pre-loading it with a universal database of remote control codes for hundreds of other consumer electronics products, making it a perfect home cinema companion for anyone Ð from a novice to an expert.

The ProntoPro

In 2001, the high-end ProntoPro RU970 with color-screen joined the family, with a successful introduction in the US (the TSU6000), immediately followed by Europe. The fully programmable ProntoPro featured a 256-color, high-resolution touch-screen and incorporated 8MB of memory. A large and comprehensive database of infrared codes enabled the ProntoPro to take control of almost every home cinema device on the market in seconds. The ProntoPro enabled users to fully customize button colors, channel icons and even background color.

The Pronto and ProntoPro Next Generation

In 2003 Philips extended its Pronto family by launching an advanced new product Ð the Pronto Next Generation.

Like its award-winning predecessors, the Pronto Next Generation (RU950/TSU3000) provides a single, fully customizable platform for consumers to control home entertainment equipment. The Pronto Next Generation offers an extended memory of 4MB, allowing an even larger number of configuration files containing advanced graphics to be stored, and enabling the device to be further customized to needs of the user using direct access buttons.

In 2004, Philips added a 'bigger brother' to the range Ð the ProntoPro Next Generation (RU980/TSU7000). With a larger memory, 32MB, this device offered a more powerful proposition coupled with a sleek design and high-resolution TFT touch screen, the ProntoProEdit NG software package and IR/RF capability, all to provide state-of-the-art configurations.

To complement the two Pronto (Pronto and ProntoPro) products, Philips has introduced a unique extension device, the LI900 Pronto RF Extender. The RF Extender's IR/RF (radio frequency) capability allows users to control infrared devices stored in cabinets or in other rooms, with the simple addition of an RF receiver. The Pronto RF Extender converts the RF signals into IR at up to 30 meters. It can be easily placed on top of any device and, with the addition of extra receivers placed around the home, independent control of a variety of appliances is possible.

The ProntoNEO

The Philips Pronto family grew a little bigger in 2002 with the introduction of the ProntoNEO RU930 (US TSU500) model, aimed at home cinema enthusiasts seeking a universal remote control sharing the ease-of-use and many advanced features of the higher-specification Pronto models, but working with a more entry-level budget.

The ProntoNEO features a backlit touch-screen LCD display with a resolution of 160 x 100 pixels, incorporates 15 hard buttons for basic functions and utilizes cursor control for easy navigation. Like other members of the Pronto family, the ProntoNEO has a consumer-friendly design and is customizable.

The ProntoEdit Software

The Pronto, ProntoPro and ProntoNEO remotes are all supplied with Philips' ProntoEdit Software. By connecting the Pronto device to a PC using an RS232 serial or USB cable, the software allows consumers to import graphics, such as channel icons or pictures of their A/V components. It also provides an easy environment for creating and editing macro commands, customizing menus, and laying out on-screen virtual buttons, which enables users to control their IR devices with a single tap of the screen.

The iPronto

The iPronto RU1000 (TSi6400 in the US) provides a single platform to manage a whole range of household appliances, from television sets, hi-fi systems, DVD players and other A/V equipment, to lighting and air conditioning controls. And with the added facility of a Wi-Fi(R) (802.11b) wireless connection to broadband Internet services, the iPronto also offers a convenient display device for accessing online information and entertainment content, such as Electronic Program Guide (EPG) or news, weather, e-commerce and web mail.

With this in mind, the iPronto added wireless connectivity and broadband Internet access to the Pronto story, while continuing in the Pronto traditions of providing supreme ease-of-use, smart design and customizable features.

Based around a 6.4-inch (16cm) touch screen LCD display, the iPronto provides complete control of household devices, which uses an infrared (IR) or remote control or is connected within the wireless home network.

As an accessory for the iPronto, Philips has also introduced the LI1000 NetX 'network extender'. The NetX is a WiFi(R) (802.11b) and IR-based device which provides a powerful control system for all A/V devices in different locations in the home. Working with the iPronto, it extends the control beyond the line of sight and into multiple rooms, creating a flexible network controlling entertainment devices throughout the house from virtually any location in the home.

www.pronto.philips.com