On 29 October 2010, Philips made an announcement that was almost 12 months in the making – they were pulling the plug on the popular Pronto brand of remote control.

At the time, a representative for the company stated: “In December 2009, Philips announced the intention to relocate some of its existing remote control activities in Leuven, Belgium to Asia. At the same time, the intention was communicated to investigate alternative strategic options for the Pronto business, as this activity no longer fits with the Philips strategy.

“Following thorough research, no suitable partner was found for the acquisition of these activities. As such, Philips confirms today that it will discontinue the Pronto product line and related activities.”

Over the next few weeks, Hi Fi Video Marketing and Universal Remote Controls will be inviting former Pronto (and Nevo) dealers to attend one of several free live webinar training sessions.

Webinar Session Dates & Times:

Session 1: Monday, February 21 – 8:00 a.m. EDT

Session 2: Wednesday, February 23 – 8:00 a.m. EDT

Session 3: Wednesday, February 23 – 11:00 a.m. EDT

Session 4: Friday, February 25 – 8:00 a.m. EDT

After attending one of these training sessions trainees will also be eligible to receive a very special offer to get them started with URC. They will have the opportunity to buy a MX-5000i remote (valued at $1,599) for $300.

Should you wish to start a relationship with the URC product before these sessions, you can start learning about URC through a self-paced online training seminar at www.urccontrolroom.com.

For more information on the training, visit http://www.hfvm.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&id=52.