View Full Version : Universal Remote Control Reccomendations
Which universal remote controls can people recommend.
Would like something like a Pronto.
Also whas the best value/place to buy one?
Must light up and be able to learn from *anything*
Ta in advance
stoneranger
05-10-2001, 16:11
pretty sure the pronto is well discounted at Richer sounds...
failing that, Cambridge M1 is good value at £80
Yep, the pronto fits the bill at £149 online from richersounds. AFAIK the only thing the pronto can't learn is cable boxes due to the frequency being higher or something like that. Have a look at Remote Central (http://www.remotecentral.com) for other options. My pronto controls absolutely everything that i've thrown at it without a problem, and i can't recommend them highly enough. I just wish i could afford the Pronto-Pro but its a little steep at around £600-700!
Thanks for that,
I am off to Richers to have a closer look at one.
Bye the way does anyone do something similar but with a blue LCD? I know its icky but I would like a blue panel to match all the flourescants on my kit.
Whats a pronto pro do then ?
the sony one has a blue screen, but its not a remote control type shape, so you need two hands
which is way to much effort for sommit thats supposed save it:)
[QUOTE] Whats a pronto pro do then ? [/B][/QUOT
Pronto Pro is basically the same, but has a colour LCD screen and some extra features like the ability to play games on it, looks damn sexy ;) , but is a bit pricey!
I've just got a Sony RM-VL900 after reading the reviews on RemoteCentral.
I've been trying to find a universal remote for a couple of years that did just what I wanted and have now found it.
I wanted something that had real buttons as I like using remotes by feel not by peering at them all the time. I wanted the controls I wanted and the buttons where I wanted them (none of the 'it's fine but there's no button for widescreen crap'). It should look like a proper remote not some cracker toy. And most importantly not be obscenely expensive.
Read the reviews of this Sony and it seemed perfect, it's better than that and cost just £50. A bargain for a full learning remote with macros and looking and feeling a quality item.
Anyone wanting a universal, read the reviews, I think it's perfection.
The only problem apparently is the Pronto at Richer Sounds is the 1mb version (although some people have reported that some stores will sell you the 2mb version). Make sure before you buy!
tell you what , i was looking to buy a mid range Universal Remote from somewhere (Spend aroun 40 notes).
BUT
Then I saw a really cheap remote that doesnt look too shabby. It cost me £7.99 ( YES 7.99 sterling). And this is what it did for me
TV
Digital SKY
VCR
DVD
MINIDISC
AMP
That was just for my setup. It does a hell of a lot more....
Whitty
popabawa
09-10-2001, 14:25
I just got my Pronto (2mb) last week (from http://www.letsautomate.com - fabulous service, arrived the very next day with a handy leaflet with additional information on it.) after much deliberating and worrying about how expensive it was.
I can report the following;
1) It isn't worth the £££'s.
2) It can be a fiddly to program until you get the hang of it
3) It is THE most fabulous bit of kit I own and I will never, ever be without it ever again (until I get something better natch).
Even my partner loves it (she hated the 6 remotes we had on the coffee table), impressed with how easy it is to use.
You can spend hours progamming the damn thing, creating your own graphics, refining it to *just* the way you want it, it's just so flexible.
I'll stop gushing now....
It's fabulous - get one.
What percentage of "Downloads" from the ProntoEdit software to the Pronto work for you Pronto owners?
Or are you just learning the old remotes?
popabawa
10-10-2001, 09:26
I've had very little success with downloaded codes.
I tried 3 different .ccf's for my Wharfie 750 DVD player with no success. 2 for my ITV digibox with equal (i.e. no) success.
I did however, manage to download codes for my Akai VCR where various buttons on my (12 year old!) remote had ceased to work which was a bit of a result.
I decided to learn the rest of the commands I needed so I could make sure the codes were clean.
Anybody have any luck trying to get a universal remote to work with the Pace Cable box (as used by Telewest)
'cause apparantly it, for no logical reason, uses IrDA meant for phones/pda's during data transfer, which because nothing else does the universal remotes can't learn anything:(
My HP 320Lx, recorded a signal ok, but it couldn't play it back to the box, and get it to work.
So I was wondering if there is a model without this problem, or if telewest do another box that we could get our hands on!
I can back up what whitty said earlier about the £7.99 Medion 8 in 1 remote from Aldi of all places. It even does the Pace Telewest cable box!!.
Richard46
11-10-2001, 08:13
Hi cjb 110
I have read that that one digital cable box can be used with learning remotes. Cannot guaratee it. I think it may be an older model.
Its the D1400IN model.
Rgds.
Richard
Been playing with my Pronto now to a couple of days
WOW !
where can I get UK channel Graphics etc....
Jester - email me and I will send you a zip of most of the UK bmps. Remotecentral.com have ccf galleries, but they are a bit out of date. I spent about an hour updating the old bmps the other day, so I will save you that time (uk play = PlayUK for instance:D ).
I was meaning once you've tweaked something in ProntoEdit...
I have only ever had 2 successful downloads. ProntoEdit is shockingly bad for that. :mad:
The foolproof way to transfer new settings is to use HyperTerminal and a small script(?) that one of the Pronto gurus wrote.
Uploading stuff (e.g. after learning codes) to ProntoEdit is slightly better.....1 in 5 attempts to upload work
:rolleyes:
Works every time for me, just don't do anything else with your pc for the few seconds it takes to download. works for me.
well i got my pronto this week from richer sounds i bought it online,i phoned them up before i took the plunge to find out what model the were selling,they told me it was the 2 meg version for £145.95 so i ordered it that evening and indeed i did receive a 2 meg version
Originally posted by Paul.B
Works every time for me, just don't do anything else with your pc for the few seconds it takes to download. works for me.
Hmmm....
Tried it like that but no joy.
Tried it with a Kodak Digicam cable (as recommended)....no joy
Tried it with all the serial port advice on remotecentral....no joy
I either get a ProntoEdit error message "cannot connect"....or it appears to download but then I get a "failed" message on the Pronto itself.
Then once or twice it's worked!
My PC is relatively low spec. (e.g. 233 proc.) but wouldn't have thought that was it as it works 100% with HyperTerminal.
The only thing with the workaround is you have to reset the Pronto with a pin up it's arse every time and run the 5 minute job itself. Would be so much easier if it just worked from ProntoEdit.
Ho hum.....
hmmmmm, faulty pronto possibly???
You've probably read and tried this but this is from Remotecentral:
Why can't I get my computer to talk to the Pronto?
There are several causes. But first, when you receive the "Pronto not connected or not responding" message, click on the "Details" button. This will list all found COM ports and what the error message was.
If the message is "Access denied (in use by another application?)", that means another program is using the port. A common culprit here is the Palm HotSync software. Disable it and then try again.
If the error is "Opened but no response from Pronto", you can check several things:
Ensure the COM port is functional. Try something else out on it.
If nothing else will work, the port may not be configured correctly in your system BIOS or Windows. Its IRQ may be shared by another device, such as a modem. By default COM 1 and 3 use IRQ 4, while COM 2 and 4 use IRQ 3. However, since COM ports cannot actually share IRQs with anything else, you will either have to disable one of the shared COM ports or set one to another IRQ. If you have an older AT-based system, the port may be configured correctly but not be connected inside the system. If using a notebook, make sure the port is not configured to "IR" mode.
If the port works but ProntoEdit just can't seem to see it, make sure you're using COM 1. Many users have found that trying to use any other port has failed if COM 1 itself is not in use. It is possible to use other COM ports, but the ports before it should be "busy" or "in-use" by other applications.
failing that i'd try an exchange if its still under warranty. sorry i can't help more.
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