Pronto problem

[StephenR]

Now here's something strange that I just can't understand at all, so I'm hoping someone here can help.

I am having trouble controlling my new Sanyo PLV-30 projector and new Pace DTR-735 ONdigital box using my Pronto. Occasionally, when using the Pronto the equipment will just freeze up and stop responding. By this I mean that it will no longer respond to the Pronto, its own remote control or even the front panel buttons on the device itself.

In the last week since I've had the projector and the ONdigital box this "freezing" has happened once to the projector which required me to pull the plug and several times to the Pace box. The Pace box usually "unfreezes" itself after I either point the Pronto in different directions or dig out the original remote.

Does anyone have any idea whats going on? I've tried re-learning the codes and always pointing the remote directly at the equipment (rather than aiming at the screen) but there is no consistency. Sometimes it does it, sometimes it doesn't. I consider myself to fairly technical and would normally be able to resolve such problems, but this one has me stumped.

I've had a Pronto a while, but never come across this. I'd suggest you pose the same question over at www.remotecentral.com in the Pronto forum. If you're gonna get help anywhere, it's there. BOL

[Paul D]

Just a tip.(May or may not be the problem!) If the commands are being learnt from the original remote, then make sure when teaching a new command you press the original remote button until the pronto tells you to stop. Otherwise the learn buffer will just fill up any spare space with multiples of the same signal. So when the pronto replays the command the receiving equipment gets multiples of the same command "confusing it". I read this off Remote Central somewhere... hope it helps.

[Timh]

Stephen, are you sure it's not a problem with your Pace box?
I have a Pace Ondigital box and it is very temperamental with the remote signals, I have the original remote and the onmail one which is no better, so I have put it down to the box not receiving the infer red signals to good.
Hope this help's

Tim

[Vis Man]

Ive read on remotecentral that the pronto struggles with some ir codes because the frequency is to high. Dont know why this should cause its on remote to stop working

[dUnKle]

it sounds like its a problem with the on-digital box

mine used to freeze loads and the only way it was fixed was to switch it off at mains

try using the upto update feature and this should correct the problem, it did with mine

[StephenR]

Yes I think it is a problem with the ONdigital box after all. The only reason I thought otherwise was that my Sanyo projector froze up also, but that was just the once and it hasn't happened since (I probably did something wrong).

Incidentally I am now just using the channel up/down buttons to control the Pace box and it's working every time. I'll have to re-learn the numbers AGAIN and see what happens! At least the new Pace box doesn't suffer from picture break-up like my old Nokia box did.

[delta]

. We first had a Philips box and that was forever locking out, (mind you that was right at the beginning of On D.), so it was replaced with a Nokia, which performed well for about a year and then it too started to lock out. That was replaced with another Nokia which continued to lock out! Now we have a Pace and it behaves well. I have spoken to OnD many times and they told me that the problem was caused by errors in the BBC Text transmissions which affected the OnD box. I was advised not to use the number buttons or the rocker switch on either the box or the remote for channel changing, but to use the menus for changing channels. It did help and the box locked out less often. They also told me that a fix for BBC Text would take place in March of this year and the box would be updated over the air. This latest box has behaved well so I can only assume that the fix took place or that this Pace box incorporates new chips to prevent locking out. It does work faster than the older boxes too. Perhaps you should have a chat with OnDigital, or maybe do an auto-update?

[dUnKle]

I think the fix came out in around January of this year and is automatically got when you do an auto-update. Since then I have had NO problems with mine.

The problem was caused by something to do with text transmissions and resulted in the box ( ALL of them at one point were effected ) getting confused when using channel up and down buttons and so it froze.

You should find it will fix itself when you do an auto update.

For good measure I would update once a month and also search for new channels at that time, its suprising how much you can miss

[StuartBooth]

I always worry about doing an auto-update and 'breaking' it where it was previously working! There's always something I want to watch each day and it'd be a great loss...

Wasn't it supposed to be TurnOffYourTV Week this week or did I miss-hear a conversation? Not a chance of me doing it.

[delta]

Auto-update is there to be used so don't worry, it can't do any harm. If there is no update, it will display, 'Error', two or three times and then switch back to the tv channel. Auto-update is useful for any mods that may have been carried out and is worth checking, say, once a month. Alos check 'Add Channels' every so often just in case you have missed something.

Dave