RE: ProntoPro, Clipsal Sockets and Faceplates

["Phil Harris" <phillip.harris1@xxxxxxx>]

I see where you're coming from but the thing is that at £700 the Pronto Pro is still a "dumb" remote whereas the Crestron has the ability to act in an "intelligent" way by altering its functionality to fit in with its environment.

 

I'm not saying that the Pronto Pro won't sell ... it will sell ... but it seems to be aimed at a strange portion of the market. At the direct retail end of things then £700 takes it well and truly out of the "Daily Sport reader" end of the market and into the arena of the "professional person", someone who is intelligent (I hope we are that) and researches things before impulse buying (OK ... I'll exclude Homebase and bargains from this). For this person they'll have the choice of a Pronto at £150 or a Pronto Pro at £700 but they'll also probably be aware that Palm Pilots, Visors and IPAQs can do similar things too. (Our sales director for example doesn't "play" like we do but he's been using a Palm and Omni Remote for ages and I didn't point him to it.)

 

I'm sure the professional installers will use it but in a Crestron or AMX type system then it'll be easier for them no to mix and match bits of kit as it'll mean another level of programming needed.

 

Ahhh sod it ... it will sell to a degree but I think they've really priced it too high for it to either sell well into the mass market or to even be a piece of kit to which we aspire.

 

That's all...

 

Phil

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark McCall [mailto:mark@xxxxxxx]
Sent: 23 June 2001 09:04
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxxSubject: Re: [ukha_d] ProntoPro, Clipsal Sockets and Faceplates

CEDIA!

 

Phil - if you say a Crestron is "way over 2.5K" then at £700 PP becomes by FAR the cheapest COLOUR touchscreen around.

 

M.

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Phil Harris

To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx

Sent: Saturday, June 23, 2001 12:24 AM

Subject: RE: [ukha_d] ProntoPro, Clipsal Sockets and Faceplates

Sorry Mike but what sort of high-end dealers do you know who do this? I know a few and most of them would never consider putting a Pronto into a high end system mixed with Crestron / AMX etc.

 

The ones I do know who do use Prontos also use Lexicon and make a damn good job of programming up the kit that they sell and the systems that they put together to make sure everything does work as it should - transparently.

 

In the "high end" (!) systems that I've seen (or heard discussed) where Prontos have been used they've never been truly "high end" - the Pronto is far too limited for use in a properly conceived high end system. Don't get me wrong ... I'm not knocking the Pronto - I have two and couldn't manage without then - but it's a send only device. It cannot report status. It makes a good universal remote in systems that are more complex than the average but that's as far as it goes. Philips are overstretching their reach on this one ... at £400 - £450 I *MIGHT* go for the colour Pronto but at £700 I think not. Similarly, these people with money to burn are going to want something more responsive than a Pronto and so should be stumping up a bit more (£1k) to get another Crestron panel.

 

I just think Philips have buggered up their market research here...

 

Phil

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Griffiths [mailto:mike@xxxxxxx]
Sent: 22 June 2001 23:28
To: 'ukha_d@xxxxxxx'
Subject: RE: [ukha_d] ProntoPro, Clipsal Sockets and Faceplates

My guess is that the new Pronto will sell

High end Hifi installers will mark it up and add it to a complete hifi install for people who just want something to work.

I’m sure they complain now when they get bundled the present Pronto –“what no colour “ you can here it now.

Remember most of these setups hardly work in the sense we know it.

Most Installers will just program the Pronto on the standard pages

And it will stay that way until it is dropped on the marble floor.

They don’t bother tweaking anything. The more they move the install from basic the harder it is to fix down the line.

Yes £700 is expensive , but not when bundled with a Linn Cinema setup with Plasma screen, a couple of dimming lights and disappearing screen

Just my 2d worth

 

Mike

 

Sent from Home

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Timothy Morris [mailto:timothy.morris@xxxxxxx]
Sent: Fri 22 Jun 01 23:08
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxxSubject: RE: [ukha_d] ProntoPro, Clipsal Sockets and Faceplates

 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark McCall [mailto:mark@xxxxxxx]
> Sent: 22 June 2001 22:10
> To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [ukha_d] ProntoPro, Clipsal Sockets and Faceplates
>
>
> > But an iPaq with wirelss LAN hooked up to your HA webserver can do a
> pretty
> > good imitation of a Crestron Touchscreen. Thats what I am
> aiming for :-))
>
> Yeah...like I said last week, that money would buy an iPAQ, Sleeve and
> Wireless LAN card (with change).
>
> But there are people out there that will buy ProntoPro.  It's
> easy to forget
> that we're the HA "Geeks" :-)  There are others who just want the latest
> thing but have no interest in how it works or how it could be done
> cheaper/better/easier.
>
> Different strokes.....
>
> M.
>
Mark,

I'd disagree. I think the fact that everyone on this list has said it is too
expensive says a lot. The fact that you can buy an iPAQ with far more
functionality says a lot.

We probably have more need for a remote with colour and RF than most. Even
considering the cost of my Home Cinema, I'm not prepared to spend 700 quid
on a colour Pronto. 300 is more appropriate (taking into account the cost of
the iPAQ). Don't forget I fall into that camp of people you mentioned
earlier. I had an iPAQ well before I had a use for it, I think I was pretty
much the first on this list to get one in around July last year.

I'm with Phil, Philips are trying to sell it as a competitor to a Crestron -
which unless you buy lots of other partnering equipment - it isn't.

I know Mike has marketing contacts at Philips, perhaps he should pass on the
general feeling.

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