Costco will have their Maxent 42" hdtv (1024x768) on sale next week at a very low price.

Has anyone bought this? reviews / opinions please..

how do you know aobut the sale?

Simple, go to Costco this week and they'll frequently hand you coupons good for the next week. :D

so know one has any reviews on this set?

I have seen the Maxent HDTV 42" Plasma at costco and noticed it looked better than all plasmas there including the Pioneers and the Panasonic. It's black level was not as good as the EDTV Panasonic but it was very close. The Maxent does not have a built-in ATSC tuner.

If anyone has any information on this sale or unit, I'd appreciate it if you share :)

Thanks.

Here:

http://www.maxentusa.com/_coreModules/eShopping/productDetail.aspx?productMasterID=20

Used to be workin at a BBuy and have to say that the Maxent was the worse plasma there cept for a Funai. I wouldnt recommend it.

Here:

http://www.maxentusa.com/_coreModules/eShopping/productDetail.aspx?productMasterID=20

WRONG! :( That is an ED set. The one at Costco is an HD. I have the Vizio and this one looks just as good. I just don't like the silver bezel.

Past generations of vizio and maxtent have not been in the same league as major brands such as panasonic, samsung, sony, etc in terms of picture quality and features. Many have selected a panasonic ED over a budget HD at similar price points.

As always, carefully check out the different available plasmas and select the one that works best for your individual needs.

JCPZero

BS, pure BS.

Past generations of vizio and maxtent have been in the same league as major brands such as panasonic, samsung, sony, etc in terms of picture quality and features. Many have not selected a panasonic ED over a budget HD at similar price points.

As always, carefully check out the different available plasmas and select the one that works best for your individual needs.

Costco will have their Maxent 42" hdtv (1024x768) on sale next week at a very low price.

Has anyone bought this? reviews / opinions please..
Saw this hooked up to component at a costco and I was quite impressed with it in comparison to the much more expensive Pioneer 10 feet away, and I thought it was better in the blacks than the Vizio HD. Almost made me think of returning my Pioneer, but I just can't make myself do it.

YMMV as this is in a store with bright lights, and of course only a few minutes of viewing is not the same as living with it.

I took a ride to Costco yesterday to look at this set. The black levels seemed good but I noticed that there were a lot of jaggies on the text that it displayed, the Vizio right next to it seemed much better displaying text. Anyone else notice or is this isolated?

FYI For those questioning the Maxent name, the MX-42X3 uses the same OEM Samsung PDP panel used by many other OEMs in their high end plasma products . The PDP in this Maxent is the Samsung S42AX-XB02 which is the successor to the popular S42AX-XB01 found in the Toshiba 42HP83, 42HP84, Panasonic TH 42PHD7UY, and the Philips Ambilight 42PF9966/37 among others.

Found this on "Overweight Wallet", is it true?

If so, this could be a great TV. Maybe the same panel in the new 8UY series. They didn't have them down on the floor at my costco, but the guy at the door had the fliers for them.

BS, pure BS.



I guess its time for me to move on and ignore these discussions. I have my plasma and foghorn has his. We are both happy with our purchases, so good luck to those still on the hunt.

JCPZero

I just saw this model (42X3) as well at Costco and was quite surprised at the picture quality. Not too shabby. Good actually. The ED Maxent that I've seen at BB was quite crappy and probably the worst flat panel I have ever seen. But this one had deep blacks and vivd colors. I noticed an HDMI input in the back. The sticker in the back also said "Made in Taiwan" and the Maxent address was city of industry, CA.

Could be a re-badged samsung as stated above but who really knows. I still wouldn't have any faith with a panel that doesn't have a proven, time-tested track record.

I guess its time for me to move on and ignore these discussions. I have my plasma and foghorn has his. We are both happy with our purchases, so good luck to those still on the hunt.

JCPZero

Good move! We really can't make generalizations about brand name values when judging electronics anymore since everything made is overseas and they all share each others electronics.

The key in this discussion about brand names being better is moot since the guts of the major or lesser brand names are all from a few suppliers. And since this one particular non-major brand name is being sold in a place which has a generous return policy, the brand name reputation is again... irrelevant.

I saw this at Costco and looked way better than the Panna ED. At first glance it even looked better than the Pioneer. But a second look revealed it has a less sharp picture than the Pioneer and its fuzzy bright pixels were deceiving my first impressions of it.

I saw this tv today next to the pioneer. It wasn't as crisp as the pio, but the pio had worse macroblocking. The colors on the maxent were not as overblown as the pio, but I'm sure that's just a matter of adjustment on either panel. Overall the Max looked pretty good for the price.

Anyone else going to buy this tommorow? I think I'm gonna get the Norcent 220 DVD player and my local Charter HDTV box to feed it.

I saw this TV at costco too and it was pretty impressive. I was actually considering getting this instead of the sceptre 37" but with more thinking I realized it is very important for me to have something I can use as a monitor as well without worrying about burn in. But yeah the picture quality and the box all seemed good quality. The Remote control was much better than the Vizio's. However I must say I prefer the vizio's all black appearance and shape of the TV better than the Maxcents. But then again with the sale it's a very nice price and the msrp is 1999 I believe.

Product Page (http://www.maxentusa.com/_coreModules/eShopping/productDetail.aspx?productMasterID=21). It is a monitor.

Has anyone had a chance to look at how this unit is packed? I'm strongly considering it, but have the usual problem of how to get it home. If it has a small enough inner box, I could get it into the back seat vertically, but otherwise I'd need to go the truck rental route.

Has anyone had a chance to look at how this unit is packed? I'm strongly considering it, but have the usual problem of how to get it home. If it has a small enough inner box, I could get it into the back seat vertically, but otherwise I'd need to go the truck rental route.


They had a few boxes under the display model. The box didn't look very big, maybe about 5 or 6" extra around the sides. I don't know what kind of car you have (4 door?) but I'm guessing you could probably get it in the back, maybe not resting on the seat but on the floor between the front & back seats. Anyway, I'm not worried about lying it horizontally. I only live a couple miles away from costco and it's a smooth ride.

I'm really considering this model, I'd love to hear more feedback on it.

Am I correct in assuming that the "monitor" label means no tuner(s)? They didn't have this one on the sales floor at my local Coscto yesterday.

I personally was in the market for a LCD when I came across this TV. Last week I was in Costco and they handed me the flyer and I saw this. I was amazed at the price for a HD Plasma. I can't hardly find a quality 32" LCD for this price.

I currently have the Maxent MX-26X3 that I bought from Costco a few months back. It is a great TV for the money and I put it in our bedroom. I have no complaints about it thus far.

Next time I went to Costco I figured I would go take a look at it. I have to say that I was VERY impressed with this TV. I could not believe the quality of it. I later went to BB to look at my other options and saw the Maxent ED Plasma there. I also saw the lower model HD Plasma and was not impressed with it at all. This struck my interest and forced me to go back to Costco this past weekend to take another look to see if maybe I was just hung over the day I looked at it. Nope, I was correct... This is an amazing TV for the price..... I would put this TV up against any other TV in the same category costing up to $2500. In my opinion, the Maxent would blow the doors off them all. Now don't get me wrong, there are many other types of plasma out there that are better, but you’re going to have to get a second mortgage to buy them.

I went to Costco today once again and the 40 minutes that I was there, I saw a total of 6 being wheeled out the door. WOW!!! There were about 10 people all huddled around the display set as well.

I will be going after work to pick mine up... if they still have some left!!!! Hope this information helps.

Found this on "Overweight Wallet", is it true?

If so, this could be a great TV. Maybe the same panel in the new 8UY series. They didn't have them down on the floor at my costco, but the guy at the door had the fliers for them.

I would love to know if this is true also. I was just trying to compare the display specs of the different models mentioned, and they look similar. The contrast varies, but you can never go by that spec because it's usually inflated. The contrast & pixel pitch is the same as the Panasonic 7UY, but I don't know if that means much.

I don't know what to do. My wife won't be thrilled, but I just busted my behind for the entire weekend installing a new hot water heater in our basement while she sat on the beach...so I think this may be my only time to pull this off!

Chris.... In case you didn't know... Maxent is made by Sampo who brands Maxent Plasma and LCD, Viewsonic Plasma and LCD, Gateway Plasma and LCD, Akai Plasma and LCD, Panasonic for Next Generation Plasma and some Phlips Plasma.

They don't make ALL items for the brands above, but some or most depending on who. Hope this helps.

are these consumer plasmas not required to have an ATSC tuner as mandated by the FCC?? ANyone know? Maybe thats the reason behind such a bargain. The PQ is nice.

Anyone have a chance to see SD on this set? How are the stretch/zoom modes?

We're considering this or the 50" Vizio. Is it worth $900 for different PQ and 8"?

Hrmmmmmm...

We're considering this or the 50" Vizio

I'm on the same fence as you. I started looking at the 3G plasma and then it sold out (and still not shipping by the way). Then I moved to the Sceptre 37" as there seems to be quite a buzz around that set. I wasn't too keen on the whole online ordering paying for "white glove" service. Shipping and white glove kind of defeats the purpose of why one would buy from Costco. I then progressed to the Vizio 50". While I'm considering that set, I think it will be overkill for my bedroom where we have an 8 ft distance at most. Not to mention, it would probably overtake the room. I then considered the DELL 42" (yes, the one with the buzz). A few people have mentioned the great PQ of this set and it doesn't hurt that it's on special. Decisions...decisions. I'm anxious to hear more feedback and possibly photos of this set. That would help with my decision.

Good luck to all.
-Chris

are these consumer plasmas not required to have an ATSC tuner as mandated by the FCC?? ANyone know? Maybe thats the reason behind such a bargain. The PQ is nice.

All they do is call it a "monitor", which means it doesn't need to have a tuner as required by the FCC.

As with many of you, I've been thinking of my first HDTV purchase. My primary consideration is budget, as I wanted something under $2K. Now don't get me wrong, I wasn't really expecting something amazing, just something nice and decent to tide me over for a few years.

My journey was first towards Flat LCD projection but the whole bulb thing turned me off. My next stop was for the 37' Sceptre LCD which to me sounded like a fantastic deal till you factor in the $200 for delivery and $160 for tax. Then I stumbed on this Maxent through this site and several others and couldn't believe that a 42' HD Plasma could be had for under $2K. I've been at Costco several times this week already comparing PQ with the Pioneer, Samsung, and Panasonic HDTVs showing the same content. To my eyes, PQ was more than comparable, especially if you are factoring the price. Granted it probably doesn't look as great as a $4k Pioneer, but thats the whole point isn't it?

I've been salivating all week about picking this up and having nightmares that they would be out of stock when I got to Costco (I know, I know, major paranoia).

Went there early this morning to pick it up and lug it to my house. A little on the heavy side (about 100lbs) for one person but I couldn't wait and needed to get this up and running.

Overall I am elated. The PQ looks great. Has HDMI and a RGB in/out pass thru. Watching DVD through component and it looks great. Getting a OTA Set Box in the mail and can't wait for HD content.

This baby is a great deal. There might be some more great deals come Christmas time but for me this was awesome. Can't really complain about a big screen plasma for under $2K and I would recommend to anyone else to pick one up right away because I think Costco will sell out. Good luck, any questions pls holler.

I went to costco to look at the Vizio 50" in preparation for the upcoming sale and went home with the 42" Maxent. Both were being fed the HDTV demo via component. The pictures, aside from one being larger, were identical. I spent over an hour trying to convince myself the Vizio was better...since it has more resolution and better specs...but in the end, my wife and I agreed that OOB for HDTV they were equal. Given the $1k difference, we chose to try the Maxent. We can always return it if we're displeased.

We've got it home and tried some DVD via s-video. Scaling was excellent, colors are very good. I will calibrate the set via DVE and Avia and examine the set in more detail over the next week. So far we're very pleased, especially given the sale price.

For those considering the 37" sceptre...I've decided I'm too discerning a viewer to tolerate LCD displays for movie viewing. They're good for regular tv but black levels ruin the movie experience whe the lights are out.

I can't wait for D* to come install my HDTivo next week so I can experiment with HDTV and HDMI sources.

I'm on the same fence as you. I started looking at the 3G plasma and then it sold out (and still not shipping by the way). Then I moved to the Sceptre 37" as there seems to be quite a buzz around that set. I wasn't too keen on the whole online ordering paying for "white glove" service. Shipping and white glove kind of defeats the purpose of why one would buy from Costco. I then progressed to the Vizio 50". While I'm considering that set, I think it will be overkill for my bedroom where we have an 8 ft distance at most. Not to mention, it would probably overtake the room. I then considered the DELL 42" (yes, the one with the buzz). A few people have mentioned the great PQ of this set and it doesn't hurt that it's on special. Decisions...decisions. I'm anxious to hear more feedback and possibly photos of this set. That would help with my decision.

Good luck to all.
-Chris


Funny, but that's the exact same thought process I've been going though as well. Only difference for me was that I actually am on the list for the 3G set (but placed my order on hold after all the difficulties and delays they've encountered) and also considered the Westy 37" LCD as well.

Actually I really prefer LCD over Plasma and would like a 1080p LCD ideally, but will be going to look at the Vizio 50" tomorrow. Like you, I'm going to use it in my master bedroom and while size doesn't concern me, the mentioned fan noise does. SInce I'll be putting it into sleep mode (it does have one I assume), then if the fans are too loud then it might not be a very good set for the bedroom (especially if used with low level audio volume where the fans might be annoying.

Can anyone comment on these points (fan db level, perhaps someone can take a reading), bedroom usage... I'm still considering the 37" Sceptre as well, but like you, don't relish the idea of paying for and waiting for shipping.

Bottom line is that deals are popping up with ever increasing frequency and perhaps the best bet is simply to be a bit more patient. I suspect that between now and years end (the holiday shopping season) a viable 42"-46" LCD (fanless) will crop up under the $3500 mark with true 1080p capability.

Good luck to all and thanks for the great threads...

Cheers! ;)

jcastle, Big_Dom: Can you comment on the SD and stretch/zoom modes?

Thanks for the review so far. We're leaning toward this set right now.

J-

Dear J,

I'm watching SD right now and I think it looks pretty good. Colors are vibrant and I think the black levels are outstanding. Haven't hooked up HD yet, but I have used S-video and Component and both look excellent.

The display/stretch has 5 settings: 16:9, 4:3, Panorama, Zoom 1, Zoom 2
I've been using 16:9 to watch SD and I honestly like it. I don't think it stretches it too abnormally, but I think this is really your preference. According to the manual, the Panorama stretches both Horizontal and vertical to the edge of the set. I find this does look abnormal. Zoom 1 is set to stretch 2.35 to 1. Zoom 2 is the same as Zoom 1 except it shifts the entire image up to accommodate subtitles. I find both Zooms to also be pretty watchable. I think your best bet is to get the remote from a Costco rep and try it out. The switch is on the bottom (slide open) part of the remote and you push the "wide" button, which toggles thru all the options. Good luck on your choice.

Thanks, Dom. This, of course, leads me to another question. Burn-in protection.

Does it have any type of orbiter (or whatever)?

If you're going to view in 4:3 mode, can you set the black bars to have a color?

I've looked through the manual and can't find anything on this. The manual only mentions black bars but no option of changing them to a different color, like gray.

Thanks,
J-

Picked up TWO of these today. Took the wife to see what she thought about it in comparison to Vizio and other sets they had in stock. We both felt the Vizio had a better picture, but probably because of the signal it was receiving...HD vs DVD. We also liked the speakers on the side and not on the bottom and finally it came down to budget. Basically tou can buy 3 of these for the price of 2 Vizio's. Thats what finally sold me.

I purchased this set today at Costco. It does have an image shift to prefent burn-in. You can select 10, 20, or 30 second interval. Have not tried it because I don't use it for games or computer.

Great HD (1080i signal) via Motorola STB and component input. At the store it looked better than even the Panny, but when I got it home, it looked even better. SD is not very good. Barely watchable. Not sure of what adjustments to make but will see if I can make it better.

Could someone post screen shots? Just curious.

Also, there was some question as to if this was a rebadged plasma from samsung, pioneer, etc. Maybe if you post pics of the menu someone might recognise it (if it is the OEM's)?

If anyone has pictures of the set, that would be helpful!

-Chris

If anyone has pictures of the set, that would be helpful!

-Chris

Hey Chris! There are a couple of links in this thread to pics. Not the most aesthetically pleasing set on earth, but the image more than makes up for it :cool:

Does anyone know when this sale ends?

sale ends the 14th

I purchased this set today at Costco. It does have an image shift to prefent burn-in. You can select 10, 20, or 30 second interval. Have not tried it because I don't use it for games or computer.

Great HD (1080i signal) via Motorola STB and component input. At the store it looked better than even the Panny, but when I got it home, it looked even better. SD is not very good. Barely watchable. Not sure of what adjustments to make but will see if I can make it better.


mregor,

Would you mind posting the exact dimension of the box? I wonder if it will fit in my SUV.

Thanks.

mregor,

Would you mind posting the exact dimension of the box? I wonder if it will fit in my SUV.

Thanks.

It fit on it's back in our Rodeo.

Its 39" tall I believe...Fit in my tahoe no problem

It fit on it's back in our Rodeo.


I have a Pathfinder, can I lay it flat with the box or does it needs to be stand up? Don't know if it's ok to lay a Plasma flat.

It didn't fit in my Xterra... I had to unbox in the parking lot and get my brother to ride in the back with it :eek:

It fit in my Ford Escape. I'd suggest two people for this set although I managed to lug it from my car into the bedroom. Initial reactions to the set are very positive. I've never used Aria, but just ordered that. I'm feeding Directv HD through component cables. Very nice. It's still early, but I like the picture better than my GWIII 60". Initially I thought 42" would be too big for the bedroom, but it's not. Just a little bit big -- which gives us room to "grow into it". We thought our 60" was a monster and now that's just normal. Surprised there are not digital audio inputs? I guess that's why it's a value set. Either way, I'm very pleased -- and if it continues to perform than it truly is a good value.

Thanks to all who helped with my decision. Like many, I find these forum invaluable.

-Chris

Is the 50inch model included in the sale and if so can someone tell me what the price is or just pm if it is against site rules to post the price. Didn't know if it was differant than the price listed on the costco site. Been in the market to move my 42 plasma into the bedroom and up to a 50 over the fireplace.

The coupon is for the 42" only. 50 inch not included

Big_Dom, are you sure that the 42x3 has an HDMI connection.? I only see a DVI connection on the manual. Is the information wrong? The specs are confusing, they say HDMI with HDCP, but it looks like a DVI connection to me. I want to run one cable for audio and video. Thanks

http://www.maxentusa.com/_coreModules/eShopping/productDetail.aspx?productMasterID=21

mregor,

Would you mind posting the exact dimension of the box? I wonder if it will fit in my SUV.

Thanks.

The dimensions of the box are 33"H X 52.5"W X 13"D.
It fit in the back of my A4 (4 door sedan) laid flat without a problem.

Big_Dom, are you sure that the 42x3 has an HDMI connection.? I only see a DVI connection on the manual. Is the information wrong? The specs are confusing, they say HDMI with HDCP, but it looks like a DVI connection to me. I want to run one cable for audio and video. Thanks

100% sure.

It fit in my Ford Escape. I'd suggest two people for this set although I managed to lug it from my car into the bedroom. Initial reactions to the set are very positive. I've never used Aria, but just ordered that. I'm feeding Directv HD through component cables. Very nice. It's still early, but I like the picture better than my GWIII 60". Initially I thought 42" would be too big for the bedroom, but it's not. Just a little bit big -- which gives us room to "grow into it". We thought our 60" was a monster and now that's just normal. Surprised there are not digital audio inputs? I guess that's why it's a value set. Either way, I'm very pleased -- and if it continues to perform than it truly is a good value.

Thanks to all who helped with my decision. Like many, I find these forum invaluable.

-Chris

Well technically, the HDMI is a digital audio input.

I have a Pathfinder, can I lay it flat with the box or does it needs to be stand up? Don't know if it's ok to lay a Plasma flat.

Well you're not supposed to, but I wasn't worried about it. I've laid sliding glass doors flat in the back of a pickup and drove around construction sites where the doors have literally slammed against eachother and the deck, and never cracked. The glass on these panels is more supported and I have a smooth ride home. Unless the glass is REALLY thin on these panels, I would be more worried about the components inside than the glass cracking.

A question on SD -- those of you who have watched SD, what input are you using? VCR -> Composite, VCR -> S-Video, or Set-top box -> component?

I've seen some other TV's that have tuners that required a separate connection for SD vs HD.

A question on SD -- those of you who have watched SD, what input are you using? VCR -> Composite, VCR -> S-Video, or Set-top box -> component?

I've seen some other TV's that have tuners that required a separate connection for SD vs HD.

I am using a settop box via component. SD displays with no problems.

I am using a settop box via component. SD displays with no problems.

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-

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-

SD is better than most Plasma / LCDs I've seen, but still not great, but you have to consider the source. If SD is your biggest concern, I'd get a Vega 36" CRT HDTV, which has the best SD display I've seen.

I just purchased the 50" Visio at Costco but the fan noise is a little bothersome, and I am wondering whether I should reconsider the Visio-vs.-Maxent decision, especially since the Maxent is on sale this week.

Is the Maxent very quiet? Some plasmas hum, some have fans, some hum AND have fans, and a few are nice and quiet. How is the Maxent?

It's super quiet. My Tivo fan is louder. I can't even hear the fan in the Maxent. I just paused a movie and it's quiet. Looks good out of the box. Just ordered Aria and look forward to tweaking.

-Chris

Well technically, the HDMI is a digital audio input.

My D* box has DVI out, but no HDMI. Is it worth it to buy a converter? If so, since HDMI is looking for audio, will a DVI-HDMI make me lose the audio?

Any suggestions? Right now, I'm using component cables and RCA for the audio.

Shame, my HDTivo has HDMI, but it's running on the GWIII (which doesn't have HDMI). :rolleyes:

TIA
Chris

Just ordered Aria and look forward to tweaking.


You mean Avia right?

Yes. Avia. That's what happens when you respond while watching a movie.

J, I am watching SD stretched in 16:9. I'll attempt to attach some screen shots for all, since this site has help me so much that I would like to return the favor. For SD connection I am using OTA VCR Tuner via S-Video. (My tuner is coming in the mail). My DVD is thru Component.

BTW SD looks good to me. You have to adjust contrast and brightness; factory settings are way too high. Fine tune it some and I think you'll find a picture you like. Don't forget that if you are upgrading sizewise (from a smaller set), you will see more imperfections just because the size is bigger. Don't let that fool you.

HDMI is definite one of the inputs. I'll attached screen shots of the manual with all input/outputs. All connections are on the back.

For those of you who are worried about the box, it fit in my Honda CRV, which is a medium size SUV. The box is well packed and is super easy to take off once you get home (Open the top, flip four plastic locks and all four sides come off it like a hersheys candy wrapper). Alternately if you can't fit the box in your car, just take the Maxent out and it should fit into a back seat of any car. Its a little on the heavy side/ awkward to handle for one person so bring your wife/gf/mom to get it with you.

Ok, here are some screen shots. Sorry for the resolution, trying to do this in a hurry. :o

1) Maxent - picture of the set on top of my TV stand. Look how it dwarfs it! (This stand used to hold a 30 inch CRT). Color matches tho so I'm still debating whether to change.

2) Sample screen shot of a stretched SD picture. This is stretched in 16:9 mode. Ignore the resolution and judge whether it looks abnormally stretched. For me, its ok. Others - be your own judge.

3) Same image in standard 4:3 format. Again, be your own judge.

I'll have a few more shots to follow for the connection hounds.

Ok, here are the connections on the back of the unit. Note that it is not a DVI input but a HDMI. Also Pin type RGB is available.

The three pics are of the connections in order from left to right- I broke it down so you could see the text better. Hope this helps and good luck on your choices.


PS> don't be confused by some of the earlier incorrect links on this thread (tho someone later did post the correct link).

This is Maxent model MX-42X3, 42" HDTV Monitor. This is not the same unit as the one at Best Buy, model MX-42XM11 which has integrated Tuners and DVI inputs. It is also not the 42" model MX-42VM11 that is on the front of the maxentusa website, which is an EDTV Monitor. You can find this MX42X3 on the website under products and the correct model number. Hope this helps.

I previously purchased the Panny 42 inch EDTV from Costco. (about a month ago). I have always heard great things about Panny. I don't have HD set up for this yet. The SD is very disappointing. I'm wondering about switching out and getting the Maxent. Two reasons. 1. With the money I will save I can buy most of a HDTivo, to replace my current SDTivo. 2. It is true HD and when I go to that, i'll have the whole deal. Does anyone have opinions about this. Although HD is nice, the truth is most content is still SD, especially the non network stuff, like Home/Garden TV, etc. Anyway, anyone have some advice for me.

I suggest visiting Tivocommunity regarding HDTIVO since we cannot discuss pricing etc. I just got an HDTIVO and love it. It's running off my SONY GWIII right now. I wish I had 2 so I could run the HDMI cable to the Maxent. The SD content looks okay on the Maxent -- better than my GWIII. The HD content is amazing. I'm watching the Yankees game in HD - blown away by the quality. I disagree with regards to HD content. A large amount of primetime is in HD - and depending on your service/area, you can get sports in HD. In NY, we have every Yankee homegame in HD.

HDTivo and this Maxent will make you very happy!

-Chris

For those concerned about SDTV performance. The deinterlacer appears to be of average to above average quality. If SDTV is your main priority you need to consider an iscan HD or some other outboard deinterlacer to make the image as good as possible. These budget plasmas are designed to shine with HDTV and DVD. Typically budget plasmas have poor ntsc cable, composite and s-video performance due to budget tuners and deinterlacers.

No large screen HDTV (Over 37") looks great with SDTV due to the low resolution of the source. Garbage in equals garbage out.

I've run a pc throught the s-video input as a test and the results were quite good. This would imply that the MotionDSC scaler is of decent quality. I'll report more on Directv SDTV next week when I get my new sat receiver installed.

Here's some screenshots of Spiderman 2 that was just on HBO-HD (on D*), using cheap component cables, and I haven't calibrated it yet. (in one of these pics the flash is on so the picture looks a little washed out). So far I am VERY satisfied with the picture.

Edit: Looks like the javascript window resizes the picture, click inside it to view unscaled image.

The HD content is amazing. I'm watching the Yankees game in HD - blown away by the quality.

Chris- What channel are you watching the HD Yankees game on?

For those of you who are worried about the box, it fit in my Honda CRV, which is a medium size SUV. The box is well packed and is super easy to take off once you get home (Open the top, flip four plastic locks and all four sides come off it like a hersheys candy wrapper). Alternately if you can't fit the box in your car, just take the Maxent out and it should fit into a back seat of any car. Its a little on the heavy side/ awkward to handle for one person so bring your wife/gf/mom to get it with you.

You mean it fit in your CRV standing up or did you have to lay it flat?

I saw this TV tonight at the Santa Clara Costco . There were a bunch of other people looking at it due to the $300 rebate this week.

It was setup in the middle of about 8 other plasmas, including the Maxent 50" just behind, the Vizio 42 and 50", Pioneer and Panasonic 50", a few others I forget - and a single LCD - a 37" Philips Flat TV.

All sets were showing the same HD loop with clips from INHD, KQED-HD (local PBS), and a few others. I didn't check how it was hooked up exactly.

The Maxent picture looked quite decent ... Until your eyes caught the picture of the LCD right next to it, which was much brighter, and had much better contrast. Problem is, Philips 37" was priced $800 more than the Maxent 42" plasma (including the rebate). Everybody who stopped by (and that was a lot of people - the flat panel TVs are right by the entrance of the store) made the same comments - the difference was so very obvious.

I tried to adjust the settings on the Maxent 42" set - from the front panel, since I had no remote - but I just could not make the picture come close to the Philips LCD. I played with brightness, contrast, color, tint, and color temperature settings - under supervision from the other customers (don't I love living in Silicon Valley ;-)), but all in all, without being able to match the LCD picture. I also tried the manufacturer presets of "vivid color" and "cinema".

I had come in with the intention of looking at the plasmas, and the larger 50" in particular, since I'm trying to find a replacement for my projector which burns one lamp after the other. Even 50" is only 22% of the picture I previously had (106"). 42" is just 15.6%, and 37" is a mere 12% :-(
Believe me, I'm not happy that I found out the smallest monitor, and also the most expensive for its size range, had the highest picture quality.

On the other hand I need something that won't have high ongoing costs like my projector, and it seems maybe the LCD has a longer life span than plasma. At least some of the other customers suggested that was the case. Not sure how true it is. Is this a can of worms I shouldn't have opened ?

This is Maxent model MX-42X3, 42" HDTV Monitor. This is not the same unit as the one at Best Buy, model MX-42XM11 which has integrated Tuners and DVI inputs. It is also not the 42" model MX-42VM11 that is on the front of the maxentusa website, which is an EDTV Monitor. You can find this MX42X3 on the website under products and the correct model number. Hope this helps.

Note that neither 42XM11 (HDTV) or the VM11 (EDTV) available from Best Buy has a tuner in it, although the Best Buy text says that they do. Best Buy has just added to the ED model text that it has no tuner and looking at the manual at the Maxent site shows indirectly (it shows on the page for the remote that none of the buttons for channel up/down applies to this model) the XM11 doesn't either. Neither has an RF input as a result.

Chris- What channel are you watching the HD Yankees game on?

We get most Yankees games in HD in NY on channel 94. All home games (not on local channel) and away games that have HD cameras in the park. We're spoiled here in NY. :D

After much wavering and uncertainty I picked up one of the Maxents today at my local Costco. With all of the excitement surrounding this set and the fact that I am upgrading from a 9 year old 27" Hitachi CRT I felt it was about time.

Reading all the comments on this site the past few nights really gets me energized about the TV but for some reason I lapse into buyers remorse as soon as I move away from the computer.

As a result the TV sits still in its box in the garage while I try to make up my mind regarding whether I should set it up in my TV room or take it right back to Costco.

However getting it home was quite the ordeal, I had to physically remove the rear seat from my Acura sedan just to get it in.

While I do have the Sammy 851 upconverting DVD player with HDMI output I don't have HD cable yet and probably wont for some time. So for 75% SD tv and 25% upconverted DVD watching did I make a $1700 mistake or would I be nuts to return the set and pass up this deal?

I try to hook up my computer to this hdtv via the pc's vga connector. The tv doesn't have a vga input, but it does have rgb input which fits the vga cable perfect. I was hoping that rgb is same as vga, but unfortunately, it's probably not the same because the tv couldn't get the pc signal. Any suggestion on how to connect a computer to this tv via vga? Thanks in advance.

You mean it fit in your CRV standing up or did you have to lay it flat?

I put in in standing up, in the back trunk with one of my rear seats folded down. I was a little paranoid about laying it flat because the wording on the box says to keep it standing up. But after getting home I realize the foam spacers would have keep the screen ok even if you do decide to lay it flat. (it would have fit in my trunk either way).

I just picked this up yesterday and like many have commented was impressed w/ the PQ when it was side by side to the other bigger name plasmas. What is everyone doing for a cable tuner?

I don't want to go through my VCR as the analog tuner and I'm wondering if a HDTV tuner will cover analog channels as well?

I read that HDTivo is only out for DirectTV? I have comcast only as an option for service and I do want a DVR setup. Recomendations?

I try to hook up my computer to this hdtv via the pc's vga connector. The tv doesn't have a vga input, but it does have rgb input which fits the vga cable perfect. I was hoping that rgb is same as vga, but unfortunately, it's probably not the same because the tv couldn't get the pc signal. Any suggestion on how to connect a computer to this tv via vga? Thanks in advance.

RGB is the type of cable - it's also the type of input on the tv and output on your video card. "VGA" is basically an outdated resolution spec, but some people use the term to describe this type of cable or connection, but that is incorrect.

To hook this set up to a PC, see the owners manual (pages 19-22).

As a result the TV sits still in its box in the garage while I try to make up my mind regarding whether I should set it up in my TV room or take it right back to Costco.


Why don't you watch it for a couple weeks then decide? Isn't that what Costco's return policy is all about? Don't let this thing sit in a garage! Geez.

After much wavering and uncertainty I picked up one of the Maxents today at my local Costco......

As a result the TV sits still in its box in the garage while I try to make up my mind regarding whether I should set it up in my TV room or take it right back to Costco....

While I do have the Sammy 851 upconverting DVD player with HDMI output I don't have HD cable yet and probably wont for some time. So for 75% SD tv and 25% upconverted DVD watching did I make a $1700 mistake or would I be nuts to return the set and pass up this deal?

I just purchased and hooked my 42" Maxent tonight. I was going to wait for the 50" Vizio that goes on sale on the 22nd but then this one went on sale first. After looking at both in the store I decided to purchase the Maxent.

I have it hooked up to a Dish Network HD receiver (the 921) via component inputs (I don't have a HDMI cable yet) and I think the picture on HD is superb. Progressive scan, from an inexpensive Philips player looks great playing Monsters, Inc. (also using component video). SD video, from the Dish receiver, looks good (not great, but it has never looked great on a big screen).

This is the third HD TV or monitor I've owned. The first was CRT based rear projection that had issues keeping it's custom settings (but it looked good when it was properly adjusted). The second was a Panasonic rear projection LCD that had a beautiful picture until the lamp blew out after 11 months (the lamps are $300 each!!!).

I now have this plasma set and so far, so good. You certainly can't beat the price. I'd say open it up and give it a look. Your DVDs will look great and I'll bet you can live with the SD PQ.

Good luck!!

A couple observations after calibrating this with test patterns on both Avia and Digital Video Essentials:

Contrast needed to come down a little
Brightness, color, and tint were very close out of the box
Sharpness needed to come down a lot
Geometry was off quite a bit. It was overscanning 10% on top edge and a little over 5% on the bottom, 10% on the right and 7% on the left. There are settings for vertical & horizontal size & position in the picture menu, so I set all edges to about 2%.

Next step is to hook this up to an HTPC and do this all over again!

what are your calibration settings if I may ask?

Fantastic panel! Easily holds its own with the new Panasonics, but please don't take my word for it, go look for yourself. I've been shopping for some time now always holding off for that newer model. I was all set to buy the new Panny 42, just waiting for the price to drop a little lower. I am using Media Center through the RGB connection. Setup was a snap. The Maxent seems to be a PC friendly plasma. The manual shows it will sync up with a bunch of resolutions (up to 1920x1080) I'm at 1024x720. I'll try experimenting more later. Off to find a TV stand. :)
-Phil

For those concerned about SDTV performance. The deinterlacer appears to be of average to above average quality. If SDTV is your main priority you need to consider an iscan HD or some other outboard deinterlacer to make the image as good as possible. These budget plasmas are designed to shine with HDTV and DVD. Typically budget plasmas have poor ntsc cable, composite and s-video performance due to budget tuners and deinterlacers.

The Vizio going on sale 8/22 has a Faroudja deinterlacer, right? Would you notice a big difference with SD on the Vizio, or would the larger size even it out (as larger sizes further magnify imperfections)?

SD isn't our main priority, but it is important.

what are your calibration settings if I may ask?

Not at home now, but I think I set it as:
contrast=70
brightness= (avia tests showed it should be at 49, but DVE "blacker than black" test bars showed it should be set at 55, so I let if there.
color=(my eyes were plaing tricks on my looking through those little filters but I left it at 48
tint=49 I think
sharpness=20

Not at home now, but I think I set it as:
contrast=70
brightness= (avia tests showed it should be at 49, but DVE "blacker than black" test bars showed it should be set at 55, so I let if there.
color=(my eyes were plaing tricks on my looking through those little filters but I left it at 48
tint=49 I think
sharpness=20

Chris are you worried about burn-in with such a high contrast setting?

Chris are you worried about burn-in with such a high contrast setting?

I think it was at 80 out of the box. I used the test in Avia where you look at the sliding white bars at the bottom ("needle pulses and steps" I believe it was called). Above 70 the whites start crushing (so the bars start to dissappear). Since that was the proper calibrated level I just left it there. Are you thinking I should set it lower?

Another observation- after setting the color & tint, I noticed on the color decoder check both green & red were -5%, blue was at 0. I'm wondering if I should just leave it, or turn color saturation up until the red is at 0?

So if I just went and became a costco member today, is there any way to still get the coupon?

So if I just went and became a costco member today, is there any way to still get the coupon?

they hand the coupons out at the door, so no problem there.

I just joined yesterday. The person checking the cards at the entrance had a whole stack of them. The coupon is not from the Summer Passport book (like the Vizio coupon). The Maxent coupon is in the weekly coupon handout.

I think it was at 80 out of the box. I used the test in Avia where you look at the sliding white bars at the bottom ("needle pulses and steps" I believe it was called). Above 70 the whites start crushing (so the bars start to dissappear). Since that was the proper calibrated level I just left it there. Are you thinking I should set it lower?

Initially, yes. From what I've read here on the forum and other equally knowledgable places, the infancy of plasmas is key. I've got mine at 45 right now for both contrast and brightness, and even though clearly the blacks and whites are off, until I get a nice working-in period, I think it's the safer route.

Check out the master burn in thread in this sub-forum, lots of good info there.

I just picked one of these puppies up at Costco. It's sitting in my car right now while I'm at work. Now I just need a TV stand..

I just went to the costco website- i saw the 50" ~$2,500, but it doesn't have HDMI connector.{just DVI} is this an issue?
Boy at that price.... got to gooooo

Is this set better than the 42" Vizio or the 50" Vizio?

Has anyone managed to program a multi-function remote to work with theirs? I went to my remote manufacturer's website and they don't even list Maxent.

Anyone use this with a HTPC yet? I plan on feeding everything to it via RGB from my HTPC. I have a fusion HDTV+cable card and am concerned about the impact of rectangular pixels. Is it possible to get 1:1 pixel matching? This set did look great compared to the 50" vizio and also compared to the ED panasonic.

Costco will have their Maxent 42" hdtv (1024x768) on sale next week at a very low price.

Has anyone bought this? reviews / opinions please..

Just a note of thanks to thread starter donotremove for mentioning the Maxent. I was sitting (practically) in the audience of the Tonight Show last night :) I'm really happy with the purchase. I can't help you with the remote codes, but I was able to clone the Maxent remote into my Media Center remote FWIW
-Phil

Well another one drops...

Just returned from Costco and after weighing in all the input, picked up the Maxent 42". Gotta agree that the picture was clearly outstanding (read Panasonic like) compared to most other mid-level PDP's I've seen out there. It's now sitting in my laundry room unopened where it shall remain while I await a chance to see the Vizio 50" in person.

I think with the potential fan noise issue of the Vizio I'm reading about on that thread, and the fact that this set is dead quite and has an orbiter to protect against burn-in, it's likely that I'll just keep this one. All the same, I'm not going to abuse Costco's great satisfaction policy and so will wait until I can see the Vizio in person before opening the Maxent (ouch 10 days is going to be a very long time to ignore temptation). Still as it's going to be a bedroom set, noise is important as is PQ and this Maxent clearly looks like a winner (at least from what I've seen in the stores). Just wish it had a bit more design style (but for the price can deal with it).

Good luck all and keep those reviews, and input coming. The great threads have certainly helped in focusing on key points that were indispensable to making an informed decision. I'll post mine once a set actually is unboxed and mounted...

Cheers

For people with the Scientific Atlanta cable box, do you know what code to punch in to get the remote to work with this tv?

I just went to the costco website- i saw the 50" ~$2,500, but it doesn't have HDMI connector.{just DVI} is this an issue?
Boy at that price.... got to gooooo

Remember, HDMI is just DVI + sound.

So if you are like me, and run your sound through your receiver (although you can input RCAs for sound direct if you choose to), it's not an issue at all.

Has anyone managed to program a multi-function remote to work with theirs? I went to my remote manufacturer's website and they don't even list Maxent.

Any learning remote won't be a problem at all.

I think with the potential fan noise issue of the Vizio I'm reading about on that thread, and the fact that this set is dead quite and has an orbiter to protect against burn-in, it's likely that I'll just keep this one.

I wouldn't say it dead quiet, but I don't hear anything from 8' away. I have the set on a stand right now, and if I put my head behind it I can hear a slight buzzing, but it's not audible from a few feet away in front.

I wouldn't say it dead quiet, but I don't hear anything from 8' away. I have the set on a stand right now, and if I put my head behind it I can hear a slight buzzing, but it's not audible from a few feet away in front.

This is a good bit more quiet than the LCD it replaced. In fact, I can hear the HD whirring on my Comcast DVR more than this display unit!

Does anyone know for sure what panel this set has and what other sets use this same panel? Know anything about it, such as deinterlacer, electronics, etc.? I'd to know as much as I can about this set as I have return my 42" Vizio due to its issues and don't know if I should get this Maxent, another 42" Vizio, or the 50" Vizio.

Thanks for any help regarding this and picture quality comparisons with all sets for those that have viewed them. I have read all the posts on this thread it sounds good so far!

I wouldn't say it dead quiet, but I don't hear anything from 8' away. I have the set on a stand right now, and if I put my head behind it I can hear a slight buzzing, but it's not audible from a few feet away in front.


Well thanks for the update Chris! While it's really no surprise that it isn't "totally" silent, from all indications on here, it's easily a better fit for the bedroom than the 50" Vizio thread which seems to have frequent complaints of fan noise. Also, since I haven't seen the PQ on the Vizio and this set looked astounding for the money, it seems a really great deal.

I too would love to hear more of the internal specs, but the bottom line is the picture tells all (or put in marketing terms "liers figure and figures lie"). Also since this set has an orbiter feature to prevent burn in and the Vizio doesn't (it has some kind of manual screen wipe feature), I'd say the right decision was made.

Thanks for the input again...

Cheers all :D

Well I broke down and got one for the bedroom. Great set for the price! For now I've got contrast at 30, brightness at 50, color at 35, tint centered, sharpness at 1, noise reduction on low, temp at warm, stretching to 16:9, and image shift at 30 sec while it breaks in. For now I've only got a crappy DirecTV SD receiver hooked up via S-Video and I think it handles the upconversion pretty well, though of course the fat people in 16:9 are a bit annoying. The panorama stretch mode I think stretches the edges a bit too much; I feel like I'm watching TV on a cylinder or something, lol. I didn't pay much attention to the other zoom modes for now though I'd assume they'd be handy for letterboxed SD movies that aren't anamorphic.

Maybe I'll try my laptop on it later but I really only got this set for light-medium casual watching before I go to bed and when I get up in the morning. And I definitely need to get HD into the bedroom now too. :)

Edit: I can further attest that this set is pretty quiet; I believe it has no fans (or at least they don't turn on until the set's been on for quite awhile as I've had it on for around 1 1/2 hours now and there's no fan noise at all). :) All there is noise-wise is a slight electronic buzz / hum that you can really only hear when you have the volume extremely low or muted, so it's definitely fine for bedroom use. And yes this is ultimately the reason that made me decide on this set instead of the 50" Vizio, LOL.

Got tired of my Proview so I took it back tonight to Costco and got this Maxent. So far I am happy with it, none of the issues the Proview had...

Proview had mosquito buzzing out the speakers even with no audio input, dark looking picture in 1080i HD when you turn the set on, cured with switching inputs from HD to S-video to HD (every time the set was turned on) and some white pixels along the top scan line in 720p mode. It was also smallish for my viewing distance.

So far I have just watched some in TWC HD and some SD.
This set is much better than the BB set with the black bezel. I also have the Costco Pio 4312, and this Maxent compares quite well for something costing 40% less. I have noticed a bit of false contouring, but darks seem quite good, so far have not seen any dead pixels.
It fits in it's box in the back of a Volvo wagon (but not standing up) in the rear with the rear seats down. While the Proview could fit standing in it's box in the rear seat of a 1995 Lexus LS.
We shall see how it holds up with some time and critical viewing.
Thanks Costco!

A question for those using this monitor with component inputs and also some third party research on the MX-42X3.

First the insights. I was doing some additional web searches on this set and stumbled upon the Cnet site where I came across the following post with some interesting insights and admittedly third and fourth party news (not responsible for the information's accuracy, but promising it seems reasonable and promising all the same):

_______________

At Costco. MX-42X3 was made in June of 2005 info!
Call tech support today, the site for this TV is www.maxentusa.com

Left mess., and to my surprise the guy called me back, and said this is their newest TV out. He spoke well of it, and said they put a lot of work into making a nice one. I tried to buy 3 of them, and got 1 before they closed, the rest were up in the racks. Gonna go try and get 2 more tomorrow. Used the 300 off coupon.

Here is some info I found on another site, guys, check it out.

FYI For those questioning the Maxent name, the MX-42X3 uses the same OEM Samsung PDP panel used by many other OEMs in their high end plasma products . The PDP in this Maxent is the Samsung S42AX-XB02 which is the successor to the popular S42AX-XB01 found in the Toshiba 42HP83, 42HP84, Panasonic TH 42PHD7UY, and the Philips Ambilight 42PF9966/37 among others.

Posted by: frankie8acres (see profile) - 08/08/2005 8:53 PM
In reply to: Costco Maxent 42" by frankie8acres

_______________

Here's the link for the whole thread if anyone's interested:

http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-7596-0.html?forumID=60&threadID=111498&messageID=1348638

_______________

Now for the question: On the same site, it was mentioned several times that the Maxent will not allow the use of the screen stretch modes like panorama unless fed through the SVIDEO or HDMI ports (i.e. won't work using composite). Can anyone confirm or deny this report?

Thanks all... & enjoy your new toys! ;)

I need some help, I have the set hooked up to my cable box via HDMI, and it works fine when set to 720p or 1080i, but when I try to switch to 480p, then it just blue screens and says I have no signal.

I can't figure out why this is. I don't want to watch SD in 1080i strech mode, so can an expert out there tell me what could possible be wrong?

BTW, I can hook up my xbox just fine, and that's in 480p. Also, when I use component cables and set the box to "pass through" mode, then it automatically switches to 480p for SD, but the picture is absolutely horrible.

Ok, we've decided on the Vizio over the Maxent on sale this week. Here's why:


Similar HD PQ, if not identical
Faroudja deinterlacer means the Vizio does better with DVDs and SD
Size!


I'm not terribly concerned about the fan noise reported in the other thread, since it doesn't seem to be an issue for everyone. Maybe we'll try and make sure we've got a July 2005 model.

The only advantage the Maxent has, AFAICT, is the Image Shift, but the Vizio has the image scrubber or whatever, and given that, the warranty and Costco's return policy, I'm not concerned about burn-in.

Anyone disagree? Let me know if you do -- I still fancy myself an ignorant n00b so could see myself being wrong.

Ugh, now to wait. I can't go back to Costco this week or I'll probably break down and nab the Maxent :D

J-

Here is some info I found on another site, guys, check it out.

FYI For those questioning the Maxent name, the MX-42X3 uses the same OEM Samsung PDP panel used by many other OEMs in their high end plasma products . The PDP in this Maxent is the Samsung S42AX-XB02 which is the successor to the popular S42AX-XB01 found in the Toshiba 42HP83, 42HP84, Panasonic TH 42PHD7UY, and the Philips Ambilight 42PF9966/37 among others.

That was already mentioned on the first page of this thread, see post #13. That was quoted from fatwallet word for word. The poster that mentioned it doesn't give any proof of that claim. Maxent is owned by Regent USA, who also sells under the Sampo name so I'm guessing it's a Sampo panel and not Samsung.

OK I hooked up an old Sony DVD player I had laying completely idle and gave it a quick whirl through Avia through both component (480i) and composite, coming up with surprisingly moderately different settings, at least as far as tint was concerned (though keep in mind this could just be caused by differences in the DVD player's outputs). Also keep in mind that contrast seems to have a slight-to-moderate impact on all the other settings (except sharpness, which I keep at 1 regardless). Without further ado, here's what I came up with for composite and component 1 (480i) based on what is probably a relatively safe contrast of 40 (note that on my unit I wasn't actually seeing white crush problems until contrast was set above 80 but I don't want it anywhere up there for fear of burn-in):

Composite:

Contrast 40
Brightness 60
Color 33
Tint -2
Sharpness 1
Noise reduction Off
Color Temp Warm

Component:

Contrast 40
Brightness 59
Color 33
Tint +9
Noise reduction Off
Color Temp Warm

On both of the TV's inputs once I did the quick Avia calibration colors do subjectively seem about the same despite the big differences in the tint setting. The color decoder seems to be set pretty decently OOTB on this set (on the color decoder check blue of course is spot-on as is green, and red looks to be around 5% undersaturated), which is definitely a good thing if we can't figure out a way into a service menu on these. :)

That was already mentioned on the first page of this thread, see post #13. That was quoted from fatwallet word for word. The poster that mentioned it doesn't give any proof of that claim. Maxent is owned by Regent USA, who also sells under the Sampo name so I'm guessing it's a Sampo panel and not Samsung.


Sorry about the re-quote mate. I have read this thread from the beginning, but it's been a while since I looked back that far and didn't recall seeing that info.

After doing some additional searches, I found some more insights on this topic in the Fatwallet forums and there were indications that while what you state about Regent USA's tie to Sampo being correct (I think there was a press release dated from 10/04 on that specific relationship), someone also referenced that this panel is stamped with a Samsung label (perhaps inside the unit) and made a reasonable argument as to why it wasn't likely a Sampo panel and was in fact "Samsung inside".

Truth is, I don't know and personally don't care. From my POV, this monitor looked ace and besides; like it's been stated so many times before in these threads, "there's much more to a good picture than simply the panel quality". Personally, I would strongly agree with that statement.

I don't wish to unnecessarily promote hearsay, but there was a request for more info on the internals and I just wanted to pass along what I had found.

Here's the link to the Fatwallet forum if anyone's interested in other perspectives (including several mentions on this issue of who makes the panel). Enjoy...


http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.php?start=140&catid=18&threadid=504937


Cheers! :D

I am new to HT. What is "SD" making reference to?

A question for those using this monitor with component inputs and also some third party research on the MX-42X3.

First the insights. I was doing some additional web searches on this set and stumbled upon the Cnet site where I came across the following post with some interesting insights and admittedly third and fourth party news (not responsible for the information's accuracy, but promising it seems reasonable and promising all the same):

_______________

At Costco. MX-42X3 was made in June of 2005 info!
Call tech support today, the site for this TV is www.maxentusa.com

Left mess., and to my surprise the guy called me back, and said this is their newest TV out. He spoke well of it, and said they put a lot of work into making a nice one. I tried to buy 3 of them, and got 1 before they closed, the rest were up in the racks. Gonna go try and get 2 more tomorrow. Used the 300 off coupon.

Here is some info I found on another site, guys, check it out.

FYI For those questioning the Maxent name, the MX-42X3 uses the same OEM Samsung PDP panel used by many other OEMs in their high end plasma products . The PDP in this Maxent is the Samsung S42AX-XB02 which is the successor to the popular S42AX-XB01 found in the Toshiba 42HP83, 42HP84, Panasonic TH 42PHD7UY, and the Philips Ambilight 42PF9966/37 among others.

Posted by: frankie8acres (see profile) - 08/08/2005 8:53 PM
In reply to: Costco Maxent 42" by frankie8acres

_______________

Here's the link for the whole thread if anyone's interested:

http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-7596-0.html?forumID=60&threadID=111498&messageID=1348638

_______________

Now for the question: On the same site, it was mentioned several times that the Maxent will not allow the use of the screen stretch modes like panorama unless fed through the SVIDEO or HDMI ports (i.e. won't work using composite). Can anyone confirm or deny this report?

Thanks all... & enjoy your new toys! ;)


The Maxent has ONLY 16:9 and 4:3 modes in BOTH HDMI and Component. Only in AV1/AV2 and s-video will it allow you to use the stretch modes. There's probably a service menu hack for this (and to activate the black level enhancer as well).

Ok, we've decided on the Vizio over the Maxent on sale this week. Here's why:


Similar HD PQ, if not identical
Faroudja deinterlacer means the Vizio does better with DVDs and SD
Size!


I'm not terribly concerned about the fan noise reported in the other thread, since it doesn't seem to be an issue for everyone. Maybe we'll try and make sure we've got a July 2005 model.

The only advantage the Maxent has, AFAICT, is the Image Shift, but the Vizio has the image scrubber or whatever, and given that, the warranty and Costco's return policy, I'm not concerned about burn-in.

Anyone disagree? Let me know if you do -- I still fancy myself an ignorant n00b so could see myself being wrong.

Ugh, now to wait. I can't go back to Costco this week or I'll probably break down and nab the Maxent :D

J-


I'd like to address #2. The fact that it has DCDi doesn't necessary make it better. As you can read on the forum, the DCDi has many of its own issues, especially with macroblock and the CCS. Not to mention if you are like me, and already HAVE a player (the Oppo) with a DCDi.

But remember, you are paying $800 more for 8" of screen, which I admit, is alot of real estate, but to me, if I was in that price range, I'd get the Pio 43" which is probably the best plasma money can buy in that size range.

Picked up one of these panels yesterday after work. I was down to a choice between this and the 50" Vizio, but chose the Maxent after seeing them side by side. The box just barely got through the hatch on my Jeep Cherokee.

Brightness and contrast are turned down to 40 each for now. Sharpness at 10. I'm waiting until my DVE disc arrives, and I can record the HDnet test patterns, to calibrate.

The plasma is being fed component from a Motorola STB at 720p, and component from the upscaling DVD player at 720p (yes, component... it's the original Zenith DVB318). Both units have a DVI output, and I've got a DVI-HDMI cable on order... but which box should I connect digitally?

Also, anyone using this set with one of the Harmony remotes? The juggling of remotes does not garner the WAF... and she really wants to be able to use the new set.

Anyone know which wall mount VESA standard this tv conforms to?

standard definition

I am new to HT. What is "SD" making reference to?

SD = Standard Definition.

That the tech says this glass panel was used in the 7UY series makes his info questionable. Panasonic manufactures it's own glass, not from Samsung.

That the tech says this glass panel was used in the 7UY series makes his info questionable. Panasonic manufactures it's own glass, not from Samsung.

I thought that I read on this forum and Panasonic hadn't made it's own glass in some time.

Does anybody have any first hand experience of this Maxent 42 vs a Vizio 42 ?

I have currently a Vizio 42 and shopping for a replacement? Pio 43 is too much money; Vizio 50 maybe too noisy. Is this Maxent worthy?

Thanks.

Observations when hooking this up to a PC:

The panel's native resolution is 1024X768 (rectangular pixels), so when I send it that resolution via RGB cable, my desktop (and Windows Media Center's menus) are obviously stretched horizontally. I'm not a big fan of this. Also at this resolution I get a series of little green lines at the right edge of the display. I'm not sure if that is a problem with the display, or my card, or drivers, or VGA cable though. So I figured by keeping the vertical resolution the same (@ 768) and using 1366 X 768, I would get a nice 16 X 9 image with minimal scaling. This works well for the most part. But, with my ATI Radeon 9600 I can't send it exactly 1366 X 768. When I create that resolution in Powerstrip and switch to it, the display says I'm sending it 1280X768. So then I tried 1368 X 768 but that had similar results with the left edge cut off. 1360 X 768 actually looked pretty good (text is clear and proper proportions), but there was some underscan at the edges, along with some green dots at the very right edge of the screen. I think I can get rid of this using the display's H-size controls...but the display says I'm sending it 1280 X 720 even though I'm defititely NOT sending it that. I'm guessing that's because 1360X768 is not a supported resolution according to the manual.

The manual says 1366X768 is a supported resolution, so my goal is to send it that and have the display recognize it, but I don't know if it's possible with a Radeon! I do have a 6600GT still in the box so maybe I'll give that a shot tonight.

Anyway I hope didn't confuse the heck out of people. If anyone had a similar experience please post! Thanks.

Chris, did you try playing a DVD through your PC? I am anxious to find out how friendly this panel is for exclusive HTPC use.

Can anyone who has bought this set look in the back and see if they can see inside the set what kind of panel it is? Not that it really matters if the picture is good, but I'd just like to know what it is comparable to.

Also, this thread does not seem to be nearly as active as the original Vizio 42" thread. What's up with that? Where are all the buyers? Are they waiting on that PCC 42" deal and the Vizio 50"? It just seems that the 42" Vizio thread had a ton of interest. From what is posted here, it appears that this Maxent has a better picture. So, where's the "buzz" (meaning interest, not a buzz from the tv set!)? I'd just like to get a ton of info on this set to make an informed decision. Thanks!!

Chris, did you try playing a DVD through your PC? I am anxious to find out how friendly this panel is for exclusive HTPC use.

Not yet, I was up so late last night messing with resolution settings. I'm going to play some DVD's through MCE tonight.

By the way, I was just in my local Costco and they don't have the Maxent on display anymore. I wonder if it sold out?

I bought mine last week and just went to Costco at lunch to get the $300 coupon adjustment, Sweeeeeeeeeeeet.

Steve

I bought mine last week and just went to Costco at lunch to get the $300 coupon adjustment, Sweeeeeeeeeeeet.

Steve

You are very lucky Steve, they usually give people a hard time doing that.

Not yet, I was up so late last night messing with resolution settings. I'm going to play some DVD's through MCE tonight.

By the way, I was just in my local Costco and they don't have the Maxent on display anymore. I wonder if it sold out?

Not only that, it isn't on the site anymore. They only had five left when I picked mine up on Monday night.

Can anyone who has bought this set look in the back and see if they can see inside the set what kind of panel it is? Not that it really matters if the picture is good, but I'd just like to know what it is comparable to.

Also, this thread does not seem to be nearly as active as the original Vizio 42" thread. What's up with that? Where are all the buyers? Are they waiting on that PCC 42" deal and the Vizio 50"? It just seems that the 42" Vizio thread had a ton of interest. From what is posted here, it appears that this Maxent has a better picture. So, where's the "buzz" (meaning interest, not a buzz form tea set!)? I'd just like to get a ton of info on this set to make an informed decision. Thanks!!


I looked back there but couldn't really see any indication of anything. I'll take another look, but I'm not going to take it apart. I'm pretty sure it's a different (better) panel than the original Maxent's found at BB. Those were made in CA, this model is made in Taiwan. So they are using a new panel, just not sure who makes it. As far as the Vizio, maybe that was the first HD plasma in the price range so it generated more interest? Maybe some people are jumping on the 50"? Or maybe a lot of people got it and are too busy watching TV? The one good thing about the Vizio is that it has black removeable speakers, but I needed speakers anyway and the picture looked better on the Maxent to me. The speakers on the sides definitely make this set look pretty wide though.

I looked back there but couldn't really see any indication of anything. I'll take another look, but I'm not going to take it apart. I'm pretty sure it's a different (better) panel than the original Maxent's found at BB. Those were made in CA, this model is made in Taiwan. So they are using a new panel, just not sure who makes it. As far as the Vizio, maybe that was the first HD plasma in the price range so it generated more interest? Maybe some people are jumping on the 50"? Or maybe a lot of people got it and are too busy watching TV? The one good thing about the Vizio is that it has black removeable speakers, but I needed speakers anyway and the picture looked better on the Maxent to me. The speakers on the sides definitely make this set look pretty wide though.

I have a very strong feeling that when all is said and done, this deal will go down as the better of the two.

And yeah Chris, those speakers really stick out. I could barely fit this in the right place because of it.

Has anyone used the HDMI connection with a source device to test out the sound through the speakers on the Maxent? Realizing the limitation of speakers like this, how is the sound, is it decent?

Chris, I have a similar setup with MCE and a 9800pro. I have not seen any problems with 1280x768. I breifly tried higher resoloutions but found it only increased the size of the desktop, so that the desktop would shift when you move the mouse from one side to the other. When you get around to playing DVD's through MCE can you tell me if they play fullscreen? I can only get a letterbox with empty space at the top and bottom. Any insight is appreciated. And if it shows, yes this is my first Plasma :)

Has anyone used the HDMI connection with a source device to test out the sound through the speakers on the Maxent? Realizing the limitation of speakers like this, how is the sound, is it decent?

Can't comment on the HDMI, but the sound isn't bad. It's definitely not great, especially if you are used to the big speakers on rear projection TV's. But it's not terrible. You can tell it lacks in the low-end. I'm sure it's as good as the speakers underneath the 42" EDTV panny I was looking at though. When I first saw how wide it was with the speakers on the sides I wondered if I should have gone with one that had speakers underneath. But after watching a couple movies, I like having the wider stereo seperation. I sit about 10' back and have noticed sounds moving across the screen.

Chris, that's good enough for me, at least until I can put up some inwalls. Need the Mrs. to be happy and all....... :)

Chris, I have a similar setup with MCE and a 9800pro. I have not seen any problems with 1280x768. I breifly tried higher resoloutions but found it only increased the size of the desktop, so that the desktop would shift when you move the mouse from one side to the other. When you get around to playing DVD's through MCE can you tell me if they play fullscreen? I can only get a letterbox with empty space at the top and bottom. Any insight is appreciated. And if it shows, yes this is my first Plasma :)

How are you connecting the PC? RGB cable? I think what is happening is the display is telling windows it can't do that resolution, so windows is sending it a "virtual desktop". I'm going to play around tonight and test out some DVD's.

Chris, that's good enough for me, at least until I can put up some inwalls. Need the Mrs. to be happy and all....... :)

You know the speakers on this aren't detachable right? (since you are planning in-walls)

Not only that, it isn't on the site anymore. They only had five left when I picked mine up on Monday night.


I think its not on the Costco site anymore because they had the wrong model/ number information on it. I believe it was only on the Costco site for 1-2 days. If you do a google search and view the cached version of the Costco website you will find that the Costco site put up Maxent model 42XM11 (it is on the bottom of the page). The correct model that Costco sells is 42X3.

Many people have confused the two models. The XM11 is available at BB for MSRP$1999. Some have checked out the PQ at BB, thinking the two panels are the same. I believe (I don't have any hard evidence so don't quote me) that the X3 panel is newer and much, much better in terms of PQ than the XM11 panel. If you are thinking of purchasing this, you need to go to Costco to check it out, not to BB.

I think with the buzz from this forum (and some others), this unit might sell out so if you are interested, go to Costco and check it out. (Even if you aren't a member, just casual walk in next to someone and look like you belong. I'm sure they won't stop you, and you can see the unit before having to get a membership - which you will need when paying.)

I second that... Maxent makes 4 different 42" Plasma Screens.... 2 ED and 2 HD. The 2 ED and the 1HD (42MX11) all are horrible as far as PQ. These are the ones that BB carries. If you goto to BB and see them, you will automotically think that ALL Maxent Plasma suck, but in fact the 42X3 is absolutely awesome!!!! As far as I know, Costco is the only place where you can purcahse the 42X3.

I personally have been there every day this week and looked at this TV as well as others, there and at BB. I started off looking for a 30" or 32" LCD but when I saw the prices compared to this one, I felt it was a no brainer. I just kept going back and forth and looking at the PQ and all the options.

When you can get a 42" HD Plasma that has HDMI, produces 3000:1 Contrast, 1000 Brightness, and has the PQ that this one does for the price they are offereing this at...you would have to be a fool not to grab it.

My local Costco went through 23 palletts of these so far (granted they only fit 3 to a pallett). Today they are down to 11 units. I am going tomorrow after work to pick mine up and will be proud of every penny I spend.

I looked back there but couldn't really see any indication of anything. I'll take another look, but I'm not going to take it apart. I'm pretty sure it's a different (better) panel than the original Maxent's found at BB. Those were made in CA, this model is made in Taiwan. So they are using a new panel, just not sure who makes it. As far as the Vizio, maybe that was the first HD plasma in the price range so it generated more interest? Maybe some people are jumping on the 50"? Or maybe a lot of people got it and are too busy watching TV? The one good thing about the Vizio is that it has black removeable speakers, but I needed speakers anyway and the picture looked better on the Maxent to me. The speakers on the sides definitely make this set look pretty wide though.
Inside the back (through the vent holes) I see a 2 inch sticker on the support/backing/brace for the panel and it says "Made in Japan" with a serial number, some other numbers (MC106H30D8), and May 2005 on it. As you look at it from the rear it is on the upper right of the panel support. My set was made in June 2005, and it says made in Taiwan. It looks very well constructed, inside and out. Picture still looking great.

Also, anyone using this set with one of the Harmony remotes? The juggling of remotes does not garner the WAF... and she really wants to be able to use the new set.

Frustrated with 3 remotes and really confused children and wife, I broke down and bought a Harmony (880) remote for it--so far it works great.

On an unrelated topic, has anyone tried plugging a subwoofer up to theirs yet?

Finally, my local Anchorage AK Costco apparently sold out of the Maxent in 2 days!

I second that... Maxent makes 4 different 42" Plasma Screens.... 2 ED and 2 HD. The 2 ED and the 1HD (42MX11) all are horrible as far as PQ. These are the ones that BB carries. If you goto to BB and see them, you will automotically think that ALL Maxent Plasma suck, but in fact the 42X3 is absolutely awesome!!!! As far as I know, Costco is the only place where you can purcahse the 42X3.

I personally have been there every day this week and looked at this TV as well as others, there and at BB. I started off looking for a 30" or 32" LCD but when I saw the prices compared to this one, I felt it was a no brainer. I just kept going back and forth and looking at the PQ and all the options.

When you can get a 42" HD Plasma that has HDMI, produces 3000:1 Contrast, 1000 Brightness, and has the PQ that this one does for the price they are offereing this at...you would have to be a fool not to grab it.

My local Costco went through 23 palletts of these so far (granted they only fit 3 to a pallett). Today they are down to 11 units. I am going tomorrow after work to pick mine up and will be proud of every penny I spend.


there's an advantage -- at places like BB and CC -- to the cheap units looking cheaper than the name brands. wouldn't be surprised if it was intentional

Sampo has a professional panel which has detachable speakers which otherwise looks a lot like this set. It has a DVI input instead of HDMI.
Sampo PDP info here (http://www.sampoamericas.com/_coreModules/eShopping/productDetail.aspx?productMasterID=23)

Correct.... Sampo and Maxent are basically one in the same as previouslly mentioned.

Correct.... Sampo and Maxent are basically one in the same as previouslly mentioned.

Thanks you all, I'm convinced that I made a great purchase of the Vizio 42HDe which has a LG panel in it! No regrets and no looking back now. I have had not one major issue with it since Feb.

But for newbies, this is still a great deal even if it really is a Sampo. The picture is stunning and brilliant, but not very sharp and natural.

It's not technically a Sampo.... Regent is the parent company who make Sampo and Maxent.

Correct.... Sampo and Maxent are basically one in the same as previouslly mentioned.

Should I beLIEve you or not? I don't know which way to go!

Let me look for the link.... I would never lie to anyone about this type of information. I have nothing to gain from it.

I will search for the link now and post it....

FYI... I saw the Vizio right next to the Maxent today and thought the Maxent had a slight edge, but what makes me happy may not make you happy. The price is perfect though!!!

Here you go.... from another post here on AVS...Nest from the last post.

Regent Link (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=565521&highlight=regent)

Now granted they are not saying many good things, but just proving my point about Regent...

They also make some of the Gateway, Viewsonic and even Philips LCD and Plasmas. I think I already posted that in this topic though.

Is it bug or my TV is broken?
I set aspect ratio on one of the AV input to any other mode rather then defalt 16:9 (Zoom1 for example). Then turn Tv off / on. Aspect ration will return to default 16:9.
The same thing happend if I just switch input from AV to component and back to AV.
Doesn't look logical to me. It should remember last setting.
Does your TV act the same way?

I got MX-42X3 yesterday and after playing with it for a few of hours I noticed a couple of annoying features/firmware bugs:
1. If you set your screen viewing mode on let's say AV1, to 4:3 or Panoramic and then switch to component-1 and back to AV1 the screen always resets to 16:9 mode.
2. I would expect the Image Shift to move the image around to eventually cover the side black bars in 4:3 mode, but I didn't detect any visible image shift in two hours with the most aggressive (10c) Image Shift setting.
3. PIP on this unit is a joke, it works only when the main source is HDMI. The Vizio on another hand can combine any two sources.
4. You cannot use Zoom1/2 or Panorama with non AV/S-Video sources.

I was really impressed how well this monitor handles a low quality analog SD input from my 5 years old VCR which I use a tuner, but I expected better image quality from a component signal coming from my progressive scan DVD player.

"...I set aspect ratio on one of the AV input to any other mode rather then defalt 16:9 (Zoom1 for example). Then turn Tv off / on. Aspect ration will return to default 16:9."

Could it be the Maxent's way of implementing the ghost removal :)

I was at my local Costco tonight and am now highly interested in this monitor! My initial choice as a first-time HD monitor owner has been the Sony 34XBR960 until I saw this Maxent.

Is the $300 rebate a mail-in or taken off at the register?

Has anyone found a significant dislike of this monitor? Lack of internal tuner is not of issue, as I have an LG LST-4200A STB to use with it.

Thanks!

"but I expected better image quality from a component signal coming from my progressive scan DVD player"

I found that SD from my Dish PVR-625 is much better through composite input than S-video.
I wish I could watch HD but I switched from Comcast to Dish 4 months ago (ggrrr!) and now I stuck with Dish Standard Def. for another 8 months :confused: . They charge big $$$ for HD upgrade.
I have old Panasonic DVD player with component output 480i and I've got excellent PQ. Even $30 Cyber home progressive DVD player delivers very good PQ.
Only annoying thing is that I cannot stretch the picture to full screen. I increased V-size to max and still got two 1.5" black bars on top and bottom.
Is that what really differentiates expensive panels from cheapper ones? Digital processing?
Can somebody recommend DVD player, which can change aspect in the source?
I've heard something about upconverting DVD players...
Need to do some research.

I am also interested in this monitor, but need to decide whether to buy this or the Westinghouse 37in LCD monitor from bestbuy for about $150 more.

Some people have mentioned that the 37in Phillips LCD that Costco sells alongside this plasma, appear to carry a much better picture quality, and the Westy has an even higher resolution (Westy is 1080p)

May be I should buy both and decide for myself which one looks better.

I was at my local Costco tonight and am now highly interested in this monitor! My initial choice as a first-time HD monitor owner has been the Sony 34XBR960 until I saw this Maxent.

Is the $300 rebate a mail-in or taken off at the register?

Has anyone found a significant dislike of this monitor? Lack of internal tuner is not of issue, as I have an LG LST-4200A STB to use with it.

Thanks!

I jusat know it gets very hot.. Working at BB I pass it a lot.. It's much hotter then the other plasma.. In a small room it could double as a heater.. The Maxent 42inch now sticks out like a sore thumb at our store.. The Green Hue is very noticable, even to a non videophile.. I wouldn't recomend this TV..

I just know it gets very hot.. Working at BB I pass it a lot.. It's much hotter then the other plasma.. In a small room it could double as a heater.. The Maxent 42inch now sticks out like a sore thumb at our store.. The Green Hue is very noticable, even to a non videophile.. I wouldn't recomend this TV..

As several have mentioned in previous replies to this thread the Maxent 42 at BB is NOT the same model or plasma panel as the one at Costco. The Costco has higher brightness and contrast specs (likely newer generation panel). Only time will tell if this Maxent model has the same heat issue or develops the green hue. At least through Costco if either of these become a problem the return policy is generous enough to make it a non-issue. Furthermore could the radiant heat issue on the BB Maxents be related to the fact that perhaps their cooling fans are not as powerful (or loud) as other makes/models (like the noisy Visio 50's). Its all a trade off. Hey, nothing makes a family room cozier than roasting marshmallows over the TV... am I right ?

Also in reference to the prior post including a link to a Sampo 42 inch HD model based on the technical stats on that site it seems that the particular Sampo referenced is the twin to the BestBuy Maxent rather than the Costco model. Although I'm sure that being sister companies under the same corporate umbrella Sampo does or will have an equivalent to the Costco Maxent model.

In any event the multiple class A and A/B audio amps in my theater make enough heat on their own that a little extra heat from a plasma shouldn't matter much.

As several have mentioned in previous replies to this thread the Maxent 42 at BB is NOT the same model or plasma panel as the one at Costco. The Costco has higher brightness and contrast specs (likely newer generation panel). Only time will tell if this Maxent model has the same heat issue or develops the green hue. At least through Costco if either of these become a problem the return policy is generous enough to make it a non-issue. Furthermore could the radiant heat issue on the BB Maxents be related to the fact that perhaps their cooling fans are not as powerful (or loud) as other makes/models (like the noisy Visio 50's). Its all a trade off. Hey, nothing makes a family room cozier than roasting marshmallows over the TV... am I right ?

Also in reference to the prior post including a link to a Sampo 42 inch HD model based on the technical stats on that site it seems that the particular Sampo referenced is the twin to the BestBuy Maxent rather than the Costco model. Although I'm sure that being sister companies under the same corporate umbrella Sampo does or will have an equivalent to the Costco Maxent model.

In any event the multiple class A and A/B audio amps in my theater make enough heat on their own that a little extra heat from a plasma shouldn't matter much.

Sigh.. Same budget pricing.. & same company.. Different model, yes.. But I doubt the PQ has improved enough to be considered in the same League as Panasonic. Pioneer. Fujitsu. & Hitachi.. You get what you pay for.. :D

Sigh.. Same budget pricing.. & same company.. Different model, yes.. But I doubt the PQ has improved enough to be considered in the same League as Panasonic. Pioneer. Fujitsu. & Hitachi.. You get what you pay for.. :D

I would not be making that smug smiley face without seeing the monitor. I have seen the BB EDTV maxent and would not buy it even if it was $500. It is posible to find bargains that are very good just consider the pic quality and the cost difference of a panny and pioneer. Now do you get what you pay for with the panny??????? :rolleyes:

The costco maxent is indeed very good. To all the avsers dont let other peoples smug smiley faces fool you. Go check out the monitor and decide. I personally dont think it was as good as the panasonic but it was very close. That is why I am thinking about getting one.

Sigh.. Same budget pricing.. & same company.. Different model, yes.. But I doubt the PQ has improved enough to be considered in the same League as Panasonic. Pioneer. Fujitsu. & Hitachi.. You get what you pay for.. :D

You get what you pay for but do you get double of what you pay for based on price? I'll take a set that has 85-90% of the PQ as a Panny or Pioneer...especially when at home I don't have to compare them side by side...to each his own...

Sigh.. Same budget pricing.. & same company.. Different model, yes.. But I doubt the PQ has improved enough to be considered in the same League as Panasonic. Pioneer. Fujitsu. & Hitachi.. You get what you pay for.. :D

Honestly though seeing is believing and side by side on display with the Pioneers Panasonics and Vizio plasmas at my local Costco (and after some tweaking of the settings - no, i did not purposely tone down the Pios or Panas) they were all pretty darn close in terms of picture quality. I figure at the price and the no restrictions return policy it should be worth at least an in-home trial.

On the other hand what I originally wanted was a Sammy or Mistu DLP. Hitachi sets have always been among my favorites as well (I have had a Hitachi direct view and two 60" CRT RPTVs - one in HD). It was mainly the Maxent pricing, the positive comments about the PQ in this thread, and my personal subjective viewing that swayed my choices.

I would not be making that smug smiley face without seeing the monitor. I have seen the BB EDTV maxent and would not buy it even if it was $500. It is posible to find bargains that are very good just consider the pic quality and the cost difference of a panny and pioneer. Now do you get what you pay for with the panny??????? :rolleyes:

The costco maxent is indeed very good. To all the avsers dont let other peoples smug smiley faces fool you. Go check out the monitor and decide. I personally dont think it was as good as the panasonic but it was very close. That is why I am thinking about getting one.
I have both the Pioneer 4312 and Maxent at home but not side by side, and I am very pleased with both. For the money, you give up a few features (relating to PIP, POP and panorama, settings, etc,) but for my purposes, the Maxent is fine.

I know this is all just super subjective anyway, but I felt I'd like to comment here since AVS and all your feedback helped me make my decision. Purchased this Maxent MX-42x3 set at Costco today and have yet to set it up. Will get to it this weekend when I have help to put it up on wall mount. I compared PQ to all large HD's available there, including their Plasmas and LCD's. They were all lined up and playing same channel - Discovery HD, so it was easy to glance back and forth at total overall PQ, color, contrast, sharpness, brightness, etc. This was the second day in a row I went to look at them and my third time there since the 8th when it went up on display/sale. I watched for several hours each time, going in and out of the store to give eyes a break. Saw all of them in different lighting conditions, angles and distances. At one point this morning, all of Costco's overhead lights went out for about 10 minutes and that really made all the sets show great, even the not so great sets. But, I still can't believe my eyes, this Maxent was better than most all the big brand names including the Panny and Pio, and far superior to many others. Just too good to be true? Have 50" Sony WEGA LCD HD in living room and it's super terrific. I think this Maxent could even rival it! WOW, even if Costco tweaked the display set, the Maxent should still be a great view. And of course now for the kicker .... $300 off coupon made the set $1699. Just too good to pass up and their liberal return policy means that I can always take it back if I'm not happy with it. Coupon is in hand-out flier at door but you don't need it as they have it at check out registers. Sale is on nation-wide and runs through this Sunday. This is great forum, thanks for all of your pro's and con's.

I've had this unit since early Monday morning when I picked it up at Costco (I knew about the sale last week so I did all my PQ research/watching then :D )
It's been on/off for about 4-5 hours each day, mostly at half contrast/brightness for burn-in purposes. Haven't noticed any residual heat at all. I can feel the heat from my receiver right next to the X3 but nothing really from the X3 itself. Also reiterating others, I find it very quiet.

Yes I have noticed some quirks about it, one that it returns to a default 16:9 as soon as you leave that particular input or shut the TV off. Also as ervw has mentioned, I'm still wondering about the image shift actually working. I've tried it and I think I imagine seeing the image shift about 1cm, but I'm not sure if its my imagination or not. At any rate, I thought it would be like a rotating image (sort of like most DVD screen savers). Any confirmations? I also don't like the fact that the stretch modes only work for composite and S-Video, but not for component and HDMI. The later two only allow 16:9 or 4:3 switching. But all quirks aside, I am in awe of the PQ! I just finished watching a two hour block of CSI/Trace and it was magnificent. I was grinning ear to ear looking at the nice PQ.


For others who are fighting over whether the panel is made by Samsung or Sampo or who are comparing to the different units at BB, I say who cares? Use your eyes, people, use your eyes. Check out the unit at Costco, if you like the PQ than buy it, if not than don't. This isn't a $5K Pioneer, and needn't be thought of as one. If you can mention the Maxent's PQ in the same breathe as a Pio and it cost $1700 dollars, what else is there to think about? I got my unit already, so it's no big deal for me. But I don't want anyone else to be kicking themselves out of a good deal just from the heresay. Go check it out for yourselves.

And remember, have fun out there.

johnkn7 - They give you a flyer when you walk in and the coupon is on that flyer. It is a Instant Coupong that they deduct at the register, no rebates to mess with on this one.

navatweb - I was also considering the 37" Westy until I saw this. I can not see myself paying several hundred more for a smaller LCD. I love the picture on both but felt the Maxent was perfect for me. For the same price as the Westy, I am able to buy a high-end HDMI Cable and a D* H10 Receiver to go along with my TV. Makes me feel like I am getting more for my money. :D

KBI - Please know your facts before speaking and downing a product. BB DOES NOT carry the X3, plain and simple. As previouslly mentioned by myself, the models BB carries all look like crap and are not made with quality componenets like the X3 is. Go to Costco and look at the X3 and then come back and give your opinion. And yes, the PQ HAS improved on this model to compare to some of the bigger names.

After day 2 with my Maxent... I am still very pleased. The Packers/Chargers game last night looked great on it. Can't wait for the Raiders/49ers game on Saturday.

I've noticed that the rear-top of the set gets rather hot as well. Moving my hand down about 4-inches and the heat is gone. With nothing on in the room except the plasma (with the speakers turned off), I was unable to hear any cooling fans. So it would seem this plasma is venting its heat out the top just as it was probably designed to do.

Well, I now have both this set and the Sharp Aquos 32". Honestly, after seeing HD on the Aquos, I was quite underwhelmed by the Maxent. The Aquos also let me switch to 480p mode using HDMI, which this one doesn't. Both HD and SD are noticeably worse on this set than the Aquos. Quite frankly, although HD is ok, SD is atrocious (still watchable though). I'll probably keep the set since it's too much hassle to return it, and it's watchable at least.

The one advantage this set has over the Aquos is of course the size. Initially I thought I'd prefer plasma over lcd, but after seeing the two of these together, next time I might go with lcd.

Just bought this plasma yesturday and went straight home to set it up. The pq is very nice on DVD with component hookup. This is my first plasma purchase and soon after hooking it up I started becoming paranoid about burn-in. I see that some have set Britness/Contrast to half to protect from this. Good idea? Also, how long should you keep it like that? And when playing DVD's (which is one of the main reasons for getting it, other than NFL Ticket in HD) will the black lines on top and bottom case some sort of burn-in?

Thanks for any info.

Maybe these questions is too soon to ask, but let me ask it anyway. Perhaps your answer will help me decide.

How's the Maxent 42 peformance with respect to:

a) Dark scenes? Do you see details? or are they mostly just black. How does Jay Leno's dark suit look like in HD?

b) Clay face? In mostly dark scenes in movies, do you see face features that resembles "clay" in color.

c) Image retention? Does very bright white images gets retained when transitioning to total black. Like text of menus, splash screen of DVDs. This is not burn-in which is permanent. Image retention is temporary but annoying.

These are common plasma problems which may (or may not occur) in varying degrees depending on the quality of the plasma.

Thanks for any input. I need to decide by Sunday when the sale ends.

Anyone else having "yellow" problems over HDMI? I've got an Oppo connected via DVI-HDMI cable, and there is a distinct "overyellowing" of the image. But it's strange. I was watching Incredibles and where the scences do not have a strong yellow overtone, the image is perfect. I'm not sure what to make of it.

I'm going to run the usual trouble shooting, but I wanted to know if anyone else had problems over HDMI.

The Maxent syncs at 1360x768 60Hz using a 9800pro thru an RGB cable. This is a "stock" resolution setting since I'm not using Powerstrip. The desktop is now at the proper aspect ratio(not streched) however, there is a very slight diagonal distortion that waves across the screen. Is this caused by incorrect timing? Is this something Powerstrip can fix? I tried adjusting the phase setting in the menu which does seem to have some effect but doesn't completely clear the distortion.

I just came back from Costco and saw the 42" maxent. VERY nice! I'm probably going to pick one up this weekend. It was next to a Pioneer, and the pq was very similar.

Heh, Got one waiting for me at home. The wife just happenned to notice it at Costco and called to tell me about it. Read this thread, called her back to get her to pick it up. No risk with that lovely costco return policy.

Hey guys. Someone posted you can't stretch a 4:3 signal while using component or HDMI inputs. My comcast DVR only has component out, so this is important since I don't want to have to watch several shows with bars on the side.

Can someone please confirm or deny this for me.

Thanks,

DocTDC

Anyone know which models have the feature and which one is a superior view?

Anyone know which models have the feature and which one is a superior view?

WAY WAY wrong thread. Please show some courtesy and address your question in a new topic.

Hey guys. Someone posted you can't stretch a 4:3 signal while using component or HDMI inputs. My comcast DVR only has component out, so this is important since I don't want to have to watch several shows with bars on the side.

Can someone please confirm or deny this for me.

Thanks,

DocTDC

It's been confirmed many times throughout the thread.

However, it's time to upgrade your DVR. You should be using Comcast's dual tuner HDTV DVR. It has a DVI out.

Since when. I understand they will not roll this out in new jersey until 2007.

It's been confirmed many times throughout the thread.

However, it's time to upgrade your DVR. You should be using Comcast's dual tuner HDTV DVR. It has a DVI out.

My bad I do have the dual tuner DVR 6412(?) I think. Didn't realize it has a DVI option. Now I suppose I just need a cable. Hope they are not too expensive!

DocTDC

My D* HD box has DVI out -- but if I bought a DVI-HDMI interface, wouldn't I lose audio?

This set is in my bedroom, so I don't have a seperate audio hookup.

Will I get a better picture from HDMI?

Thanks
Chris

Okay, please excuse my ignorance if I don't understand this issue. I looked through the instruction manual online and it seemed to cause me worry. And I have read this entire thread. So, please don't flame me if I don't understand. :)

My concern: I have the Vizio 42" which allows me to stretch my picture to full screen with my DVI input. There is talk here that you can't do that on the Maxent and the manual seems to support this view. So, if I am watching a program that is formatted 4:3 (and I have my STB Motorola 6200 set to output 1080 and 16:9 with sound outputting to the optical input on my stereo), will it be 4:3 on this set? I played with my Vizio at lunch and in order to get full screen, I have to have it set at "wide" (even though my STB outputs at 1080 and is set to 16:9). I only use currently DVI for STB and component for Xbox. So, is it only through composite and S Video that you can do this? If so, sounds pretty useless to not allow you to stretch component of HDMI to fill the screen on SD TV shows (such as ABC, ESPN, CNN, etc.) I don't like viewing TV in 4:3 format.

Also, how would I be able to use the built in speakers as my center speakers if I output the sound to my stereo from my optical out on my STB. I really don't want to make a mistake buying this set since it sounds like it's got a great picture!!

I'm just really confused!! Please help! I'm just a noobie trying to make a good purchase.

The Maxent syncs at 1360x768 60Hz using a 9800pro thru an RGB cable. This is a "stock" resolution setting since I'm not using Powerstrip. The desktop is now at the proper aspect ratio(not streched) however, there is a very slight diagonal distortion that waves across the screen. Is this caused by incorrect timing? Is this something Powerstrip can fix? I tried adjusting the phase setting in the menu which does seem to have some effect but doesn't completely clear the distortion.

If you hit the "display" button on the remote, what resolution does the TV say it's accepting? I was having a similar issue. 1360X768 isn't a supported resolution according to the users manual (even though it looks ok), so I think there may be some some scaling issues going on. I'm trying to send it 1366X768 but apparently that is impossible on my Radeon because 1366 isn't a multiple of 8. I'm going to try with a 6600GT, but haven't had the chance yet.

If you hit the "display" button on the remote, what resolution does the TV say it's accepting? I was having a similar issue. 1360X768 isn't a supported resolution according to the users manual (even though it looks ok), so I think there may be some some scaling issues going on. I'm trying to send it 1366X768 but apparently that is impossible on my Radeon because 1366 isn't a multiple of 8. I'm going to try with a 6600GT, but haven't had the chance yet.

The TV shows 1280x768 when I set the HTPC to 1360x768. I haven't had much "alone time" with it but I did notice that 1360x768 corrects the aspect ratio in MCE when viewing jpgs in My Photos. Perhaps MCE isn't setup properly since I was previously using it with a 4:3 CRT If you discover any tips for MCE please pass them along. Thanks, Phil

The TV shows 1280x768 when I set the HTPC to 1360x768. I haven't had much "alone time" with it but I did notice that 1360x768 corrects the aspect ratio in MCE when viewing jpgs in My Photos. Perhaps MCE isn't setup properly since I was previously using it with a 4:3 CRT If you discover any tips for MCE please pass them along. Thanks, Phil

It sounds like MCE is set up properly. The aspect ratio problem is inherent on all 42" HD plasmas because of the rectangular pixels. With a vertical resolution of 768, the proper horizontal resolution for a 16X9 ratio on a PC would be 1366.

orangedawg:
I have the same concern. My panny rear projection HD won't go full screen with the DVI input out of Comcast motorola STB and I don't want that issue with a plasma. I almost bought the Vizio P42e a couple weeks ago, now they don't have them but I saw this Maxent and the PQ looks great in the store. Are you considering taking the Vizio back for the Maxent? If so, why?

I am taking back my Vizio 42" for three reasons:

1. Most problematic is the sound. It cuts out every now and then. It will be fine sometimes for 2 weeks or so, and then the sound just stops. I have to turn the set off and then back on to get it to work. Sometimes it won't do it for another 2 weeks and sometimes it will do it 3x in a half hour. I am the only person so far that I know of that has this issue (when looking at the posts on the 42" Vizio thread).

2. Blue retention is starting to get bad. If I'm watching a movie and there is for example a yellow light bulb in the picture, that image will be retained as blue for a minute or two even after the scene changes. It never did this when I first got it and now it is getting worse. I was incredibly careful breaking my set in: low brightness and contrast (around 40-45), no XBox, only full screen material for first 200 hours. My current brightness and contrast are below 50 (around 45) and the problem continues to get worse. Others in the 42" Vizio thread have noted this.

3. Brightness/black level shifting occurs constantly. It is better if you turn up contrast and brightness, but it washes out the picture a bit and image retention gets worse. Again, others in 42" Vizio thread have noted this.

Overall, I think the Vizio is a good set with it's features and picture, but these issues are starting to drive me nuts, particularly the sound issue(which has been present since I bought it and have been too lazy to take it back until now, my Costco has been aware of this sometime since a friend of mine works at customer service at my local store).

So, I'd love it if this Maxent could produce full screen images like my Vizio, w/o the sound issue, image retention problem, and a better picture.

Well, I think I'm going to go for the Maxent. I solved the full screen isssue on my panny by watching non HD programming through my DVD-R on s-video feed. Guess I'll just do the same with this. I spent time this afternoon comparing PQ among several brands at my local Costco and I thought the only one that looked better was the pioneer, but not over a grand better....

orangedawg, I have about the same Vizio problem as yours except for the sound. So I am shopping.

Re. stretch mode, the way I understand this is as follows (I can't verify because I don't have a Maxent):

For HDMI or Component input, you can do 16:9 which I assume stretches SD material to fill the screen but you cannot use PANORAMA, ZOOM1 or ZOOM2.

You would need 2 cables out of your STB:
1) DVI or component to watch HD channels
2) S-video for SD channels to allow ZOOM (I hate stretch-mode which makes people fat)

From what I read, settings are not retained when changing input. Compared to the vizio, there'll be a lot more button-pushing when watching different material on this set.

I'm still undecided; can't be sure if it'll not have the same problem as Vizio. I'm hoping for PIO sale at COSTCO; they have PIO closing sale at GoodGuys but still expensive.

After finding and reading this thread on Wednesday, I rushed over to my Costco and bought the Maxent last night. The coupon discount closed the deal!

I forgot to take the back seat out of my Dodge Grand Caravan, but was able to squeeze the box into the back of the minivan sideways (across the width of the car). It was tight, but I managed to push it in. I didn't want to lay it down.

I bought this to replace my 20+ year old 27" Zenith in my bedroom. I have a Pioner Elite 720HD in the family room/theater.

Yes this thing kicks off heat, which radiates out the top of the box. This is my first experience with a plasma set, so I don't know if the heat is typical.

SD looks great. Last night I had it hooked up to my Scientific Atlanta digital cable box via S-Video. Even the stretched modes looked pretty good.

I rushed over to Cox this afternoon, and got the HD Scientific Atlanta box. This is connected via component. The SA cable box puts out full 16:9 and does its own zoom and scaling, with gray side bars for SD content. This means that all I need to do to control the Maxent is power and volume. I have no other sources so I don't need to change inputs.

I noted that when you power on, the Maxent will set itself to 16:9 regardless of input or setting you had previous to power off. For me this is not a problem as this is controlled via the cable box.

I have my settings at:
Contrast: 50
Brightness: 50
Sharpness: 1
color: 34
tint: +4

This was all set by eye, no setup programming.

For the price and purpose (bedroom set), I'm very pleased.

Time will tell about durability.

Thanks all for turning me on to this deal.

One more thing to add. As I was approaching checkout with this thing, one of the Costco people approached me and told me about their executive membership, which gives 2% cash back for all your purchases at the end of the year. Its an upgrade in membership, additional cost, but when he looked up what I spent there, I have broken even between membership cost, and the cash back.

I am very happy! :p

Can someone with a unit take measurements between the left and right plasma mounts on the back? Also the distance between the top and bottom as well. Thanks!!

25" between left and right mounting screws
15" between top and bottom mounting screws

that was fast, thanks!!

First I just want to thank every one of you on this forum and to the people whom created this website . I have been looking to move into the High Def world and big screen for some time. I was nearly 100 percent set on getting one of the Samsung DLPS hlr5087 pedestal model. After seeing the maxent costco thread I investigated it further. I am a member of costco and I always saw the tvs entering the store but I thought they were the older models. Anyway after reading all your posts I decided to check out this Plasma . The PQ in the store compared favorably to the 43" pioneer next to it. So even my wife thought it was a great picture and a great price which she not as enthustiac as I was about my upcoming purchase. So we decided to pull the trigger on the sale . Upgraded my membership for 2 % cash back and applied for the AMEX card which gave me another 1 % cashback I do have the cash to pay off before any intrest accrues. Oh by the way they had coupon at register and scanned there. We loade it up in Murano we did lay it flat for a short 20 minute ride home. Got it inside and very easy to unpack. Placed it on long sturdy sideboard cabinet. Any body reccomend a cheap stand with 4 shelves. I have SD E sat so I knew that wouldnt look very good I just ordered D SAT service with Hd DVR which will be installed late next week which will be the real test for this TV err monitor. I hooked up my 4 Year old TOSHIBA 5 DISC DVD i believe the model # is the 2900 something . It is NOT a Progressive scan or upconverting.. First dvd I tried was TWISTER which is an older dvd . The input was component cable and when I started the movie The Tv told me it was 480i The movie looked pretty grainy especially in the brighter sky scenes in the movie I guess I need a progressive scan dvd player I dont know. At this point I was a little dissapointed . Well lets try again I put in the widescreen enhanced for wide screen FINDING NEMO. WOW WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!!!! It almost brought a tear to my eye . The whole screen was filled with this beautiful piece of work. It was almost 3D quality NO grainyness crystal clear picture . Still 480i I cant even imagine a better picture. It might just be the format on the dvd I dont know. I called my neighbor over and he was blown away and he said " I dont want to leave" . I next tried my starwars collection I tried attack of the clones. This dvd is the full screen format . Again WOW WOW WOW. It filled my whole screen with very little stretched People. I switched to 4:3 and couldnt tell much of a difference in PQ. SO this is a keeper for me I had also thought about the 50" vizio but I read about the noisy fan issue even though vizio will fix it. But I dont think a 1K price difference is worth the extra 8 ". This tv is plenty big for me with a 7 - 9 foot vieing distance. I also used the THX optomizer on the DVD to adjust my picture I will report later on my settings. The audio sounds pretty Good but ive been using a surround sound system So im not the one to ask about built in sound. I am most pleased so far.


I did ask the assistant manager about the return policy and he told me they take care of their members and policy is as tated on this thread for whatever reason or whenever you can return it with a receipt. Incredible. I must say with price and return policy and all of your input is what sold me on buing a plasma and this one in particular.. I still want to see it with my Hd sat reciever I hope there is no dissapointment with that. Also I Am not a gamer so I couldnt tell you about that either ..


I do have some questions for you all What kind of dvd player should I get do I just need a progessive scan will that help some of the olde grainy dvds or do I need the one with an upconverter the the Samsung 850 , 950. Any info would be much appreciated... Thanks to all again who have contributed.

First few pages of this thread a guy posted some SD shots... made me feel a lot
better about my purchase!! ;)

This is a shot of my PWD7UY 42" ED, using DISH Network Sat. reciever connected via S-Video, 4:3 picture stretched using the JUST mode of the plasma.

Peace,
Dreamaster

I visited the local Costco last night and again tonight to see this monitor. Within 24 hours, 3 more were sold. I plan to be there when the doors open on Saturday. To make things better, the state of Massachusetts has waived the 5% sales tax for this weekend -- another $85 saved -- $1699.99 cash & carry! Questions --

(1) The sign says '1-yr in home service'. I was not able to find anyone who could tell me any more about the service plan. Has anyone found out who / what this 1-yr in-home service consists of?

(2) Has anyone had any recent experience with Maxent / Regent customer service or warranty issues?

Thanks!

Just bought this 42" Maxent at Costco . When I went to load it in my Chevy Blazer , the guys at the store told me I shouldn't lay the box on its side . They said it would damage the unit . Why does laying a plasma on its side damage it ? I called my brother in law who has a pickup so that I could keep it upright taking it home .

Just bought this 42" Maxent at Costco . When I went to load it in my Chevy Blazer , the guys at the store told me I shouldn't lay the box on its side . They said it would damage the unit . Why does laying a plasma on its side damage it ? I called my brother in law who has a pickup so that I could keep it upright taking it home .

Well its not a given that it will be damaged from being laid on its side, but consider this, its a large piece of glass, if not supported correctly it can break from its own weight. Of course depending on the thickness and what not, it may be strong enought to not break, but do you want to take that chance with a $2k TV?

Went to the oakbrook il costco and picked one up today..............the guy said this is the 5th one they sold today. I guess the word is getting around. I still think its not as good as the pio HDTV but is 95% there. For the price I love it. :D

My brother bought this TV on wednesday and I got to check it out tonight. I might consider getting it, but I have some reservations.

First of all he showed off his Xbox games which looked decent in 480p but when he ran some 720p games I noticed what looked like thin horizontal lines flashing around in the overlayed text. Games like Soul Calibur 2 and MVP Baseball 2005 showed this problem off mostly in menus and text bubbles. It would be very annoying if this plasma does this with 720p seeing how all next gen consoles are moving to that format. I then tried 1080i with Enter the Matrix and didnt notice this problem at all.

After that he hooked up the new Samsung upconverting 720p DVD player he bought lastnight. I noticed that same issue with 720p on the DVD menus and on subtitles. It looked like every other line in the text was moving a few pixels left or right like it was out of sync. Might there be something wrong with the plasma or is this the norm? Should he exchange it? I have till the end of sunday to decide i guess.

Has anybody seen and compared the 42 vs. 50?

I bought this monitor and have set it up. I do not have HD yet, but have found that SD through Dish network, and DVDs play with excellent picture quality. I was really surprised that SD played so well. All screen modes, 16-9, paranomic, zoom1/2 played very well for SD.

I am quite pleased with my purchase even though I had to drive 35 miles to a Costco and joined as a new member.

But some problems that others have noticed:
- DVDs cannot be stretched to full screen. Most of the DVDs I played were almost full screen, but there were small (1-2inches) black patches at the top and the bottom. May be I am doing something wrong, but the Titanic DVD could not be stretched to cover even half of the screen. I tried both SVideo and Component Input.
- Settings on screen size are not saved across power cycles, and probably even when you just cycle through input types.

I'll report on the HD quality when I get HD next week. But in all I am quite happy with my decision to buy this monitor. I was a little concerned that the screen size (42 in) would be a bit too large fro my viewing diustance of 9 feet. But it is perfect.

Thanks to everybody for sharing their experinces and saving me at least $1200.

Most of the DVDs I played were almost full screen, but there were small (1-2inches) black patches at the top and the bottom. .

All 16:9 TV do that if no strech function is used it just has to do with how dvd's are formated.


Anyone got theirs wall mounted yet???? I am looking into the peerless 660 mount.

I checked on the maxent web site today to see what the expected half-life was for the Maxent MX-42X3, but nothing could be found. Does anyone know where this information can be found?

But some problems that others have noticed:
- DVDs cannot be stretched to full screen. Most of the DVDs I played were almost full screen, but there were small (1-2inches) black patches at the top and the bottom.

There are two common ratios for DVDs, one basically fills the 16x9 screen and the other results in the black bars top and bottom. Somewhere here at AVS there are some good threads on the subject (see my signature for tips on searching). Many brands of Plasmas cannot "zoom" in the eliminate the black bars. The Panny for instance can vertically stretch the image to fill the screen.

If you plasma cannot zoom, one option to elimiate the black bars on DVDs is to get a DVD player with a zoom function.

I also sometimes see these black bars on HDmovie channels. The top / bottom bars can be eliminated by using the cablebox zoom or stretch functions. Of course zooming cuts of the outside edges of the picture and stretching makes the picture taller and affects the image appearance.

JCPZero

There are two common ratios for DVDs, one basically fills the 16x9 screen and the other results in the black bars top and bottom. Somewhere here at AVS there are some good threads on the subject (see my signature for tips on searching). Many brands of Plasmas cannot "zoom" in the eliminate the black bars. The Panny for instance can vertically stretch the image to fill the screen.

If you plasma cannot zoom, one option to elimiate the black bars on DVDs is to get a DVD player with a zoom function.

I also sometimes see these black bars on HDmovie channels. The top / bottom bars can be eliminated by using the cablebox zoom or stretch functions. Of course zooming cuts of the outside edges of the picture and stretching makes the picture taller and affects the image appearance.

JCPZero

Zooming also means you are going through a scaler, and depending on the quality of the scaler in the DVD player, or TV, may impact the quaity of the picture.

I actually prefer to see the movie in its proper aspect ratio, even if it means having the black bars at the top and bottom.

Since the majority of viewing I do, usually fills the screen, the few hours of an occasional movie with bars at top ad bottom do not pose much of a burn-in risk.

Could some one please tell me which is the Best dvd player for this TV. I have an old toshiba 2900 model its not even progressive scan. Should I get a Progessive scan player or upscaling. Which would give me the best PQ on this TV. I would like to spend less than 200 dollars. But id go to 250. Any suggestions would be helpful. Oh and by the way I will be using my HDMI for my D sat hd dvr is that the best way to go. Im new at some of the tech.

Anyone figure out the remote code for this set?

All 16:9 TV do that if no strech function is used it just has to do with how dvd's are formated.


Anyone got theirs wall mounted yet???? I am looking into the peerless 660 mount.


Desimd - I mounted mine last night on the wall using the Sanus VMSA.... This particular mount allows me to pan left and right as well. If you only need to tilt it up and down (or not at all) and not left and right, I would suggest the Sanus VPML or the VPML2 (Low Profile Model).

Regardless of which mount you use, you will more than likely have to use the included spacers for the mount. There is a small box at the bottom of this TV that protrudes from it and sticks out.... the rest of the TV is flat. It took me a few to figure this out but once I did, everything came together well.

My particular mount is very heavy duty. By the time I got it installed onto the TV, it must have raised the weight by 20 lbs. Trying to deadlift it onto the wall mount was very interesting since I had my sick wife helping me. :rolleyes:

Hope this helps.... I too would be interested in a DVD player for this set.... If anyone could reccoemend one that would work well with it, I would appreciate it. I don't get all into the specs, upscaling, downscaling, etc. That is just too technical for me. :D

Anyone figure out the remote code for this set?

AUS - I am using the D* H-10 Receiver and went to search for the code.... well there was no Maxent or Regent (Maxent's parent company) but I did find Sampo. The H-10 receiver gave me two options, mine worked with the second one... it was like 11757 or something like that. I do know it was the 2nd one and it started with 11.

I was very excited to discover this but I realized that I can't do everything with the remote. I can control volume and power which it the biggest thing for me.... but I can;t get into the TV menu using the D* remote. :rolleyes:

Hope this helps you all.

This probably is not a big concern to most Costco buyers, but I noticed that the spec sheet does not call out PAL support, specifies only 60 Hz for vertical refresh, yet specifies 100~240V/50~60Hz.

I thought that PAL support was universal enough to be pretty much taken for-granted these days, but apparently not. Also, it seems a little strange me that PAL is (apparently) not supported, but the typical mains voltage of PAL countries is.

Brent

Anyone figure out the remote code for this set?

For anyone experienced in jp1 remote programming, the latest Sampo tv device upgrade posted at the jp1 yahoo group works for this tv. It has all the commands including the discretes.

Could some one please tell me which is the Best dvd player for this TV.

Suggest you look at the DVD player forum. It's worse than which display to buy ;)

AUS - I am using the D* H-10 Receiver and went to search for the code.... well there was no Maxent or Regent (Maxent's parent company) but I did find Sampo. The H-10 receiver gave me two options, mine worked with the second one... it was like 11757 or something like that. I do know it was the 2nd one and it started with 11.

I was very excited to discover this but I realized that I can't do everything with the remote. I can control volume and power which it the biggest thing for me.... but I can;t get into the TV menu using the D* remote. :rolleyes:

Hope this helps you all.


Excellent!!! I was able to program my Scientific Atlanta Cable Box remote using one of the three Sampo codes listed in their remote manual.

I didn't try anything other than power and volume, but that's all I pretty much need. If I want to do anything else, I'll just grab the original remote from out of the drawer!

Thanks Shiba1!! :)

Has anybody notice this problem where on this MAXENT, HBO-HD i.e 549 from comcast gets corrupted pretty often. I never noticed this problem on 42" Vizio which I replaced with this unit.

All other HD channels are fine altough I see a lot of banding effect with high contrast colors.

So far, I am not that convinced with this unit. When I play video coming out of RGB from my computer, I see very thin vertical lines pattern under dark shades. I think that's because I am not able to properly set the resolution which this TV likes.

I am more and more leaning towards going 50" vizio path as its native resolution will be wide screen so no more playing the custom resolution

Went to costco today And SOLD OUT I told the guy I bought mine from I loved it he said 14 people asked about it after sold out. he doubted anymore will be in for a while if at all . Im in the ST LOUIS area. Glad I got mine.











MAXENT 42" PLASMA
Toshiba progressive scan Dvd el cheapo @ costco
D HD DVR
YAMAHA 5850 HTR 6.1 with matching speakers

Been Waiting to do that

Has anybody notice this problem where on this MAXENT, HBO-HD i.e 549 from comcast gets corrupted pretty often. I never noticed this problem on 42" Vizio which I replaced with this unit.

All other HD channels are fine altough I see a lot of banding effect with high contrast colors.

So far, I am not that convinced with this unit. When I play video coming out of RGB from my computer, I see very thin vertical lines pattern under dark shades. I think that's because I am not able to properly set the resolution which this TV likes.

I am more and more leaning towards going 50" vizio path as its native resolution will be wide screen so no more playing the custom resolution
I don't have a Comcast box, I have a SA 3250HD box. I used to see severe pixelization or sound dropouts (with both my Pioneer and old Proview), but I think that was due to bad signal. I tightened up my connections which fixed this. I do not see any signs of a bad signal at this point with the Maxent.

The banding effect is called false contouring and it is definitely there, and more pronounced than in my Pioneer. Sometimes there is a slight effect of flickering with certain scenes, like a low refresh rate on a computer monitor might show, but it is not common. It is improved by using 720p but the picture is softer looking, so I stick with 1080i.
For the money, these drawbacks are not severe for me. The overall PQ is very good.

Went to costco today And SOLD OUT I told the guy I bought mine from I loved it he said 14 people asked about it after sold out. he doubted anymore will be in for a while if at all . Im in the ST LOUIS area. Glad I got mine.



and just think -- this is just the first big shot across the bow in the holiday pricing wars. can't wait to see the pricing/buying frenzy...

It was sold out in Waltham, MA, but they were giving out rainchecks. I'll have to pay tax later, but at least I know this deal will be available later.

It was sold out in Waltham, MA, but they were giving out rainchecks. I'll have to pay tax later, but at least I know this deal will be available later.

Or drive 45 minutes north to Nashua NH and get it tax free. That's what I did with my Vizio.

It was sold out in Waltham, MA, but they were giving out rainchecks. I'll have to pay tax later, but at least I know this deal will be available later.


Interesting. I thought the coupon stated that it was limited to supply on hand.

I also got a raincheck from the Avon Ma store. How does this unit compare to the new Sony A10 series rear projection or the Samsung? I was told that SD programming is better on plasma than on rear projection. Is this true? I also noticed the Maxent runs very hot much more than the Pioneer on display. Not sure if I will pull the trigger on this set when they come in. It's still a lot of money for a tv.

Hi,

I just couldn't pass this deal up at costco, so i broke down and bought the maxent 42" since the PQ looked as good as the pioneer 43" that i was thinking of buying for 1k more. Once i got it home I noticed some weird problems (please note, I have only tested HDMI input):

1) When turning on the tv, the screen goes blue for 2 seconds then displays the proper images

2) Sometimes when i turn on the TV the image does not appear, (its just solid black) i have to turn it off and on multiple times, and sometime I even have to make my DTV DVR box change the output resolution before it will display the image.

3) Othertimes, it turns on but all the colors are messed up (they are all pink looking)

4) I was watching HD golf, and I noticed very distinct "shadows" around the golfers when they were on the grass, (but this is probably a setup issue).

Has anyone else had these issues, or did i get a bum tv? Does anyone know how to fix them?

Additionally, what calibration suite should i buy to setup this tv correctly? And what resolution looks the best on this tv? since 720p must be down scalled is 1080i better?

Thanks,

Matt.

Desimd - I mounted mine last night on the wall using the Sanus VMSA.... This particular mount allows me to pan left and right as well. If you only need to tilt it up and down (or not at all) and not left and right, I would suggest the Sanus VPML or the VPML2 (Low Profile Model).

Regardless of which mount you use, you will more than likely have to use the included spacers for the mount. There is a small box at the bottom of this TV that protrudes from it and sticks out.... the rest of the TV is flat. It took me a few to figure this out but once I did, everything came together well.

My particular mount is very heavy duty. By the time I got it installed onto the TV, it must have raised the weight by 20 lbs. Trying to deadlift it onto the wall mount was very interesting since I had my sick wife helping me. :rolleyes:

Hope this helps.... I too would be interested in a DVD player for this set.... If anyone could reccoemend one that would work well with it, I would appreciate it. I don't get all into the specs, upscaling, downscaling, etc. That is just too technical for me. :D


Shiba that is why I wanted to get the the peerless mount because it comes with two mounting brackets(one is deeper). Also the back plate mounts higher on the plasma with the peerless so it might clear the av box in the back. I noticed the sanus plate is at the middle of the plasma. I have a projector screen that I roll out infront of the maxent so I wanted the plasma as close to the wall as possible.

Hi,

I just couldn't pass this deal up at costco, so i broke down and bought the maxent 42" since the PQ looked as good as the pioneer 43" that i was thinking of buying for 1k more. Once i got it home I noticed some weird problems (please note, I have only tested HDMI input):

1) When turning on the tv, the screen goes blue for 2 seconds then displays the proper images

2) Sometimes when i turn on the TV the image does not appear, (its just solid black) i have to turn it off and on multiple times, and sometime I even have to make my DTV DVR box change the output resolution before it will display the image.

3) Othertimes, it turns on but all the colors are messed up (they are all pink looking)

4) I was watching HD golf, and I noticed very distinct "shadows" around the golfers when they were on the grass, (but this is probably a setup issue).

Has anyone else had these issues, or did i get a bum tv? Does anyone know how to fix them?

Additionally, what calibration suite should i buy to setup this tv correctly? And what resolution looks the best on this tv? since 720p must be down scalled is 1080i better?

Thanks,

Matt.
Are you using component cables? Maybe they are bad? Try another set or replug them back in.
When I tried 720p I thought the picture got a bit softer, so I changed it back to 1080i.
The shadows I don't see, maybe you can try adjusting the sharpness or noise reduction settings and see if that helps. I have seen some artifacts like false contouring, slight flickering in certain scenes, and perhaps slight color abnormalities in fast moving scenes. But they are all minor compared to your problems.
You might have a bad set. It has been known to happen. I got in a Syntax 37" LCD set from Radio Shack and it was DOA, so I took it back.
Where do you think refurbs you see for sale come from?
I also have the Pioneer and although it has 1 dead pixel it has been a great set which I do not regret for one moment. It is my family room where it gets a lot of use. The Maxent is in a bedroom, and for the money it seems to be a good value. Hopefully it holds up!

Bought one on Friday, set it up Saturday morning. Hi-Def looks awesome on Comcast. Not having the problems others cite. I made very minor adjustments using DVE, but it was pretty much just right coming out of the box. Thank you, Costco!

Anyone seen the 50 @ Costco. I tried 4 stores in central Florida area and none seem to carry the 50. Only a web order.

I bit the bullet this AM with the MA Tax-Free and the Coupon discount.
Got the last unit in Everett MA, was open box but looked perfect.

I'm running Comcast Analog cable into a Tivo S2 and well, it looks like the crud I expected with the Tivo pixelization adding to the poor reception. so far I haven't been able to get the Tivo peanut to control the power to the set.

Hooked into a JVC PS DVD player however, it looks wonderful, reliably I can see the grain in the film.

I'm going to try and pick up a Comcast HD box tomorrow.

Diane

For those concerned about SDTV performance. The deinterlacer appears to be of average to above average quality. If SDTV is your main priority you need to consider an iscan HD or some other outboard deinterlacer to make the image as good as possible. These budget plasmas are designed to shine with HDTV and DVD. Typically budget plasmas have poor ntsc cable, composite and s-video performance due to budget tuners and deinterlacers.

No large screen HDTV (Over 37") looks great with SDTV due to the low resolution of the source. Garbage in equals garbage out.

I've run a pc throught the s-video input as a test and the results were quite good. This would imply that the MotionDSC scaler is of decent quality. I'll report more on Directv SDTV next week when I get my new sat receiver installed.
I am new to this forum and also a novice in the plasma world. I bought this TV a week ago and I am not very pleased with the SD PQ. Most of the channels I plan to watch are going to be non-HD and I was hoping that a plasma will at least have PQ comparable to my old 27" CRT. Unfortunatly, that's not the case. I am confused if it really makes sense to go for a plasma just because it's a plasma, considering the fact that most of the channels I am going to watch are non-HD. Or, are there any other techniques (e.g. outboard deinterlacer etc.) that I can apply on to this budget plasma and improve SD prcitre quality.

Called the Portland (OR) Costco this morning to check availability of the Maxent and was told 4 of the 5 area stores were sold out. The 5th had 8 in stock. Got there by 11:30 to watch the last boxed one get loaded onto someone else's cart. They offerred me the display and I watched in horror as they dropped it and the right side accordianed before my eyes. As we were preparing for a rain check a call came in from the dock that one was being returned, so I got that one, unboxed for an additional $100 off, and no tax. Pretty sweet.

This is my first foray into HD viewing. I currently have a Comcast/Motorola HD Capable dual tuner dvr box and a JVC DVD player plugged into my Denon AV Receiver, and then a component video connection to my old Sony Tube.

My question is what connections I need to make to maximize my picture quality from the 2 sources? If I just use the component connection will I sacrifice HD PQ? Do I need an HDMI cable, or both?

And finally, I called Comcast and they said that in a few months they are going to all digital cable so an HDMI cable won't be necessary. Can someone explain this to me?

I waited so long to make a purchase now I feel frustrated as to how to get it connected. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks. :confused:

I am new to this forum and also a novice in the plasma world. I bought this TV a week ago and I am not very pleased with the SD PQ. Most of the channels I plan to watch are going to be non-HD and I was hoping that a plasma will at least have PQ comparable to my old 27" CRT. Unfortunatly, that's not the case. I am confused if it really makes sense to go for a plasma just because it's a plasma, considering the fact that most of the channels I am going to watch are non-HD. Or, are there any other techniques (e.g. outboard deinterlacer etc.) that I can apply on to this budget plasma and improve SD prcitre quality.


It's most likely not the plasma's fault. Any HiDef TV is going to look worse than your SD TV when watching SD TV. You're taking a source and stretching it and distorting it. An ED plasma may look better with SD sources because it won't have to stretch it as much, but it's still not going to be 27" CRT quality.

The electronic buzzing/humming noise coming from this TV is very annoying. Is anyone else bothered by this?

The electronic buzzing/humming noise coming from this TV is very annoying. Is anyone else bothered by this?
I can only hear a faint buzz with my ear close to the rear of the set. Other than that it is very quiet.

Ive been asking for a few days which dvd player would compliment this set. Well today I bought El CHeapo TOSHIBA SDK750 progressive Scan @ Costco. Hooked it Up using #year old component. Looks Good in 480i but when I switch the DVD player to 480 P. The TV SAYS ITS RECIEVING 480p but it the picture keeps flickering and wont handle it. Is it my cheap $50 Dvd player or the cables Or the Tv. Its kinda got me worried I hope its not an issue with TV for OTA 720p In Football games. What should I do. Ill try the other DVD player @ costco which is some sony brand progessive scan and pick up component cables.

I've been looking too. I'll check the local NJ stores and let you know if I find one, please do same.

Hi,

I just couldn't pass this deal up at costco, so i broke down and bought the maxent 42" since the PQ looked as good as the pioneer 43" that i was thinking of buying for 1k more. Once i got it home I noticed some weird problems (please note, I have only tested HDMI input):

1) When turning on the tv, the screen goes blue for 2 seconds then displays the proper images

2) Sometimes when i turn on the TV the image does not appear, (its just solid black) i have to turn it off and on multiple times, and sometime I even have to make my DTV DVR box change the output resolution before it will display the image.

3) Othertimes, it turns on but all the colors are messed up (they are all pink looking)

4) I was watching HD golf, and I noticed very distinct "shadows" around the golfers when they were on the grass, (but this is probably a setup issue).

Has anyone else had these issues, or did i get a bum tv? Does anyone know how to fix them?

Additionally, what calibration suite should i buy to setup this tv correctly? And what resolution looks the best on this tv? since 720p must be down scalled is 1080i better?

Thanks,

Matt.


Matt -

This is actually a problem with the HD-DVR unit.... you can go to Tivo Community Forums and there is a huge posting on it with the problems that they have. In the meantime, I would just switch to Component Cables and enjoy it!!! Hope this helps!!!

I can only hear a faint buzz with my ear close to the rear of the set. Other than that it is very quiet.

Same here, maybe btinl got a defective set?

I returned my Vizio 42" for this set on Saturday. These are my observations. I have the Moto 6200 STB (I think) with HD. My DVD player is my XBox. Both are set up using component as I am waiting for the HDMI to DVI cable to come in.

For those of you with the Vizio 42", if you are absolutely pleased with your set, keep it. No need to change if you love that picture. However, I would note that the picture on the Maxent is very superior to it. I had a few issues with my Vizio, so I took it back. And true to Costco's return policy, the return was incredibly quick with no disproving looks (I had the brightness shift issue and the blue retention going on in my Vizio).

The Maxent has darker blacks. Much, much darker blacks than the Vizio. I couldn't believe how good this set looked when I set it up. I couldn't believe TV could look so good! Granted, I was pleased with my Vizio 42" and w/o the above problems I would have kept it. But this picture is just shockingly good. After using AVIA to adjust it, it looked very good. In fact, the picture was too sharp. It just didn't look real to me in that everything looked so sharp. Maybe I was just used to a fuzzier picture. So, even though AVIA said to set sharpness to 60, I set mine down to 10.

Black levels are deep and dark. NO BRIGHTNESS SHIFT ISSUES like the Vizio. I repeat, there is no brightness shift issue, such as a dark scene and then a bright object appears in that scene, the set does not do that shift in brightness thing!! The picture is rock solid and stays there. Although I did see some "banding" in it wasn't that bad and was liveable. Colors are vibrant (with a caveat addressed below) and good. Whites never seemed whiter (wasn't that a Tide or All commercial). I mean, I can't believe how white the white is, even with contrast set to 43. The whites of the eyes shine now. Very pleased!!!+

I have contrast set to 43, blackness set to the same. If I recall, color was set way down, to like 21 or so. And Tint was set low as well (can't remember settings). I wish this could also set individual R,G, and Blue as my set does have a green push issue. Colors are good, but yellows look fluorescent yellow with a hint of green. I'm not sure if it's my set or cable box, but my Vizio did not have these issues.

I have watched a number of dark movies on this set so far. Underworld, Pirates of the Caribbean, LA Confidential, etc. Blacks are black, not grey like the Vizio. And colors are fab except the noted green issues.

Oh, and the issue I was most concerned with before I bought this set: would it stretch pictures to fill the screen on ccomponentinput? Yes, it does. Just set STB to output 16:9 and the Maxent to display 16:9. That way, HD channels are 16:9 and SD stuff is stretched to fill the screen. Granted, you can't zoom any ffurtheror stretch it again, but I never did with my Vizio either so that is a non-issue.

So, problems/issues with my set:

1. Green tint issue (again, may be cable box, not sure)
2. Sound. I can't for the life of me get my speakers to work. Have the component coming from STB and XBox. Those inputs go into Component one and two. And yes, they are hooked up correctly (checked 3x) as Maxent didn't make the labeling of the inputs very clear and they are set up weird. Onscreen guide menu says speakers on. No sound at all through either of these inputs. Also, hooked up sound to the DVI in just to see and no sound from that either. So, either I'm doing something incredibly wrong or the sound is out on mine.
3. Don't care much for the silver bezel or attached speakers.
4. Slight buzz form back of set, but it is not audible from the front of the set, no matter how close you set your set to the screen (so that's not really and issue, just wanted to note it of others.

The good:

1. Fabulous picture!!!
2. Dark, deep blacks!!
3. Bright whites!!

Conclusion:

Get this set!!!! Don't have any hesitation. It is a great set and you won't be disappointed. To be fair, I have not seem the high end sets like NEC, Fujitsu, or whatever the high end names are. I have only seem the sets displayed at Costco. The Pioneer did look like it had darker blacks than this set at Costco (all sets were set up with component). But setting this up at home I don't know if you tell the difference. VERY, VERY pleased!!!! I would do it again. And the price is low as well.

Here's another problem that I wish could be solved:

Take a show broadcast digitally but NOT in HD (like Rock Star). You CANNOT stretch this image. 16:9 still has black bars, and 4:3 is even narrower!!

When I watch widescreen DVDs on my XBOX, there are bars on the top and bottom (the image is squashed...it's like double widescreen). I have set the XBOX to WIDESCREEN, and the plasma is set to 16:9. Is this just an XBOX issue or a plasma issue?

Same here, maybe btinl got a defective set?


I think my set must be defective. The buzzing is so annoying. If I turn the TV on before the cable box, the noise is the most apparent.

Ok returned the cheap Toshiba To COSTCO and got the Sony DVD-NS41P. Hooked it up and this one does do 480p over this set im happy now . Just a push of progressive button on the front of the dvd player. NO distortion whatsoever. I am even using 3 year old cheaper Component cable. Pq is a little better. Cant wait to get the D HD DVR . by the way I now have my E SD DVR and picture quality is pretty good a little soft but just as good as my old jvc 32"

I do have one more question What is a good HDMI cable to use with this TV AND my soon to be arriving Directv HD DVR. Nothing too expensive.