This was a strange week. 2 companies, both involved in the home theater remote control industry are abandoning the DIY market. The first one is Philips, which is going to focus on the Installers with their Pronto product line. It also sounds like existing customers will be out of luck as well. As reported by a Cocooner:
Today Philips pulled the plug on the access of their software tools for the Pronto line of remotes from all end-users / DIY. They launched a new version of their "Professional" website and reset all user accounts. Previously, a user could register at the Philips website and take a series of online tests to become level 1/2/3 certified. This gained you access to the Philips PEP software, firmware updates, programming manuals and custom built Pronto modules. To re-activate your account, it is necessary to obtain an activation code from a distributor. Unfortunately, the distributors will only give the activation codes out to dealers. This now leaves the DIY segment high and dry.
The other manufacturer to pull their products from the DIY market is BitWise. For various reasons (as made clear in a recent incident with a DIY customer), they have decided to pull out of the DIY market completely. Unlike Philips, it looks like they will support existing BC4 customers, but hardware will no longer be available for purchase via the usually DIY retail channels.
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Today Philips pulled the plug on the access of their software tools for the Pronto line of remotes from all end-users / DIY. They launched a new version of their "Professional" website and reset all user accounts. Previously, a user could register at the Philips website and take a series of online tests to become level 1/2/3 certified. This gained you access to the Philips PEP software, firmware updates, programming manuals and custom built Pronto modules. To re-activate your account, it is necessary to obtain an activation code from a distributor. Unfortunately, the distributors will only give the activation codes out to dealers. This now leaves the DIY segment high and dry.
The other manufacturer to pull their products from the DIY market is BitWise. For various reasons (as made clear in a recent incident with a DIY customer), they have decided to pull out of the DIY market completely. Unlike Philips, it looks like they will support existing BC4 customers, but hardware will no longer be available for purchase via the usually DIY retail channels.
Click here to view the article
