A2-01   What are the hardware differences between models?

North American Pronto TS-1000: 1 megabyte of memory. Case color is solid dark blue/green (something I've coined as "Midnight Sea Foam"). Optional silver desktop charger. Note: All Prontos no longer include the light sensor!

North American Pronto TSU2000: 2 megabytes of memory. Color is painted silver over gray plastic. Otherwise, hardware is the same as the TS-1000.

North American ProntoPro TSU6000: 8 megabytes of memory. Features a 256-color LCD screen, pickup sensor, two additional hard buttons, newly designed case, RF capabilities plus packaged NiMH rechargable batteries and docking station.

European Pronto RU-890: 1 megabyte of memory. Color is painted silver over gray plastic. Optional silver desktop charger includes an appropriate AC/DC converter depending on region. Otherwise identical to the TS-1000.

European Pronto RU-940: 2 megabytes of memory. Otherwise identical to the RU-890.

European Pronto RU-970: 8 megabytes of memory. Otherwise identical to the TSU6000.

OEM Pronto TS-1003: 1 megabyte of memory. Color is solid black. This is only available with high-end Philips HDTV sets. It is not 100% compatible with other Pronto models.

Worldwide Marantz RC5000: 1 megabyte of memory. Color is painted gold over white plastic. Base package includes a gold desktop charger plus an appropriate AC/DC converter. Models no longer include the light sensor.

Worldwide Marantz RC5000i: 2 megabytes of memory. Hardware is otherwise identical to the RC5000.

Worldwide Marantz RC5200: 2 megabytes of memory. Features a newly designed case, upgrades total number of hard buttons from the RC5000i's 8 to 16 and adds RF capabilities (RF basestation is optional).

Worldwide Marantz RC9200: 8 megabytes of memory. Features a 256-color LCD screen, 8 additional hard buttons, newly designed case, RF capabilities and is packaged with NiMH rechargable batteries, docking station and RF basestation.

Worldwide Onkyo CHAD USR-5RF: 2 megabytes of memory. New physical case design plus RF capabilities (basestation is optional). Hardware is otherwise identical to the Pronto TSU2000.

Worldwide Yamaha RAV-2000 / RAV-2000Z1: 2 megabytes of memory, no recharging dock option. Channel Up/Down buttons replaced with "Power" and "Standby".

Pronto TS-1000: 380kb.
Pronto TSU2000: 960kb.
ProntoPro TSU6000: 5952kb (first firmware: 6144kb).
Pronto RU-890: 380kb.
Pronto RU-940: 1404kb.
Pronto RU-970: 5667kb.
Marantz RC5000: 380kb.
Marantz RC5000i: 1404kb.
Marantz RC5200: 1220kb.
Marantz RC9200: 6900kb.
Onkyo CHAD USR-5RF: 697kb.
Yamaha RAV-2000: 444kb.
Yamaha RAV-2000Z1: 772kb.

You'd be surprised at how much can be packed into the 1 megabyte Pronto, which has 380kb of free space. Many users have incorporated complete lists for their 300 and 400 disc CD or DVD jukeboxes, favorite channel lists with station icons, games, calendars and more. But a small minority of owners, who may have multiple jukeboxes, a huge home theater system or just a penchant for huge bitmaps, have run out of room. For them, the 960kb of user space offered with the Pronto TSU2000 or 1404kb with the Marantz RC5000i is a must - but the majority of users simply won't have any use for that much memory.

The Philips ProntoPro (6144kb) and Marantz RC9200 (6900kb) have quite a bit more "usable" memory than even the TSU2000 & RC5000i, despite the greater amount of space occupied by color bitmaps.

All black and white models use the 16MHz Motorola Dragonball MC68328, which supports 4-grayshade displays and serial communications.

All color models use the 33MHz Motorola Dragonball MC68VZ328 "VZ" processor, which supports 256-color displays and serial communications.

All models can be easily held with one hand. Black and white remotes have the approximate dimensions (WxHxD) of 3.6"x5.4"x1.5" and weigh about 9.5 ounces with batteries. The Yamaha RAV-2000 is only slightly larger at 3.7"x5.4"x1.5".

The color ProntoPro has a slightly larger footprint at 3.6"x5.5"x1.3" and weighs in at 9.0oz with batteries. The Marantz RC5200 and RC9200 are again slightly larger, at 3.5"x5.9"x1.5" and 9.5oz.

The screen resolution on all models is 240 x 320 pixels, however some of that resolution is used by the user interface. The editable screen area for everything but the Marantz RC5200 and RC9200 is 240 x 219 pixels. Physical screen size for black and white units is 3.8" diagonal and feature an aqua-colored EL (smooth) backlight. The ProntoPro's screen is 3.7" diagonal and employs paper white backlighting.

The RC5200 and RC9200 feature the same physical screens as their counterparts, but provide a larger editable region of 240 x 270 pixels.

Black and white models can display four: white, black, light gray, and dark gray. By using special dithering techniques in custom bitmap files, up to seven shades may be obtained.

The ProntoPro and RC9200 are capable of displaying 256 colors, 216 of which are considered a "web safe" palette.

No - the display controller is part of the processor, thus you cannot (for example) install a TFT display to replace the ProntoPro’s passive matrix version. However, Motorola does produce other compatible processors that Philips may make use of in the future - for instance a 66MHz processor that supports 16-bit color TFT displays and USB, or a 20MHz processor that supports 16-grayshades.

This tip applies only to the Philips Pronto TS-1000 and Marantz RC5000 remotes:

All recent remote models do not feature the light sensor due to European environmental restrictions. The light sensor contained trace amounts of a banned substance, and as all models are manufactured in Belgium it was removed altogether.

Although units with a light sensor place it under a small clear circle near the top right-hand corner of the remote, all remotes with that spot do not actually have the sensor.

To check if your unit truly has the sensor, go to the remote's setup menu by pressing and holding the Pronto icon for three seconds. Scroll to panel two. If the "Light Sensor" bar constantly reads 50% and will not change by changing the lighting environment around the remote, it does not have the light sensor. If the bar jumps around and appears to reflect the current lighting situation, it has one.

Despite what you may have been told in the past, the 2 megabyte RC5000i should, in fact, say "RC5000i" on the label on the bottom, not just "RC5000". However, since the remotes are otherwise physically identical and share the same firmware versions numbers, here's how you can conclusively check whether the circuit board in your RC5000-labelled model is as it should be - or better:
1. Run the Marantz Touch Screen Setup software program.
2. Run "File -> New" and, when the program asks, be sure to specify that you're using a 1mb B&W RC5000.
3. Now, open any CCF file (the "Default_Old_RC5000.ccf" file would be a good one).
4. Run the emulator.
5. Hold the icon of the RC5000 at the top of the screen for three seconds to access the remote's Setup Menu.
6. Scroll to panel 3 and make a note of the "free memory".
7. Close the emulator.
8. Download the open CCF file to your connected remote control.
9. Perform steps 5 and 6 again, making note of the amount of free memory shown on your remote. If the number is approximately the same (plus/minus 1 percent), then you do in fact have an RC5000. If the amount of free memory shown is GREATER (by about 33% for the file mentioned above) then you do, in fact, have an RC5000i.