Pronto Remotes

sddawson · Post by **sddawson** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 20:34

Topic split from http://www.beyonwiz.com.au/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=1461

I've tested the "shortened" versions as suggested by bohemian, and they do seem to work in all the circumstances I could come up with. Very useful these suggestions, guys!

However, i wouldn't call these sequences "discretes". The BW is still sadly missing a discrete power on and power off command, rather than a toggle. If a "toggle" is missed because that part of a macro doesn't get executed (someone walks across the ir beam, or, in my case, the Philips pronto rf doesn't always get every command), you get out of sync and there's no way to get back in sync. For example, if a power off gets missed (and nothing's being recorded) the BW is left powered on, and the next time you turn the system on the power toggle turns the BW off (and vice versa).

Maybe one day...

craigh · Post by **craigh** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 21:45

sddawson wrote:I've tested the "shortened" versions as suggested by bohemian, and they do seem to work in all the circumstances I could come up with. Very useful these suggestions, guys!

However, i wouldn't call these sequences "discretes". The BW is still sadly missing a discrete power on and power off command, rather than a toggle. If a "toggle" is missed because that part of a macro doesn't get executed (someone walks across the ir beam, or, in my case, the Philips pronto rf doesn't always get every command), you get out of sync and there's no way to get back in sync. For example, if a power off gets missed (and nothing's being recorded) the BW is left powered on, and the next time you turn the system on the power toggle turns the BW off (and vice versa).

Maybe one day...

Steve

What sort of delays are you using on your pronto macro.

I have the RFX6500 and it seems to work ok as long as you insert reasonable delays between commands

sddawson · Post by **sddawson** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 22:10

Hi Craigh. My problem is just that every now and again a command in a macro is "missed", even though the extender is only 3m in front of me. There can be dead spots in the room too where it gets a bit worse. I don't put delays in between commands at all. Do you think that's necessary? Do you put a delay between every single command, and if so, how long?

craigh · Post by **craigh** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 22:33

Hi Steve

I put delays between every command I use irrespective of IR or RF as the pronto can blast sequential commands too quickly for some devices.

Just made things so much more reliable.

I started doing this years ago with a TSU1000 and have kept doing it.

Normal delay is .1 or.2 with .5 for RF. Worth xperimenting.

I have lots of macros that run at nigh to set up recordings, shut things down and have negligable failures.

Have a friend in WA with Pronto and RF repeater and he added the delays and it solved many of his issues he was having with RF.

Regards
Craig

sddawson · Post by **sddawson** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 06:25

Very interesting. Thanks, Craig. I'll put delays in and see what happens.

How do you have macros that run at night? Sounds like they're unattended, and I'm not aware the Pronto can do that.

craigh · Post by **craigh** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 06:44

sddawson wrote:Very interesting. Thanks, Craig. I'll put delays in and see what happens.

How do you have macros that run at night? Sounds like they're unattended, and I'm not aware the Pronto can do that.

Hi Steve

May depend on what model you have but the Pronto has had times from the TSU 1000 through the TSU 7500 model.

For all bar the TSU7500 you created them in the pronto edit software.

The latest few rounds of Prontos have lost this feature which is why I have not upgraded recently.

I have timers set to do things like:

- down BW at 2am
- power up BW at 5am
- cycle BW through channels at 5:20am to ensure FTA EPG is always up to date and available.
- cycling BW timeshifting during the day when I am not at home by placing the BW in the file menu and going live before I return
- set Foxtel to a given channel so I can record it on an MPEG capture device over night

Its great for all sorts of housekeeping.

What model do you have ?

Regards
Craig

sddawson · Post by **sddawson** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 06:54

I have two TSU7000/RU980 Pronto Pro NG's. Don't recall ever having seen timer facilities in ProntoPro Edit NG.

Started looking at the new model which uses wifi instead of RF.

craigh · Post by **craigh** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 07:09

sddawson wrote:I have two TSU7000/RU980 Pronto Pro NG's. Don't recall ever having seen timer facilities in ProntoPro Edit NG.
Started looking at the new model which uses wifi instead of RF.

OK so in the TSU700 and 7500 models the timers are still there but can only be set on the device itself.

So create your macros then after the config is downloaded into the device go into tools and timers is an option.

Create the timer and tell it to run your macro at a given time, day etc etc.

Each timer has a start and end execution event.

I have looked at the wifi enabled Remotes but the only way to create timers was to have a code loop that checks time etc etc, a big cludge as far as i am concerned.

sddawson · Post by **sddawson** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 07:31

Ah, OK, that explains why I'd never seen it! Thanks - could be useful.

sddawson · Post by **sddawson** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 08:47

Hey Craig, don't suppose you've found a way to implement discrete power on/off?

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 09:16

Hi Sddawson,

sddawson wrote:Hey Craig, don't suppose you've found a way to implement discrete power on/off?

This is a question that is frequently asked of Beyonwiz. We will keep on them for this, it is a very common question.

Regards,
Ian.

sddawson · Post by **sddawson** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 11:42

Thanks, Ian. I have seen it in the wish list, but just wondered whether anyone had come uo with a way around it with devices like the Pronto. Doubt it though!

craigh · Post by **craigh** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 12:34

IanSav wrote:Hi Sddawson,
sddawson wrote:Hey Craig, don't suppose you've found a way to implement discrete power on/off?
This is a question that is frequently asked of Beyonwiz. We will keep on them for this, it is a very common question.

Regards,
Ian.

I wish.

However This is my BW shutdown macro I use

BWIZ Live Button - ensure BW is not in a menu
delay 0.2
BWIZ Live Button - I did it twice as there was some case where onn did not go live cant recall though what it was.
delay 2.0
BW sleep timer
delay 0.5
BW sleep timer

It has not missed a beat on shutting down the unit over night.

Given it happens a t 2 am its not likely I would be recording so have not woried too much about that scenario.

Also I dont care that it tales x minutes to power down as i am not there.

sddawson · Post by **sddawson** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 17:32

Now if only there were a 1 second sleep timer option we'd be set....

GB · Post by GB » Mon Mar 03, 2008 11:18

sddawson wrote:I've tested the "shortened" versions as suggested by bohemian, and they do seem to work in all the circumstances I could come up with. Very useful these suggestions, guys!

The power off macro suggested by bohemian does not work for me. I run various "activities" macros, that, eg, power up the system to watch a DVD, or listen to the iPod, or watch TV. Those macros are designed to work if the system is in standby, or if it is already in use - in the latter case, for example, I might be watching TV and want to switch to watching a DVD. Rather than powering down all components used for TV (including amp and plasma), and then powering up all components for DVD (which also include amp and plasma, and hence it is pointless to power them down), the macros not only turn on the relevant components, but also turn "off" the unused components. If the relevant unused component is already off, then - provided the off instruction is configured properly - nothing will of course happen. Using a power toggle command for the Wiz, however, messes this up, because if the Wiz is already off (eg I am switching from listening to the radio to watching a DVD), then the Wiz will come on, when I don't want it to.

So for the time being I am using the sleep-delay-sleep macro that craigh does for power off.

(On the other hand, the power-exit macro suggested for power on is good - saves the confusion of parents and wife when they turn on the TV and are confronted with that message, as a result of the Wiz already being on because it is recording. Although, thinking about it, I do need to test how it works if it is used within the 10 minute sleep period from an earlier power off macro - I have a suspicion that in that case it might just turn the Wiz off!)

All of that said, however, I really would like discrete codes! All my other components have them!

Greg

sddawson · Post by **sddawson** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:01

I do it slightly differently. The first panel on the Pronto offers a choice of things like "Watch", "Listen", "Play". If you select "Watch", the screen and BW are turned on, and the user asked to wait for 20 seconds. These components then stay on until the user has finished watching. Power toggle is sufficient then, as long as one isn't "missed" because of an ir/rf problem.

Can't see how the "sleep" method of power off helps in this situation. If someone wants to watch again within the 10 minute sleep time, the "power on" toggle will just turn it off.

GB · Post by GB » Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:13

sddawson wrote:Can't see how the "sleep" method of power off helps in this situation. If someone wants to watch again within the 10 minute sleep time, the "power on" toggle will just turn it off.

As I said, I suspected that to be the case. The likelihood of someone wanting to watch TV again within the 10 minute period is, based on my family's habits, pretty low, and the potential complications with that are outweighed by the benefit in my configuration of having a power off macro that can only work as a power off, and cannot work as a power on inadvertently.

I think all this just highlights the point that none of these "solutions" is really perfect and the very simple expedient of discrete codes - which lots of other manufacturers seem capable of including - would solve all issues!

Greg

sddawson · Post by **sddawson** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 13:02

Hear, hear! I'm sure BW will come to the party. But it continues to amaze me how manufacturers don't cater to the automation market more. Most screens I've owned have problems somewhere - the inability to directly select an input (only working on a "press TV/AV and go round a circle of options" basis), inability to directly select an aspect ratio, etc. etc. One day, perhaps...

Peter D · Post by **Peter D** » Tue May 06, 2008 12:13

Apologise forposting this in two threads but it seemed relevant to both.
I could not find anywhere how to convert the hex codes published in the sticky at the top of this forum to Pronto hex format. The codes are indeeed NEC1 format and to convert just put

900A 006D 0000 0001 BE00 in front of the last four characters of the hex codes

For example Standby is

900A 006D 0000 0001 BE00 0AF5

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