FOURTH RUNNER UP! This .XCF is designed to be a file that would be delivered to an end user. It is all activity based with only the buttons and functions available that are required for using the system.

It controls a simple 2 zone audio system and is an actual working file. All control of the video display is performed by macros, there is no need for a receiver or TV control page as their functions are accessed by punch through commands or the macros themselves. All items not considered critical to the daily use of the system have been hidden.

It uses the serial extender and is operating both the Lutron Radio Ra system and an Escient fireball. The Escient unit is duplicated in order to allow operation in 2 different zones with different macros and volume codes for each zone. When in the Fireball interface, pressing menu takes you to a page using the standard video interface and IR commands for advanced functions such as recording, random play modes, setup, options and more as those functions are not available in the pre written interface. All power is switched on using the activity macros. The power button on the remote accesses a power page... (more)

The design of this system is around users who are not familure with the cinema system set-up and users good interface design and walkthroughs to ensure a new user can use the system without prior training. This files also deals with the fact that Toshiba TV's do not have any descrete codes AV input select, etc: There are useful help screens links on pages where it is required in the event the system does not do as required due to the lack of the descrete codes.

There is the added bonus of how to get TiVo to work if it is recording, which as TiVo users in the UK will know it only comes with one built in Tuner and if your TV does not have Freeview built in this system shows you how it can be configured with additional freeview box and TV and work seemlessly, again with the restraint of the Toshiba TV. The main thing is that this is designed for a less is more approach with nearly all techy stuff hidden away, so if you are after a design which is for a techy to administer there system this is not for you. If you are after a system which your wife, girlfriend, family or friends staying over can use without the need for long explainations or written instructions.

Design created using elements of others with some of my own as well. My goal was as simple and error free operation as possible. A key element was having so there was no guesswork for others to use, i.e. must meet WAF! I hid the configuration panels for the lighting and Sony VPL-VW50 projector (easily accessible via the initial home page) so others would not know it was there.

Some elements I like about it are:

• Clean look and operation.
• Each device page (i.e. DirecTV, HD-DVD, BluRay, XBox, etc.) have the logo of the device as the background.
• All devices are automated fully, whether turning on or off.
• A ton of discrete codes for pretty much everything.

Enjoy and if any questions let me know!

This is the highly anticipated and much talked about “RGBCYM Everything” remote template that everyone has been waiting for. ;-) This template file is large because it is filled with over 1900 buttons! The buttons are set in six different colors, three different sizes, and two different shapes. These buttons have been created using “Crystal Button”. If anyone would like the “Crystal Button” templates for these buttons, download the file and get my Email address from the “INFO” page.

This remote template has been designed with speed of programming in mind. You do not need an image editor to change backgrounds or button images. While other remote layouts may look fancy, they may also take a long time to customize when your customer wants to add just one more piece of equipment. The buttons are organized so that you can either copy/paste or ctrl/drag the button to the page you are designing. Since there are three button sizes, you can scale the button to match the needs of the page. Color coding of the buttons is an essential element to a well designed touchscreen. With this template, a visually pleasing color schemes is easy to layout so that task groups within the page can be... (more)

An update to my Pronto Professional contest entry with changes made to the buttons transparency so they work correctly. The buttons worked perfect in the emulator, but not on the actual remote as 100% transparent areas are ignored. This caused 90%+ of the buttons in Aura to not respond. All have been fixed and tested to work perfectly. If you have any questions, please let me know.

FIFTH RUNNER UP! Most small systems consist of only a few devices like a receiver, cable/sat box, DVD player, CD Changer and a video game system. There are included pages for lighting control, audio, and video adjustments as well. You can quickly program this template for your own system or for one of your customers and is self explanatory using activity buttons that are highlighted on each source page so you will always know where you are.

By placing the activity buttons on every page, this design takes advantage of systems that may not include an RF base. If you choose an activity and the IR command didn't get to the device, you can simply choose the activity a second time without having to back to the home page and select the button again. This design is very customer friendly and was intentionally designed to have less buttons on the source control pages by using the only the most commonly used commands for each device. There are additional sized buttons to copy and paste in case you need to include more functions or change a device page.

THIRD PLACE WINNER! Aura is a very flexible design that can be used for personal projects as well as professional programmer’s clients. You can create any background you like to customize the template or choose one of ten different colored backgrounds I made especially for this design. There are extra pre-made pages for Blu-ray, HD-DVD, QWERTY keyboard, plus an alternative to the Lutron page for lighting control for those who like to use the IR codes.

Adding buttons or creating new devices is very easy, there are eight pages of different size, dual state buttons and extra device icons which are pre-arranged that you can simply copy and paste into the correct position for a newly created activity. This design uses as much of the page as possible while minimizing the negative space between buttons and the need for multiple pages.

An update to my Pronto Professional contest entry with changes made to the buttons transparency so they work correctly. The buttons worked perfect in the emulator, but not on the actual remote as 100% transparent areas are ignored. This caused 10% of the buttons in Simplify to not respond. All have been fixed and tested to work perfectly. If you have any questions, please let me know.

What makes my design unique:

• Designed for visual interest as well as visual simplicity and consistency.
  
  
• Designed for a minimal amount of screen changes when in use (e.g. network channels as punch throughs, cable channels and redirection to transport buttons all appear on the same screen; the page up and down button has been converted to cable channel up and down to facilitate these “multi-use screens”).
  
  
• Whilst the device is designed for US users in the first instance, baseplate masters (each with national flag and corresponding local networks) have been created for 25 other countries and can be used to change over the system page elements and network punch-throughs - Argentina, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. Each element on the alternative masters is readily movable/removable.

In my opinion a very clean and nice GUI.