ProntoTsu9600
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AVD plays matchmaker, brings Sonos and Pronto together
The Sonos music system consistently gets high marks for its easy-to-use Sonos Controller remote. But folks who want to control their whole home with a single device can't be bothered by another remote, and they've probably got some money to spend to fix the problem. Make way for the enterprising folks at AVD Australia and QualiFi, who have come up with 2-way communication between Sonos and a Philips Pronto TSU9600 or Marantz RC9001 remote, so you can ditch that now-obsolete $400 Sonos Controller. Up to 8 Sonos areas can be controlled by up to 8 remotes, so yeah, there's room to grow. All this convenience should be available this month, starting at AUD $695 (US $540) for a single remote and zone (Sonos and remote not included).
Philips' Pronto TSU9600 gets official
Looks like we were pretty spot-on with the specs for this crazy decked Pronto TSU9600 remote from Philips, but we have a bit more info now that we thought we'd pass on. As expected, the Pronto can handle just about every IR device you throw at it, with plenty more besides: the WiFi remote can do the home automation thing with Lutron RadioRA integration, and can even control a music collection via the Escient Fireball Media Manager. The 3.7-inch VGA touchscreen is the obvious highlight of the device; Philips is claiming a 160 degree viewing angle, and even packed in a stylus to keep your grubby fingers off the display. Other perks include a docking station, scroll wheel, macro wizard and WAV audio support. The dreaded pricetag isn't quite coma-inducing, but $1,300 isn't anything to sneeze at either. Philips is also prepping the RFX9400 wireless extender, which features WiFi and wired connectivity, along with multiple IR ports, for a "mere" $300. Both devices should be out this October.
