Hey did anyone watch the Eagles vs. Chargers game yesterday? If you noticed the "glamour shot" where they have the two opposing teams' helmets facing each other on a puprle velvet sheet with a plasma monitor above it playing highlights, was none other than...the MX-42X3!

Make those wings buffalo. Hmmmm buffalo.

The 50x3 doesn't look as cool as the 42x3. Only improvement to me is that the speakers are detachable (which is a con of the 42x3 that they're not).

Look for the thread in this forum that I started with ALL of the current 50x3 information. It's MSRP is $2,999.

Edit: Here's a link for those who are search challenged.

Click me. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=584830)

:cool:

Hey did anyone watch the Eagles vs. Chargers game yesterday? If you noticed the "glamour shot" where they have the two opposing teams' helmets facing each other on a puprle velvet sheet with a plasma monitor above it playing highlights, was none other than...the MX-42X3!

I noticed the same thing!

I am not gonna bash "all" Best Buy's. But the first Maxent I purchased was from a Best Buy store, and they tried to sell me an "open box return" telling me it was brand new. The manager did this. Like I said, not all Best Buy's are bad, but after purchasing thousands of dollars worth of electronics and always having tons of problems exchanging them, I will purchase ALL my tronics at costco from now on. My 42x3 purchase from there was very enjoyable, and the "satisfaction" guarantee cant be beat!

I am not gonna bash "all" Best Buy's. But the first Maxent I purchased was from a Best Buy store, and they tried to sell me an "open box return" telling me it was brand new. The manager did this. Like I said, not all Best Buy's are bad, but after purchasing thousands of dollars worth of electronics and always having tons of problems exchanging them, I will purchase ALL my tronics at costco from now on. My 42x3 purchase from there was very enjoyable, and the "satisfaction" guarantee cant be beat!

Like I said.... this is a non-issue since it won't even be available at CostCo until at least after the start of next year.

Just went to my Costco in LI,NY and they are sold out! The manager said that they will also not be getting any more of them in. Is this true? If yes any1 know what ill replace it? Also I tried to by the floor model with a discounted price but the manager told me he could not give me any discount on this Maxent even if its the floor model because they would get fully credeited back the $$ from the manufacturer if it is not sold. Can any1 comment on this?
It seems that whenever Costco is out of something and you ask they always say that.

If you want a panel they can stock search all the area stores.

It seems that whenever Costco is out of something and you ask they always say that.

If you want a panel they can stock search all the area stores.


Actually it does not seem that way. All Costcos on Long Island in NY are sold out of the 42x3. How can I get one?? I don't have extra money to pay for shipping by ordering online. HELP!

Actually it does not seem that way. All Costcos on Long Island in NY are sold out of the 42x3. How can I get one?? I don't have extra money to pay for shipping by ordering online. HELP!

arhhhh....i was about to get one of these too... im sure there has to be some coming soon????

Actually it does not seem that way. All Costcos on Long Island in NY are sold out of the 42x3. How can I get one?? I don't have extra money to pay for shipping by ordering online. HELP!

Sorry to hear that. They sell out pretty quickly in my area as well. But they seem to have just restocked my local store this weekend. Its still a relatively new model (and part of the new Maxent __X3 lineup that is still being rolled out) I 'm sure there's more on the way.

Actually it does not seem that way. All Costcos on Long Island in NY are sold out of the 42x3. How can I get one?? I don't have extra money to pay for shipping by ordering online. HELP!

I think the store in Norwalk, CT had a few if you feel like driving a ways (not sure how far out in LI you are, Norwalk is about 45 min from the Whitestone Br). Definitely call them first if decide to go.

There's also stores in Portchester and New Rochelle which are even closer, they may have them in also.

Thanks guys, I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Well I think this set will be even harder to find when CNET posts their (very positive) review of the 42X3 this week :(

Well I think this set will be even harder to find when CNET posts their (very positive) review of the 42X3 this week :(

Pray tell how did you hear about the review. :D

Pray tell how did you hear about the review. :D

I simply sent an email and asked David Katzmaier for his opinion on the set and said I would love to see them review it. He gave me a sneak peek and said that if I could not afford the panasonic, that I would be very satisfied with the Maxent. I supposed I could paste the entire email here?

Does the Maxent compare to the Panasonic TH-42PHD8UK? The way I figure it, the Panny would cost me only $200 more after taxes on the Maxent in Costco and shipping charges for the Panny. Would you spring for the extra? Or because you are reading here, felt that this was the better buy and the Maxent panel is a Panny anyway? I'm seriously on the fence here and would love some more input.

The way I see it:

Maxent Pros - price, PQ, inputs, Costco return policy and lifetime pricematching.
Maxent Cons - lack of non-detachable speakers, lack of proven track record, extremely wide set, slightly less PQ than the Panny?

Panny Pros - Superior PQ, "prettier" set, impeccable reputation.
Panny Cons - price, no HDMI inputs, no speakers, no lifetime return/pricematching policy

where are you seeing it for only $200 more than the Maxent??

(and yes, copy/paste the email from cnet!!)

Please do NOT post prices or links publicly as the mods will close this thread. Take it to PM.

Thanks but that, again, is NOT the 50" set that many people are waiting for ;) . That is the older model (50X2) with the no-so-hot brightness/contrast. The one that is coming is the MX-50X3 :) .

CLEOENT: Please edit your post and remove the link to Costco and the price otherwise the moderators will close this thread. :eek:

Thanks but that, again, is NOT the 50" set that many people are waiting for ;) . That is the older model (50X2) with the no-so-hot brightness/contrast. The one that is coming is the MX-50X3 :) .

CLEOENT: Please edit your post and remove the link to Costco and the price otherwise the moderators will close this thread. :eek:

That is MSRP, you can post MSRP i thought...

Oh yeah and sorry for the stupid n00b mistake of posting the old tv :D

Posting MSRP.......ok!

Posting Retailer Direct Links.......No Way!!!!!

Dave

Posting MSRP.......ok!

Posting Retailer Direct Links.......No Way!!!!!

Dave

Who do i have to talk to to get that rule changed, seems awfully silly.

Okay people... let's keep this thread on topic. It's about the 42x3 and NOT the 50x2 or 50x3.

There's already a separate thread devoted to just the 50x3 in this forum.

Click me for 50x3 thread. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=595430)

Who do i have to talk to to get that rule changed, seems awfully silly.

You quoted a mod so start there and good luck.

This isn't directly responsive, but maybe it will be a help. Most of the signals the remote sends use an Emerson protocol, Device 63, but the discrete inputs, etc. below the sliding panel are Sampo protocol, Device 45, subdevice 10. I've put the latter on a JP1 remote so maybe a universal remote would be a solution for you.

Hmm, that doesn't work for me either. I really only care about the Power on/off and volume for the Maxent... I'd like to get that to work from the Tivo remote, but so far haven't made any progress at all. Yes, a fancy learning remote is an option I guess, but the Tivo remote is so easy to use and does everything I want to do (or at least it did before I bought the Maxent plasma display.)

Who do i have to talk to to get that rule changed, seems awfully silly.


You have been here since "Apr 04" and now you find this silly?

Have you not read and agreed to abide by the AVSForum Rules and Guidelines when you signed up as a member?

The pricing rule has always been there and has not changed.

Did you not read this,>> Plasma Forum Rules<< MSRP Pricing only/ no retail links: MUST READ before you post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=488095), which is a sticky on the first page of the Plasma/LCD Forum?

I can assure you that the Pricing Rule will remain and it will be enforced!!!!!

Dave

I don't want to start anything controversial here; I am aware of the pricing rule and endeavor to obey it, but I am curious as to the reason behind the rule. Can somebody in the know enlighten me?

I don't want to start anything controversial here; I am aware of the pricing rule and endeavor to obey it, but I am curious as to the reason behind the rule. Can somebody in the know enlighten me?

I'm thinking its because this site is advertiser supported. And many of the advertisers are television dealers. So in deference to them the people who run this forum try to keep prices and links of competing retailers from appearing on this site.

As for pricing rules.

It is the wishes of the owners (Alan and David) to keep this forum in-line with the Home Video Technology.

It was designed to share and discuss one's experiences with a particular technology. They want this forum to be technical and not a broker for selling the various technologies.

If pricing was not kept in-check then that is all it would be about.

There is plenty of resources via the internet to find and locate the best prices.

Everybody was to have read the rules when they signed up and by signing up they implied that they understood and agreed to abide by them.

Dave

That's a good explanation. I wasn't questioning the rule, just seeking to understand the reasons behind it. (And people, I think, tend to be more willing to comply with a rule when they understand the reason for it.)

You're right, there are plenty of places to compare prices online (but few places to exchange other information as we can here.) So I'm happy to comply.

Thanks. There is actually a Costco here that has them, but Im not sure I should get one now because they are obviously going to replace them with something new very soon once their current stock runs out. Any1 know if it's a good idea to buy it now? When is the 50" Maxent coming out?

Costco doesn't obviously replace anything. As a generalization, their electronics are usually the outdated models. Like with the Sony LCD's. They gernerally get a good deal on recently replaced models and sell them for a good price. The new releases are seldom available from Costco. I'm not sure what arrangment they had with Maxent, but that is not the normal operating procedure.

Costco doesn't obviously replace anything. As a generalization, their electronics are usually the outdated models. Like with the Sony LCD's. They gernerally get a good deal on recently replaced models and sell them for a good price. The new releases are seldom available from Costco. I'm not sure what arrangment they had with Maxent, but that is not the normal operating procedure.

The "outdated" issue has been a subject of debate. It seems to be on a case by case basis and based on their sales agreements with the manufacturers. As an example they stocked the iPod Nano within about 2 weeks of its intro. They were the first to stock the Vizio 50 as well as the Maxent 42x3. The Panny 42" ED is also one of the newer generation sets with very recent build dates.

Went to costco today and was blown away by this tv, and then blown away even more by the panasonic edtv next to it. Boy you guys weren't kidding about that edtv set, it's incredible!

I'm hoping to talk the wife into the 42" maxtent, but it's really stretching our budget after you factor in a 300 dollar wall mount :( That panasonic is beautiful, but i really want another hdtv to replace my rptv hdtv...

Went to costco today and was blown away by this tv, and then blown away even more by the panasonic edtv next to it. Boy you guys weren't kidding about that edtv set, it's incredible!

I'm hoping to talk the wife into the 42" maxtent, but it's really stretching our budget after you factor in a 300 dollar wall mount :( That panasonic is beautiful, but i really want another hdtv to replace my rptv hdtv...

You do not have to spend $300 for a wall mount. They are all over the Internet at a little over$100. Read the wall mount thread.

The "outdated" issue has been a subject of debate. It seems to be on a case by case basis and based on their sales agreements with the manufacturers. As an example they stocked the iPod Nano within about 2 weeks of its intro. They were the first to stock the Vizio 50 as well as the Maxent 42x3. The Panny 42" ED is also one of the newer generation sets with very recent build dates.

i may be wrong, but i was calling stores to find the maxent. costco rep said they are no longer stocking it. i hope they are wrong. there is another store that carries it but they are gonna go quick.

Costco doesn't obviously replace anything. As a generalization, their electronics are usually the outdated models. Like with the Sony LCD's. They gernerally get a good deal on recently replaced models and sell them for a good price. The new releases are seldom available from Costco. I'm not sure what arrangment they had with Maxent, but that is not the normal operating procedure.

That is not true. The 4214 Pioneer is the newest generation from them. They normally do not carry the top of the line products, but its not old stuff in most instances. The Panny is new and the Maxent is also new and superior to the BB model. I just picked up the 37" Phillips LCD. It is the same model at CC, just less money and a great return policy. Granted, Costco is not the place to go if you need hand holding or any info whatsoever, but I rarely find that at ANY big box store. That is what makes this place so great. You can do your research here and talk to people who actually have the product.

You do not have to spend $300 for a wall mount. They are all over the Internet at a little over$100. Read the wall mount thread.

Shoot, you can get one on ebay for $69...

Shoot, you can get one on ebay for $69...
With free shipping thats one helluva bargain!

Shoot, you can get one on ebay for $69...

For a plasma? Damn that's crazy good deal. My plasma wont fall off the wall with these right?

Here is a copy of the email I received from David Katzmaier @ CNET:

"Hi Bill,

We’re posting a full review of the MX-42X3 next week, but I can give you a sneak peek: we really liked it for the price. We still prefer the Panasonics overall, but if the price difference is too steep for you, I don’t think you’ll be dissatisfied with the Maxent.

Hope this helps,

David"

Gotta like that, can't wait to see the review!

I trust cnet about as much as the local thug.

I'm glad for you.

thanks midget!

I was at BB at lunchtime, and although they don't have the 50x3 in stock, he did give me the price. But I can't tell you due to the faq's of this site. Do you know who my favorite running back is? Its xxxxx xxxxxx...

thanks midget!

I was at BB at lunchtime, and although they don't have the 50x3 in stock, he did give me the price. But I can't tell you due to the faq's of this site. Do you know who my favorite running back is? Its Curtis Martin...

8 inches for 1k??? Meh, i still think the 42" is the steal of the century. Maybe i'll wait until costco has the 50, who knows, i have 3 rooms in my house, i can't live without a tv in each and right now that's what i got :(

Curtis Martin is good, but that is still a little too rich for me!

8 inches for 1k???

That's about what i charge :D

and much like the 50x3, its probably not worth it!!!

Hey everyone, I've finally decided to buy this tv and I need help finding an entertainment center/stand for it. I haven't searched through this thread yet to see other people's setups, but I'll do that now. Can someone tell me how tall the it is from the bottom to the middle of the screen? Yeah, I know viewing angles don't matter much for plasmas, but I don't want to strain my neck either. :) Thanks!

It's about 28.5" high (including the stand) and from the bottom of the stand to the middle of the screen is about 16".

Thanks davetroup! Does anyone have any suggestions for stands for this? Particularly from Ikea? (They're having a sale this weekend)

I am wondering the same thing actually. I just want something to hold my components while the set goes on the wall above it. Haven't found anything to satify that yet though...

Mods Note:

If you think talking in "code" will get you around the "Pricing Rules"......

I'm here to tell you it won't......

"Pricing Talk" is still "Pricing Talk" no matter how you word it......

It will get post deleted and threads closed.......

But hey its your guys call.......

I'm just here to accommodate what ever that decision is.......

Dave

guys I just went to the Costco website and it seems that they are selling a 50" Maxent! Is this the 50X3 everyone has been talking about?

No, this is the old version dude...its been up there for awhile.

One more question. How wide is the footprint on this TV? I know the actual panel is ~49" wide, but just wondering how wide the stand part is.

One more question. How wide is the footprint on this TV? I know the actual panel is ~49" wide, but just wondering how wide the stand part is.

The stand width is 31 inches and depth is 9 inches at its deepest point.

I'm also looking for a piece of furniture to hold components below the wall-mounted panel. If anyone finds something that serves that purpose well, please let us all know.

Does anybody know what the Maxent 42X3 remote control manufacturer code is? Maxent is apparently a very new TV name so I wonder if their remote is similar to another manufacturer so I can use the other manufacturer code to program my universal remote.

Thanks,

:(

Does anybody know what the Maxent 42X3 remote control manufacturer code is? Maxent is apparently a very new TV name so I wonder if their remote is similar to another manufacturer so I can use the other manufacturer code to program my universal remote.

Thanks,

:(

search the thread...its in there.

search the thread...its in there.

I searched this site and forum. Nothing. Did you REALLY see something?

:mad:

yeah, I've seen codes that worked for people within the pages of this thread.

I searched this site and forum. Nothing. Did you REALLY see something?

:mad:

It's probably one of the Sampo codes.
If you click the "search this thread" link and type in "remote codes" I found a few of the codes that worked for people.

I got it working with my SA 8300HD remote, and also my Media Center remote.

It's probably one of the Sampo codes.
If you click the "search this thread" link and type in "remote codes" I found a few of the codes that worked for people.

I got it working with my SA 8300HD remote, and also my Media Center remote.

Thanks. Found them. Will try them later on.

:p

That is not true. The 4214 Pioneer is the newest generation from them. They normally do not carry the top of the line products, but its not old stuff in most instances. The Panny is new and the Maxent is also new and superior to the BB model. I just picked up the 37" Phillips LCD. It is the same model at CC, just less money and a great return policy. Granted, Costco is not the place to go if you need hand holding or any info whatsoever, but I rarely find that at ANY big box store. That is what makes this place so great. You can do your research here and talk to people who actually have the product.

I didn't say it was always the case, read my post. You found 3 items that are current models. Look at the LCD and DLP RP units. They are all at least one generation behind and in some cases 2. I was just informing the original poster who is expecting Costco to "obviously replace them with something new" that they should not count on it. I think Costco is the greatest store around, but when I see somthing there that I want, I buy it because it probably won't be there the next time around. That's all.

Nothing like a bit of teamwork Motegi! That is indeed the logo M I was referring to on the panel, so yes, we have a HD Panasonic panel!!

Here's the report on the image board upgrade:

HDMI is now much better. The greens and reds are no longer overpowering and are much mellower. I have yet to recalibrate as the FW upgrade reverts the settings to factory, but I will have much more detail later. Here are the factory settings of the 051622 firmware for component and HDMI with brightness at 60 contrast at 40 and sharpness at 20:

COMPONENT 1

RGN: 313
BGN: 331
GGN: 340
RBS: 465
BBS: 472
GBS: 454

HDMI

RGN: 223
BGN: 228
GGN: 235
RBS: 453
BBS: 458
GBS: 463

What I'd like to do is to get together with someone with an 08 or 15 firmware and sync up screen shots, if that would be beneficial to all.

Sorry Im a noob to plasmas, just picked up a 42x3 and have some questions.

How did you go about updating the firmware??? Where can the newer firmware be obtained???

Also, is there any online source for calibrating and breaking in a new plasma.

What are your opinions between the Pan EDTV and the MAXent?


There is a separate thread on this here on the forums. I posted my experience there in more detail, but to make a long story short, after comparing both in-home under identical conditions I kept the Maxent. The differences were precisely the opposite of what I had expected: Both had very close HD quality but the Maxent had superior SD quality.

Hi,

I have an adephia MOXI hd dvr cable box. It onmly has DVI not hdmi. Ho do I connect the HDMI maxent to the DVI cable box and get sound? I will get a cable from monoprice.

Sorry Im a noob to plasmas, just picked up a 42x3 and have some questions.

How did you go about updating the firmware??? Where can the newer firmware be obtained???

Also, is there any online source for calibrating and breaking in a new plasma.

It is a hardware upgrade that updates the firmware. It needs to be serviced by a technician.

It is a hardware upgrade that updates the firmware. It needs to be serviced by a technician.

Have you draw any more conclusions since the firmware upgrade? Is the VGA input any better? etc... Thanks

Hi,

I have an adephia MOXI hd dvr cable box. It onmly has DVI not hdmi. Ho do I connect the HDMI maxent to the DVI cable box and get sound? I will get a cable from monoprice.

No sound with DVI. Will have to use a separate audio jack.

I just saw this TV's review today on cnet. Not bad in terms of performance but overall score is 6.1.

1. I connect the Maxent to a VCR, for the analog channels, the formats are, 16X9, 4X3, Panrama, Zoom1 and Zoom2.

2. Maxent is connected to a Motorola DVR 6412, no stretch mode. Only option were 16x9 and 4x3.

My question is does anybody have stretch modes with component input or HMDI imputs ?

My software version is 050615. I am hoping that a software upgrade will fix this.

3. Maxent does not seem to keep the settings for each input as I was lead to believe. Is this true for everybody?

Thanks,

:confused:

I hope its okay to link to the CNET product review (since its information only and not pricing). I must admit, I was surprised to read that the Maxent does not display 1080i nearly as well as it does 720p via HDMI connection. Anyone else who owns the set have any comments on the review?

http://reviews.cnet.com/Maxent_MX_42X3/4505-6482_7-31516575.html?tag=sub

1. I connect the Maxent to a VCR, for the analog channels, the formats are, 16X9, 4X3, Panrama, Zoom1 and Zoom2.

2. Maxent is connected to a Motorola DVR 6412, no stretch mode. Only option were 16x9 and 4x3.

My question is does anybody have stretch modes with component input or HMDI imputs ?

M software version is 050615. I am hoping that a software upgrade will fix this.

3. Maxent does not seem to keep the settings for each input as I was lead to believe. Is this true for everybody?

Thanks,

:confused:

No, there is no stretch modes for component or HDMI. Firmware does not support this either.

YES, it does keep it's own settings for each input. You must not be doing something right.

I hope its okay to link to the CNET product review (since its information only and not pricing). I must admit, I was surprised to read that the Maxent does not display 1080i nearly as well as it does 720p via HDMI connection. Anyone else who owns the set have any comments on the review?

http://reviews.cnet.com/Maxent_MX_42X3/4505-6482_7-31516575.html?tag=sub

I think the reviewer is an idiot. First of all, CNET is hardly known for their objective and scientific reviews. Second, they put 30% of the rating on DESIGN. That's right DESIGN, the one aspect that has NOTHING do with the picture. Even then, they praise the number of inputs and other things. Third, they fail to mention the fact that a Panasonic OEM panel is used. Fourth, they have given higher ratings to similarly reviewed HD 42" Panels. I guess Maxent doesn't give CNET the payola that other companies do to shill their reviews.

In short - another POS review from the morons at CNET.

I hope its okay to link to the CNET product review (since its information only and not pricing). I must admit, I was surprised to read that the Maxent does not display 1080i nearly as well as it does 720p via HDMI connection. Anyone else who owns the set have any comments on the review?

http://reviews.cnet.com/Maxent_MX_42X3/4505-6482_7-31516575.html?tag=sub

That comment about 720P being sharper really surprised me as well. That is exactly the opposite of what I see. 1080i appears sharper on every input. 720P makes everything a little softer - easily noticeable around the edges of text.

i just let both 720p and 1080i come through the stb... but I like how they summarize the bottom line:

"In its MX-42X3, Maxent has assembled a bargain 42-inch plasma that performs quite well compared to the higher-priced competition."

I just saw this TV's review today on cnet. Not bad in terms of performance but overall score is 6.1.

The way I see it the performance score is its highest number whuch was a 7 out of 10. Pretty good performance for CNET reviews. And even they stated that the performance was strong aside from the D/C restoration issue (actually, I have been able to calibrate the set to a point where I have not had any black level changes). And like many of you here I MUCH rather prefer the 1080i input signal over HDMI than the 720p - the images are just that much sharper and more realistic. I'm not sure why CNET saw the opposite.

I agree w/ wfujosh that Remote and Aesthetics are given a little too much weight. After all how many people end up using a universal programmable remote and put the Maxent remote away? I admit that the Maxent remote could have been a bit better but it is functional and more complete than the remote that comes with the Costco Panny ED. As far as aesthetics are concerned this score is very subjective and the set looks much like some of the Polaroid/Zenith/Philips products with a "basic" flat screen design appearance. Certainly it is not hideous. Actually I appreciate that there is a matte black frame surrounding the screen. It makes the screen seem "larger" than it is and really allows the on-screen images to "stand out" secondary to purely physical contrast. In addition unlike the high-gloss black frame on the Vizio 50" set the matte finish does not show "wavyness" or irregularities.

In terms of the lowest scoring category "Features" it is only to be expected that the Maxent would not do well here since it is only an "HDTV Monitor" and not an "HDTV television w/ tuner". The vast majority of people receive their HDTV signals through either local cable providers (wth cable box) or via satellite. Therefore in those cases an integrated ATSC tuner is an unneccessary added expense for the majority of consumers. Only a select few choose to receive OTA HD for which they will need to purchase an external HDTV receiver. On the plus side the Maxent does include the all important 2:3 pulldown and multiple video settings per input. The limited aspect ratios on certain inputs could be a problem if your source devices do not have adjustability. Luckily my Samsung DVD player allows you to select a variety of aspect ratios. Input wise I find that I have plenty. Of course one more HDMI would have been nice but some other brands do not have dual HDMI.

good job, mo!! I wholeheartedly agree about the maxent looking bigger than 42". maybe its b/c of the non-detachable speakers, but it gives a "big" look, and I don't feel like I'm missing out on not having a 50", which I really always wanted. For example, the 42" panny ed looks like it has a smaller screen than the maxent (to me, at least)...

wfujosh,

Please post your additional impression of the new image board upgrade, if any.

Thanks,

P.S. for S-video, does your Maxent keep the aspect ratio, i.e. panorama setting? Mine does not, it reverts to 16x9 after being moved to a different input.

2. Maxent is connected to a Motorola DVR 6412, no stretch mode. Only option were 16x9 and 4x3.

My question is does anybody have stretch modes with component input or HMDI imputs ?


Chanc,
I would use the "stretch" mode from the 6412 box and run SD and HD from that one box. I have the 6412 connected to my Maxent with component and the picture is great. My wife would kill me if we had to switch sources depending what type of TV we were watching! And the 6412's stretch is so good you won't even notice it after a night or two.

You need to get into the "menu" on the 6412.. TV on and 6412 off. Hit "menu" on your remote.

Set TV Type to 16:9
Set DVI/YPbPr Output to 1080i
Then set 4:3 Override to stretch.

here's the relevant portion from the manual:


4:3 Override Sets the display format for 4:3 standard-definition
programming. If the YPrPb Output is set to 1080i, 720p, or
480p, this setting defaults to 480i. If the YPrPb Output is set
to 480i, this setting defaults to OFF and cannot be changed.
Options are:

• Stretch automatically stretches all standard definition
programming to fill your widescreen display. Stretch can
only be selected if you have TV Type set to 16:9.

Best of luck!

Jerry

wfujosh,

Please post your additional impression of the new image board upgrade, if any.

Thanks,

P.S. for S-video, does your Maxent keep the aspect ratio, i.e. panorama setting? Mine does not, it reverts to 16x9 after being moved to a different input.

No problem. My immediate impressions were that the green and red color pallets were no longer "blooming" and overly bright and dominant. Flesh tones were evened out and appeared natural. You can now keep the red dialed in without it affecting flesh tones. Greens are more accurate (although still a little off in my book). I also noticed that close-up scenes were beautiful with incredible detail and sharpness, but when it moved to further away, the picture lost detail and sharpness. I'd like to spend some more time calibrating the picture, but I think the upgrade is much worth it, if only for the fact that red over HDMI is now under control.

Jerry,

Thanks for the pointers. My wife and I prefer the panorama setting on the Maxent so we connected the S-video of the Motorola to the Maxent and got the stretch modes. What is annoying was that every time input was changed to component and back the aspect ratio changed back to 16x9 and here we go again.

The S-video input was also pointed out by Motegi in another thread.

wfujosh,

Thanks for the input. There appears to be 3 different firmwares: 051622, 050608, 051615 depending on the manufacture date. The PQ is different due to lack of blue or should I say, overpowering green and red and lack of sharpness and lack of true colors.

HDMI is also kind of dark for my set.

It's too bad that Maxent does not have a software upgrade which can be performed by the end user.

;)

Jerry,

Thanks for the pointers. My wife and I prefer the panorama setting on the Maxent so we connected the S-video of the Motorola to the Maxent and got the stretch modes. What is annoying was that every time input was changed to component and back the aspect ratio changed back to 16x9 and here we go again.

The S-video input was also pointed out by Motegi in another thread.

wfujosh,

Thanks for the input. There appears to be 3 different firmwares: 051622, 050608, 051615 depending on the manufacture date. The PQ is different due to lack of blue or should I say, overpowering green and red and lack of sharpness and lack of true colors.

HDMI is also kind of dark for my set.

It's too bad that Maxent does not have a software upgrade which can be performed by the end user.

;)

I think it's more likely that the HDMI on the older firmware was faulty hardware.

So is it possible that if I buy a Maxent from Costco now, the firmware will already be updated? What build date/version would I need to have to be using the latest firmware?

Thanks

was there any change in the component picture quality after the firmware upgrade?

So is it possible that if I buy a Maxent from Costco now, the firmware will already be updated? What build date/version would I need to have to be using the latest firmware?

Thanks

I just brought one yesterday (my store didnt have any left so i had to drive to the next one, 3 left).

Once I open the box at the end of the week, i will update you on firmware

Thanks mcmush!!

I just bought my first HDTV, the plasma "HD ready" Mx-42X3. i'm very happy with my purchase so far. I picked it up at a Costco. The display looks great at 720p. I'm using component video from a comcast Motorola set top box. Picture looks great. I have component video cables on order but right now I'm watching dvd's via composite inputs. The DVD looks "ok" with composite, but I expect it will look a lot better once I get the component video cable. I plan to connect my PC via the HDMI, and my PS2 via another composite input, but I haven't done that yet so I have nothing to report on that front.

the unit came attached to the stand, I just took it out of the box, made the basic connections, and off I went. so in that sense installation was easy. I have a wall mount on the way, so I can't comment on that part of the installation just yet. Maxent's website tries to sell a wall mount that was quite expensive. I'm told the Peerless ST650 will work with the MX-42x3 and I picked that up for less. I'll post again when I have it installed. Hopefully it all goes smoothly...

Other than that, I'm not sure what else to say. It's been a great unit for me. The price was right and although I had never heard of Maxent, I have not had any issues so far. :cool:

I just bought my first HDTV, the plasma "HD ready" Mx-42X3. i'm very happy with my purchase so far. I picked it up at a Costco for $XXXX. The display looks great at 720p.

Great to hear! Congrats on the new plasma! Hopefully you'll like it as much as I like mine. I agree get those cables soon because component will look much better than composite!

Just for your information the people who run this site don't like people to post prices at all. Its in the policies and rules when you sign up. The site owners have a tendency to close/lock out threads that have prices in them. So if you wouldn't mind could you edit your post to delete the prices?

No problem. My immediate impressions were that the green and red color pallets were no longer "blooming" and overly bright and dominant. Flesh tones were evened out and appeared natural. You can now keep the red dialed in without it affecting flesh tones. Greens are more accurate (although still a little off in my book). I also noticed that close-up scenes were beautiful with incredible detail and sharpness, but when it moved to further away, the picture lost detail and sharpness. I'd like to spend some more time calibrating the picture, but I think the upgrade is much worth it, if only for the fact that red over HDMI is now under control.

Hey there! Just picked up mine today and was wondering about the firmware upgrade. I'm in Southern California and I noticed on the box that Maxent is located in the City of Industry, about 25 minutes away from me. Maybe I should just take it down there and have them do the upgrade on premises.

Also wfujosh, can you tell me how long it took to get a technician out after making a call to schedule it? Thanks!

So is it possible that if I buy a Maxent from Costco now, the firmware will already be updated? What build date/version would I need to have to be using the latest firmware?

Thanks

Costco Milford, CT had 6 Maxent 42X3 last week all of them were manufactured in August 2005 and have the M logo on the top right of the back. Firmware on those sets is 052615.

I bought one of the sets.

:p

Costco Milford, CT had 6 Maxent 42X3 last week all of them were manufactured in August 2005 and have the M logo on the top right of the back. Firmware on those sets is 052615.

I bought one of the sets.

:p

Lastest firmware is 052622, those are one generation back. I was told that the ver. 3 image board is only with firmwares begining with 22, so that one will have the ver. 2 image board (faulty HDMI).

Hey there! Just picked up mine today and was wondering about the firmware upgrade. I'm in Southern California and I noticed on the box that Maxent is located in the City of Industry, about 25 minutes away from me. Maybe I should just take it down there and have them do the upgrade on premises.

Also wfujosh, can you tell me how long it took to get a technician out after making a call to schedule it? Thanks!

Well more than likely it's just a business front for Regent USA.

The tech took about 10 days to call me. VERY nice guy. So is Jay at Sampo tech support. Kudos to both of them.

wfujosh, did you have to pay for the firmware upgrade, or was it covered under warrantee?

wfujosh, did you have to pay for the firmware upgrade, or was it covered under warrantee?

Waranty, free of charge.

I tried to upgrade my maxent mx-42x3 last week and was told that this only apply to those who use the monitor along with a computer, something to do with a green line at the bottom of the screen. The bottom line is, I was not able to convince the person I was talking to, to send a technician out to upgrade my firmware, is this the only reason for the upgrade? (the use of a laptop with the Monitor). What other way will this upgrade benefit? and how can I convince that person at the other end of the line.

I tried to upgrade my maxent mx-42x3 last week and was told that this only apply to those who use the monitor along with a computer, something to do with a green line at the bottom of the screen. The bottom line is, I was not able to convince the person I was talking to, to send a technician out to upgrade my firmware, is this the only reason for the upgrade? (the use of a laptop with the Monitor). What other way will this upgrade benefit? and how can I convince that person at the other end of the line.

Tell them that you are having difficulty with the HDMI and RGB inputs. Those are the problems with the old firmware.

Tell them that you are having difficulty with the HDMI and RGB inputs. Those are the problems with the old firmware.

Firmware 608, 615 or both? Which firmware did you have before the upgrade?

Firmware 608, 615 or both? Which firmware did you have before the upgrade?

I actually had a VERY old firmware 605!!

I have the 615 firmware and the only problem I've encountered was the poorly calibrated RGB settings. I have since corrected that issue myself. I'm not in a big hurry to get the firmware upgrade if it is only going to change the calibration settings. Can the people who have had this upgrade post their observations with regard to before and after? Thanks

I have firmware 615 and the only problem I noticed with mine was the default pq settings were pretty off. After calibration I haven't noticed any other issues. The only inputs I am using at the moment are HDMI and Component. Has anyone had trouble with firmware 615?

I just purchased a new mitsubishi lcd hd tv and would like to know the best settings for it.
The model number is WD52528 52".

Well more than likely it's just a business front for Regent USA.

The tech took about 10 days to call me. VERY nice guy. So is Jay at Sampo tech support. Kudos to both of them.

Well... I'm now the proud owner of a 42X3 that has the latest firmware update. I called Jay at Maxent/Sampo and asked if I could bring the unit down to them and he said yes and it would take around 15 minutes to perform the upgrade.

Great guys down there! Very friendly and new their stuff. They benched my unit, performed the upgrade and the picture kicks butt now! Signal over HDMI is awesome!

I returned the Costco Pioneer PDP4214 for this Maxent! For the money I think this has a better picture and the digital artifacts are handled better on the Maxent than the Pioneer. Plus I save $900.00

Used AVIA to dial-in the setting and I'm a happy camper!

Congrats on your purchase EddieSudz - this is what we all like to hear!

I just purchased a new mitsubishi lcd hd tv and would like to know the best settings for it.
The model number is WD52528 52".

I think you made a left when you should have made a right.

Well... I'm now the proud owner of a 42X3 that has the latest firmware update. I called Jay at Maxent/Sampo and asked if I could bring the unit down to them and he said yes and it would take around 15 minutes to perform the upgrade.

Great guys down there! Very friendly and new their stuff. They benched my unit, performed the upgrade and the picture kicks butt now! Signal over HDMI is awesome!

I returned the Costco Pioneer PDP4214 for this Maxent! For the money I think this has a better picture and the digital artifacts are handled better on the Maxent than the Pioneer. Plus I save $900.00

Used AVIA to dial-in the setting and I'm a happy camper!

I know every panel is different, but I'm curious to know your settings for component and HDMI, especially if you've used HT.

Well... I'm now the proud owner of a 42X3 that has the latest firmware update. I called Jay at Maxent/Sampo and asked if I could bring the unit down to them and he said yes and it would take around 15 minutes to perform the upgrade.

Great guys down there! Very friendly and new their stuff. They benched my unit, performed the upgrade and the picture kicks butt now! Signal over HDMI is awesome!

I returned the Costco Pioneer PDP4214 for this Maxent! For the money I think this has a better picture and the digital artifacts are handled better on the Maxent than the Pioneer. Plus I save $900.00

Used AVIA to dial-in the setting and I'm a happy camper!

Which firmware did you have previuosly?

Which firmware did you have previuosly?

052615

I know every panel is different, but I'm curious to know your settings for component and HDMI, especially if you've used HT.
Here are my settings:

Component:

Contrast - 70
Brightness - 30
Color - 35
Tint - 0
Noise Reduction - Low
Color Temp - Natural

HDMI:

Contrast - 83
Brightness - 40
Color - 50
Tint - 0
Sharpness - 80
Noise Reduction - Low
Color Temp - Natural

Are they close to what you are using?

Here are my settings:

Component:

Contrast - 70
Brightness - 30
Color - 35
Tint - 0
Noise Reduction - Low
Color Temp - Natural

HDMI:

Contrast - 83
Brightness - 40
Color - 50
Tint - 0
Sharpness - 80
Noise Reduction - Low
Color Temp - Natural

Are they close to what you are using?

What was the sharpness setting for your components?

What was the sharpness setting for your components?
Component - HD Tivo

HDMI - DVD

Is that what you were asking?

Component - HD Tivo

HDMI - DVD

Is that what you were asking?

For HDMI, you had "Sharpness - 80" but there's not an entry for sharpness setting for components.

For HDMI, you had "Sharpness - 80" but there's not an entry for sharpness setting for components.
Ah! Got it! Sorry for being a bit slow.....

Component:

Sharpness - 60

Ah! Got it! Sorry for being a bit slow.....

Component:

Sharpness - 60

Thanks eddiesudz! I tried your component settings and mine looks better than the default out of the box settings. I don't have the calibration DVD so this helps me get started on calibrating my mx42x3..

Thanks eddiesudz! I tried your component settings and mine looks better than the default out of the box settings. I don't have the calibration DVD so this helps me get started on calibrating my mx42x3..
Glad to be of help! That's what I love about this website. Being able to share ideas sure is great!

Your settings should be pretty close to mine.

When I was getting my firmware update at Maxent, they told me that my settings were pretty good and that I'd only have to tweak the brightness/contrast settings depending on the lighting of the viewing environment.

Hope you enjoy your new toy!

I'm not sure why your sharpness settings are so high. Sharpness should only be used as needed. I keep mine at 10-20 MAX. You are over-sharpening the picture, which leads to a multitude of false image problems.

One thing I have noticed on this monitor is that contrast needs to be VERY high. I wonder why that is, as that would qualify as "torch mode" on most plasmas.

I'm not sure why your sharpness settings are so high. Sharpness should only be used as needed. I keep mine at 10-20 MAX. You are over-sharpening the picture, which leads to a multitude of false image problems.

One thing I have noticed on this monitor is that contrast needs to be VERY high. I wonder why that is, as that would qualify as "torch mode" on most plasmas.
I'll crank down the sharpness setting when I get home later and check it out. I don't recall tweaking the sharpness so maybe it was done while I was at Maxent...

Yeah.... doing the calibration with the AVIA disc, I noticed that to adjust it as per instructed I had to raise the contrast ratio pretty high. Hope that because it's within the specs of the AVIA disc that it really isn't in Torch mode...

I'm most likely picking one of these babies up later this week. Where do I look to find the firmware number? I may want to hold out until the 22 firmware is in shipped tvs.

you can't hold out too long cause they are not stocking this unit anymore...
my direct store was sold out but i had 2 stores in my area that only had 5 left

What mounts are you using with your MAXENTS? i'm looking at Sanus and Peerless. Don't need tilt but it seems most come with it these days. Any suggestions for about 100 bucks?
If i can find a good articularing (sp) for about 150, i would jump on it. Thanks

you can't hold out too long cause they are not stocking this unit anymore...
my direct store was sold out but i had 2 stores in my area that only had 5 left


GUH!

Is something replacing it? As I understand it, the mx-50x3 is just hitting the market.

Looks like tomorrows the day.

GUH!

Is something replacing it? As I understand it, the mx-50x3 is just hitting the market.

Looks like tomorrows the day.

i believe that is correct, the 50x3 is gonna take its place. a couple of pages ago or the 50x3 thread says they are poping up now and some stores not till end of the year.

I did the same thing after i found at more store wasn't getting them.
Mine been sitting in the box for over a week now and its killing me (we just got a new place and painting and ordering funrature.)

So after much research and flip-flopping, I broke down and went to Costco and bought this for my first HDTV. They had the price marked wrong when I went it, a couple of hundred more than the actual price, but they fixed it at the register. Apparently they had an old sign up. The had 5 more in stock when I left (Costco in Austin, TX).

Anyway, hooked up to a TW SA8300HD box and couldn't be more happy with the HD picture. I set the SA box to pass-through 1080, 720 and 480p, but I'm letting it upconvert the 480i to 480p. SD is OK on most channels, just tolerable on others.

I got the contrast and brightness dialed down for now to break-in, but the picture still looks great. Couldn't be more pleased with the purchase. My wife on the other hand is less impressed by shiney things, unless they can be installed on her finger or in her earlobes.

So after much research and flip-flopping, I broke down and went to Costco and bought this for my first HDTV. They had the price marked wrong when I went it, a couple of hundred more than the actual price, but they fixed it at the register. Apparently they had an old sign up. The had 5 more in stock when I left (Costco in Austin, TX).

Anyway, hooked up to a TW SA8300HD box and couldn't be more happy with the HD picture. I set the SA box to pass-through 1080, 720 and 480p, but I'm letting it upconvert the 480i to 480p. SD is OK on most channels, just tolerable on others.

I got the contrast and brightness dialed down for now to break-in, but the picture still looks great. Couldn't be more pleased with the purchase. My wife on the other hand is less impressed by shiney things, unless they can be installed on her finger or in her earlobes.

i love hearing stuff like this. can't wait to hook mine up. Cable guy comes tomorrow so tomorrow will be the first time i get to see it with a signal.

what firmware was in yours?

What mounts are you using with your MAXENTS? i'm looking at Sanus and Peerless. Don't need tilt but it seems most come with it these days. Any suggestions for about 100 bucks?
If i can find a good articularing (sp) for about 150, i would jump on it. Thanks

I'm using the Peerless SF660, it doesn't tilt but I didn't want one that did.
I'm sure you can find something in your price range here (http://www.mountsandmore.com/cats/All/Plasma-and-LCD-Mounts/Plasma-Mounts/0C281.htm).

Early on in this thread the consensus was that the 42vm11 well ah sucked.

Just curious to see if that is still the general feeling?

BTW, I did not notice the green push they had on the one they were displaying.

TIA,

JHawk

What mounts are you using with your MAXENTS? i'm looking at Sanus and Peerless. Don't need tilt but it seems most come with it these days. Any suggestions for about 100 bucks?
If i can find a good articularing (sp) for about 150, i would jump on it. Thanks

I just bought my 42" maxent this week b/c Costco associate said it was pending delete in their system so couldn't wait till Thanksgiving week as originally planned as there was limited quantities at the surrounding stores. I mounted it on the wall with a Sanus model#VMPLB. I am happy with this mount so far. It is an articulating mount so face of plasma is about 6"-7" off the wall. I had planned to get the Peerless ST660 but got the Sanus at a good price at Sears(search on sears.com for VMPLB). HTH.

Yes, it still sucks. It's a totally different panel and internal components.

i believe that is correct, the 50x3 is gonna take its place. a couple of pages ago or the 50x3 thread says they are poping up now and some stores not till end of the year.

I did the same thing after i found at more store wasn't getting them.
Mine been sitting in the box for over a week now and its killing me (we just got a new place and painting and ordering funrature.)

I wonder how my girlfriend will like it when I tell her I was FORCED into buying a plasma tv!

She will be :mad:

but I will be :D

i love hearing stuff like this. can't wait to hook mine up. Cable guy comes tomorrow so tomorrow will be the first time i get to see it with a signal.

what firmware was in yours?
The 615. I am using components on the STB and my DVD player, and everything seems fine.

Hey guys!! Im thinking of picking one of these up this weekend, Is there any way to see what firmware the set has by looking at the box???

Thanks!!!!

Still deciding between ED Panny and HD MAXpanny. Costco here (Myrtle Beach) has 6 Maxents and three Pannys left.

Still deciding between ED Panny and HD MAXpanny. Costco here (Myrtle Beach) has 6 Maxents and three Pannys left.

UGH!!!

Tell me about it.

They both look great and they look the same from a short distance, but I can't get past the ED HD thing. I want an HD set, even though I know its meaningless between these two.

I will most likely get the Maxent because of another user's post on this thread who said he had brought both to his house, calibrated, and went with the Maxent.

If anybody sees foolishness in my reasoning please speak now before I truck this bad boy home tomorrow.

UGH!!!

Tell me about it.

They both look great and they look the same from a short distance, but I can't get past the ED HD thing. I want an HD set, even though I know its meaningless between these two.

I will most likely get the Maxent because of another user's post on this thread who said he had brought both to his house, calibrated, and went with the Maxent.

If anybody sees foolishness in my reasoning please speak now before I truck this bad boy home tomorrow.
The issue for me is the dearth of HD content for the foreseeable future and that the ED looks better on SDTV which is most of what we watch as well as DVDs But I use a MovieTime FP for many of those. Im 9 feet from the screen so the pixel size is of no relavance

So I'm really lseeking the BEST solution for standard TV. today. I have read and seen for myself SDTV on the ED.

Many will go with the Maxent only because its true HD, Can't blame them. I'm too pragmatic about these things.

I'm probably the only poster on this board who has a 4:3 Plasma. LOL

UGH!!!

Tell me about it.

They both look great and they look the same from a short distance, but I can't get past the ED HD thing. I want an HD set, even though I know its meaningless between these two.

I will most likely get the Maxent because of another user's post on this thread who said he had brought both to his house, calibrated, and went with the Maxent.

If anybody sees foolishness in my reasoning please speak now before I truck this bad boy home tomorrow.

I picked up the Maxent at Costco last week. I am still feeding it SD (HD Tivo installed tomorrow). But I am pleasantly surprised by how SD looks. I too went with this set because I wanted HD over ED. Some people will say that's not a smart move. But I am happy so far and, based on previous posts, expect to be even happier when the HD Tivo is up and running tomorrow.

What mounts are you using with your MAXENTS? i'm looking at Sanus and Peerless. Don't need tilt but it seems most come with it these days. Any suggestions for about 100 bucks?
If i can find a good articularing (sp) for about 150, i would jump on it. Thanks

Just picked up a non-tilt Sanus from buy.com for $69 (free shipping).

how do you guys remove the sticker from the top-left of the screen?
i just removed it by hand last time and see had some screen discoloration
see here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=590749

how do you guys remove the sticker?

I jut picked up two of these tvs(one for the bedroom and one for the gym). So far Im loving them. The picture quality on HD material is stunning.

Only complaint I have is the need for 2 remotes. I simply cannot make this tv work with my cable remote. I am part of TWCNYC and use a Scientific Atlanta 8300HD revision 2.4 box with a UR5-8400 remote.

I have completely searched this thread and none of the recommendations listed here seem to work with my system. My system only uses 3 number codes. The Sampo codes, the Mitsubishi codes, the Emerson codes, none of them seem to work.

All I really want is to be able to turn the TV on and off and change the volume with the UR5-8400 remote.

I know this is a minor annoyance, but it is really bugging me. Thanks in advcne for your help.

If anyone has discovered something new that will make this work, please let me know.

I jut picked up two of these tvs(one for the bedroom and one for the gym). So far Im loving them. The picture quality on HD material is stunning.

Only complaint I have is the need for 2 remotes. I simply cannot make this tv work with my cable remote. I am part of TWCNYC and use a Scientific Atlanta 8300HD revision 2.4 box with a UR5-8400 remote.

I have completely searched this thread and none of the recommendations listed here seem to work with my system. My system only uses 3 number codes. The Sampo codes, the Mitsubishi codes, the Emerson codes, none of them seem to work.

All I really want is to be able to turn the TV on and off and change the volume with the UR5-8400 remote.

I know this is a minor annoyance, but it is really bugging me. Thanks in advcne for your help.

If anyone has discovered something new that will make this work, please let me know.

I'm using the 8300HD remote and controlling the Maxent just fine. I used one of the codes mentioned earlier on this thread...I'll try and find out the exact code I used and let you know.

EDIT: The code I use with the 8300HD is 165

how do you guys remove the sticker from the top-left of the screen?
i just removed it by hand last time and see had some screen discoloration
see here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=590749

how do you guys remove the sticker?


good questions...from reading the other thread, there may be no way around it. Mine is still on. (tv will be installed tomorrow)

how do you guys remove the sticker from the top-left of the screen?
i just removed it by hand last time and see had some screen discoloration
see here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=590749

how do you guys remove the sticker?

I just peeled it off the day I installed it. I didn't notice anything at all until I saw the threads here about it, then I have been looking for it ever since. I saw it once last weekend. The sun was shining brightly through a southerly facing window in my living room, and when the TV was powered off I could make out a faint triangle where the sticker was. I could not see it when the TV was on.

I haven't seen it since then, off or on. It's midnight now and I just turned the TV off, and every recessed can in my living room on full blast, then looked from every angle possible and I don't see it. Either mine has faded, or it is only possible to see when powered off in certain lighting conditions, or people are being on the anal retentive side, or all of the above. Who knows... I guess if you can really notice it by all means return it for a refund.

I'm using the 8300HD remote and controlling the Maxent just fine. I used one of the codes mentioned earlier on this thread...I'll try and find out the exact code I used and let you know.

EDIT: The code I use with the 8300HD is 165

I had a lot of trouble to make any of the manufacturers' codes work with my All in One remotes. I tried Sampo, Magnavox, Philips as suggested by this forum and the FAQs at the Maxent site.

I hesitate to post this because it involves work but hopefully it will help those with remote problem.

My solution was to to use the JP1 connector on my remotes and program in the Maxent. JP1 grogramming is discussed at the remote control forum.

;)

I too have tried all the remote codes listed here, the search function, and a couple random others with no luck. My remote (AT8400 w/ SA 8300HD box) requires 4 digit remote codes, so that 165 code doesn't work.

I also noticed the discoloration from the sticker after reading that thread, but only when I put my face about 2" away from the monitor, at about a 15 degree angle. It does not appear to affect picture quality, except in my obsessive mind.

The issue for me is the dearth of HD content for the foreseeable future and that the ED looks better on SDTV which is most of what we watch as well as DVDs But I use a MovieTime FP for many of those. Im 9 feet from the screen so the pixel size is of no relavance

So I'm really lseeking the BEST solution for standard TV. today. I have read and seen for myself SDTV on the ED.

Many will go with the Maxent only because its true HD, Can't blame them. I'm too pragmatic about these things.

I'm probably the only poster on this board who has a 4:3 Plasma. LOL

From what I gathered from the post earlier in this thread where the guy had both units at home, I remember him mentioning how surprised he was that the Maxent was better at SD than the Panny. Exactly the opposite of what he expected.

There is a separate thread on this here on the forums. I posted my experience there in more detail, but to make a long story short, after comparing both in-home under identical conditions I kept the Maxent. The differences were precisely the opposite of what I had expected: Both had very close HD quality but the Maxent had superior SD quality.

Kingfrog.....

here's busdepot's post.

Does anyone here have any experience comparing SD performance of this Maxent to the Panasonic 42" HD models? I understand from previous posts, that this set contains pany glass and some other internal components, but I am concerned as to whether the scaler is the same, or at least equivalent in performance. Many of us will still be watching a significant amount of 480i material in the near future. I can get an exceptional deal on the pany 42HD though an EPP program, but I'd still consider the Maxent if the SD performance is the same.

From what I gathered from the post earlier in this thread where the guy had both units at home, I remember him mentioning how surprised he was that the Maxent was better at SD than the Panny. Exactly the opposite of what he expected.

I read that post. unfortunately I did not come to the same conclusions after viewing both TVs. The SD on the ED was excellent as was the DVD. I would have already bought the Maxent if this were not the case for me. I'm buying for what's is most prevalent today in my world. That which is cable SDTV. I did like the panorama mode on the Maxent although pans were clearly distorted on the sides. I do not like that the Maxent has no Grey bars as I will watch in native formats most of the time.

It's a tough one but Im leaning with the ED which will replace a 4:3 Plasma in the bedroom eventually anyway. by that time I should be able to get a 50" HD for less than $2000 and hopefully compelling HD content will not be the exception then.

good questions...from reading the other thread, there may be no way around it. Mine is still on. (tv will be installed tomorrow)

Check out that thread. I watched the Panel for about 30 minutes with the sticker ON allowing the TV to heat up, then I removed it. Absolutley no screen discoloration. My first set which I returned because of the noticable screen discloration I just peeled off the sticker and it left that triangle discoloration on the set. I would try what I did, can't hurt.

Check out that thread. I watched the Panel for about 30 minutes with the sticker ON allowing the TV to heat up, then I removed it. Absolutley no screen discoloration. My first set which I returned because of the noticable screen discloration I just peeled off the sticker and it left that triangle discoloration on the set. I would try what I did, can't hurt.


thanks..i know to come back here and look before i started.

Sounds like I got everything I need... tip for sticker, break in dvd, mount is coming from sears, settings for 100 break in... we are in business :p

Box dimensions anyone?

I need to know if this will fit in an FX45.

Thanks!

(Cross posted in panny thread):

I recently bought a Panasonic TH-42px50U at CC and at about the same time my son bought a Maxent 42 MX-42X3 at Costco. Price diff. is $1K. Both are HD . I helped my son with his plasma setup.

My observations:

1) They are quite comparable in PQ; similar charactertics -- same color rendition, good dark area details, stunning HD, so-so SD .

2) With my panny throttled down for contrast/brightness for the 1st 100hrs, his Maxent PQ looks far superior with default "Standard" setting (he's not going for that "break-in" period)

3) Some menu options are exactly the same: e.g. same Picture mode options: vivid, standard, cinema .

Did I pay $1K too much for about the same PQ ?

Costco Milford, CT had 6 Maxent 42X3 last week all of them were manufactured in August 2005 and have the M logo on the top right of the back. Firmware on those sets is 052615.

I bought one of the sets.

:p

Where at on the box do you find the manufacture date??? Also how do you check the firmware?

Box dimensions anyone?

I need to know if this will fit in an FX45.

Thanks!


fx45...thats a nice car ;) why ya buying a maxent :rolleyes: lol just kidding.

to relate to your car, it fit laying down (10 min ride) in a Patherfinder. being that the base is similar, you should be able to lay it down. I could not stand it up in a pathfinder (about 2 inches to tall) so i doubt it will stand up in the FX45. The box would of stood up if i could get it in, but i couldn't get it in.

I can measure the box since i still have it once i return home.

has anyone had an issue with the picture going crazy - a bunch of colored vertical lines when there should be a signal? if i turn the set off, then on again, its fine.
its happened twice now

Just picked up a non-tilt Sanus from buy.com for $69 (free shipping).

Did you confirm that it fits the MX42X3? I almost went with that model, but found out that the Maxent needs the VMPL2 model which is a little more expensive.

Box dimensions anyone?

I need to know if this will fit in an FX45.

Thanks!

Look at the second page of this thread (post #54)

Look at the second page of this thread (post #54)

Guh.

Can you believe I read the whole damn thread and missed it.

fx45...thats a nice car ;) why ya buying a maxent :rolleyes: lol just kidding.

to relate to your car, it fit laying down (10 min ride) in a Patherfinder. being that the base is similar, you should be able to lay it down. I could not stand it up in a pathfinder (about 2 inches to tall) so i doubt it will stand up in the FX45. The box would of stood up if i could get it in, but i couldn't get it in.

I can measure the box since i still have it once i return home.

I think it will fit if it is on a 45 degree angle, but I don't know if that's worse than flat. I imagine it is better since less of the glass weight is going in one direction.

I know for a fact that if I have to take it out of the box, then the box stays at costco.

My solution was to to use the JP1 connector on my remotes and program in the Maxent. JP1 grogramming is discussed at the remote control forum.

;)

I can't seem to use a combo code with my 15-1994. I can use the Sampo discrete codes, or the Emerson codes, but not both. I'm using the discrete codes, but I still have to pick up the Maxent remote to use the wide key and cycle through the picture modes. Were you able to use the combo code?

whew, got the last one at my local store in Beaverton, OR about an hour ago. Thanks everyone for this amazing thread! Really helped me make up my mind. Was originally going to go with a Sony LCD RP (A10) but after seeing the picture, the price and the info in this thread I figured the Maxent was the way to go for my needs.

DJRobNM ,
Box Dimenions:

33" High
52" Long
6" Thick

Check out that thread. I watched the Panel for about 30 minutes with the sticker ON allowing the TV to heat up, then I removed it. Absolutley no screen discoloration. My first set which I returned because of the noticable screen discloration I just peeled off the sticker and it left that triangle discoloration on the set. I would try what I did, can't hurt.

Maxent TechSupport told me:

"Just let your plasma run for a while, the filter glass will fade back to the purple tint. We will replace the unit for you...."

So i guess just let it run for a while.
I went to my local costco and the store employee peeled off the sticker of the display model which has been running all day - same discoloration.
BTW, you can only see it when the monitor is off.

(Cross posted in panny thread):

I recently bought a Panasonic TH-42px50U at CC and at about the same time my son bought a Maxent 42 MX-42X3 at Costco. Price diff. is $1K. Both are HD . I helped my son with his plasma setup.

1) They are quite comparable in PQ; similar charactertics -- same color rendition, good dark area details, stunning HD, so-so SD .

Did I pay $1K too much for about the same PQ ?

Lets put it this way. Both contain Panasonic HD plasma display panels inside the outer case. The outer shell is labeled "Maxent" on one and "Panasonic" on the other... PQ quality is similar because the plasma panels were both from the same manufacturer. So is $1K too much for the "Panasonic" logo on the case? Thats really up to your wallet!

Lets put it this way. Both contain Panasonic HD plasma display panels inside the outer case. The outer shell is labeled "Maxent" on one and "Panasonic" on the other... PQ quality is similar because the plasma panels were both from the same manufacturer. So is $1K too much for the "Panasonic" logo on the case? Thats really up to your wallet!

There's MUCH more to a plasma TV then just the panel itself. It's been proven already that MANY of the boards and parts inside are also shared with the Panny which is what ultimately makes up the PQ.

whew, got the last one at my local store in Beaverton, OR about an hour ago. Thanks everyone for this amazing thread! Really helped me make up my mind. Was originally going to go with a Sony LCD RP (A10) but after seeing the picture, the price and the info in this thread I figured the Maxent was the way to go for my needs.

More and more RP customers are realizing Plasma is not out of reach and they don't have to compromise their first choice anymore. I have said before and I do believe 2005 will be the peak of RP sales as more and more realize finally Plasma can be less expensive in the long run and takes up a whole lot EDIT less space.

There's MUCH more to a plasma TV then just the panel itself. It's been proven already that MANY of the boards and parts inside are also shared with the Panny which is what ultimately makes up the PQ.

I know, since I am the one that proved it!

Remote control success! I just pulled my old Harmony 768 remote out of the closet to see if it would work with my 42X3. Using the codes for a Sampo Monitor I am now able to have direct access to selected inputs without having to slide open the Maxent remote and manually change the inputs. My 768 isn't as sophisticated as my 688 but it's doing the job for now until my 688 is replaced and migrates over to my Maxent.

I'm using the 8300HD remote and controlling the Maxent just fine. I used one of the codes mentioned earlier on this thread...I'll try and find out the exact code I used and let you know.

EDIT: The code I use with the 8300HD is 165


DOHHHHHHHHHHH.

I tried code 165 and nothing, it still doesnt work. Im gonna go into a corner and cry.

Was the 165 code that you gave me with a UR5-8400 remote?

More and more RP customers are realizing Plasma is not out of reach and they don't have to compromise their first choice anymore. I have said before and I do believe 2005 will be the peak of RP sales as more and more realize finally Plasma can be less expensive in the long run and takes up a whole lot more space.

kingfrog,
It was exactly the case for me. Did a "oh, wow, didn't know I could afford a plasma of that size and resolution" .. Now I have to wait for 2 damn weeks until I move into my new place to be able to use it. Oh well, at least I got one before they may be gone. stuck with a 13" tv/vcr combo for now :-)

The only thing I'm worried about is burn in since my wife and I do a lot of gaming. Hopefully the image shift mode won't be intrusive and will assist with stopping this from happening.

This might be a silly question. I am planning on mounting my Maxent above the fireplace. Typically, will there be studs and framing between the drywall and brick? (The brick is present on the other side of the wall which is an exterior wall).

Also, does anyone have any tips/suggestions regarding mounting the Maxent?

kingfrog,
It was exactly the case for me. Did a "oh, wow, didn't know I could afford a plasma of that size and resolution" .. Now I have to wait for 2 damn weeks until I move into my new place to be able to use it. Oh well, at least I got one before they may be gone. stuck with a 13" tv/vcr combo for now :-)

The only thing I'm worried about is burn in since my wife and I do a lot of gaming. Hopefully the image shift mode won't be intrusive and will assist with stopping this from happening.

You will also notice not much broha about 1080P in the plasma world either. People are content with what it is. More pragnatism and less about technical minutae.
Plasma owners seem to watch content more then the display. RP owners are like the audio guys who buy CDs to listen to their stereos. Plasma owners buy stereos to "listen" to the CD.

Just an observation I have made in my own quest.

After reading (and re-reading) this fantastic thread, I picked this up last night leaving five remaining.

Few words: could not be happier!

- Had the screen run for about 15-minutes - as recommended in the sticker thread - before carefully peeling it off. Now I either got very lucky or that is the way to do it for there is NO residual marks whatsoever.
- Picking up an HDTV box later this morning from Cox but in 480p the screen is sensational. And unless my eyes are failing me, better than its appearance in-store.
- Sky Captain never looked better, and I couldn't resist including a screen.

Thanks to all who contributed to this thread!

My MX-42x3 just died on me. I noticed that the remote controls and hard controls were not functioning. I couldn't even turn the unit off....
So I pulled the cord from the outlet. Now its totally dead. The light to indicate power doesn't even light.
Is there a RESET i don't know about?

How's the quality on the SD? Are you stretching it? Sorry if I sound like a broken record with this, but this is a consideration for us :).

J-

As it should be... I think most people are going to be watching the majoriaty of their TV in SD, since there is more of that available then HD, so it is important to be happy with the quality of THAT picture.

As it should be... I think most people are going to be watching the majoriaty of their TV in SD, since there is more of that available then HD, so it is important to be happy with the quality of THAT picture.

SD on the 42x3:
Click here for SD images (http://24.96.59.129:8080/random/HomeTheater/SDvideo/index.htm)

My MX-42x3 just died on me. I noticed that the remote controls and hard controls were not functioning. I couldn't even turn the unit off....
So I pulled the cord from the outlet. Now its totally dead. The light to indicate power doesn't even light.
Is there a RESET i don't know about?

Thats too bad. :( Take it back and exchange it for another one. Call ahead to see if they have more in stock. Otherwise you could call Maxent customer service and have them come to your house to look at it.

This might be a silly question. I am planning on mounting my Maxent above the fireplace. Typically, will there be studs and framing between the drywall and brick? (The brick is present on the other side of the wall which is an exterior wall).

Also, does anyone have any tips/suggestions regarding mounting the Maxent?

Specifically for the maxent, no. If you are lucky the studs will line up with the mount, if not you have to cut a hole out of your wall, mount a piece of plywood to the studs, and attach the mount to that.

Whew, I might leave mine in the stand.

Specifically for the maxent, no. If you are lucky the studs will line up with the mount, if not you have to cut a hole out of your wall, mount a piece of plywood to the studs, and attach the mount to that.

Whew, I might leave mine in the stand.

For what it's worth, I just mounted the Peerless ST650. Unfortunately, the studs were 16" apart with one stud positioned where the center of the screen would be. That meant that the studs to the left and right were both too far away (32" wide while the mount is about 25" wide). So I went with the single stud mount with the center stud. I also added a few anchor bolts on the sides which are just gripping the drywall. They are probably not doing a thing, but it was a peace of mind thing. I will say that I passed the hang test with no problem. After securing the mount onto the one stud, I hung on the mount and it was solid. Hope that helps for anyone out there planning on mounting this set.

For everyone that has bought this set from Costco, has anyone purchased an after market warranty? I realize Costco has their 100% satisfaction guarantee but am unsure what to do in say, 2 years and the thing dies on me. Would it be right to take it back to Costco (seems like its beyond their responsibility at that point)? If there is a better thread for discussion about aftermarket warranties for plasmas I'd be happy to go over there to discuss.

I just got a Maxent 42X3 and the bad part is that I can't upgrade the dish signal from SD to HD .Can some one help me to get the best PQ on my TV using the SD ( from a dish ) .Thanks in advance

Thats too bad. :( Take it back and exchange it for another one. Call ahead to see if they have more in stock. Otherwise you could call Maxent customer service and have them come to your house to look at it.

Thanks Motegi,

I bought it 2 months ago from Costco. Love that 100% guarantee. I called and they more in stock.

Now all I have to do is lug this thing back. I wish it was a little lighter...... :)

OK had mine for a few weeks now and it started to do this light dark thing ?
almost like it was overexposing by about 1/3 stop more on the highlights than the shadows
normal picture then a touch brighter for about 1/2 a second then back to normal ??
has done it both on DVD and on cable
the dvd player is a Denon 2900 hooked up with component
the cable box is a SA 8300HD hooked up to the HDMI
trying to pinpoint it and its not all the time or on all shows ??
but seems to be on scenes that have both light and dark or high contrast such as when there is a bright lit persons face against a dark background or looking outside a room with a bright window that kind of scene

almost would remind me if there is something trying to balance the contrast or brightness out and it cant decide ;)

anyone else ever see this ??
I had a Vizio model that had the light dark thing and its similar to that problem ???but a bit less noticeable
but my cable box was never hooked up to this TV so its not the box or my dvd player

My MX-42x3 just died on me. I noticed that the remote controls and hard controls were not functioning. I couldn't even turn the unit off....
So I pulled the cord from the outlet. Now its totally dead. The light to indicate power doesn't even light.
Is there a RESET i don't know about?


I don't know if you've tried this yet, but check the power 1/0 (on/off) "rocker" switch next to the power input socket on the back of the set. I've had more than a few computers drive me insane this way. :D

For everyone that has bought this set from Costco, has anyone purchased an after market warranty? I realize Costco has their 100% satisfaction guarantee but am unsure what to do in say, 2 years and the thing dies on me. Would it be right to take it back to Costco (seems like its beyond their responsibility at that point)? If there is a better thread for discussion about aftermarket warranties for plasmas I'd be happy to go over there to discuss.

Don't know about an aftermarket warranty (they are generally a great deal for the store selling them and a lousy deal for the consumer, but I don't know about the long-term reliability of plasmas – I'd think it wouldn't be that different from a regular TV except in things like burn-in, which wouldn't be a warranty item anyway.) BUT - if you buy at Costco, you probably paid with American Express (since I don't think they take any other credit card) and if you didn't, you should have, since they will double the warranty on anything you buy with the card. That's like getting an extended warranty for free...

OK Guys I have a question on an "issue" I saw with the Maxent today at Costco. This may be a number of things. But I did not notice it on the Panasonic ED there.

The TV was playing a DVD of "Winn-Dixie" through a Toshiba DVD Player composite inputs.
When you look closely at the screen (anal country I know) The image is very sharp until there is the slightest movement then it blurs for a monet until the image stabilizes. For instance someones head moves slightly . As long as it is moving ever so slightly the image blurs. this cannot be seen from normal viewing distances but I was wondering if this was a function of the DVD or as I suspect a function of the TV upconverting 480P as I did not notice this phenomenon on the ED Pani.

Can anyone with this TV see this?

Also the man date is Aug. Any idea what firmware?

I am really trying to give this MAxent a fair shake although I am leaning towards the ED. I want to want the Maxent as I like its look better and yes it's a Pani rebadged and HD.

For everyone that has bought this set from Costco, has anyone purchased an after market warranty? I realize Costco has their 100% satisfaction guarantee but am unsure what to do in say, 2 years and the thing dies on me. Would it be right to take it back to Costco (seems like its beyond their responsibility at that point)? If there is a better thread for discussion about aftermarket warranties for plasmas I'd be happy to go over there to discuss.

Buying at Costco is akin to getting a "lifetime" EW.
Costco takes the responsibility for your satifaction for as long as YOU deem proper.
You can bring the TV back to Costco in five years if you are not satisfied. There is no time limit. However you should know dey will document the return and you may not have that opportunity again on a TV with them. As long as you fell comfortable returning it they will take it back. I have been assured by Costco this is the case. Even if they change the policy it will be for new owners.

I just got a Maxent 42X3 and the bad part is that I can't upgrade the dish signal from SD to HD .Can some one help me to get the best PQ on my TV using the SD ( from a dish ) .Thanks in advance

I'd try connecting the dish box with S-video connection to get the best possible SD quality. HD will look better through either HDMI or component.

OK Guys I have a question on an "issue" I saw with the Maxent today at Costco. This may be a number of things. But I did not notice it on the Panasonic ED there.

The TV was playing a DVD of "Winn-Dixie" through a Toshiba DVD Player composite inputs. When you look closely at the screen (anal country I know) The image is very sharp until there is the slightest movement then it blurs for a monet until the image stabilizes. For instance someones head moves slightly . As long as it is moving ever so slightly the image blurs. this cannot be seen from normal viewing distances but I was wondering if this was a function of the DVD or as I suspect a function of the TV upconverting 480P as I did not notice this phenomenon on the ED Pani.

Can anyone with this TV see this?


Are you sure it wasn't the DVD player? Was it an upconverting DVD player? You could try the same DVD player on the Vizio HD plasma or Pio HD plasma and see if the same phenomenon occurs. If it was an upconverting player it may be the upconverting algorithm. Trying the same player on the Panny ED plasma may not reproduce the problem as it wouldnt take into account any DVD player "upconversion". I have not seen any "blur/sharp" issues with a Samsung HD850 upconversion 1080i player through component or HDMI. I have not tried a Toshiba player so I cannot comment directly. However my Panny 480p DVD player w/ Faroudja DCDi does a fine job (not as sharp as the Sammy however) and 480i Laserdiscs through my Pio and Panny LD players look amazingly decent too!

How come i can't set the screen to panorama/zoom1/zoom2 when watching stuff over HDMI?
I have the Sony DVPNS70H connected via HDMI and alot of widescreen movies show the black bars on the top & bottom. How can i get rid of those?

Are you sure it wasn't the DVD player? Was it an upconverting DVD player? You could try the same DVD player on the Vizio HD plasma or Pio HD plasma and see if the same phenomenon occurs. If it was an upconverting player it may be the upconverting algorithm. Trying the same player on the Panny ED plasma may not reproduce the problem as it wouldnt take into account any DVD player "upconversion". I have not seen any "blur/sharp" issues with a Samsung HD850 upconversion 1080i player through component or HDMI. I have not tried a Toshiba player so I cannot comment directly. However my Panny 480p DVD player w/ Faroudja DCDi does a fine job (not as sharp as the Sammy however) and 480i Laserdiscs through my Pio and Panny LD players look amazingly decent too!

NO I could not be sure Motegi. I just wanted someone to have a look close at their set. Preferably you as you seem to carry the banner for this set. It was subtle but was a noticable effect. slight blurring on the tiniest motion.

I cant move the players around in Costco the panny is across two isles away. DVD PLayer did not have remote near so I could not check the output otherwise I would not be asking for others to check their TVs.

Its very small and not a real issue at even three feet back but it was noticable. Would it bother me? Probably not unless it was the conversion because the ONLY reason i would select ED over this HD is the conversion factor.

NO I could not be sure Motegi. I just wanted someone to have a look close at their set. Preferably you as you seem to carry the banner for this set. It was subtle but was a noticable effect. slight blurring on the tiniest motion.

I cant move the players around in Costco the panny is across two isles away. DVD PLayer did not have remote near so I could not check the output otherwise I would not be asking for others to check their TVs.


I just looked very closely at 480i SDTV and do not notice this issue of course 480i SD is a little blurry to begin with... OTA HD doesn't have any noticeable blurring. Upconverted 1080i DVD does not have any noticeable motion blur either. Do you have an upconverting DVD player? Or will you be using a 480p/480i player?

Comparing DVD at 480p vs 1080i, the 1080i looks MUCH better on the Maxent. However DVD at 480p is virtually indistinguishable from Samsung DVD player upconversion to 720p on this set (but both better than 480i). This is most likely a function of the DVD player itself and not the 42x3 since 720p WMV HD files played through my HTPC appear HD quality and might I add look even better than the 1080i upconverted DVD from the Sammy.

So my conclusion is that the set performs well with upconverting DVD players at 1080i input resolution without any noticeable motion blur. How well it performs with 720p input seems to depend on the source components. While I still do not see any blurry transitions, 480p/i DVD input does not look anywhere near as good as an upconverted 1080i DVD signal -> this may hint at differences in the scalers between the DVD player and the 42X3. Of course the disclaimer is that even when upconverted to 1080i, standard DVD is not going to be as sharp as a true 1080/720 HD source simply because the raw data is not there. However if DVD on a Maxent is what you want to watch then I would highly recommend an upconverting player over a progressive-only player. There are some real good values to be had on upconverting DVD players so I wouldn't think that purchasing one would be a problem. Furthermore the newer players allow for DVI/HDMI in addition to component which can be advantageous.

Thanks Motegi,

I'm planning to buy a Toshiba DVDR with S input and HDMI output , please let me know if this is gone improve the PQ on my TV .

Thanks Motegi,

I'm planning to buy a Toshiba DVDR with S input and HDMI output , please let me know if this is gone improve the PQ on my TV .

A DVD writer? Does it upconvert? Although I've never used a Toshiba player, so I cannot comment to your specific situation, I feel that if it does not upconvert DVD to 1080i you will not be getting the best picture quality possible on the Maxent

The S-video recommendation only applies to maximizing standard def video input to the Maxent. Upconverted DVD will look best and is only possible via HDMI or component.

How come i can't set the screen to panorama/zoom1/zoom2 when watching stuff over HDMI?
I have the Sony DVPNS70H connected via HDMI and alot of widescreen movies show the black bars on the top & bottom. How can i get rid of those?

The Maxent disables aspect ratio controls on HDMI and Component inputs. This has been discussed in previous posts to this thread. The aspect ratio/zoom controls are only available on the S-video and composite inputs.

Your best bet would be to find out if your Sony has adjustable aspect ratio/zoom settings. My Samsung DVD player as well as my OTA HD receiver have adjustable zoom/aspect ratio settings.

BTW the fact that there are black bars on the top and bottom of some movies means that they were probably filmed at aspect ratios wider than 16:9. "Zooming" this type of movie to eliminate the "bars" would result in the left and right edges of the video image being cut off. I prefer to watch movies in their original theatrical aspect ratio regardless of black bars/letterboxing. I want to see ALL of what the cinematographer and director intended.

OK, I'm happy with this monitor and I mounted it with the Peerless mount with help from my friend and his Stuffinder. I have it right now with the bottom of the monitor about four feet off the floor. This provides a higher than eye level view of the monitor. I imagine a lot of people would have the same setup, if not higher, if they mount it over their fireplace as well.

I had some people over and they complained that it is too high for them, the angle gives them a neckache. For me the angle suits me just fine.

I had heard somewhere a long time ago that the optimum TV-viewing angle is one where you watch it looking up rather than down or straight. Can anyone give me the skinny on this? I Googled it but couldn't find anything.

..........

I had heard somewhere a long time ago that the optimum TV-viewing angle is one where you watch it looking up rather than down or straight. Can anyone give me the skinny on this? I Googled it but couldn't find anything.

Nah people have these things mounted over fireplaces. See a movie in a real theater without looking up lately. I don't think thats an issue.

What is an issue though is if I decide to buy the Panni ED instead Im gonna want a blck frame. Anyone know where those can be had. I know Vutec sells motorized Art frames but they cost $2500 a pop.....More then the TV and original artwork :D

Now if I can only make up my mind between the Maxent HD and Panni ED

Can anyone recommend a good DVD player to complement the Maxent monitor? I am currently using the HDMI input with the HD Tivo (HR10-250) and one S-video input for an SD Tivo. So I have all other inputs available. Thanks in advance.

What's the recommended 4:3 override settings are for a motorola DCT5100 set top box from Comcast? I tried 480i, 480p, off and stretch mode for the 4:3 override settings but only 480i worked well. I get a small static line on the top of screen if I select 480p, off or stretch. I'm using component connection so can't use the maxent to stretch it to 16:9 for all channels.

Setting:
TV Type 16:9
DVI/YPbPr OUTPUT 1080I
4:3 OVERRIDE 480i

After deliberating forever going back and forth I decided on the Maxent over the Pani ED. They were running out fast at Costco and the last 50" Vizio went out the door before me.

What won me out in the end was the physical look of the display. Really I like the wide speakers and the black bezel. I could not get past the all silver plastic on the Panni as well that box was huge compared to the Maxent. Needed to make a move before they sold out. I also looked at the Pio 42 but it was $1000 more. Go figure.

After taking it out of the box I hooked it up to a CD player. COMPOSITE input. (My walls are being wired up for a wall mount TV) I have to say this TV looks great on the composite input out of the box. Realizing I am not as particular as most here and do not consider myself a videophile I am sure as long as it's reliable I will enjoy the PQ.

I rent DVDs from Netflix and am currently watching last years Desperate Housewives. Again it looks great. I can't imagine what a composite hook up will add to improve on this PQ.

So we shall seee how reliable it is.

Thanks for all your input. Especially Motegi who really made me look closer at a TV I was ready to discount. In a couple years this will replace the old 37" plasma in the bedroom TV and I'll buy a 50 or bigger hopefully for around the same price. That way I feel like Im getting something more in both rooms for the price of one TV and move the 37 to the garage.

After deliberating forever going back and forth I decided on the Maxent over the Pani ED. They were running out fast at Costco and the last 50" Vizio went out the door before me.

Thanks for all your input. Especially Motegi who really made me look closer at a TV I was ready to discount. In a couple years this will replace the old 37" plasma in the bedroom TV and I'll buy a 50 or bigger hopefully for around the same price. That way I feel like Im getting something more in both rooms for the price of one TV and move the 37 to the garage.

KingFrog,

Of all the people on this forum you seem to have spent the longest time deliberating your purchase. I'm glad I could be of assistance and I hope the 42X3 meets or exceeds your needs. We'll all have to see about the long-term reliability but at least Costco seems to be willing to stand by their open-ended return policy in the event that something goes wrong. Also from my dealings with Maxent service it seems that they will be available if the need arises.

Good luck!

Hi all, i finally got it out of the box and notice on compontent tv, all chanels if i look hard (more so on SD channels), i can see the monitor refreshing 3 small lines going from the bottom of the screen to the top. Is this normal? of course, i'm looking 2 feet away from the screen but i think if i'm 8 feet back (normal viewing distance) it can't be notice unless you knew of it or looking for it.
i ordered my hdmi cables so i didn't know if the quality of the component cables made a difference (came with the SA8300 HD Box from cablevision. I didn't notice it on a dvd using composisite.

2nd question...it was mentioned that HDMI and Component have no work around to strech the screen... is there something from the cable box that i can do do strech? reason i ask cause its new and doing all the reading on breakin, i want to ensure i'm not setting my self up for trouble plus i rather has af ull screen then the bars on the side.

thanks.. sorry if i'm a noob and don't know much if anything at all...

but i do know this, watching the giant game on fox today was great!!!

TIA

KingFrog,

Of all the people on this forum you seem to have spent the longest time deliberating your purchase. I'm glad I could be of assistance and I hope the 42X3 meets or exceeds your needs. We'll all have to see about the long-term reliability but at least Costco seems to be willing to stand by their open-ended return policy in the event that something goes wrong. Also from my dealings with Maxent service it seems that they will be available if the need arises.

Good luck!

Yeah thanks. Buyer's paralysis beats buyer's remorse.
Thanks for all your input. The HD /ED decision was tough. In the end I am sure Imade the right choice looking at this beast. Now all I need is to get the wiring finished and start replacing the rest of the components.

I drove over to Wal Mart to pick up a cheap $40 DVD player while I wait for the new house to get done. In any case I saw a "Cyber Home" (yeah i hear the snickering) with HDMI upconversion for $79 and bought it. It even has the HDMI cable. It works well on all outputs. CyberHome...maybe I'll get a year out of it...ya think? I have not read good things about CyberHome but for $79 I got a DVD player and all the cables for awhile.

I m glad I bought it at Costco as according to the Maxent warranty they do not provide in home service or at least it says send it back. Im sure Maxen don't want these sets back either givin Costco's return warranty so they will be there for quality help. Glad to hear it. The Tv's too heave to drive back to Costco :)

I drove over to Wal Mart to pick up a cheap $40 DVD player while I wait for the new house to get done. In any case I saw a "Cyber Home" (yeah i hear the snickering) with HDMI upconversion for $79 and bought it. It even has the HDMI cable. It works well on all outputs. CyberHome...maybe I'll get a year out of it...ya think? I have not read good things about CyberHome but for $79 I got a DVD player and all the cables for awhile.


Thats pretty inexpensive for upconversion! I actually have never used the speakers on the Maxent so I cannot comment specifically but I think that on my Sammy 850 DVD player there is a menu option for turning audio over HDMI on/off. Personally I route all audio signals into my audio surround system. However based on comments regarding HDMI technology in general it seems as if there are quite a few problems with implementation from manufacturer to manufacturer and that there are many incompatibilities.

Finally, from the responses of others on this thread it seems that Maxent WILL send technicians out to your home for service issues.

CyberHome uses the Zoran Chip. So far it looks great.
Im using the speakers while I wait for my house to be finished. Much of my setup is in storage and I was holding off buying the set until we got into the new place but was afraid they would run out. It wasbuilt in August and has 50615 SW.
The HDMI inout looks great. Hell Composite looked fine. But I did not want to uses the Xbox CD out so I rant to WalMart instead of the storage unit to pick up a DVD player and found that HDMI player. the cables alone are worth almost half the cost of the unit. LOL

I had to set the output of the DVD player to digital to let the MAxent play audio through the internal speakers.

BTW the zoom on the DVD player works well to "fill" the display.



ZORAN (http://www.zoran.com/press_room/2005/5_16_05_cyberhome.htm)

Hi all, i finally got it out of the box and notice on compontent tv, all chanels if i look hard (more so on SD channels), i can see the monitor refreshing 3 small lines going from the bottom of the screen to the top. Is this normal? of course, i'm looking 2 feet away from the screen but i think if i'm 8 feet back (normal viewing distance) it can't be notice unless you knew of it or looking for it.
i ordered my hdmi cables so i didn't know if the quality of the component cables made a difference (came with the SA8300 HD Box from cablevision. I didn't notice it on a dvd using composisite.

2nd question...it was mentioned that HDMI and Component have no work around to strech the screen... is there something from the cable box that i can do do strech? reason i ask cause its new and doing all the reading on breakin, i want to ensure i'm not setting my self up for trouble plus i rather has af ull screen then the bars on the side.

thanks.. sorry if i'm a noob and don't know much if anything at all...

but i do know this, watching the giant game on fox today was great!!!

TIA

Those lines...at least in my case with my Panny plasma were a grounding issue with my cable.

I had the cable co. reground my cable to the main house ground and the lines are gone.

Took they three trips and 4 techs to admit it was a cable issue.

They kept blaming the power in the house, ok then how come it went away when I disconnected the cable :D

Hi guys. I haven't used my HDMI input yet, but I've read in this forum about the problems with HDMI port in the 42x3. I have firmware 615. Some of the posts I have read, say the "615" has a "faulty HDMI". Do you mean ALL the PDP's w/ a 615 firmware are faulty? or just some RANDOM ones??

Also, what problems were people having to make them complain about the HDMI input in the first place?

Basically, I'm trying to figure out if it's worth calling and asking for the new firmware, or even exchanging the set. REALLY, is the HDMI in my PDP guarranteed to not work? Is this as big a deal as it sounds like? Thanks.

Hi guys. I haven't used my HDMI input yet, but I've read in this forum about the problems with HDMI port in the 42x3. I have firmware 615. Some of the posts I have read, say the "615" has a "faulty HDMI". Do you mean ALL the PDP's w/ a 615 firmware are faulty? or just some RANDOM ones??

Also, what problems were people having to make them complain about the HDMI input in the first place?

Basically, I'm trying to figure out if it's worth calling and asking for the new firmware, or even exchanging the set. REALLY, is the HDMI in my PDP guarranteed to not work? Is this as big a deal as it sounds like? Thanks.

NO! Be assured that HDMI does work! Some reported problems are possible red coloration of the video signal (red push) and possible problems with audio transmission over HDMI. The coloration may be due to red bias/gain and the audio issue may be an incompatibility between the DVD player and the set (improper input flags).

After adjustments/calibration I have had great results over HDMI on my 42x3

I bought the last set at my local Costco yesterday. Manufacture date is July.
My feed is Comcast digital cable. connected through HDMI. The HD channels (Discovery and In HD) look good in 1080i.

Overall, though, I'm not sure what to think yet.

The only calibration I've done is through the THX optimizer on The Incredibles DVD. I need to break out my copy of Video Essentials to do a more thorough job. Having said that, colours look oversaturated. There is a definite green push. As a result, some broadcast programmes such as Mile High on BBC America have cartoonish colours (the blue/green uniforms). Now of course, that's probably a poor example to choose since not only is it SD but it has been converted from PAL to NTSC. Nonetheless, it is representative of what I watch.

More disturbing was connecting my Xbox using a 3rd party high-def connection. There was noticeable ghosting on the text. Replacing with the Microsoft high-def kit (which has integrated component cables) reduced the ghosting but it is still there. I could not find other references of ghosting or smearing in this thread so I'm wondering if I'm unique here. Note that I am feeding through a Denon AVR-3805 but for testing purposes, I pulled this out of the loop with no noticeable difference.

DVDs look reasonable. My source was a Toshiba progressive scan player but has since been replaced with an upconverting Toshiba model. Unfortunately, this only upconverts through its HDMI output but DVD upconverted to 1080i looks noticeably better than the standard output through the component connection. I took some pictures of various configurations (upconverted 1080i, 720p, 480p through HDMI and standard output through component).

I do notice quite a bit of "posterisation" during fades, etc. However I'm not sure if this is due to compression of the source material. This is true for both DVD and cable sources but is more pronounced on cable material.

I'm also having issues with aspect ratios. In 4:3 mode, I do not seem to get a real 4:3 aspect ration. Since I am feeding via HDMI I can't access the image size controls.

My $0.02 so far.

I just picked this unit up on sunday and hooked it up to my D* HD tuner via HDMI. I noticed that the colors were definitely oversaturated, but I also noticed a white line that appear a quarter of the way down from the top. It looks very similar to some older sony CRTs that had a dual scan. only this one is not in the middle.

Has anyone else seen this?

I bought the last set at my local Costco yesterday. Manufacture date is July.
My feed is Comcast digital cable. connected through HDMI. The HD channels (Discovery and In HD) look good in 1080i.


My $0.02 so far.
What is the point of running 1080i over 720P when the monitor does not even have enough resolution to show 1080i?

Anyone ever confirm which generation glass is maxent using, lined up side by side with the panny PA25 it looks the same duller look picture as 6th generation glass,from 15ft back i cant see any difference in PQ, of course next to the PA is the PM and from the same distance that looks alot more vibrant.
I'm sure panny isnt goiing to sell maxent 8th generation glass for that low of a cost.
As with the same 6th generation style side speakers.
Also ive returned 2 plasma's to Costco within 8 months and with nobody telling me i cant anymore.
Everytime i go there are different people working there, seems like they could care less......

Anyone ever confirm which generation glass is maxent using, lined up side by side with the panny PA25 it looks the same duller look picture as 6th generation glass.

6th Gen glass is no longer in production and my screen has a manufacture date of July 2005.

Hi guys. I haven't used my HDMI input yet, but I've read in this forum about the problems with HDMI port in the 42x3. I have firmware 615. Some of the posts I have read, say the "615" has a "faulty HDMI". Do you mean ALL the PDP's w/ a 615 firmware are faulty? or just some RANDOM ones??

Also, what problems were people having to make them complain about the HDMI input in the first place?

Basically, I'm trying to figure out if it's worth calling and asking for the new firmware, or even exchanging the set. REALLY, is the HDMI in my PDP guarranteed to not work? Is this as big a deal as it sounds like? Thanks.
I just bought the set yesterday and am running it off the new CyberHome 655 DVD player through the HDMI, CyberHome is not particularly a respected brand yet it looks fine. I do not feel the need to upgrade the firmware from what I see. There is however a very very slight redness to the PQ but its not distracting or extreme. I may not have even noticed it had not I read it here. Go figure. I also have the 615 firmware. Manufacture date August 2005. I did have a problem to solve getting HDMI audio out of the TV but a look at the Cyberhome manual solved that. It was an audio setting on the Player.

Not being a "videophile", perhaps Im not as critical of anything but the most obvious imperfections. For like minded people this is indeed a great choice as it at least appears "perfect" out of the box to my jaundiced eye, even if a bit over saturated. Hell even composite looked pretty good though. Plus Im using a lowly CyberHome HDMI DVD player. What does that tell you? Have not hooked it up to TW yet as I m not going to order a DVD/HD STB until we moved into the new house in a few weeks.

For those who are not concerned with the minutae of these displays, this one is a great bang for the buck. As far as the PQ is concerned . Dull is not the word I would use. I have the color set at 39, Contrast set at 40, Brightness set at 50 to "calm" down the PQ to a less video and more Cinematic look. I don't want everything looking like the movie"Dick Tracy." Would have leaned toward RP microdisplays for that kind of PQ :D

6th Gen glass is no longer in production and my screen has a manufacture date of July 2005.

Sure the panel was assembled in July, but that doesnt mean the actual glass was, i'm sure panny had a bunch of panel's left over and gave maxent a deal
There were still making the PA25 as of this summer........

What is the point of running 1080i over 720P when the monitor does not even have enough resolution to show 1080i?

For scaling purposes, most importantly. But remember, there is going to be SOME signal processing regardless, unless you are using pixel perfect HTPC, so you might as well go with 1080i.

Looked closer and the line is not actually white, it's multiple colors that are constantly changing. FWIW, the FW was 822
Just called maxent and they told me I should just take the unit back to costco as it is most likely a defective screen.
:(

[QUOTE=Bud-man]Sure the panel was assembled in July, but that doesnt mean the actual glass was, i'm sure panny had a bunch of panel's left over and gave maxent a deal[QUOTE]

Incorrect. The Matsushita manufacture dates on the plasma display panels themselves (not the assembly dates of the sets) are very recent (see prior posts for exact dates). The 42x3s appear to contain newer generation plasma panels.

[QUOTE=Bud-man]Sure the panel was assembled in July, but that doesnt mean the actual glass was, i'm sure panny had a bunch of panel's left over and gave maxent a deal[QUOTE]

Incorrect. The Matsushita manufacture dates on the plasma display panels themselves (not the assembly dates of the sets) are very recent (see prior posts for exact dates). The 42x3s appear to contain newer generation plasma panels.

Im guessing Bud Man will make yet another trip to exchange a Plasma soon. He is trying very hard to discount the Maxent. In all fairness. I did the same thing though. The only difference being I did not buy my first choice (for awhile) Panasonic first.

Thanks for the Cyberhome post Kingfrog. Im gonna pick one of those players up, at least I'll be able to test my HDMI port and see if my set has any problems with it.

There are TONS of posts/arguments discussing if there even is ANY benefit using HDMI/upconversion. I wont get into them here, but it seems alot of "upconversion" can be pure marketing hype. You might get a worse PQ than if you stayed with prog. & component cables. I don't know. Like I said, Im gonna buy the player just to test out my port and give myself peace of mind.


Also, thanks to everyone who participates in this forum. Montegi, Kingfrog and the likes. :) You guys reply quickly, and with good information.

I went ahead and took the Costco plunge on the Maxent last Friday evening, and here’s my story so far...

A bit of background info: I am new to HDTV, but have always been very picky about picture quality, and as a child I developed a rep in the neighborhood as being a real wiz those brightness and contrast knobs on the B&W sets! :D

My dad set up an HT in his home a couple of years back, starring a high-end 42" industrial plasma (Hitachi?), and I've been enraptured ever since. I've spent the past two years waiting for quality HD panels to come down below the $2K mark, and this fall they seem to be at the tipping point. I didn't want to spend another baseball postseason and football season squinting and my old mid-market 27" CRT, so I started trolling the stores late in September.

My first attempt was a 32" Sharp LCD, followed shortly thereafter by a 32" Phillips LCD, both of which Costco had been selling. While suitably impressed by the resolution and satisfied by the color depth, especially with 480p Xbox games over component, I was underwhelmed by color accuracy, black levels in DVD movies, and viewing angles that left one with a sweet spot of about 15 degrees on either side of perpendicular. Both LCDs went back to the warehouse after short "auditions". :o

After checking with Dad to verify that a fair amount of 4:3 viewing with black bars and an extended amount of grand-kids' Xbox gaming had not caused any burn-in over 24+ months on his set, I decided to give Plasma a try.

I overpaid somewhat for a 37" Panasonic TH-37PX50U from a local electronics behemoth and was blown away by it's PQ, most surprisingly over S-video from my DirecTV R10 TiVo. Vibrant color, very few artifacts, great on the “zoom” setting (which allows you to raise or lower the frame to avoid logos, etc.). Of course, HD over the integrated tuner was beautiful, and a Halloween viewing of the "Rosemary's Baby" DVD was stunning (over component from a cruddy no-name prog-scan DVD player, no less)... While I'd resigned myself to having to settle for a slightly smaller than optimal screen, and maybe paying 10% to 20% more than I absolutely had to, I was quite happy with my purchase.

Of course, all the while I'd been keeping one eye on this thread, and once I came across the posts “verifying” that this Maxent unit supposedly used late-gen Matsushita glass and Panasonic(?) circuit boards, my bargain-lust kicked in, and I ran out to Costco once more and subsequently wrenched my lumbar region on Friday night, lugging this monolith from the backseat of my '96 Avalon up to my 2nd floor apartment (don't try this at home unless you've been working out, kids).

I plugged in my Radio Shack Accurian HTS 6000 HD tuner (nice cheap little unit; grab one while you can) into the HDMI port. Beautiful. The image doesn't handle fast motion perfectly (blurring at times), and there are some jaggies in text, etc., but I’m not so sure this isn’t the tuner’s fault, as I saw similar results with the Accurian on another monitor. In any case, HD looks fantastic on the Maxent.

I do have the Xbox hooked up via component, and gaming in 480p, as well as the "Alien" DVD in 480i looked fine. For the DVD, The HSize and VSize adjustments seemed to help alleviate a bit of distortion with the 2.35:1 anamorphic.

SDTV over S-video and composite is nothing to phone home about; indeed it pales in comparison to the Panny set. There are loads of compression artifacts on the Maxent that were barely visible on the Panny. This was a bit disappointing, but I guess you get what you pay for. I’m idly wondering if I should go get an A/V receiver that will upconvert the SD 480i (if something like that exists in the entry level or mid-level range; any suggestions in this area would be welcome).

PROBLEMS:
I noticed that using both the zoom1 and zoom2 settings for 4:3 content over both S and composite, the image is always very noticeably stretched from side to side. It occurs both with 4:3 and with letterboxed SD content. This behavior is quite annoying, especially in light of the Panny's zoom setting’s admirable performance in this area.

Is anyone else noticing this problem? It’s kind of driving me nuts. I’m willing to zoom in and lose part of the 4:3 frame, but the set has to just zoom for me to be happy, not zoom and stretch simultaneously. Under what circumstance would a viewer need to both zoom and stretch their SDTV content?

Another semi-related issue is that the 4:3 mode appears to force the use of black side bars, while the Panny has gray, which I’m more comfortable with. The black bars combined with the weirdo zoom modes mean that I’ll be forced to choose between watching cropped and distorted images or courting burn-in.

In fact, the combination of these two issues are coming close to being a deal-killer, as I still watch quite a bit of 4:3. Who knows for how long this will be the case, but I’m not holding my breath for the day that everything is in 16:9.

I’m thinking of calling Maxent just to see if there’s something wrong with my set, but I wanted to hear from the rest of you on the distorto-zoom issue. Anybody?

96 Avalon...Great car Had one. Wish I still had it.

You are correct in your zoom assessment. In fact the zoom functions only work in composite modes. I too was inclined to go for the Panasonic strictly based on SDTV results but after seeing Motegi's screen shots of SDTV I felt that bush was taken away. I could live with that. It looked better then some of the other SD content on other sets. Since I bought this set earlier then I wanted to and am waiting for a new home to be finished i still have my RPCRT hooked up to the standard Cable and Xbox.

I only even took this out of the box (upon prodding from the wife) to check it out and make sure it powers up only then realizing I would need to disconnect my current set up in order to get it a signal. So I tried a broken DVD player that would freeze up initially on the composite input. It looked much better then I thought (although it was amazingly hooked up to this input at Costco).

I was so surprised by this, I ran to Wal Mart to pick up a $40 DVD player to experience it fully using composite cabling. While there I saw the CyberHome upconverting bells and whistles DVD for another $30 with all the cables. No brainier there. I brought it back and hooked it up to all the inputs. Instead of putting it back in the box for the move Im leaving it hooked up and am "torture" testing it.

The player has such an excellent zoom mode that clears the display of the top and bottom bars on a DVD. I have not tried a 4:3 input but I am also not afraid of burn in as I do think it is a concern more to protect the manufacturers against liability of something that under extreme circumstances could happen. Much the same as RPCRT had the Video game disclaimers. I do not read of many having issues with burn in on these threads and I do read of those who are playing VGames and watching plenty of 4:3 content.

I would say if someone is a typically anal person about these things they are better off with a RP microdisplay. Becasue this is supposed to be an item that one derives pleasure from rather then anxiety.

Disclaimer: I am not a videophile nor do I claim to see the subtilties of Video PQ other see. Just an average Joe who is always seeking bang for the buck in every area of commerce. I think I have found it with this Maxent, Costcos policy, and (by accident) the CyberHome sf655 DVD Player. The $2000 in savings will go along way towards a nice 55" Plasma replacement in a couple years I'm sure.

Burn-in. There's not a bigger misconception in Plasmas today. While true that the first and second gen panels had MAJOR burn-in issues, today's panels are very resistant to burn in. In fact, you have to try hard to burn in your plasma.

Take for instance yesterday's CBS game, which as usual was non-HD. At halftime, I turned to INHD for 15 minutes to compensate for the black bars. No issues. After the game, same thing, except to ESPN for SC for 30 minutes. No issues. Even if you watch the first disc of Seinfeld in 4:3, and then go to a full screen feed for several minutes post-viewing you will be fine.

Basic problems for burn in come from STATIC IMAGES. Yes, these do include black bars, but your bigger problem will be white text, which cause the pixel to burn brighter than anything else. I had a friend with an older plasma who fell asleep watching Friends and it reverted to the menu, and he had the Friends cursive logo on his screen from then on. While this in an extreme case, it shows you how far you have to go to see this problem.

I plugged in my Radio Shack Accurian HTS 6000 HD tuner (nice cheap little unit; grab one while you can) into the HDMI port. Beautiful. The image doesn't handle fast motion perfectly (blurring at times), and there are some jaggies in text, etc., but I’m not so sure this isn’t the tuner’s fault, as I saw similar results with the Accurian on another monitor. In any case, HD looks fantastic on the Maxent.



Since I was considering purchase of a HD tuner, when I read the part of your post quoted above I checked the RS site and they do not show an HDMI output port for the HTS 6000?????

Please explain -

Thanks, Dave

Since I was considering purchase of a HD tuner, when I read the part of your post quoted above I checked the RS site and they do not show an HDMI output port for the HTS 6000?????

Please explain -

Thanks, Dave

Northville -

Search for the thread on the Accurian on the main forum page. I'm a newbie and can't quite post URLs yet.

The Accurian mos def has the HDMI port. I watched 8 hours of football, NASCAR and The West Wing on it last night! No HDMI cable, though. But IIRC it comes with a set of cables (might even be component, I don't recall correctly).

FWIW, I did test it in the past over component with a different monitor and the PQ was great.

In any case, it's a nice deal, though some on the thread I mentioned have reported a bit of wonkiness with the Accurian with some FOX stations, and its IR sensor isn't the greatest, but there's a workaround.

I live in Brooklyn, NY, and I had no idea that OTA HDTV for FREE was the best kept secret in the USA (if you live near a transmitter, that is). I'm on the 2nd floor of a 4 story building, and I get ABC, NBC, FOX and CBS with a old, regular amplified rabbit-ears antenna with a UHF ring on it. Much better than paying the cable/satt boys X dollars a month for a compressed HD signal. :rolleyes:

The Accurian HD tuner does have HDMI output, (I picked up two of them on closeout) but the point is largely moot because it's discontinued and they haven't had any in stock for almost a month.

The Accurian HD tuner does have HDMI output, (I picked up two of them on closeout) but the point is largely moot because it's discontinued and they haven't had any in stock for almost a month.

They are still available in Radio Shack stores in my neighborhood. Whoops, I'm suffering from NYC myopia again. Sorry, it's true that if there aren't any in a RS store near you, then you're SOOL, unless you can find a used one.

I've been monitoring this thread for the last month or so while limping along with a newly purchased (< two months ago) but sick Sharp LC-37D5U.

Thanks to all for the vast depository of information you've posted here!

I bought a tuner equipped HDTV because I detested the use (and rental cost) of STB's, and planned to use the Sharp (with it's in-built TVGOS) with a CableCard. After about a week the Sharp went nuts whenever the CC was in place - I was unable to view any digital channels, even OTA.

While waiting for Sharp to try to fix things, I had Comcast bring out a 6412 DVR and fell in love with it, so it seemed that the Maxent might make a great replacement if the the Sharp went back to Costco.

Concerned about the depleting stock of 42X3's at Costco, I went out this morning and picked up the last set available in the three Costco outlets in the northwest Detroit area.

I don't plan to take the set out of the box until I have made a final decision re: the Sharp, but I have a couple of questions.

Info on the box tells me:

Mfg. date: July 2005 Model #: P420542MM8 S/N: 53181412651

Anyone care to speculate on the f/w level and components based on this info?

What is the easiest/least costly way to test the HDMI input port? My 6412 DVD has a DVI-D outlet - would an inexpensive DVI-D (male) to HDMI (male????) cable
let me check it out? (I supppose this would also let me try the Maxent's rudimentary PIP, using my old VCR's tuner as the second input.)

ND - yes picking up a DVI-HDMI cable will enable you to test the HDMI input. These cables are ridiculously expensive typically. If you can wait a few days, I recommend ordering online from www.cablewholesale.com - I used to work near them and picked up many different cables from them and have always been happy.
Also, don't do what I did when I was fumbling around trying to plug in the HDMI to the screen - I think I had it physically wedged into the RS232 port and spent some 30 minutes trying to figure out why nothing appeared on the screen... One of these days, I'll learn to set things up with full access to the connections at the back :)

They are still available in Radio Shack stores in my neighborhood. Whoops, I'm suffering from NYC myopia again. Sorry, it's true that if there aren't any in a RS store near you, then you're SOOL, unless you can find a used one.

Wow! I make two posts and get four replies in about half an hour! Thanks again, folks!

I will be right near a Radio Shack dealer tomorrow, so I may pick one up if he has one.

I fell in love w/OTA HD when I added an old 7.5" UHF antenna to my Sharp LC-37D5U, hung it on the wall and picked up about eight stations!

What happens when you hook that tuner up to an old analog TV via the composite video output? Does it display ok, but with black bands top and bottom, or will it blow the set's mind?

(I know, this is all off topic for this thread, and promise to stop now!)

PROBLEMS:
I noticed that using both the zoom1 and zoom2 settings for 4:3 content over both S and composite, the image is always very noticeably stretched from side to side. It occurs both with 4:3 and with letterboxed SD content. This behavior is quite annoying, especially in light of the Panny's zoom setting’s admirable performance in this area.

Is anyone else noticing this problem? It’s kind of driving me nuts. I’m willing to zoom in and lose part of the 4:3 frame, but the set has to just zoom for me to be happy, not zoom and stretch simultaneously. Under what circumstance would a viewer need to both zoom and stretch their SDTV content?

Another semi-related issue is that the 4:3 mode appears to force the use of black side bars, while the Panny has gray, which I’m more comfortable with. The black bars combined with the weirdo zoom modes mean that I’ll be forced to choose between watching cropped and distorted images or courting burn-in.

In fact, the combination of these two issues are coming close to being a deal-killer, as I still watch quite a bit of 4:3. Who knows for how long this will be the case, but I’m not holding my breath for the day that everything is in 16:9.


OK you can rest easy now because I set up a test which will PROVE without a shadow of doubt that the Maxent 42X3 Zoom1 and Zoom2 modes are PURE zoom without any geometry altering horizontal "stretch". I will describe it step by step so that you can just as easily replicate the test at your home.

First I got together my supplies: a ruler, a calculator, a notepad, and a pen.

Next I selected an SD channel which displays a fixed constant size rectangle (home shopping, etc). I just happen to have a station which only broadcasts local weather radar with a continuous fixed rectangular logo on the right side of the screen.

Using the ruler I measured the width and height dimensions of the logo using the standard "pillarboxed" 4:3 aspect ratio setting. The logo width to height was 9.5 to 0.5 inches -> this equates to a ratio of 19.5:1

Now changing to Zoom 1 and Zoom 2 I again measured the same logo which is now enlarged because of the aspect ratio setting. The logo width to height is now 14.5 to .75 inches -> this equates to a ratio of 19.33:1 (if anything, a tiny bit narrower)

Based on the calculations above it appears that the logo is not being "streched" because if it was the width to height ratio of the Zoom modes would be much greater than 19.5:1

Taking into account a slight margin of error in my physical measurements the width to height ratios are for all intents and purposes relatively equal.

Therefore it can be concluded that the Maxent 42x3 "Zoom" modes uniformly magnify the frame and DO NOT horizontally stretch or alter picture geometry in any way. Any questions?

P.S. Could it be possible that the "stretch" that you seem to notice is actually a visual illusion created by the overall horizontally wider physical casing of the Maxent (side mounted speakers) in comparison to your other TVs?

OK you can rest easy now because I set up a test which will PROVE without a shadow of doubt that the Maxent 42X3 Zoom1 and Zoom2 modes are PURE zoom without any geometry altering horizontal "stretch". I will describe it step by step so that you can just as easily replicate the test at your home.

First I got together my supplies: a ruler, a calculator, a notepad, and a pen....


I will try this test at home tonight and report back my results. God, I love the internet. I never knew there were so many obsessive/compulsives out there just like me. ;)

BTW, I put on two different 1.85:1 DVDs last night on the Xbox over component, and while the images filled the screen as expected, I found that they both appeared to be stretched vertically a lot more than should be expected for the 4% difference in width between 1.85:1 and 16:9. Tweaking with HSize and VSize didn't fix a thing. I also put in a 4:3 DVD, and the image was stretched vertically, to a ridiculous extent. Needless to say, the Maxent is starting to bum me out. Until now, I've not yet broken the seal on my DVE disk, figuring I'd wait until break-in was over to start the self-calibration, but now I'm almost dreading throwing test patterns up there, for fear of seeing sick ovals where perfect circles should be.

P.S. Could it be possible that the "stretch" that you seem to notice is actually a visual illusion created by the overall horizontally wider physical casing of the Maxent (side mounted speakers) in comparison to your other TVs?

Don't even go there, man. What kind of idiot do you think I am? :D
But, seriously... I have repeatedly (in probably 20 "trials") paused scenes in 4:3 and noticed that in zoom mode the faces fatten up, looking almost identical in proportion to the way they do in 16:9 stretch mode. I just now realize though that if the problem is actually a vertical stretch of 4:3 (see above, though comparing my distortion problems between S-vid/composite and component inputs may be apples to oranges), than what I might be seeing is vertically distorted 4:3 that is actually properly proportioned once the zoom mode is engaged. In any case, I can check for this by simply measuring the edges of the 4:3 mode.

So... It's ruler and notepad fun for me tonight! I wonder if I can dig out my 6th grade protratcor...

Yikes! Anyone with "OCD" should steer clear of anything digital. The presumtion of perfection against the reality of digital imperfection will drive one to drink...a lot. These TVs can be a nightmare with their little flaws, occasional microblocking (who' source can be attributed to at least three origins if you are watching a DVD., And those wonderful Panoramic modes with funhouse panning.

The expectation of perfectly renderded colors with no "hints" of [fill in the bank]. Paying someone hundreds to achieve the perfect gray level only to find out broadcasters, although adhering to a common standard rarely achieve uniformity of such, I won't even go into the "quality" film to DVD conversions and associated flaws inherent in that little hole in the world.

I have come to the conclusion why people will spend $50.000 for a pair of Coltrane speakers to listen to 1960 Ella Fitzgerald recordings. Perfection is costly and is usually achieved to the extent of the brick wall of biology. There are those who are positive they can hear a gnat fart on the floor behind the drummer's throne or see SDE at 20 paces on a 32" LCD.

So if you are like me and do not fret over imperfection and just enjoy what is. Thank God, and empathize for those who's restful sleep is interrupted by thoughts of a single dead pixel they had to look for with a magnifying glass from 6 " away upon opening and setting up their new and latest obsession.

Yikes! Anyone with "OCD" should steer clear of anything digital. The presumtion of perfection against the reality of digital imperfections with drive one crazy. These TVs can be a night mare with their little flaws, occasions microblocking (who' source can be attributed to at least three origins if you are watching a DVD, Panoramic modes with funhouse panning.

The expectation of perfectly renderded colors with no "hints" of [fill in the bank]. Paying someone hundreds to achieve the perfect gray level only to find out broadcasters although adhere to a common standard rarely achieve uniformity of such, I won't even go to the myiald film to DVD conversions and associated flaws inherent in that little place in the world.

I have come to the conclusion how and why people will spend $50.000 for a pair of Coltrane speakers (to listen to 1960 Ella Fitzgerald recordings). Perfection is costly and is usually achieved to the extent of the brick wall of biology. There are those who are positive they can see SDE at 10 feet on a 32" LCD.

So if you are like me and do not fret over imperfection and just enjoy what is. Thank God, and empathize for those who's restful sleep is interrupted by thoughts of a single dead pixel they had to look for with a magnifying glass from 6 " away.

I completely agree...however...the only thing that I'm thinking about is returning this unit for the 50" version that was just released at Best Buy...hmmmm...decisions...decisions

I completely agree...however...the only thing that I'm thinking about is returning this unit for the 50" version that was just released at Best Buy...hmmmm...decisions...decisions

Just remember....... those tiny little imperfections will be 25% more looming! Actually I was going to buy a 50" at first. But I figured this will be a nice change in clarity and room ergonomics. Enough to satisfy my eye and wallet. I'm going from a beastly 50" RPCRT to a quaint 42" Plasma.

In a year or two when this is relegated to the bedroom replacing a 37" 4:3 Plasma , there will hopefully be a 52 or larger plasma available for less then $2000 and I will have the benefit of a noticable jump in screen size for that money in BOTH rooms.

As always Bang for the Buck,,,,,,,I suppose that is my extreme obsession.... ;)

Thanks for the Cyberhome post Kingfrog. Im gonna pick one of those players up, at least I'll be able to test my HDMI port and see if my set has any problems with it.

There are TONS of posts/arguments discussing if there even is ANY benefit using HDMI/upconversion. I wont get into them here, but it seems alot of "upconversion" can be pure marketing hype. You might get a worse PQ than if you stayed with prog. & component cables. I don't know. Like I said, Im gonna buy the player just to test out my port and give myself peace of mind.


Also, thanks to everyone who participates in this forum. Montegi, Kingfrog and the likes. :) You guys reply quickly, and with good information.

Truth be told I was looking for a $40 interim DVD player where I could zoom 4:3 and widescreen film content over composite and/or HDMI to fill the screen and stumbled on the CyberHome.

EDIT: Just played Madden 06 for an hour. Guess what? NO burn in.

I am using component video from my Motorola DVR box to my Maxent at the moment. I am wondering if I should switch to a DVI-HDMI cable from monoprice instead. The problem is, I've read that DVI and HDMI don't handle distance well, and I will need a 25 foot length. For those of you who have run both (especially using longer cables), what's your take on whether the HDMI would be an improvement picture-wise over component?

I am using component video from my Motorola DVR box to my Maxent at the moment. I am wondering if I should switch to a DVI-HDMI cable from monoprice instead. The problem is, I've read that DVI and HDMI don't handle distance well, and I will need a 25 foot length. For those of you who have run both (especially using longer cables), what's your take on whether the HDMI would be an improvement picture-wise over component?

Dont ask me I can hardly tell the difference between composite and component. ;)
I am a real happy camper. I would say if you are happy save yourself the money and grief until you need the input.

OK had mine for a few weeks now and it started to do this light dark thing ?
almost like it was overexposing by about 1/3 stop more on the highlights than the shadows
normal picture then a touch brighter for about 1/2 a second then back to normal ??

You need to calibrate the set, specifically the contrast & brightness. The factory settings are terrible, sharpness, brightness & contrast are way off which could be causing this. I noticed similar issues, and after calibrating with Avia & DVE the problems are gone.

OK, I'm happy with this monitor and I mounted it with the Peerless mount with help from my friend and his Stuffinder. I have it right now with the bottom of the monitor about four feet off the floor. This provides a higher than eye level view of the monitor. I imagine a lot of people would have the same setup, if not higher, if they mount it over their fireplace as well.

I had some people over and they complained that it is too high for them, the angle gives them a neckache. For me the angle suits me just fine.

I had heard somewhere a long time ago that the optimum TV-viewing angle is one where you watch it looking up rather than down or straight. Can anyone give me the skinny on this? I Googled it but couldn't find anything.

Be very cautious about the mounting height! So many people make the mistake of mounting way too high. In my opinion 4 feet is too high. I thought that was on the lower side, until I had two people hold it there while I sat on the couch. After seeing it, 4' would have been too high. I dropped the bottom of the set to about 40" which is still a little high, but I wanted to put a narrow table underneath with some picture frames, so it worked out well.

There are a lot of threads in this forum about mounting height, you should read some of them. I believe the concensus is that your eye level should be between the bottom to middle of the display, which isn't very high when seated on a couch.

Yikes! Anyone with "OCD" should steer clear of anything digital. The presumtion of perfection against the reality of digital imperfection will drive one to drink...a lot. These TVs can be a nightmare with their little flaws, occasional microblocking (who' source can be attributed to at least three origins if you are watching a DVD., And those wonderful Panoramic modes with funhouse panning.

The expectation of perfectly renderded colors with no "hints" of [fill in the bank]. Paying someone hundreds to achieve the perfect gray level only to find out broadcasters, although adhering to a common standard rarely achieve uniformity of such, I won't even go into the "quality" film to DVD conversions and associated flaws inherent in that little hole in the world.

I have come to the conclusion why people will spend $50.000 for a pair of Coltrane speakers to listen to 1960 Ella Fitzgerald recordings. Perfection is costly and is usually achieved to the extent of the brick wall of biology. There are those who are positive they can hear a gnat fart on the floor behind the drummer's throne or see SDE at 20 paces on a 32" LCD.

So if you are like me and do not fret over imperfection and just enjoy what is. Thank God, and empathize for those who's restful sleep is interrupted by thoughts of a single dead pixel they had to look for with a magnifying glass from 6 " away upon opening and setting up their new and latest obsession.


Umm.... the OCD thing was a joke (note the smileyface). The only reason I brought the distortion thing up was that it was very noticable, especially in comparison to the Panasonic. Don't even get me started about the macroblocking that I saw on HDTV last night. I guess my overall impression of the Maxent so far is that it really pales in comparison to the Panasonic, pretty much because of the sum of a lot of little annoying things.

So maybe my solution will just be to stop whining or alternatively to pony up the extra $XX for my prettier pictures and a guarantee of 8th generation glass.

Oh, wait... I may have found another solution (LOL) : http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_12_1/algolith-mosquito-video-noise-reducer-3-2005.html

Umm.... the OCD thing was a joke (note the smileyface). The only reason I brought the distortion thing up was that it was very noticable, especially in comparison to the Panasonic. Don't even get me started about the macroblocking that I saw on HDTV last night. I guess my overall impression of the Maxent so far is that it really pales in comparison to the Panasonic, pretty much because of the sum of a lot of little annoying things.

So maybe my solution will just be to stop whining or alternatively to pony up the extra $XX for my prettier pictures and a guarantee of 8th generation glass.

Oh, wait... I may have found another solution (LOL) : http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_12_1/algolith-mosquito-video-noise-reducer-3-2005.html

I knew it was a joke. I ment no offense. However, there are many here who are self proclaimed anal rententive types regarding these TVs. I can't imagine how the family reacts to that nerousis regarding the TV set. I suppose they just retreat to the 19" TVs in their respective Bedrooms until the "storm" passes.

In any case I agree with you. You need to buy the real deal and get the Panasonic. I am convinced you will not be happy at a gut level with the Maxent ever. You may even have some albeit lesser issue with the Panasonic. People pay a lot nowadays for "peace of mind" on the EW front.

Sometimes that pesky and costly "peace of mind" is just knowing you got the very best you could get. In this case most people agree for better or worse, its the real deal Panasonic that is the very best of the best.

Some updates to my post below:

Concerning the Xbox issue, I purchased the official Microsoft high-def kit, which has integrated component cables. The ghosting that I describe below is better but not completely eliminated.

Now on to other observations:

I am noticing the following artifacts and want to understand what I can do about them:
1. "Speckling" on all material
I see what I can best describe as speckles (a dotted texture) on any material (SD, HD, etc.) but most noticeable on HD since it is otherwise relatively artifact-free.

2. False contouring/banding
I see posterizing on many colour gradients. This is particularly objectionable on dark scenes, but is also noticeable on solid colour gradients (e.g. in The Incredibles). This is observable both through component and HDMI inputs.

I have calibrated using AVIA and all goes well up to the colour calibration using the blue filter. When I try the red and green filters, I'm unable to get decent calibration.

I bought the last set at my local Costco yesterday. Manufacture date is July.
My feed is Comcast digital cable. connected through HDMI. The HD channels (Discovery and In HD) look good in 1080i.

Overall, though, I'm not sure what to think yet.

The only calibration I've done is through the THX optimizer on The Incredibles DVD. I need to break out my copy of Video Essentials to do a more thorough job. Having said that, colours look oversaturated. There is a definite green push. As a result, some broadcast programmes such as Mile High on BBC America have cartoonish colours (the blue/green uniforms). Now of course, that's probably a poor example to choose since not only is it SD but it has been converted from PAL to NTSC. Nonetheless, it is representative of what I watch.

More disturbing was connecting my Xbox using a 3rd party high-def connection. There was noticeable ghosting on the text. Replacing with the Microsoft high-def kit (which has integrated component cables) reduced the ghosting but it is still there. I could not find other references of ghosting or smearing in this thread so I'm wondering if I'm unique here. Note that I am feeding through a Denon AVR-3805 but for testing purposes, I pulled this out of the loop with no noticeable difference.

DVDs look reasonable. My source was a Toshiba progressive scan player but has since been replaced with an upconverting Toshiba model. Unfortunately, this only upconverts through its HDMI output but DVD upconverted to 1080i looks noticeably better than the standard output through the component connection. I took some pictures of various configurations (upconverted 1080i, 720p, 480p through HDMI and standard output through component).

I do notice quite a bit of "posterisation" during fades, etc. However I'm not sure if this is due to compression of the source material. This is true for both DVD and cable sources but is more pronounced on cable material.

I'm also having issues with aspect ratios. In 4:3 mode, I do not seem to get a real 4:3 aspect ration. Since I am feeding via HDMI I can't access the image size controls.

My $0.02 so far.

I am using component video from my Motorola DVR box to my Maxent at the moment. I am wondering if I should switch to a DVI-HDMI cable from monoprice instead. The problem is, I've read that DVI and HDMI don't handle distance well, and I will need a 25 foot length. For those of you who have run both (especially using longer cables), what's your take on whether the HDMI would be an improvement picture-wise over component?

I'm not anything approaching an expert on any of this, but I read somewhere recently that you would get a BETTER picture with the component video cable than you would from HDMI (with an HDTV source.) Not sure why that is so.

As far as cable length goes, you can buy high-quality copper HDMI cables that will handle 1080i (but maybe not 1080p) sources in lengths up to 15 meters (about 50 feet) so that will probably meet your needs just fine if you decide to go that route. However, they aren't cheap - a 12.5m HDMI cable costs about $225. (I hope I'm not breaking a forum rule; I'm not quoting a price for a specific product or source, just trying to give a ballpark figure.)

I have calibrated using AVIA and all goes well up to the colour calibration using the blue filter. When I try the red and green filters, I'm unable to get decent calibration.

Are you talking about the HDMI input? Depending on your firmware, you may not be able to get a good calibration on HDMI. This is discussed extensively earlier in the thread. There is a definite green push indicated by Avia with some early firmwares (which makes everything look red for some reason, fleshtones look sunburned). The only fix to this if you have this problem is by an image board upgrade and a newer firmware. I'm in the middle of this right now and it has been a royal pain in the rear-end. Multiple calls to support, then more calls to support, then faxing receipts and documentation of problems to them, then waiting for calls from their outsourced repair people, then waiting for parts to come in, etc. It's going on three weeks now.

A work-around is to calibrate color + tint with the blue filter, then drop the color saturation by 10 or so until fleshtomes look right.

Are you talking about the HDMI input?

Yes, HDMI, though I'll try recalibrating with the DVD feeding through the component input. I'm assuming that the settings are stored per input.
The software version is shown as 050822. I only see one other reference to version 822 in this forum, which concerns me a little... It has a manufacture date of July 2005.

A question on the service process - are Maxent sending outsourced people on-site? The manual makes reference to packaging the display up and shipping it.

I will try this test at home tonight and report back my results. God, I love the internet. I never knew there were so many obsessive/compulsives out there just like me. ;)

BTW, I put on two different 1.85:1 DVDs last night on the Xbox over component, and while the images filled the screen as expected, I found that they both appeared to be stretched vertically a lot more than should be expected for the 4% difference in width between 1.85:1 and 16:9. Tweaking with HSize and VSize didn't fix a thing. I also put in a 4:3 DVD, and the image was stretched vertically, to a ridiculous extent. Needless to say, the Maxent is starting to bum me out. Until now, I've not yet broken the seal on my DVE disk, figuring I'd wait until break-in was over to start the self-calibration, but now I'm almost dreading throwing test patterns up there, for fear of seeing sick ovals where perfect circles should be.

So... It's ruler and notepad fun for me tonight! I wonder if I can dig out my 6th grade protratcor...

RusterK,

I repeated the test last night and got some different results. Were you able to test your set?

I measured the same logo on my 4:3 direct view CRT and found the aspect ratio geometry to be quite close to the 4:3 mode on the Maxent.

However, when I tried measuring the same logo in Zoom 2, I was not able to replicate the results of the other day. Sure enough, as you described initially, the logo measured out to be "stretched" horizontally and the on-screen video appeared to be "fattened". Now comes the surprising discovery, in my experience when flipping channels on my SVHS deck tuner to the point where they roll over from 100 to 02 the zoomed area noticeably shifts upwards and the picture geometry seems to "correct". Measurements bear this out to be true. This is reproductible for me time and time again. Very strange.

So I do agree with you on the "widening" in Zoom mode on initial change. However, Maxent 4:3 measures very close to direct view CRT 4:3. And the "rolled over" (for lack of a better description) Zoom modes on the Maxent seem to correct the geometric disturbance.

Yes, HDMI, though I'll try recalibrating with the DVD feeding through the component input. I'm assuming that the settings are stored per input.
The software version is shown as 050822. I only see one other reference to version 822 in this forum, which concerns me a little... It has a manufacture date of July 2005.

A question on the service process - are Maxent sending outsourced people on-site? The manual makes reference to packaging the display up and shipping it.

You have the most recent firmware. There should be no HDMI issues.

I just bought a Humax dvd recorder with tivo for my maxent, and I'm trying to control the tv with the remote control of the humax, unfortunately maxent is not listed in their system, so I had to use the search for a code to operate the mute, turn on and off and the volume. That did not work. I need to know if any one out there has purchased a Humax recorder and if so, have they being able to use the remote on the tv, then I need the code number or the tv brand found in Humax system that will enable me to use the remote control on Maxent by entering the codes that apply to that brand.

I just bought a Humax dvd recorder with tivo for my maxent, and I'm trying to control the tv with the remote control of the humax, unfortunately maxent is not listed in their system, so I had to use the search for a code to operate the mute, turn on and off and the volume. That did not work. I need to know if any one out there has purchased a Humax recorder and if so, have they being able to use the remote on the tv, then I need the code number or the tv brand found in Humax system that will enable me to use the remote control on Maxent by entering the codes that apply to that brand.

Don't know anything about the Humax recorder, but on my DirecTV HD DVR with TiVo, there is no code that supports the Maxent display, unfortunately. Having to use two remotes was driving me crazy, so I bought a Logitech Harmony H688 intelligent remote, which I'm really happy with. It is the best "universal remote" type of product I've ever seen. Assuming that the Humax recorder uses a TiVo remote, I think you're going to find that it just doesn't support the Maxent codes, so you may want to check out the Harmony remotes.