Philips has just released a major new version of the TSU7000’s editing software, ProntoProEdit NG v2.0.12, the same version that was previewed in my recent review of the ProntoPro NG TSU7000.

This new version sports numerous enhancements, including improved performance and stability, IR duration, new tools, plus redesigned screens that are easier to use. The new editor and matching firmware upgrade for the TSU7000 and RU980 can be downloaded on Remote Central.

Here’s a full list of improvements as provided by Philips:

Improved way of working

• Due to the addition of a number of shortcut keys and enabling the cursor keys in property pages, you can now do nearly everything using the keyboard. Check the online help for a list of shortcut keys.
• Right-click menus have been added and extended to give you access to all needed functions immediately.
• Making links is now a piece of cake using the graphical linking feature. Just select the button you want to link to, drag it while keeping + pressed, and drop it on your target button.
• Dragging buttons with special functions like copy images or copy actions will now highlight the target and will show you what action you are doing. When you copy images, the source button's font size, color and position is also copied.
• Rearrange the pages in the tree view by simply dragging the page to a new location.
• Create your layout easily by using the align and distribute buttons functions.
• You can now save an image from the configuration file to disk.
• The IR duration can now be configured (also when used in a macro).

Additional changes

• The Add IR window is reduced in size and made more efficient.
• The width of the action list has been increased, so long link names are more readable.
• With select, you can select multiple images on disk for quick insertion into the gallery.
• When you select a CCF, PCF file or images, the editor will remember the last selected directories on your PC.
• After up & downloading the editor now gives an audible signal.
• You can now drag images (e.g. backgrounds) from the gallery into pages, just like you could do already with buttons.

Removed from the editor

• The Standard/Advanced mode has been removed as most files required Advanced mode anyway.
• The Open file dialog at start up has been removed saving you time to directly select your files.

Improved performance of the editor

• Files now open up to 30 times faster.
• The gallery, once opened initially, will pop up immediately.

Improved way of selecting items

Different mechanisms to select items are implemented. The most important addition is:

• will shift focus from the tree view to the page view.
• allows you to select the next object within the property pages. This is easy for e.g. fast button labeling.
• allows you to select multiple items within a bounding rectangle.
• allows you to add or remove items to/from a selection.

Finishing touches

• New backgrounds and buttons have been added to the gallery.
• Transparent backgrounds have been added to the gallery for displaying text over another background.
• Support for JPG images. You can even mix png and jpg/bmp images on one button. RC: Note that using JPG images will NOT save memory in your configuration, as they are converted to BMP files. This feature is provided as a convenience only.
• Direct entering of Philips IR protocols in the IR dialog (RC5/6/RCMM).
• The Status Bar indicates the selected item and position.

Things you should know

• RC: Improved stability and memory usage: this is by far the most stabile and reliable version of PPENG yet; in my testing I have been completely unable to make it corrupt an extraordinarily large and complex file, even when using numerous copy/paste/undo/redo operations.
• Adding a button to the gallery is done by holding down while dragging. You can drop the button wherever you want on the gallery window.
• When you fill in values for dimensions, duration etc., their value is verified and automatically rounded to the maximum allowed number, without informing you about the change.
• You cannot position elements completely out of the screen, there is always a minimum 1 pixel overlap applied.
• When selecting, the key will not continually circle all objects.

Download the new editor & firmware!