09.12.2009 — If your customers love AMX, but not the price or the button configuration of its touchscreens, they can use Philips Pronto remote controls instead.

Former AMX dealer Brian Anderson of Axis Control has created Emulinx for Pronto – software that basically turns a relatively affordable Pronto into an AMX touchscreen.

In a demo at the Philips booth during CEDIA Expo 2009, Axis demonstrated the emulation software pitting a Pronto TSU9800 Web-enabled touchscreen against an AMX Modero touchpanel.

Sure enough, the two touchscreens tracked each other perfectly.

Anderson said he got the idea last year at CEDIA when he visited the Philips booth with a friend who was a heavy Pronto user.

"I didn't really understand how powerful ProntoScript is," he says of the Pronto JavaScript programming environment.

Emulinx is not necessarily plug-and-play but Anderson says, "If you can program AMX and you can program a Pronto, it's pretty easy."

At CEDIA 2009, Philips introduced a number of new partners who have created two-way drivers for Pronto's TSU series controllers.

The Pronto TSU controllers started out as universal remotes with two-way control for Lutron RadioRa and Escient Fireball. Now supports about 140 products including multiroom audio, security (HAI) and surveillance.



How much will you save using Emulinx and Pronto versus the touchscreen counterparts from AMX and (coming soon) Crestron?

Emulinx spells it out here.


(Note: the chart mistakenly lists the TSU9600 for $1,299. The correct price is $1,499)

Emulinx is having a show special: $1,500 for the software (unlimited use). The regular price is $2,500.

You tell us: Is it worth the hassle?

In the Words of Emulinx

EmuLinx is a software solution which enables you to incorporate the Philips Professional line of Prontos into a control system. With almost no extra programming, you can have a TSU-9800, TSU-9600 or TSU-9400 running side by side with the control systems interfaces. In fact, they can replace the standard interfaces all together. This can substantially bring down the cost of doing a full automation system.

The EmuLinx software packages is the perfect solution for the current economic conditions. Fewer customers are willing to spend the many thousands of dollars each proprietary touchscreen can cost. Instead of reducing the number of touchscreens interfaced into the control system, why not spec in a few Prontos for quite substantially less? This not only saves the customer money, but also increases the usefulness of their automation system.

Considering the cost of the TSU-9400, the system can be spec'd with a controller in almost every room. Think how much easier it will be to bid on projects with competitors who can only spec propietary panels. EmuLinx included bids will always come in lower than any other bids of considerable scope.

http://www.emulinx.com