Pronto TSU9800

[cinelife]

More info to share on K's new Pronto Module, Just FYI.

As most know, several months ago K completed the new Pronto module for the TSU9600 Touchpanel. I'd been hearing good things about the 9600 module and was planning to check it out as soon as possible. In the meantime, Philips released the new Pronto TSU9800, essentially the "big" brother to the 9600. It has a 6.4" touchscreen versus the 3.7" touchscreen on the 9600. Both have the same screen resolution, making the 9600 very sharp. That's not to say the 9800 suffers any sharpness issues, it does not. The panel rez is more than sufficient for the 6.4" screen.

I opted for the larger screen and ordered the 9800 and RFX9600 extender. K kindly sent me the soon to be released 9800 module which came in just before the panel arrived. Very nice job on the module, so congrats to all those at K that prepared not only the module, but the extensive and very helpful K specific Pronto programming manual. (Manual was written for the 9600, but applies to both, and is an excellent reference manual. Very helpful for programming idiots like me!)

It only took 10 minutes to load the new ProntoEdit Pro 2 (PEP2) and download K's module. A few more minutes to edit the IP address in the panel and we were up and running (and I did by myself!). Bottom line, the module and panel were very easy to setup and performed flawlessly. The graphics look great, the covers are clear and readable, and the music control page is superb. The panel response time is very fast. Of course you can also add in all of your normal A/V equipment and with the RFX9600 extender you get both IR and RS232 control.

For those that might still be shopping for a reasonably priced touchpanel (at least compared to Crestron/AMX), or want to upgrade from the standard hand held one-way IR remote, you really should look into the Pronto gear. Both the 9600 (from what I'm told) and 9800 provide a very satisfiying experience in working with K's Players (Thanks to the fantastic work by K's tech experts and the whole support team!!).

I've decided to pick up a couple more for other rooms.

Jim

 

[josh]

Very cool. Do you (or Kaleidescape) have any screenshots of what the interface looks like?

 

[cinelife]

Sorry Josh I don't, I'll check with K but I do not think they have any shots either. If I find some, I'll post. As you know, I'll be heading out for a two week cruise, so I'll check when I return. (If I have the opportunity to check in from the ship, I will.)

Jim

 

[Croptop]

You can get a pretty good look at the interfaces on by grabbing the appropriate Quick Reference guide from the Control Systems page on Kaleidescape's Support website:

TSU9400
TSU9600 (the TSU9800 is similar to this one).

 

[cinelife]

That's right, I forgot about those, although my copies are not very good.

Jim

 

[houseofpower]

Any quick tips on getting the IP settings correct? I do not show signal. Message pops up saying: Your Pronto was unable to connect to a Kaleidescape Player. Please check your settings and be sure that both the player and server are powered on.

The K-scape is on and working normal. Pronto shows no wireless connection

thanks

 

[cinelife]

Any quick tips on getting the IP settings correct? I do not show signal. Message pops up saying: Your Pronto was unable to connect to a Kaleidescape Player. Please check your settings and be sure that both the player and server are powered on.

The K-scape is on and working normal. Pronto shows no wireless connection

thanks

You have to setup the network info in PEP2 (Pronto Edit Pro 2) and download to the 9800.

-Open the K module
-Select "Project" tab
-Select "System Properties"
-Select "Network" tab under System Properties (Right side of PEP2 screen)
Use this section to set the 9800's network info in order to communicate with your LAN.

For example:
Network Options: Select "wireless."
Wireless timeout: Select Twenty Four Hours
Use Control Panel: Select second option ("With Wireless and Serial....")
Under Wifi Settings: enter appropriate info, SSID, Encryption (suggest WEP64, and if so, select HEX KEY and enter 9 numbers (Record this info).
Under IP Settings: Suggest select "Fixed IP" (Consider making all your K components fixed IP). (i.e. if your Server is 192.168.1.59 and Player is 192.168.1.60, then consider 192.168.1.61 for the 9800's address. This is just an example.)
Subnet mask: match Server/Player (i.e. 255.255.255.0)
Default Gateway: Use Router address
DNS: 4.2.2.2

Point is, you have to first set these properties in PEP2 then download them to the 9800. After you do that, Press and hold (several seconds) the "Tools" Icon on the 9800 then check to see if your IP address is set correctly.
This should allow you to communicate with your LAN.

Good luck!

Jim

 

[houseofpower]

What or how do I find the SSID ?

The Hex key ? Is it 9 numbers that I make up? or do I need to find it also?

Pronto is showing the correct IP.

thanks

 

[cinelife]

What or how do I find the SSID ?

The Hex key ? Is it 9 numbers that I make up? or do I need to find it also?

Pronto is showing the correct IP.

thanks

SSID is the "name" you give your wireless network. I believe it can be up to 32 characters. I just use my name. Set in the router. The router comes with an SSID default (like "linksys"), but most people change it to something more personal. You should be able to get the SSID by going to your router's web address (i.e. 192.168.x.x).

Yes, you make up the hex (I used a phone number (the first 9 numbers)).

If this becomes a problem you may want to consider getting your dealer to help.

Jim

 

[TotalControlRemotes]

Getting the Kaleidescape to work on a Pronto TSU9800

I just programmed a TSU9800 for a client who has a 3U server with several players in the home. Here are some tips for those interested in proramming with a Pronto:

* Make sure that each Kscape player has it's own static IP address set. Use the setup utility to designate an IP address for each player. Be sure to select a band that will not collide with other devices on your system.

* DO NOT enter in the ip address of the server. The server is incapable of 2-way with the Pronto. Yes, there is a web interface for the server, but that's about it. In the same instance, there is no web page for the players, only the module.

* Type in the HEX encryption key into wordpad or a word processor and cut and past it into the Pronto. The Pronto will not accept lower case letters - this will get around that.

* Set the timeout to 24 hours. That will insure a non-interruption.

* Change the paremters ONLY. Enter the IP address of that player in the OSD and SATD if that applies.

I have had great success programming Kscape for my clients who have control systems, so if there is any troubles send me an email and I would be glad to hellp.

Vincent
Total Control Remotes
www.totalcontrolremotes.com

 

[josh]

Wow, great to have you here on the forum Vincent! Thanks for sharing the tips.
--josh

 

[Croptop]

A couple of your comments bring to mind some "power-user" tips:

* Type in the HEX encryption key into wordpad or a word processor and cut and past it into the Pronto. The Pronto will not accept lower case letters - this will get around that.

If you upgrade your Pronto to the latest firmware (7.1.21) and you upgrade PEP2 to the latest version (2.3.17), the Pronto will now be able to connect to WPA networks instead of just WEP.

As an aside, I've never had any trouble entering lowercase characters into the HEX passcode field in PEP2.

* Change the paremters ONLY. Enter the IP address of that player in the OSD and SATD if that applies.

If you have multiple players, you can actually set up the remote with a single instance of the OSD and SATP modules and have the IP address change dynamically. Here's how (I'll describe setting up two players for the OSD module -- SATP would be the same):

1. On the Parameters page of the 'Kaleidescape OSD' activity, leave the IP address blank (or simply leave the default address in there).
2. Put an 'X' in the yellow box beside the label "Mult-Zone Activity?"
3. Copy a "Movies/Music" button from the Multi-Zone Examples page and paste it wherever you like (I'll assume the Home activity).
4. On the Actions tab of the button you pasted into your home activity, change the line that begins with 'var IP_ADDRESS =' to the IP address of one of the players you want to control.
5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 for each player you want to control.

Now you have multiple buttons that all launch the same OSD module but supply a different IP address.

The advantages to doing it this way are:
* You save memory by only having one instance of the OSD and SATP modules
* When/if you upgrade to a newer version of the Kaleidescape Modules, you don't have to re-setup a module for each of your players. You simply replace the old module with the new one, enter an 'X' in the Multi-Zone field and point your existing buttons to the new module.

 

[TotalControlRemotes]

Actually, I wanted to be as brief as possible and possibly field some questions, but here is some added information:

- When setting up the power off macro there are some things you need to aware of.

When programming a control system or touchscreen I usually have a power off button which takes the user to a confirm shut-down screen. On the confirm off button you may put the actions in that are designed to shut your system down. In order to power off the Kscape via Prontoscript, make sure you go to the power off button that is supplied in the module, go to the PS script (make sure your advanced mode so you can see it) and click 'save to file'. Go to the power off button that contains your off macro, click the PS box, and click 'load to file' . This will paste the Prontoscript on your off macro and MAKE SURE you leave the pronto script button pressed in showing the off pronto script sequence - not the regular RF/IR commands. This will allow the off button to execute the Prontoscript AND the IR actions you designated.

Vincent

A couple of your comments bring to mind some "power-user" tips:


If you upgrade your Pronto to the latest firmware (7.1.21) and you upgrade PEP2 to the latest version (2.3.17), the Pronto will now be able to connect to WPA networks instead of just WEP.

As an aside, I've never had any trouble entering lowercase characters into the HEX passcode field in PEP2.



If you have multiple players, you can actually set up the remote with a single instance of the OSD and SATP modules and have the IP address change dynamically. Here's how (I'll describe setting up two players for the OSD module -- SATP would be the same):

1. On the Parameters page of the 'Kaleidescape OSD' activity, leave the IP address blank (or simply leave the default address in there).
2. Put an 'X' in the yellow box beside the label "Mult-Zone Activity?"
3. Copy a "Movies/Music" button from the Multi-Zone Examples page and paste it wherever you like (I'll assume the Home activity).
4. On the Actions tab of the button you pasted into your home activity, change the line that begins with 'var IP_ADDRESS =' to the IP address of one of the players you want to control.
5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 for each player you want to control.

Now you have multiple buttons that all launch the same OSD module but supply a different IP address.

The advantages to doing it this way are:
* You save memory by only having one instance of the OSD and SATP modules
* When/if you upgrade to a newer version of the Kaleidescape Modules, you don't have to re-setup a module for each of your players. You simply replace the old module with the new one, enter an 'X' in the Multi-Zone field and point your existing buttons to the new module.

 

[TotalControlRemotes]

Wow, great to have you here on the forum Vincent! Thanks for sharing the tips.
--josh

Thanks Josh, great to be here. This is an amazing piece of equipment and I enjoy working with it.

 

[brodricj]

Worthy to note there is now an update to the Pronto module to support M-Class players.

 

[brodricj]

For those who don't know, Philips recently announced the demise of the whole family of Pronto remotes. Pronto will now be a discontinued product, although Philips have given assurances that spares will be available for a number of years.

I assume therefore that there will be no more development of the Kalediescape module for Pronto TSU 9x00? It would be nice if Kaleidescape could incorporate the special features of the children's remote into the Pronto module before too long.

 

[Mocar]

For those who don't know, Philips recently announced the demise of the whole family of Pronto remotes. Pronto will now be a discontinued product, although Philips have given assurances that spares will be available for a number of years.

I assume therefore that there will be no more development of the Kalediescape module for Pronto TSU 9x00? It would be nice if Kaleidescape could incorporate the special features of the children's remote into the Pronto module before too long.

See http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/36553/philips-pronto-dead-and-buried here

 

[cinelife]

Well...it now looks as if a possible sale of the Pronto line by Philips will not happen. The group of three distributors from the UK, France and Australia were unable to reach agreement with Philips and any potential deal is now dead (reported today).


Jim

 

[digitalvd]

What a mess. I don't want to change to a new system. It takes so much time to program all functions, macros, ...

The Kaleidescape module for Pronto is open. If you are able to program ProntoScript you can extend the modules by yourself. Maybe Kaleidescape will update the codes for Generic IR and adds the IR-codes for the child remote (http://www.kaleidescape.com/support/control-systems/ir.php).

Or anyone has the child remote and will learn the codes with ProntoEdit. Only 9 functions to learn.

Best,

Patrick

 

[cinelife]

Good ideas Patrick, I guess we are on our own for now. I may move back to Crestron, but undecided at this point.


Jim