I'm pleased to announce a brand new review for Yamaha's RAV-2000 LCD touchscreen remote control. Essentially a Philips Pronto TSU2000 in new clothing, the RAV-2000 sports a redesigned case, different hard buttons and a fully customized user interface. You get the same programming features as the TSU2000 - timers, beeps and a built-in code database - as well as everything else you've come to expect from a top-notch graphical remote, such as nearly unlimited devices and macros, custom labels and graphics, plus full CCF file compatibility.

Naturally, some questions remain: what else did Yamaha change? Does the new physical design work as well? What about Yamaha's custom version of ProntoEdit, RAVedit? These, and many other questions, will be answered in our latest mini review. Since the RAV-2000 is operationally so similar to the Pronto, this review won't cover basic conventions, programming or the PC software in-depth - for that, check out our earlier review of the Philips Pronto TSU2000. If you still have questions after all of that, visit the Pronto chat forum to talk with others!

Read all about the RAV-2000!

Marantz releases RCEdit software
Continuing with a similar theme, Marantz has just released the latest version of their PC editing software, RCEdit (renamed from RC5000 Edit). The only difference between this version and the previous version is that it now supports the entire Marantz lineup of remote controls: RC5000, RC5000i, RC5200 and RC9200. For the RC5200 and RC9200, the software supports the new, larger editable screen space: 240 by 270 pixels, upgraded from all previous models at 240 by 219 pixels (that's 23% more).

Since not too much has really changed, there's only a few things to note. First, the positioning of the editable screen portion on the RC5200 and RC9200 is top-heavy, meaning the top possible row of editable pixels is right adjacent to the bottom of the hard-coded user interface. Conversely, there are four rows of blank pixels between the bottom of the editable space and the top of the lower user interface. Thus, to ensure your designs look centered, try to keep the top four rows blank (thus giving you a resolution of 240 by 266 to play with).

Second, a new bug in the software appears to hard-code the maximum file size of the RC5000 to 340kb and the RC5000i to 1044kb - instead of their true values of 380kb and 1404kb, respectively. Since the software adjusts this each time you start it up, there's no way to manually work around the problem. Thus, if you're not designing for the RC5200 or RC9200, I suggest sticking with an older version. The amount of user memory available on the RC5200 is 1220kb, while the color RC9200 has 6900kb (that's 756kb more than the ProntoPro!) Although, since the two earlier measurements were incorrect, take these with a grain of salt.

Finally, RCEdit finally appears fully compatible with all TSU2000 database CCF files. It can also load and work with ProntoPro color designs, either in color or black and white.

Download RCEdit from Remote Central!

Learn more about the RC5000i:

Our review: real all about it. CEDIA: RC5200 & RC9200 photos. Visit the forum: talk with others. File area: check out other designs. The FAQ: answers to your questions.