Maxent 50" plasma MX-50X3 official thread - DO NOT POST PRICES!!! [Text View] - Page 6

robertmee

01-26-06, 12:52 PM

fyi: this is a pc hooked up thru the vga port sittin behind the maxent. :p

my xbox doesn't look nearly as good. (unmodded so i can't compare apples to apples).
one of the things that prevents me from moddin the xbox IS the fact that our 50" has a vga port!

-armus

Let me just say, once you mod the xbox you'll never go back ;) XMBC is a great frontend/application and looks tremendous on the maxent via component...I'm using it as my sole DVD player. While a maxed out HTPC running theatertek and powerstrip would outdo it (I know, that's what I run in my theater), you're hardpressed to find a more versatile machine than a modded x-box running XBMC, at a cost of nothing but a bigger harddrive (you don't even HAVE to do that).

hfelsh

01-26-06, 01:21 PM

Let me just say, once you mod the xbox you'll never go back ;) XMBC is a great frontend/application and looks tremendous on the maxent via component...I'm using it as my sole DVD player. While a maxed out HTPC running theatertek and powerstrip would outdo it (I know, that's what I run in my theater), you're hardpressed to find a more versatile machine than a modded x-box running XBMC, at a cost of nothing but a bigger harddrive (you don't even HAVE to do that).Oh yeah...what Rob said! Mod your Xbox and use XBMC, you'll be amazed. The latest build (1/24/06) has a slightly better upconversion algo in it now. I watch downloaded HDTV widescreen content, it IS amazing - so much so, my GF says she can barely tell if at all. For under $250, it's a complete entertainment, multimedia, and gaming center for your TV.

sohr

01-26-06, 03:48 PM

Hey Armus... just curious what your video setting are for the VGA input?

I've left mine at the default of 80/50/50... and it looks pretty good. I worry if I turn it down to much, it will lost much of it's "pop" to me...

Also, does anyone else think that the standard setting I've seen thrown about of 50/50/25 is WAY too dark to be watchable-- whether it's over compontent or HMDI? Or is it just me?

robertmee

01-26-06, 03:52 PM

Armus

01-26-06, 04:18 PM

ok, next project i'll put on the list is to mod my xbox!

to answer SOHR, i'll take a look when i get home. i do think it has higher settings than 50/50/22/0/1. i might be wrong...

just checked. 65/65
i think i got these numbers from adjusting the contrast/brightness as i was watching 'the matrix' off the dvd player of the pc.

-armus

hfelsh

01-27-06, 06:55 AM

Armus: Send me a PM, re: modding the Xbox

All: I just found out that Costco is now carrying the 50x3. Haven't received "official" confirmation as of yet, but looks to be. Price is more than BB charges when it's on sale. ;)

JayMan007

01-27-06, 10:42 AM

hfelsh

01-27-06, 02:11 PM

Is that in store or online only?AFAIK, instore only. Again, I haven't officially confirmed it as of yet.

anarchys_revenge

01-27-06, 03:30 PM

AFAIK, instore only. Again, I haven't officially confirmed it as of yet.

This my first post ever on AVS though I have been lurking around for about 5 months while mulling over my plasma choices. First, thank you to everyone and this forum for helping me with my purchase.

I'm in Southern California and I bought my 50MX3 last week from the Tustin Costco and there were about 7 left when I last visited about 5 days ago. Why the Maxent? Generally because it has panasonic parts and it was from Costco; the return policy was the dealmaker for me. My Costco also had the Philips (not good reviews here), Pioneer (too much $$$) and Vizio (fan noise and black frame didn't look good for me). All 50 inch versions.

So far, I'm pretty happy with the screen though it appears that it has a lot to do with my source inputs. DVD is good with my Philips DVP642 via component, 480p - it was pretty wretched on my old composite cables. I bought a Toshiba 850(?) that did upverting and I didn't think it was all that much different via component but HDMI, I thought I noticed a suble difference. But the cheap side of me says to return the Toshiba...which I also got from costco. My question is whether is a noticeable difference in general between HDMI and component. Sorry...can't drop $200 bucks for an Oppo.

I thought the PC output via VGA was really good though I didn't play too much with it...just played some pictures and then put it back into the office.

If anyone has some comments on whether I should spend more money on upgrading my Philips DVD642, I would appreciate any insight. I was just gonna wait for HD/Blue Ray next year.

thank you all again,
MC

Monolithic

01-27-06, 04:37 PM

DVD is good with my Philips DVP642 via component, 480p - it was pretty wretched on my old composite cables. I bought a Toshiba 850(?) that did upverting and I didn't think it was all that much different via component but HDMI, I thought I noticed a suble difference. But the cheap side of me says to return the Toshiba...which I also got from costco. My question is whether is a noticeable difference in general between HDMI and component. Sorry...can't drop $200 bucks for an Oppo.
There might be some confusion over input types versus signal types. An HD source over HDMI or Component is very close. But an upscaled DVD signal (1080i or 720p) over HDMI will be greatly better than a 480p signal over component. If your DVD player can upscale over component, then you'll probably not notice much difference from HDMI and component inputs. As for the 850, you can read my earlier comments on that player.

Chriš

01-27-06, 05:05 PM

I just found out that Costco is now carrying the 50x3. Haven't received "official" confirmation as of yet, but looks to be. Price is more than BB charges when it's on sale. ;)

I'm going to check if my local Costco has it. Does anyone know if they will price match to Best Buy?

Also, was the 50X3 the same price as the Vizio 50" (P50HD)

SoopahMan

01-27-06, 09:09 PM

68 of these are in the warehouse for Best Buy, Nashua, NH. 67 now that I bought mine. Very excited to join this long list of happy 50X3 owners! I can't wait. The TV will be ready for pick up Feb 1st. Feel free to ask questions about experience etc.

gdavisloop

01-28-06, 02:13 AM

COSTCO HAS IT!!! Just got back from the LA Valley Costco on Sepulveda, and they had this set next to a 50" Pioneer and a 42" set which I think was also a Pioneer. The Maxent set looked almost identical to the 50" Pioneer but was $1500 cheaper. The 42" set had the dreaded "green push" or else the color was just adjusted wrong.

Alas, the price at Costco is very similar to the price at BB, so you could actually get it cheaper at BB if you have a 10%-off coupon. But Costco does give you a year to return it.

Costco is pushing high-tech TV's really hard. They are right in front of you when you walk in the store, and whichever direction you walk from the entrance, you will pass lines of HDTVs. Lots of Plasma and DLP sets, as well as some Sonys. Most of the DLP sets at Costco are special model numbers, cheaper than a similar model in regular stores, and come with stand included.

Oddly enough, they don't sell any video accessories such as HDMI cables, just TVs, a few HTIB systems, DVD players and blank DVD-R discs. (The fabled cheap DVD-RAMs are long gone).

Came home without a TV, but it looked like a nice set. As previously mentioned, the speakers are detachable, and it has no built-in tuner of any kind.

--Gary

anarchys_revenge

01-28-06, 03:19 AM

I'm going to check if my local Costco has it. Does anyone know if they will price match to Best Buy?

Also, was the 50X3 the same price as the Vizio 50" (P50HD)
I don't think you can bargain at Costco but it was the same price as the Vizio.

mattdmb

01-28-06, 05:17 PM

Just hooked up the Maxent to my new HTPC. Holy heaven.

markrubin

01-28-06, 06:33 PM

Moderator

AVS has a sticky thread for Costco/BB etc chat: it is not allowed in this or any other thread

please limit discussion in this thread to technical issues ONLY: threads discussing Costco deals will be deleted

Thanks

jeremyhelling

01-28-06, 09:54 PM

Just hooked up the Maxent to my new HTPC. Holy heaven.

Please give details. I'm gonna be building a HTPC or shifting one of my current PCs over to HTPC duty very soon.

brookspw

01-30-06, 11:41 AM

I've read and posted on the this and the Sony thread. However, I am somewhat an HD newbie and respect the advice on this board.

I am trying to decide between these two. They are generally about the same price.

Here is my situation:
1. I won't need to mount it on a wall.
2. I'll be using a Motorola Dual DVR so won't technically need a tuner.
3. We be providing signal from Comcast via the Motorola, also from an upconverting DVD. Will have a vcr hooked up but will use it very seldom and will likely be for kids' movies so I'm not concerned about the high end quality.
4. Will be in an open space -- don't have to worry about heat dissipation.
5. Living room is WAY open and lots of light. Nothing is direct and I can control it with the blinds. Nevertheless, if one is impacted *more* by ambient light, I'd like your opinion on that.
6. Most viewing will be TV, then DVD. I'll likely not ever use it as a computer monitor. We will do *some* Playstation, not a lot, though.

anarchys_revenge

01-30-06, 03:37 PM

I finally got my digital cable installed and the wife and I agree that this was the right purchase as we decided between all the 50" plasmas available. Our digicable is through cox and we have a motorola HDMI dvr settop box. I found the HDMI output to be a dim compared to component so I decided to stick with component leaving HDMI for the DVD player. However, I am returning the Toshiba 850 HDMI player since I couldn't justify the price diff to now my Philip 642 will be going component and then have the motorola via HDMI. HD programming has been fantastic and DVD playback has been decent via 480p. Next project is to build a pc for the living room to project to the Maxent.

ELaw

01-30-06, 07:20 PM

Curious - can anyone tell me how this model compares on PQ using SD material over s-video?

Reason I ask, we actually bought one of these displays 2 weeks ago. Currently our video sources are an HTPC (via RGB, since it can't do native res on HDMI) and a standard-def DirecTivo.

Picture quality on the PC is everything we could ever want. Picture quality on the Tivo is, uh, awful. I understand that it won't have HD resolution, but the color had some really nasty artifacts - it seems to want to turn browns and yellows into green. Most noticeable on people's faces and edges of hair. For comparison, we actually hooked up our old 27" Sony CRT at the same time, the artifacts were clearly visible on the plasma and not on the CRT.

I spent quite a bit of time messing with the picture settings and was able to reduce the problem maybe 50% but the artifacts still were clearly visible.

So my question (finally!)... is this just what's to be expected of plasmas, or would we be better off with another model (been thinking about the Panny commercial 42" or 50")? For now, we have returned the Maxent since today was the end of the BB 14-day return period.

I know the ideal solution would be to upgrade to HD DTV service and a DTivo with component output, but that's not really in the cards right now...

Thanks!

Eric

Monolithic

01-30-06, 08:12 PM

Curious - can anyone tell me how this model compares on PQ using SD material over s-video?
I believe you mean NTSC analog and not SD (SD is digital 480p). I'm not sure what you're expecting. Analog is very poor in general and blowing it up to 50 inches is not going to help anything. I truly doubt you could see artifacts on a 27 inch Sony (I have one as well), but at 50 inches it will definitely stick out.

Reason I ask, we actually bought one of these displays 2 weeks ago. Currently our video sources are an HTPC (via RGB, since it can't do native res on HDMI) and a standard-def DirecTivo.
Is your Tivo really SD digital or analog?

Picture quality on the PC is everything we could ever want. Picture quality on the Tivo is, uh, awful. I understand that it won't have HD resolution, but the color had some really nasty artifacts - it seems to want to turn browns and yellows into green. Most noticeable on people's faces and edges of hair. For comparison, we actually hooked up our old 27" Sony CRT at the same time, the artifacts were clearly visible on the plasma and not on the CRT.

I spent quite a bit of time messing with the picture settings and was able to reduce the problem maybe 50% but the artifacts still were clearly visible.
See my comments above regarding analog and 27 inch Sony CRT. What were your Maxent settings on the S-Video input?

So my question (finally!)... is this just what's to be expected of plasmas, or would we be better off with another model (been thinking about the Panny commercial 42" or 50")? For now, we have returned the Maxent since today was the end of the BB 14-day return period.
Best Buy's return period is 30 days.

I know the ideal solution would be to upgrade to HD DTV service and a DTivo with component output, but that's not really in the cards right now...

I think people on this board might have been able to help you adjust your set, but since it's gone, not sure what you can do with regard to this Maxent thread. I'm sure others will comment on their experiences. Please provide your settings as this will help greatly and verify your source as analog or digital SD.

cru_jones

01-30-06, 08:17 PM

tingham

01-30-06, 09:08 PM

Can anyone tell me the width of the tv stand that comes with this plasma?

TC Rider

01-30-06, 09:19 PM

31 5/8"

tingham

01-30-06, 09:43 PM

31 5/8"
thanks

soosy

01-31-06, 01:00 AM

Hey everyone......great site.

I finally bought a Maxent 50" the other day. I have some questions that maybe some of you can help me with.

When I play DVD's through my Xbox360 (component) the image looks good but seems to jump randomly. Its extremly annoying and hard on the eyes. Ive tried looking through this thread but havent seen anyone with a similar problem. Im stumped.

Thanks for the help.

Can you explain the jump a little more? It's not the image shift setting by any chance?

I've used both component and VGA and had no problems. Well, actually, I *think* I've watched a full movie via component... VGA looked better to me so I ended up using that mostly.

amb1s1

01-31-06, 08:28 AM

I been waiting, waiting, reading, confused, change my mind couple of thousand of time since October, but I definitely going to buy this TV. The 10 of February I'm going to be early in the morning at the store to pick this baby up. I know that I'm not allow to talk about price, but if somebody have a BB coupon for that week please send it to my email at dgomez@d1creation.com

ELaw

01-31-06, 09:25 AM

I believe you mean NTSC analog and not SD (SD is digital 480p). I'm not sure what you're expecting. Analog is very poor in general and blowing it up to 50 inches is not going to help anything. I truly doubt you could see artifacts on a 27 inch Sony (I have one as well), but at 50 inches it will definitely stick out.
Um, well... first of all, the "D" in SD stands for "definition", referring number of lines in the picture. Both NTSC analog (which is what I was referring to) and 480p digital have 480 lines of resolution so I don't think it's unreasonable to refer to what I have as "SD". I was mainly trying to get the point across that I wasn't expecting HD resolution over an s-video connection.

As to "what I'm expecting", I was hoping that a brand-new $3000 set could at least approximate the color rendition of a 10-year-old Sony that was bought for $300 as a floor sample and has over 10,000 hours of use! Don't get me wrong - the Maxent was a big improvement in some ways, especially geometry. It's just that when people are standing on dry land you don't expect them to appear seasick :)

Is your Tivo really SD digital or analog?
Philips DSR-7000, output choices are s or composite (no component, unfortunately).

See my comments above regarding analog and 27 inch Sony CRT. What were your Maxent settings on the S-Video input?
When I was doing the A-B comparison, I had the Maxent set to duplicate the Sony's picture as closely as possible. IIRC, brightness was around 70, contrast around 70 (yes the Sony's picture was a little washed-out, but I wanted the closest possible match), color about 40, sharpness 30. Don't remember the tint number but it was just slightly less than the middle setting.

As far as seeing picture detail, I had the sets positioned so both pictures appeared the same size from my viewing point. I was literally about 2' from the Sony and 3' from the Maxent. And had the "zoom" on the Maxent turned off so the picture was displayed in 4:3 aspect ratio. This was done so I could see if the problem was visible at all on the Sony - the problem on the Maxent was clearly visible from 10' away!

Best Buy's return period is 30 days.
Gotta disagree with you on that one. The Maxent box, the front cover of the manual, and the sales receipt all refer to the device as a "monitor". And according to the fine print on the receipt, BB's return period on monitors is 14 days.

I think people on this board might have been able to help you adjust your set, but since it's gone, not sure what you can do with regard to this Maxent thread. I'm sure others will comment on their experiences. Please provide your settings as this will help greatly and verify your source as analog or digital SD.
I wasn't really asking for help adjusting the set - I've been doing that for 35 years and I'm reasonably good at it. What I was hoping for was input from people who had used some of the other plasmas that get raved about here, but with an s-video source.

I may have misspoken somewhat when I used the word "artifacts". On both sets, there were "artifacts" visible - as would be expected with DirecTV's MPEG compression. But while the Sony displayed the picture with realistic (although reduced in number) colors, the Maxent seemed to selectively corrupt them. For example on a person's face with subtle gradations in skin tone, the Sony would show one shade of tan then a slightly lighter shade of tan right next to it. But on the Maxent the first shade would be identical to the Sony, and the second would be distinctly greenish.

Eric

koach

01-31-06, 09:56 AM

Gotta disagree with you on that one. The Maxent box, the front cover of the manual, and the sales receipt all refer to the device as a "monitor". And according to the fine print on the receipt, BB's return period on monitors is 14 days.

Best Buy considers it a TV, and they will accept the return after 30 days. People here have returned them, and I asked a sales manager when I bought mine, and he confirmed it.

cru_jones

01-31-06, 10:11 AM

Can you explain the jump a little more? It's not the image shift setting by any chance?

I've used both component and VGA and had no problems. Well, actually, I *think* I've watched a full movie via component... VGA looked better to me so I ended up using that mostly.

Thanks for the reply.

When I watch a DVD through the 360 the screen hops or jumps up about an inch. Its not a flicker. Ive tried playing with the format settings. The only DVD that doesnt jump is Saving Private Ryan for some reason. Could me screen be off center or something? I also hooked up my old POS DVD player and it played all the DVDs with no problem.

Thanks again.

Monolithic

01-31-06, 10:30 AM

Um, well... first of all, the "D" in SD stands for "definition", referring number of lines in the picture. Both NTSC analog (which is what I was referring to) and 480p digital have 480 lines of resolution so I don't think it's unreasonable to refer to what I have as "SD". I was mainly trying to get the point across that I wasn't expecting HD resolution over an s-video connection.
SD and analog will give you vastly different picture qualities. Standard Definition (SD) is the digital equivalent of the old 480-line analog system. However, an interlaced SD picture is superior to an analog signal with the same resolution, because it is not subject to analog distortions like "snow" and "ghosting." SD is also capable of delivering a 480-line progressive-scan signal.

When I was doing the A-B comparison, I had the Maxent set to duplicate the Sony's picture as closely as possible. IIRC, brightness was around 70, contrast around 70 (yes the Sony's picture was a little washed-out, but I wanted the closest possible match), color about 40, sharpness 30. Don't remember the tint number but it was just slightly less than the middle setting.
I use contrast 50, brightness 60, color 22, tint 0, sharpness 0 for analog viewing over composite.

As far as seeing picture detail, I had the sets positioned so both pictures appeared the same size from my viewing point. I was literally about 2' from the Sony and 3' from the Maxent. And had the "zoom" on the Maxent turned off so the picture was displayed in 4:3 aspect ratio. This was done so I could see if the problem was visible at all on the Sony - the problem on the Maxent was clearly visible from 10' away!
My Sony 27 inch will always clearly give a better image because of the low signal quality with analog signals. When the analog signal is amplified to 50 inches, there just isn't enough information to form a good picture. You might try a filtering and scaling device for analog signals.

Gotta disagree with you on that one. The Maxent box, the front cover of the manual, and the sales receipt all refer to the device as a "monitor". And according to the fine print on the receipt, BB's return period on monitors is 14 days.
What Koach said.

I may have misspoken somewhat when I used the word "artifacts". On both sets, there were "artifacts" visible - as would be expected with DirecTV's MPEG compression. But while the Sony displayed the picture with realistic (although reduced in number) colors, the Maxent seemed to selectively corrupt them. For example on a person's face with subtle gradations in skin tone, the Sony would show one shade of tan then a slightly lighter shade of tan right next to it. But on the Maxent the first shade would be identical to the Sony, and the second would be distinctly greenish.
Just to verify, this is the MX-50X3 as opposed to the other Maxent 50 inch models that Best Buy carries? The greenish tint is indicative of their lesser quality models. I would turn the color (saturation) down substantially to see if this effect went away.

ELaw

01-31-06, 10:58 AM

Yeah, definitely the 50X3. I know what you mean about the green tint on other models, the store we were in had a 42" that was absolutely awful. Reminded me of a post in another thread where someone said it made dead grass look like astroturf :p

This is definitely a different problem. *Overall* the picture's color is good. And this is not in extremely dark areas of the picture where I know plasmas are sometimes a bit weak. It only seems to affect cream/tan/brown areas.

I did notice that turning the "color" setting down helped a lot, but it seems like it gets to a point where you're "throwing the baby out with the bathwater", reducing the overally quality of the picture to deal with one specific issue.

Sounds like one possible solution would be to get an HD DTivo, just to use the HDMI output. Does SD material really look that much better over a digital (or component) connection?

soosy

01-31-06, 11:13 AM

Monolithic

01-31-06, 11:15 AM

Does SD material really look that much better over a digital (or component) connection?
The reason I was distinguishing between SD and analog is to tell how many times the signal is converted before it gets displayed. In general, if you have an SD (digital) signal and you use an analog input (convert digital to analog which is then converted back to digital for displaying) it theoretically will degrade the image somewhat.

As a side note, I've looked into different devices to facilitate the quality of analog TV signals, but nothing seems reasonably priced (mostly pro gear) considering that analog TV will be phased out for digital. These devices are supposed to filter and convert the analog to digital and allow scaling. I've not read a good review on these devices unless the price was $2k or higher. The cheaper $200 ones don't seem to live up to the hype.

plasmabuyer2006

01-31-06, 10:32 PM

I recently purchased the reburb samsung DVD-HD841 directly from samsung, and installed the it. Before looking into the firmware version installed in my new samsung DVD-HD841, I went to samsung website, and started downloading and installing the firmware which was specified at the samsung website. I followed the samsung DVD-HD841 Upgrade Instructions, which was also given in the samsung website. At step 2 of the instructions, for figure number 2, it said that the screen should display as follows:

Old version: 1208.08.ADT6XAA
New Version: 121104.ADT6XAA

It will have two button Cancel and the word "Total" will be highlighted.

But my samsung dvd-hd841 player displayed when I kept the CD(which has firmware data from samsung website) as follows:

Old version: 121604.ADT6XAA
New Version: 121104.ADT6XAA

I wanted to take the photo of that screen, and keep it in the avsforum. But In place of Cancel button, by mistake I pressed Total, which resulted in loading the firmware 121104.ADT6XAA.

I am putting the question to samsung tech customer care how to retrieve back the version 121604.ADT6XAA, which was installed in my player before putting the upgrade CD.

One mistake of pressing Total lead to de-grade the firmware from 121604.ADT6XAA to 121104.ADT6XAA.

Did anybody has seen the same firmware which I have seen ?

BBQBoy

01-31-06, 10:56 PM

Well, I've had my Maxent for about a month now, and I must say I am pretty pleased with it except for the performance on non-HD channels. First, my setup:

DirecTV HD Receiver (Component)
DirecTV non-HD DVR (S-video)
Media PC (with DVD player) RGB
VCR (Composite)

Second, I must say that HD prgramming is phenomenal, whether it is OTA or from the DirecTV HD package. The problem I have is with the PQ of non-HD programming on the HD receiver (and to some extent the DVR), mainly with the variation of color/contrast/brightness from channel to channel. It seems that every time I switch channels (or sometimes the same channel, different show), I have to change my contrast/brightness (sometimes color) settings on the TV. And then many times I can't even get a good balance so the picture looks good for both bright and dark scenes. I really hate having to constantly fiddle with the TV settings. On an old fashioned TV it was set-it and forget-it. On the other hand, it seems no matter where my brightness/contrast/color is for HD broadcasts, they always look fine, and I rarely have to adjust them. Is this something I have to live with because of the variations in quality of the incoming signals, or is there some "sweet spot" that I can hit to make all of the non-HD programming look decent? Is this something I can remedy if I hook in to the serial connection and tweak the service settings?

Just let me add...I'm not expecting high quality non-HD programs....I just want a nice, consistent picture that has decent lights and darks with reasonable color reproduction....something I don't have to constantly tweak! I want to see some details in the dark scenes without the light scenes blooming - for every channel.

Another question I have is on using Avia or DVE to calibrate the monitor. It seems to me that the settings needed on the TV are dependant upon the input being used and the source. So what good does calibrating with a DVD on RGB (or HDMI, for that matter) do for fixing the picture on the component input from an HD receiver? Maybe I'm missing something here, but it seems kinda pointless to do that, as the only thing you're optimizing is your DVD picture.

Thanks for any feedback!

jeffdom

02-01-06, 12:28 AM

I did the same thing on my Samsung HD841, I think i went down too, but i dont notice any difference between firmware versions. I would assume the website would have the latest version, but who knows.

Mine works great with the website's version installed.

PM me if you have any more questions... dont want to get off subject here....

robertmee

02-01-06, 07:26 AM

Another question I have is on using Avia or DVE to calibrate the monitor. It seems to me that the settings needed on the TV are dependant upon the input being used and the source. So what good does calibrating with a DVD on RGB (or HDMI, for that matter) do for fixing the picture on the component input from an HD receiver? Maybe I'm missing something here, but it seems kinda pointless to do that, as the only thing you're optimizing is your DVD picture.

Thanks for any feedback!

That is correct....calibration DVDs are only good for calibrating that particular source that is playing the DVD and the input your are using to view the DVD. I'm using four different inputs (Component 1 - HDSTB, Component 2 - Xbox, S-Video 1 - HDSTB for SD, Composite 2 - VCR for surveillence) and all four inputs are set up very differently.

Porch Song

02-01-06, 10:55 AM

robertmee

02-01-06, 12:34 PM

Robert,

Your settings seem to work very well with my TV. Will you please put up a revised setting for each hookup.

I beleive the last one you putup way back was:

Compontent: 70/65/40/-2/1/high/cool
AV1: 50/50/30/-2/1/high/cool

Do you still maintain these?

What about HDMI, Composite (yellow cable or s-video)?, RBG if you use it, etc.

So will you please break them down for each component below.

HDMI:
Component:
RBG:
Composite cable:
S-Video:
AV1 (standad):

Thank you,

Jim

I'm forever jacking them around so I don't know what good they will do you...I did tone down the color on my Component Input and switched to Natural instead of cool. At the expense of a little loss in brightness of whites, I think it gives a much more natural look to fleshtones as opposed to the artificial vibrancy I had before.

So, my Component 1 which is my Time Warner HD8300 I have:

50,70,22,-2,1,High,Natural

For my S-Video AV1 which is also my Time Warner HD8300 I have:

65,60,30,-2,1,High,Cool

For my x-box on Component 2 I have

70,70,22,-2,1,High,Cool

For my VCR which is on AV2 via composite and is only displaying B&W surveillence I have:

70,80,30,-2,100,High,Cool

Don't know how much use these are to anyone without an exact setup...I would encourage everyone to just adjust it to your own likes and what's appealing to your eye. I would however recommend reading the 'Steaming Rat' thread on how to calibrate...Once I followed those techniques, I feel I have a much more realistic HD picture than before...You have to realize, that while high color saturation and contrast makes everything look vibrant, if you look out the window, you'll see that grass doesn't glow green...It's muted. So, I went for the more realistic natural look vs eye candy.

Robert

jimfitz

02-02-06, 10:01 AM

Just thought that I would post an update. TV looks great on the wall. It has outstanding PQ for the price and I am very happy.

Cmon Superbowl!!!!

TJ22

02-03-06, 12:48 PM

They have posted a review on cnet:http://reviews.cnet.com/Maxent_MX_50X3/4505-6482_7-31631885.html?tag=lst

soosy

02-03-06, 02:49 PM

They have posted a review on cnet:http://reviews.cnet.com/Maxent_MX_50X3/4505-6482_7-31631885.html?tag=lstFirst off, I unfortunately ended up returning my Maxent due to the banding/false contouring in dark colors I was seeing, despite the generally good picture for HD and Xbox 360. Even in HD I would occasionally see "splotchiness" on faces and other warmish gradients. It wasn't the easiest decision, but I knew it would always bother me, especially if I didn't audition any other sets.

Anyhow, I was very interested to see what Cnet had to say. But I found the Cnet review overly negative to the Maxent, giving it 6.4 while the very similar Vizio received a 7. I have less confidence in CNET reviews than I did when I first started researching sets. They seem to really dislike the styling, making it seem like silver and side speakers are nonstandard choices. At least half the sets I see in Best Buy are silver with side speakers. For me, the removable speakers were a big plus. The Vizio's black frame also seemed to be of a low build quality to me. Cnet loves the Panasonic and Vizio which are black with bottom speakers so perhaps that explains their preference.

No 2:3 pull down? The Maxent press release states it has 3:2 and 2:2 pulldown (are 2:3 and 3:2 different?)

They also preferred the Warm temp setting which I found puzzling. They say it is closest to the broadcast-standard of 6500k. Anyone using Warm?

They also seemed to find less false contouring in the Maxent than the Vizio which also runs counter to their scores. Their main valid complaint was that the Maxent only has 1 HDMI. The score wasn't that much lower than the Vizio, but the language they used in the review I found much more negative.

Way back in this thread someone said Cnet has been known to give good reviews to heavy advertisers. Perhaps that explains the difference.

amb1s1

02-03-06, 02:49 PM

Hi, I'm getting ready to go to BB to buy this baby. I already put the wall mount and I'm just waiting for my cousin (FORD EXPLORER) to pick me<----(HONDA CIVIC 2door) like in about 3 hours. You have to know how excite I'm. I work night shift, so I haven't sleep or eat since yesterday. I feel like when my mom told me that she bought me the First Nintendo. I will like to said thanks to everybody here for the help. By the way, my fist HDTV.

plasmabuyer2006

02-03-06, 02:52 PM

The Performance rating for Maxent and Vizio is rated same as 7 in the cnet review. Only difference in design, and feature, in which maxent is 1 point less than vizio. For people like me performance matters the most, so I am happy about the Maxent purchase.

soosy

02-03-06, 03:01 PM

amb1s1

02-03-06, 05:20 PM

Witch movie should I choose to be my first movie on this TV.

Monolithic

02-03-06, 05:55 PM

Witch movie should I choose to be my first movie on this TV.
A Bug's Life
Monsters Inc.

dukmahsik

02-03-06, 06:06 PM

finding nemo

koach

02-03-06, 06:27 PM

Witch movie should I choose to be my first movie on this TV.

I'm thinking "The Blair Which Project"

;)

amb1s1

02-03-06, 06:51 PM

I rented ROBOT

nmbr1esq

02-03-06, 09:14 PM

Thanks for the reply.

When I watch a DVD through the 360 the screen hops or jumps up about an inch. Its not a flicker. Ive tried playing with the format settings. The only DVD that doesnt jump is Saving Private Ryan for some reason. Could me screen be off center or something? I also hooked up my old POS DVD player and it played all the DVDs with no problem.

Thanks again.

I had the same problem, except that it did it with my bargain bin Progressive scan dvd player as well. What I noticed is that the 360 natively out puts in 480P 720P or 1080i, for video games, but for dvd movie play back it only does it in 480p as did my stand alone dvd player. Once I turned off the progressive scan on the dvd player, dvd's worked beautifully. Something in the xbox dvd playback conflicts with the tv, just as it obviously did in my dvd player. Whether its reverse pull down operating against the 2:3 pull down in the tv, conflicting chips, or just M$ cutting corners on dvd playback harware, I wouldn't know. What I do know is the 360 is a gaming machine first and foremost, Unfortunately this means the M$ only really cares that it does that as best as possible everything else ie dvd movie play-back, is just extra, and not as much of a concern to them. With this in mind I went out and bought the sony dvpns70h up-converting player, dvds are perfect., in 480p 720p or 1080i. (you need an HDMI cable) Obviously there was conflicting hardware somewhere, then again I could have a faulty xbox, but I don't think so, since games run beautifully. :D Hope this was of some help.

cru_jones

02-04-06, 04:21 PM

Awesome! Thanks for the post. Im going to get a new DVD Player. Thanks again!

amb1s1

02-04-06, 10:11 PM

Hi I just got this TV today. I’m really happy with my purchase. I had couple of people coming to my house and they all told me that I really did a good job. I told everybody that all my research was done here. My DVD Movie does look great, but I know is because I have an old DVD player. Thanks everybody. I read all the pages on this TV, but I don't remember people asking for the type of code with use for this TV with a universal control. If anybody has the answer, I will appreciate if you can share the code with me. About the heat, it get really hot on top. I going to make a box with couple of fan because I'm really concern about the heating.

Monolithic

02-04-06, 10:35 PM

I read all the pages on this TV, but I don't remember people asking for the type of code with use for this TV with a universal control. If anybody has the answer, I will appreciate if you can share the code with me.
Try using a code for a "Sampo".

About the heat, it get really hot on top. I going to make a box with couple of fan because I'm really concern about the heating.
Not necessary, but never a bad thing to keep electronics cool. It has passive heat sinks that allow the heat to rise out of the top. By not using fans, Maxent does not have the fan noise issues the Vizio does.

amb1s1

02-04-06, 10:45 PM

Try using a code for a "Sampo".

Not necessary, but never a bad thing to keep electronics cool. It has passive heat sinks that allow the heat to rise out of the top. By not using fans, Maxent does not have the fan noise issues the Vizio does.

So per Maxent this isn't a problem.

mikegwf1

02-05-06, 12:37 AM

RobertR1

02-05-06, 03:27 PM

Logitech has seemed to update their online interface to include the Maxent MX-50X3. It is now found under "TV's" as it should be. BTW, the Harmony 880 is an amazing remote. I got mine saturday.

clintyarborough

02-06-06, 10:36 AM

I just picked up my set from Best Buy. 2 questions for the forum
1) Have most people been buying the extended service plan? I have not bought it yet, but have about another 3 weeks to do so.
2) The picture is great, but I have noticed that the sound in HD channels is not loud enough, even with the sound all the way up at 100. The sound is fine for SD channels. I am connected to a Cablevision Scientific Atlanta box with component cables. Why would SD be louder than HD? Is there anything I can adjust in the cable box to provide a stronger input?

On Time warner, my SD has always been louder than my HD. Even when I was using a projector and a receiver (only using the TV sound until I move). Also, I did notice when I bought the TV that the sound at 100 wasn't even loud enough, but now I usually never go over 60 or so on HD, and 50 on SD. Guess the sound needs to get broken in or something? It was strange, but i figured if it wasn't loud enough, I would just hook my receiver back up. I gave it some time and never had to hook up the receiver.

Njmurvin

02-06-06, 05:58 PM

I just purchased my 50MX3. I read the previous post about heat exhausting from the top. Mine will be mounted pretty high (about 5" from ceiling). Is that going to be a problem?

Also, what is the best bang-for-the-buck wall-mount for this display? I don't need anything fancy (no pullout needed) - just the ability hold it up reliably and tilt a little bit.

robertmee

02-06-06, 10:32 PM

Also, what is the best bang-for-the-buck wall-mount for this display? I don't need anything fancy (no pullout needed) - just the ability hold it up reliably and tilt a little bit.

Sanus VMPL from av-clearance on ebay

anarchys_revenge

02-07-06, 01:14 AM

I recently purchased the sanus wall-mount from a\v clearance on ebay for my Maxent; I missed this at first but it is an opened item and when I received it, it was missing one part and the instructions. Fortunately, I had an installer do it and he didn't need the instructions and worked around the missing piece. However, I will say that this vendor responded immediately to inquiry to the missing part and will be sending it to me ASAP. I'll let you all know if I don't get it. Overall, I'm still happy with the purchase, considering the price.

anarchys_revenge

02-07-06, 01:30 AM

d_dubb

02-07-06, 03:23 AM

Been reading this thread for some time and I finally pulled the trigger. Got it on Sunday morning at 7:40 am...Roseville BB didn't have one in stock on friday so i got free delivery on sunday before the super bowl. I had been looking at the panny 42 in and the pioneer 43. both priced pretty close. When I saw the Maxent with my own eyes the decision was a no brainer. GO AND SEE FOR YOURSELF similar price but 7-8 more inches. I have seen many standard definition CRT projection tvs smaller than 50" that have a worse picture. Analog video is coming in the form of Svideo from a 5 yr old directv tivo. To my wife and I its better that our 2 yr old rca 32" crt tube. Right out of the box I hooked up the dvd player and threw in Madagascar. WOW I went and woke up my 3yr old to watch marty even he was mesmerized...(not normal for him) HD-tivo on its way with the new HD dish. I will repost when I get a chance to view HD. Thank you everyone who has posted about their experiences. This has truly been a great help!!!

dukmahsik

02-07-06, 03:35 AM

hey costco now has the Mx3 in stock!

brookspw

02-07-06, 01:48 PM

hey costco now has the Mx3 in stock!

Where? I just got off the phone with the SouthEastern Regional Manager for Costco. I had given up being able to get the 50x3 at Costco and have just about decided to get the Sony 50A10 LCD Projection. BUT, Costco has a package deal with Sony and MUST sell it with the $300 stand -- so, the price isn't competitive since I don't need the stand.

Well, after I spoke with him about that I asked him "What about the Maxent 50x3?" He said that he didn't currently have them, but that they feel that the glass shortage is being resolved and they are working on a pricing package with Maxent. "Check in a month" he said.

So, which Costco are you saying has it in stock?

Armus

02-07-06, 01:58 PM

So, which Costco are you saying has it in stock?

last night saw them in stock in:

Los Angeles (Los Feliz)

-armus

dukmahsik

02-07-06, 02:51 PM

i saw it in my costco in santa clara, ca, there were about 4 of them left and they just put it out for display... i go to that costco at least once a week to check out stuff and for sure it was not there a week ago

brookspw

02-07-06, 06:26 PM

Not in stock in Tennessee (Franklin).

test_pry

02-08-06, 09:36 AM

I have the 50MX3 connected to Time Warner's SA 8300 box. The picture on Discovery, PBS, abd CBS is very soft (seems unfocussed). The picture from INHD, INHD2, HDNET, and HDMOV is sharp. Any ideas? Is this a problem with the set or the cable feed?

Thanks

PY

Dishiki

02-08-06, 05:59 PM

I am still in the break-in period, and have my 8300 HD Dvr hooked up via component, settings at 50,50,22,-2,1,High,Natural. I've noticed that while watching 24, any dark scene totally screws up the pic. The faces get messed up as if it is super low res. ALso if there is any dark background, same thing happens. I fiddled around with the brightness. Increasing it to about 67 helped the problem immensely, but the picture looked washed out. Any suggestions? I cannot seem to find a good balance.

Robert I saw on the page before your updated settings. What are your settings through DVD.

Also, I just ordered the Oppo, guess I will hook up via HDMI. Anyone have recommended picture settings for it?

Monolithic

02-08-06, 08:43 PM

Also, I just ordered the Oppo, guess I will hook up via HDMI. Anyone have recommended picture settings for it?
I use 54/59 with sharpness at 30 I think. I believe I've posted the values in this thread previously.

As for 24, my OTA HD broadcast is almost unwatchable. I assumed they were cutting bandwidth. Now I'm starting to wonder how much information is in the original filming. Others have posted that it looks "fantastic."

I'm beginning to wonder if some "HD" broadcasts are severely cut back in bandwith. When I compare major broadcasts of the Grammy's or Letterman there seems to be more detail and 3-D imagery (and no loss of dark detail). 24 just looks like about 25% usage of the HD bandwidth.

jonnythan

02-08-06, 11:25 PM

(Yes, I've read most of the thread)

Does anyone have any specific comments on picture quality of the Maxent vs the Vizio?

Armus

02-09-06, 12:58 AM

I use 54/59 with sharpness at 30 I think. I believe I've posted the values in this thread previously.

As for 24, my OTA HD broadcast is almost unwatchable. I assumed they were cutting bandwidth. Now I'm starting to wonder how much information is in the original filming. Others have posted that it looks "fantastic."

I'm beginning to wonder if some "HD" broadcasts are severely cut back in bandwith. When I compare major broadcasts of the Grammy's or Letterman there seems to be more detail and 3-D imagery (and no loss of dark detail). 24 just looks like about 25% usage of the HD bandwidth.

watching the Grammy's in HD, i notice no macroblocking in any of the dark scenes. must be signal strength? 24 for me is not THAT bad. (adelphia HD in los angeles)

-armus

Dishiki

02-09-06, 09:30 AM

Yeah Lost, which has many dark scenes, is fine. 24 is terrible though. Must be the feed. I do notice it more on fox than on other stations, and it never happens in SD.

cru_jones

02-09-06, 06:19 PM

I love my Maxent, but I was wondering if any of you have any tips to maximize my SD channels. As we know they look like hell. What is the best way to connect from my reciever to TV? Im currently using a S-Video cable and watch LOST the other night was almost unbarable.

Also have any of you that own a Xbox360 noticed small glimpses of green when you move really quick? It happens to me when I play call of duty 2. I look a telephone pole or something and move to the left and right quickly and I can notice a hint of green. Just fer a split second. Not that big of a deal though.

Thanks for the help and hopefully my provider will support HD signals soon.

tingham

02-09-06, 08:47 PM

Hello Everyone,
I just picked up my mx-50x3 yesterday at bb outside philadelphia, pa. The build date on the unit is Oct. 2005. I could not resist this unit for the money. Everything looks good hooked up the way most people have said to hook up the unit. I have comcast box #dct5100 hooked up via component for all hi-def and the s-video hooked up for sd signals. sd over s-video has a much better picture than thru the component input. The Grammy's looked awesome in hi-def last night-didn't they? I was wondering if when anybody watches basketball or hockey on espn hd, or comcast sportsnet hd, tnt hd, if they notice bright flashes on their screen. I think that this is people taking pictures and the flash from the camara's are causing these annoying flashes. Anyone else experiencing this flashing? The other feeds are all fine it just seems to be indoor sporting events.

SoopahMan

02-09-06, 10:36 PM

Hi - concurring that 24 OTA in HD is quite excellent on the Maxent 50x3 (here in Boston). If you're not getting a good picture, look into the tuner, signal quality, etc... . Also look into how your tuner handles varying resolutions? If you have it set to 1080i and your tuner upscales poorly (from Fox's 720p), and it's still gotta get down-scaled by the Maxent... maybe that's the issue?

silvercans

02-10-06, 01:18 AM

robertmee

02-10-06, 07:55 AM

I think what everyone is seeing is that HD is not entirely ready for primetime from various broadcasters. I too experience random sync problems, pixelations, flashes, audio dropouts, etc....But I experience them similarily on both my Maxent and on my front projection system. It's not the video projection units (LCD, Plasma, CRT or what have you), but almost all of the nuisances come from the broadcasters or production units who originally made the film. Many skimp on bandwidth to try and squeeze more channels in. Many do some weird compression algorithms for the same purposes. As HD becomes more mainstream and more people demand quality broadcasting, hopefully the situation will change. Once Analog channels go by the wayside, I expect the freed up bandwidth will help tremendously.

Dishiki

02-10-06, 08:59 AM

clintyarborough

02-10-06, 09:35 AM

Well in my area, I think FOX definitely has the worst HD feed. I watched Lost two nights ago. Beautiful picture (many dark scenes and no macroblocking), and no audio dropouts. Last night the wife and I were watching The O.C. There were audio dropouts at least 10 times throughout the show. My wife was so pissed she said that she was done watching FOX HD until they fix it. I still have the cable guy coming out tomorrow to check on everything but I think it is on FOX's end not mine. The only other thing I could think is that I record 2 HD shows during that timeframe (Earl/The Office and The O.C.) and that the box can't handle that much. Office and Earl were fine though. The joys of HD programming.

Mine usually looks better on FOX than ABC does, CBS usually looks the best. I'm not sure if it's the network's problem, or the carrier's problem (TWC for me). My money is on the issue being the carriers problem. I can see the "macroblocking" on Lost more than any other show. Sometimes I can see it on dvd's, but my player is getting old so I should probably replace it soon.

littlechou

02-10-06, 12:01 PM

Do you guys know whether the new shipment in Costco still has Panny glass? Are they using LG glass now? Is there a easy way to tell which glass they use? Thanks.

chanc

02-10-06, 12:57 PM

Do you guys know whether the new shipment in Costco still has Panny glass? Are they using LG glass now? Is there a easy way to tell which glass they use? Thanks.

MX 42X3 has Panasonic glass and electronic, the M11 has LG glass.

:)

Njmurvin

02-10-06, 01:53 PM

I have a directv H10 HD receiver conected via HDMI and about every hour or two, the audio cuts in and out very quickly. It almost seems there is a some sort of synch issue with HDMI. Anyone experience this? Anything I can do?
Audio drops and even video drops (black screens) are not uncommon with the H10 HDTivo. Mine does it with my Panasonic projection system connected via component. I doubt if this is caused by the HDMI connection or the Maxent. I think it's either D* or the H10 itself. This is discussed a lot over in the Tivocommunities HDTivo forum. Most people there, like myself, accept it as part of being an early adopter for HD satellite TV.

TJ22

02-10-06, 02:36 PM

Power consumption costs for the Maxent yearly shown here (http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6475_7-6400401-3.html?tag=nav) at cnet.

TC Rider

02-10-06, 03:17 PM

I'm somewhat surprised that I'm still the only one that has written a mini-review on the Maxent at C-Net.

I've heard posters complain about bias at CNet towards their big advertisers, yet the one place they provide for unfiltered criticism and praise is being passed over Maxent owners.

TC Rider

02-10-06, 03:17 PM

Oops, sorry:

http://reviews.cnet.com/Maxent_MX_50X3/4505-6482_7-31631885.html?tag=chart

leiff

02-11-06, 05:21 AM

should I input my signals at 720 p or 1080 i for this set? I'm using hr10 250 direcctv. does 1080i look better to everyone?

leiff

02-11-06, 05:36 AM

best PQ-
hdmi or component?

tingham

02-11-06, 11:24 AM

I notice no real difference with either 720p or 1080i. If i had to make a choice I think maybe 720p might be a fraction better in my setup. Motorola #6200 Stb thru component.

BBQBoy

02-11-06, 12:38 PM

Last night I was sitting on my couch flipping through the recorded programs on my DVR deciding what I wanted to watch when the picture suddenly went out on the TV. The power light was still on, and the screen had a grey glow to it, so it was still getting power. I tried changing inputs with the remote and from the TV itself, with no changes. I powered it off from the switch in the back of the TV, figuring cycling the power would probably cure the problem. Nope...now I get absolutely NO power to the set at all. Once while wiggling the cord going into the back of the unit I got the green light on the front to come on, but still couldn't turn the display on. That only happened once, and I have not been able to get the light to come back on again, let alone get the TV started up. I even tried unplugging it from the surge protector and plugging it into a different wall outlet with no luck. I left the TV unplugged overnight and saw no changes when I plugged it back in this morning.

I've had this 50x3 since the end of December, with no problems at all. Best Buy service comes on Tuesday.

Any ideas?

jonnythan

02-11-06, 12:44 PM

I spent some time looking at the Maxent 50X3 at Best Buy last night. It looked damn good to me and even compared favorably to the $4000 Philips that was sitting directly above it.

I will definitely be getting one.

robertmee

02-11-06, 12:58 PM

jonnythan

02-11-06, 03:04 PM

So I read in the CNet review that the Maxent doesn't have 2:3 pulldown.

What are the implications of this for non-progressive scan DVD and SD television?

tingham

02-11-06, 04:03 PM

So I read in the CNet review that the Maxent doesn't have 2:3 pulldown.

What are the implications of this for non-progressive scan DVD and SD television?

I just purchased this unit and right on the box it says "3:2 pulldown film mode". I don't know why cnet said that in there review unless 3:2 pulldown is different from 2:3 pulldown.You want a progressive scan dvd player with this unit-there is a difference in picture quality

jonnythan

02-11-06, 04:26 PM

I just purchased this unit and right on the box it says "3:2 pulldown film mode". I don't know why cnet said that in there review unless 3:2 pulldown is different from 2:3 pulldown.You want a progressive scan dvd player with this unit-there is a difference in picture quality
Any suggestions for an inexpensive one?

tingham

02-11-06, 07:44 PM

I have a JVC xvn412 progressive player. It has a good picture and plays everything I throw at it. I have had it for about a year and have had no problems with it at all. I purchased it at Vanns.com with free shipping for a very good price a while back. I am going to upgrade to a upconversion player soon. Although this player seems to work nicely with my Maxent

tingham

02-11-06, 07:55 PM

SoopahMan

02-11-06, 09:25 PM

When I watch a DVD through the 360 the screen hops or jumps up about an inch. ... I also hooked up my old POS DVD player and it played all the DVDs with no problem.

cru_jones, I'm getting the exact same problem. I bought a cheap Progressive Scan DVD player, and in 480i (not using the Progressive) I get no jump in any DVD. In 480p (using the feature), I get that 1 inch jump, upwards. It's like a 1-frame jump up of about an inch. It occurs randomly - even if I tell the DVD player to freeze frame, the Maxent will keep jumping the image. I would say it jumps 5 times per minute, and each jump lasts about 1/30th of a second. It's jarring to the eyes and definitely unwatchable.

I wonder if this is a flaw in the Maxent 50x3's 480p playback?

That said, the 480i is flawless. The image quality is noticeably worse on comparison, but acceptable. And at least it won't be causing me epilepsy.

Anyone else with this issue?

robertmee

02-12-06, 08:52 AM

cru_jones, I'm getting the exact same problem. I bought a cheap Progressive Scan DVD player, and in 480i (not using the Progressive) I get no jump in any DVD. In 480p (using the feature), I get that 1 inch jump, upwards. It's like a 1-frame jump up of about an inch. It occurs randomly - even if I tell the DVD player to freeze frame, the Maxent will keep jumping the image. I would say it jumps 5 times per minute, and each jump lasts about 1/30th of a second. It's jarring to the eyes and definitely unwatchable.

I wonder if this is a flaw in the Maxent 50x3's 480p playback?

That said, the 480i is flawless. The image quality is noticeably worse on comparison, but acceptable. And at least it won't be causing me epilepsy.

Anyone else with this issue?

Do yo have image shift turned on?

SoopahMan

02-12-06, 12:14 PM

I checked the Image Shift feature, and it was off at the time. In case it was a software glitch where it was displaying off but technically on, I set it to 10 Seconds (closest to the interval of the jump - though note that the real interval is very irregular), checked for improvement (no change), then set it to Off again. No change.

Are there people here with 480p working fine on a Maxent 50x3? Are you sure it's 480p and not 480i? If so, what version is the firmware on your TV? And what DVD player are you using?

My firmware: 050926
My DVD player: Philips HTS3410D
Connection: Component 1

test_pry

02-12-06, 12:37 PM

tingham

02-12-06, 02:54 PM

[QUOTE=SoopahMan]I checked the Image Shift feature, and it was off at the time. In case it was a software glitch where it was displaying off but technically on, I set it to 10 Seconds (closest to the interval of the jump - though note that the real interval is very irregular), checked for improvement (no change), then set it to Off again. No change.

Are there people here with 480p working fine on a Maxent 50x3? Are you sure it's 480p and not 480i? If so, what version is the firmware on your TV? And what DVD player are you using?

My firmware: 050926
My DVD player: Philips HTS3410D
Connection: Component 1[/QUOTE

My firmware:050823
My dvd player JVC xvn412
Connection component 2

I have no jumping with my setup. I have had the maxent for 4 days and have watched 6 movies with no issues so far. I have seen dvd players in progressive scan mode cause jumping on other tv's though. I suspect the 360 has a problem like this and also other dvd players. I would try another dvd player to see if that takes care of the problem.

robertmee

02-12-06, 03:10 PM

I've tried both a panasonic rp56 DVD player and modded xbox both displaying 480p with absolutely no problems...

SoopahMan

02-12-06, 04:11 PM

Thanks for the info! That definitely helps - this is definitely a cheap player, so maybe I need to just return it... I've already had one problem with the player with a bad speaker. Now if only I had another Progressive player to test with though - that's not trivial to get.

Update: I booted the DVD player directly into DVD play mode this time, rather than what I usually do which is switch into it from TV receiver mode. The problem was fixed! I'll work out the pattern and hopefully live with it.

Thanks all for confirming this is not a Maxent issue.

BBQBoy

02-12-06, 09:53 PM

Same thing happened to me. if you have the extended warranty, bestbuy will replace the TV (they cannot repair it for some contractual reason). This was not a pleasant experience, but i got the TV replaced eventually.

PY

Thankfully, I do have the extended warranty (the first one I've ever bought, and the first time I ever needed one!). I am half tempted to call Best Buy Service back and ask them if they can repair Maxent TVs. If they say no, I want to tell them that they better have a replacement on the truck when the service guy comes out to "repair" mine.

How was your experience painful? Was it because you didn't have the warranty, or it was still painful even though you did have it? I'd just like to avoid any potholes if I can, so any advice would be appreciated!

test_pry

02-12-06, 10:25 PM

Thankfully, I do have the extended warranty (the first one I've ever bought, and the first time I ever needed one!). I am half tempted to call Best Buy Service back and ask them if they can repair Maxent TVs. If they say no, I want to tell them that they better have a replacement on the truck when the service guy comes out to "repair" mine.

How was your experience painful? Was it because you didn't have the warranty, or it was still painful even though you did have it? I'd just like to avoid any potholes if I can, so any advice would be appreciated!

I have the extended warranty.

Long story. Bestbuy said they give a new TV, but that would require me to purchase a new extended warranty ($299). I called BestBuy corporate (multiple times) and they finally relented, allowing the current extended warranty for the new TV. Then they made me go the store and ask to exchange the TV. The store reps or manager did not know that, and i had to make multiple trips to finally get it exchanged. All in all it took me 10 days to sort it out. Now i have run the TV through the break-in period.

PY

gotchaforce

02-13-06, 02:44 AM

question for all you maxent pros..

the mx-50x3 at costco... does it have panny glass in it or does it no longer come with panny glass? Its so cheap at costco im having a hard time passing it up

BBQBoy

02-13-06, 09:19 AM

I have the extended warranty.

Long story. Bestbuy said they give a new TV, but that would require me to purchase a new extended warranty ($299). I called BestBuy corporate (multiple times) and they finally relented, allowing the current extended warranty for the new TV. Then they made me go the store and ask to exchange the TV. The store reps or manager did not know that, and i had to make multiple trips to finally get it exchanged. All in all it took me 10 days to sort it out. Now i have run the TV through the break-in period.

PY

Great....looks like I have a lot of fun to look forward to. Thanks for the info. I'll keep everyone posted on the happenings.

jeremyhelling

02-13-06, 01:30 PM

question for all you maxent pros..

the mx-50x3 at costco... does it have panny glass in it or does it no longer come with panny glass? Its so cheap at costco im having a hard time passing it up

Please PM me the price it's currently at since we can't post prices on the forums and it's not currently listed on the CostCo site.

jonnythan

02-13-06, 02:23 PM

I'd also like a PM about the price at Costco. Thanks.

jeremyhelling

02-13-06, 02:37 PM

anarchys_revenge

02-13-06, 03:20 PM

question for all you maxent pros..

the mx-50x3 at costco... does it have panny glass in it or does it no longer come with panny glass? Its so cheap at costco im having a hard time passing it up

I purchased mines from Costco and I can't say for sure that its a panny glass (though from the thread, it is) but its panny parts inside. My build date is Oct 2005, purchased in SoCal.

-Mike C.

Armus

02-13-06, 05:43 PM

Those running a HTPC on this monitor, what video drivers are you using? I have a Media Center powered Dell that's using a DVI video card and an ATI TV Tuner (going to a Hauppauge WinTV PVR-500 w/dual tuners and MCE certified shortly) at the moment and looking to convert it to a HTPC and sell my Dell flat panel monitor.

So, those running this monitor as a HTPC monitor, what are your settings/programs and where are you finding these? Thanks!

just normal ATI drivers driving a AIW 8500DV card (1366x768) from a dell 4600.. i think it's a 4600...

running civ4/cs:source/all kinds of emulators
at one point i did run the tv in a little window but decided what's the point when i already have and HD dvr and a SD tivo hooked up to this plasma..

-armus

jeremyhelling

02-13-06, 08:23 PM

just normal ATI drivers driving a AIW 8500DV card (1366x768) from a dell 4600.. i think it's a 4600...

running civ4/cs:source/all kinds of emulators
at one point i did run the tv in a little window but decided what's the point when i already have and HD dvr and a SD tivo hooked up to this plasma..

-armus

Thanks man. I'll give that a shot and see how it works.

I purchased mines from Costco and I can't say for sure that its a panny glass (though from the thread, it is) but its panny parts inside. My build date is Oct 2005, purchased in SoCal.

-Mike C.

Will you please PM me the CostCo purchase price? They still don't have it listed on the CostCo website. Thanks!

d_dubb

02-14-06, 02:15 AM

Anyone know the remote codes for the mx-50x3 for a Directv TIVO? I just bought the HR-250 and can't seem to find maxent anywhere. I have tried all the akai and Sampo codes to no avail.

gotchaforce

02-14-06, 05:26 AM

how does this compare to the 50" vizio at costco? i can get the maxent for about $200 cheaper elsewhere.. so its either the vizio or the maxent

jonnythan

02-14-06, 09:53 AM

how does this compare to the 50" vizio at costco? i can get the maxent for about $200 cheaper elsewhere.. so its either the vizio or the maxent
I looked at one for a while at Best Buy, then looked at the Vizio for a while at Sam's. Conditions, feeds, and tuning were obviously different, but my subjective opinion was that the Maxent was significantly more pleasing to the eye and had noticeably better black levels. It was also a physically more appealing unit, with the shiny black bezel on the Vizio being not perfectly flat, resulting in reflections that were oddly warped. I will be getting the Maxent.

McPhreak

02-14-06, 10:03 AM

I'd also like a PM about the price at Costco. Thanks.

me 2

thanks.

JayMan007

02-14-06, 11:20 AM

gotchaforce

02-14-06, 07:04 PM

I looked at one for a while at Best Buy, then looked at the Vizio for a while at Sam's. Conditions, feeds, and tuning were obviously different, but my subjective opinion was that the Maxent was significantly more pleasing to the eye and had noticeably better black levels. It was also a physically more appealing unit, with the shiny black bezel on the Vizio being not perfectly flat, resulting in reflections that were oddly warped. I will be getting the Maxent.

vizio apparently has excellent black levels once adjusted.. the only reason i am still wary about the maxent is that it is cheap looking IMO :(

the all silver look is just very non-appealing to me

tingham

02-14-06, 07:23 PM

Has anyone seen these two (Vizio & Maxent) side by side? I've seen the Vizio at Costco and saw a maxent at BestBuy, but BB didn't have a good feed to the unit. There was a problem with one of their distribution boards and only 2 of the 3 component outputs were working correctly (no Red) and the picture looked horrible (green, blue, and grey only).

Also, what are the Pros/Cons of each unit?
Thanks,
JayMan

I have seen the Vizio at Sam's a number of times and it seems to have a nice picture but personnely it does not look as good as the Maxent. I do not like the black shiny bezel- it looks kinda cheap. I don't know what pros/ cons there are between the two besides 2 hdmi inputs for the vizio vs. 1 for the Maxent. I am not sure about the specs on the vizio because I did not research the unit that much. All I can can say is the Maxent has a awesome picture on all my hi-def and DVD's. The picture quality is second to none. SD is O.K too. I can't imagine the Vizio being any better than the Maxent as far as picture quality is concerned. Buy the Maxent/ If you have a good signal feed to it you will not be dissapointed!!

Woodrow

02-14-06, 08:07 PM

Moderator

Please take all Costco, etc., talk to the master thread at the top of the page.

thanks

JayMan007

02-15-06, 07:06 AM

vizio apparently has excellent black levels once adjusted.. the only reason i am still wary about the maxent is that it is cheap looking IMO :(

the all silver look is just very non-appealing to me

I agree... I wish the Maxent MX-50X3 came in black like the MX-50X2.

jeremyhelling

02-15-06, 01:25 PM

I personally prefer the silver bezel and LOVE the detachable speakers.

TC Rider

02-15-06, 01:30 PM

I personally prefer the silver bezel and LOVE the detachable speakers.

I didn't care that much for the speakers, but LOVE the fact that they are detachable (and now on a shelf in my basement).

jeremyhelling

02-15-06, 01:35 PM

I didn't care that much for the speakers, but LOVE the fact that they are detachable (and now on a shelf in my basement).

Exactly my point. ;)

SoopahMan

02-15-06, 06:37 PM

I really prefer the silver bezel on the 50x3. Technically speaking it's a lot better for your eyes. I also like the 50x3's speakers - the sound was plenty loud and plenty good. Not tinny, not too quiet, or any of those classic problems.

I bet that red problem at (Costco was it?) was the problem others have had hooking theirs up at home - there's a red speaker jack aligned with the Component jacks, and it's common to plug the red into the speaker and the speaker into the red, confusing the heck out of the image and the TV. Mind the labels!

I love this TV. The Olympics half pipe was fantastic on it.

I'm not sure whether this TV is supposed to support 3:2 pulldown or not, but there's a noticeable interlace effect when watching Little Nemo on it in 480i, so I'm suspecting not... or at least not well. I certainly prefer 480p (using the deinterlacer in my cheap DVD player).

gotchaforce

02-16-06, 03:28 AM

mvandell

02-16-06, 09:08 AM

silver is technically easier on the eyes, but black really makes the image POP out of the screen

The Maxent has a silver bezel on the outside, a black portion of the bezel inside of that, and a black border on the plasma glass. So is it both easy on the eyes and POPs the image :)

JayMan007

02-16-06, 12:00 PM

The Maxent has a silver bezel on the outside, a black portion of the bezel inside of that, and a black border on the plasma glass. So is it both easy on the eyes and POPs the image :)

I will have to look closer at that, if our Costco ever get the Maxent MX-50X3

grichmvp

02-16-06, 08:18 PM

Maxent 50X3 or the Panny 50" that costco is selling now. Price difference aside... I mainly watch sports, history and news shows, and game on my xbox.

I've already nixed the Vizio and the Pioneer from my list, now its down to these two...

cru_jones

02-16-06, 08:23 PM

Could some of you share your settings for Component 2 (Xbox360) and for HDMI (DVD Player)?

Im having a hard time getting it perfect and could use some help.

Thanks to anyone that can help.

anarchys_revenge

02-16-06, 10:25 PM

anarchys_revenge

02-16-06, 10:36 PM

Well, I had my Maxent for almost a month and I have no regrets with the decision. Some stories to share: I purchased my Sanus wall mount off Ebay from a vendor named av-clearence, which was recommended by other members. Found out that it was an opened-item but for the price, I can't complain. The package came without a manual and one part; after contacting the vendor, he quickly shipped the part so overall, I'm pretty happy with the purchase.

I have been purchasing my cables from monoprice.com and the cables seems like good quality though I think should have went with better shielded component cables since my component output via 480p seems to have interferance after bundling my cables through the wall; they were all over the counter prior. Happy with my purchase.

I bought the Avia calibration disk new from an Amazon vendor (Overman2000) and my shipment took almost 4 weeks to get there. I think it got lost in transit or it was never shipped. After contacting the vendor, I received the DVD in 7 days. Overall, I wished i got it sooner. As far as the DVD goes, I'm not an A/V jock so I wish they'd dumb it down for me. At the end, when I thought I calibrated it right, my DVD appears too red so I had to lower my saturation (which was set to *gulp* a 100, which was what Avia wanted I think). I think I need to try the calibration again.

Ordered Digital Cable through Cox; in general, you MUST get some HD content to your screen - I don't think it matters from who. I think this goes without saying. Having DVR capabilities have changed the way me and my wife watch tv nowadays.

I have a cheapie Onkyo Home Theater in a Box $299 special which works ok for me. I'm sure if I heard a $1000 system, I may change my mind. I'm already sweating just shelling out $200 for a DVD player.

I'll post my experiences with a new DVD player...if I ever get one...

-MC

jeffdom

02-17-06, 12:45 AM

I really dont like watching DVD's anymore. Dont get me wrong they look decent, but once you start watching the HD Movies and HD content, going back to regular DVD's sucks.

I have a Samsung Upscale DVD player and it does its job, but I barely even watch regular cable anymore. HD is just too good. Once you go there its SOOOO hard to go back.

Nothing beats what i just saw today, The Incredibles on HD cinemax.

Simply AMAZING. I could be 1 foot from the TV and see almost no pixelation.

Robert D

02-17-06, 12:47 AM

I have been lurking around the DVD Player forums trying to determine whether I should shell out money for "better" DVD player for my Philips 642. I'm debating on whether I should take the dive on the Oppo or the Panny S97 but learned that the "improvements" you will see could depend on the scaler on your display. Anyone here can comment on how good the Maxent's scaler is? I get the impression that most "good" dvd players will have a superior scaler than the stock tv one but I wanted to get some thoughts from other members.

=MC

I believe that the Oppo player is the highest rated up-scaling DVD player as you can see from this site.
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all

Myself I was going to wait until the HD-DVD or Blu-Ray players were out but now I'm thing both formats are going to bomb and of course be very expensive. So now I'm going to just buy the Oppo and perhaps down the road buy into HD DVD's.

dest_98

02-17-06, 01:01 PM

Since this is supposedly a Panny glass the Oppo might not a great choice due to the macroblocking issues with the Faroudja (sp?) scaler. I bought the Sony upscaling player and through HDMI the picture quality is a noticable step up from my old cheapo JVC progressive player through component. There is that pesky image shift issue with the Sony but 90% of my viewing is widescreen movies so it's a non-factor for me.

Monolithic

02-17-06, 03:39 PM

Toshiba already has a Blu-ray player out for $500 retail. I've gotten my Oppo (with settings posted here earlier) to pretty well match my 480p player for macroblocking.

koach

02-17-06, 03:47 PM

Toshiba already has a Blu-ray player out for $500 retail. I've gotten my Oppo (with settings posted here earlier) to pretty well match my 480p player for macroblocking.

The Toshiba player is HD-DVD, not Blu-Ray. It's available for pre-order now for $500, but it's not out yet.

The first Blu-Ray players to come out will be $1800.

Monolithic

02-17-06, 04:30 PM

The Toshiba player is HD-DVD, not Blu-Ray. It's available for pre-order now for $500, but it's not out yet.

The first Blu-Ray players to come out will be $1800.
My bad for slipping up with the Blu-ray, but my point was the Oppo is a viable option whether or not HD-DVD or Blu-ray is available. There is just too much material already in existence that utilizes the current standards. I'm sure you'll probably be re-buying your favorites in HD formats, but there is a lot of people's collections that they will just not want to spend money on upgrading.

tingham

02-17-06, 10:03 PM

I believe someone posted about this earlier but I cant remember what they were calling it. I have been noticing from 2 seperate source some "flickering". The pictures seems to occasionally and randomly get brighter and darker as if someone is adjusting the contrast or brightness. Has anyone else seen this and/or found a explanation or solution?

Thanks.

I am also seeing this issue in hd. It seems to do it mostly when there is alot of white in the picture. I notice it alot on olympic skating and snow events and only during certain camara angles. I do not see it on any dvd content. Anyone no what this could be?

Monolithic

02-17-06, 11:18 PM

I am also seeing this issue in hd. It seems to do it mostly when there is alot of white in the picture. I notice it alot on olympic skating and snow events and only during certain camara angles. I do not see it on any dvd content. Anyone no what this could be?
Is your image shift option ON or OFF?

sword_o_plenty

02-18-06, 12:50 AM

While I really like how this unit performs with HD content (and even some non-HD), I do have a few issues:

1. I have a noticable green push on the component inputs while watching 480i material (Charter cable via Motorola/moxy and a cheap Toshiba dvd player). I don't notice it with HD content though. I've tried all combinations of settings, but it won't completely go away. Using s-video on the cable box looks O.K., but it's a PITA to keep switching inputs. I'm waiting for my Pioneer DV-588A-S to get out of the repair shop to test DVD's with progressive scan or s-video (the toshiba doesn't have an s-video output).

2. I do see what others have described as macroblocking and/or compression artifacts with all non-HD sources. When large areas of dark material are on the screen, it seems to "pulse" and change brightness. Also, while it has inky blacks, it doesn't show shades of grey well. After reading through threads about the much-loved NEC and Panasonic displays, I attribute these problems to a combination of poor sources and the Maxents ability to display whatever crap it's fed, warts and all.

I've only had the display a few weeks, and I see no image retention. I've forgone any idea of a break in period...I'm too impatient, and the manual doesn't mention it. While I was initially disappointed with the above issues, there are acceptable solutions to minimize their impact. I will be buying a Harmony remote to set up separate SD (s-video) and HD (component) activites, and I see a hi-def dvd player in my future.

tingham

02-18-06, 11:08 AM

Is your image shift option ON or OFF?

I have tried it with the image shift on and off and I have the same results. Funny I do not notice any brightness levels changing when watching hi-def through s-video. I don't know if it is because the s-video input is not as good of a signal or it is some other issue. I even lowered my contrast and brightness down to 40 from 50 and am still seeing the flashing on the hi-def feed through component. It is really noticeable on hockey feeds on Universal HD, INHD.

SoopahMan

02-18-06, 11:31 AM

tingham

02-18-06, 12:20 PM

I wouldn't be surprised if the chip in the Maxent reduces brightness slightly when the input image is very bright, to allow the display to show better contrast between white and very bright shades, and increases brightness when the input image is very dark, to show better contrast between black and very dark shades. It's a very common trick high-end displays use. You might notice such a feature if the input fades quickly from bright to dark, like watching a skiier pass a light and then into a less lit area of the course. I may have seen this effect on mine but I'm not sure, it could also be the input... either way, it looks gorgeous.

Ok- I decided to connect the Maxent to see if it made a differance with the flashing through the stb via-dvi to hdmi and guess what-NO MORE BRIGHTNESS FLASHING!!. I don't know if this is a stb issue- (Motorola DCT6200) or the Maxent. I will do more testing-maybe try component 2 instead of comp1 to see if this might be the Maxent. I was seeing the brightness changing up and down quite often on comp 1. I would say intermittenly every 10 to 20 seconds but ever since I changed the input to hdmi I am not seeing the flashing anymore.
It was not a slight brightness change- It was like going from 40 to 60 in brightness back and fourth intermittently. Remember this issue is only happening on mostly all white programming like skiing and hockey.

dumbcomputers

02-18-06, 10:44 PM

Is there a way to disable unused connections so you don't have to flip through them?

silvercans

02-18-06, 11:50 PM

I was watching SAW II the other day and periodically noticed solid green or red horizontal lines during black scenes. It is especially noticeable during the LGF (lions gate films) logo scene at the begining. The lines are sort of faint but noticeable when sitting close. Has anyone noticed this, or can someone look out for this? EDIT: it doesn't just happen on SAW, other dvds exhibit this as well. Can it be my dvd player?

FYI:
My DVD player is a Denon DVD 2200 connected via component.

I do not notice this when using the s-video connection

Monolithic

02-19-06, 12:28 AM

Is there a way to disable unused connections so you don't have to flip through them?
All connections can be directly accessed via separate pushbuttons located under the sliding cover on the remote.

tingham

02-19-06, 03:09 PM

Can anyone tell me if their brightness changes during NBC winter olympic hockey HD feeds on component 1. I am trying to narrow this issue down on my setup and would appreciate if anyone could respond.

Monolithic

02-19-06, 05:14 PM

dumbcomputers

02-19-06, 05:36 PM

All connections can be directly accessed via separate pushbuttons located under the sliding cover on the remote.

Yes, I realize this but my DVR remote does not. It would be nice if I could turn off the ports which are not active. Has anyone figured out how to get into a service menu yet?

Monolithic

02-19-06, 05:41 PM

Yes, I realize this but my DVR remote does not. It would be nice if I could turn off the ports which are not active. Has anyone figured out how to get into a service menu yet?
Each input is a separate IR code. Just need a better remote. Service menu is rumored to require a "service remote."

tingham

02-19-06, 09:14 PM

I use component 2 for OTA HD with no problems.

Hi Monolithic,

Can you tell me what revision your firmware is?

Tigershark

02-20-06, 04:29 AM

Just picked up my new 50X3 today and am loving it. All the comments on this thread helped me make up my mind. I am still trying to baby it, keep the contrast and brightness low and all - but it is tough.

Anyway, currently watching Incredibles after watching HD Discovery. PQ is great, although the SDE is quite noticeable at close range (3 feet and less). When I finally set it up, the viewing distance will probably be around 8 feet. A few observations:

1) SD is, of course, bad. HD channels, much better.

2) Old non-progressive DVD player through composite - not much better. Time to upgrade the DVD player.

A few quick questions:

1) With the one HDMI input, should that be used for an upconverting DVD Player, my PC, or the cable box (SA 8300HD)?

2) New DVD player - use the progressive feature or not?

3) What are the recommended contrast and brightness settings during break-in period? I am trying to keep it less than 30, but it is tough to watch.

Thanks again!

mvandell

02-20-06, 11:02 AM

A few quick questions:

1) With the one HDMI input, should that be used for an upconverting DVD Player, my PC, or the cable box (SA 8300HD)?

2) New DVD player - use the progressive feature or not?

3) What are the recommended contrast and brightness settings during break-in period? I am trying to keep it less than 30, but it is tough to watch.

Thanks again!

1) I use my Yamaha receiver to switch HDMI, one HDMI cable to the Maxent from the receiver, DVD player HDMI cable into the receiver, Comcast cable box Component cable into the receiver. This works well, but you lose the individual settings per input that the Maxent has. You may not be able to use HDMI for your cable box, mine does not work, this is a FAQ.
3) Search for "Panasonic Plasma FAQ", that should give you what you need.

BBQBoy

02-20-06, 01:09 PM

jeremyhelling

02-20-06, 01:17 PM

Hi All,

Just an update on my dead 50x3. I called BB service and they told me I needed someone to come out and take a look at it, so I scheduled an appointment. A few days later, and after seeing someone respond to my post saying they will just exchange the TV, I called service again to see if they could have the tech bring a new one out with him to exchange it. The service person I talked to said "oh, we don't repair those, and you don't need a tech to come out, just exchange it at your local store". Great, if I would've known this, I could've had the replacement several days ago and actually watched some of the Olympics in HD....so far I have seen none!

Anyway, I called the local BB and they said no problem, but we don't have one in stock, but this other store does, call them. So I call them, and they say they need an authorization from service to get the TV replaced. After several phonecalls between me, the local store and service, we got everything worked out, but of course, they didn't have one in stock either, and neither did any of the stores or warehouses in the area, so they have to ship one in. They said I could choose another brand and get credited the purchase price of the Maxent. Being satisfied with the Maxent and not wanting to go back into "shopping" mode, I decided to have them get the 50x3 for me. So, I should have the TV on Tuesday. Even though it was just a bit of a hassle with all of the phonecalls, everyone was great to deal with, there was just a little confusion to get over on their end.

So far, no mention of me needing to purchase a new warranty. BTW, they didn't need to have a tech come out and look at it because it was still under the manufacturers warranty, so they would just replace it.

If anything strange happens when I go to pick it up, I'll let you know, but so far, so good.

This is the main reason I chose not to get the warranty for those who were asking. If a TV is gonna fail 98% of the time it's going to be within the first week or two. After that, you should get pretty good life out of it. Say it fails early on and since BB no longer carries this model what are my options? Take a store credit and then spend another two grand on the Panasonic that I didn't want for two grand more to begin with? Not to mention all the hoops you have to jump through with BB and their stellar customer service. There's a reason why they sell equipment that can be sold a warranty on such narrow margins. They make an obscene amount of money on the extended warranties and that's because few people use them. I'll take my chances and if it craps out in a few months I guess I'll see what else is on the market but chances are this TV will be fine for quite some time now since it's been a few months w/o incident.

Trucktrail

02-20-06, 02:51 PM

This is the main reason I chose not to get the warranty for those who were asking. If a TV is gonna fail 98% of the time it's going to be within the first week or two. After that, you should get pretty good life out of it.r u serious a week or two? lol... how many just reported dying since Dec.

Say it fails early on and since BB no longer carries this model what are my options? Take a store credit and then spend another two grand on the Panasonic that I didn't want for two grand more to begin with?
If it fails early on... a replacement of the same kind is a non-issue. BB doesn't replace models monthly. If it fails in 2-3 years and the model is not available... surely almost any replacement 'will' be way better, given the advances each and every year
I'll take my chances and if it craps out in a few months I guess I'll see what else is on the market but chances are this TV will be fine for quite some time now since it's been a few months w/o incident.That's some theory, but sounds like you are trying to convince 'yourself' why you didn't get it... myself, I am not tossing over almost 2 and half grand away and taking chances with some noname brand (awesome picture though! I am very, very satisfied) and the BB warranty. If you buy the TV with a Visa you get double the warranty for 2 years. If you get the extended warranty through BB you pay $xxx for 2 more years... for a total of 4 years. Which many don't know is Visa themselves sell extended warranties. I received a true 5 year warranty with manufacturers warranty as the contract for almost 40% less. The best part is BB is the only authorized reseller w/service so if they won't fix it... I guess BB replaces my TV for up to the next 5 years ... lol :)

jeremyhelling

02-20-06, 03:20 PM

r u serious a week or two? lol... how many just reported dying since Dec.
If it fails early on... a replacement of the same kind is a non-issue. BB doesn't replace models monthly. If it fails in 2-3 years and the model is not available... surely almost any replacement 'will' be way better, given the advances each and every year
That's some theory, but sounds like you are trying to convince 'yourself' why you didn't get it... myself, I am not tossing over almost 2 and half grand away and taking chances with some noname brand (awesome picture though! I am very, very satisfied) and the BB warranty. If you buy the TV with a Visa you get double the warranty for 2 years. If you get the extended warranty through BB you pay $xxx for 2 more years... for a total of 4 years. Which many don't know is Visa themselves sell extended warranties. I received a true 5 year warranty with manufacturers warranty as the contract for almost 40% less. The best part is BB is the only authorized reseller w/service so if they won't fix it... I guess BB replaces my TV for up to the next 5 years ... lol :)

That IF is the word that BB and other companies are banking on. Do you think they lose money? No. This is their bread and butter and do you know why? Because of the amount of times they are actually used. So, let's say that 1 out of 20 (the number is actually further off) actually take advantage of the warranty due to an issue that couldn't have been handled by the manufacturer's warranty (keep in mind that the Maxent standard warranty is in-home) then that means I need to buy 20 TVs before I would have used the warranty based on the numbers. Not sure about you but 20 will probably get me by for quite some time so it's safe to say I may NEVER take advantage of that extended service plan. If I pay around $300 (round number for discussion, not actual BB price as prices are not allowed) for all twenty that would be about $6,000 that I spent to replace ONE TV. Even if the ratio is half that amount that's still $3k that could have been spent better in the meantime and not having to deal with BB customer service and all of the other issues that come w/dealing with warranties. If you put the numbers to the discussion you see that this isn't as good of a deal that they profess it to be. They play off of the insecurities of buyers and aren't above lying about things to convince you that it's the thing to do.

So, instead of it sounding more like I'm convincing myself it was the right choice, the math will tell you that maybe you're trying to convince yourself it was money well spent when it might not have been. After all, what did people do with their electronics before all of these extended warranties were offered? The world didn't fall apart then and everything was just fine.

Please don't turn this into a warranty or no warranty debate. If you bought it that's fine, you saw the value and that's understandable. I didn't and who knows, my TV might just crap out in 13mos and then I'm out a large sum of money. Lesson learned. Until then let's just get this thread back on topic and I apologize for voicing my opinion on warranties to take this thread off topic.

These 50x3 TVs are a great value w/or w/o the warranty and I love mine so far as it sound like you do too. Let's focus on the good things. :cool:

Monolithic

02-20-06, 03:22 PM

Hi Monolithic,

Can you tell me what revision your firmware is?
I don't have the set handy at the moment. I believe I have previously posted it in this thread.

Monolithic

02-20-06, 03:24 PM

The service person I talked to said "oh, we don't repair those, and you don't need a tech to come out, just exchange it at your local store".
Did you ever contact Maxent directly and tell them about the problem? I'm curious what the problem was.

Trucktrail

02-20-06, 03:51 PM

That IF is the word that BB and other companies are banking on. Do you think they lose money? No. This is their bread and butter and do you know why? Because of the amount of times they are actually used. So, let's say that 1 out of 20 (the number is actually further off) actually take advantage of the warranty due to an issue that couldn't have been handled by the manufacturer's warranty (keep in mind that the Maxent standard warranty is in-home) then that means I need to buy 20 TVs before I would have used the warranty based on the numbers. Not sure about you but 20 will probably get me by for quite some time so it's safe to say I may NEVER take advantage of that extended service plan. If I pay around $300 (round number for discussion, not actual BB price as prices are not allowed) for all twenty that would be about $6,000 that I spent to replace ONE TV. Even if the ratio is half that amount that's still $3k that could have been spent better in the meantime and not having to deal with BB customer service and all of the other issues that come w/dealing with warranties. If you put the numbers to the discussion you see that this isn't as good of a deal that they profess it to be. They play off of the insecurities of buyers and aren't above lying about things to convince you that it's the thing to do. :I don't want to get into warranty debates either, but you alone are not going to buy 20 tv's?? and spend $6K c'mon?? we are talking about this ONE TV. I didn't say BB's deal was good and I never said always buy extended warranties for everything... that is a whole other issue. Since you were refering to specifically the Maxent mx-50x3 ... all I was trying to say is there are better and cheaper options that do make sense in this case IMO. Certainly, not everyone will share that 'oh well, it broke... throw it away mindset'.
Also, I didn't mean to get you all defensive, but I never buy extended warranties either... and in this instance it does make sense. And if it is not used then it is 'insurance' that's all... plain and simple. I wouldn't go without 'insurance' on my car, house, motorcycle or in this case a plasma. A toaster, radio, dvd player, reciever, speakers, etc, etc... you bet ya, no way. To each his own :)
These 50x3 TVs are a great value w/or w/o the warranty and I love mine so far as it sound like you do too. Let's focus on the good things. :cool:I agree, great value and picture quality. Good luck :)

BBQBoy

02-20-06, 03:55 PM

Did you ever contact Maxent directly and tell them about the problem? I'm curious what the problem was.

No I didn't, but my guess as well as a few others is that the power supply went. I was just navigating through my DVR menu when the picture went out and the monitor became unresponsive to the remote or the buttons on the unit itself. The green power light stayed on, and there was some power to the monitor itself, as it had a slightly grey glow. I thought recycling the power on the back of the set might help. When I turned it off, the glow went away, and as expected, the green power light went off also. Both the screen and the power light were never to light again, except the power light did come on briefly once while wiggling the cord.

dharnett

02-20-06, 06:21 PM

Ok, made the purchase, and I have read this thread from begining to end (took me about a week :eek: ). At this point I feel like I know some of you personally. I don't think I missed any of the questions below from previous posts but forgive me if I have.

Purchased the unit on Wednesday and get to wait 2 1/2 weeks to get the unit in. Apparenlty they had to order it from some out of state warehouse (live in Denver). I did purchase the extended warranty just because I have used it multiple times on other large purchases (and am traditionally a little rough on my toys :p ) I'm replacing a Mits 45" standard rear projection that's about 7 years old. So this will be first high def set.

robertmee:
Based on recommendations purchased the VMPL from AV-Clearance. According to some of the posts this mount puts the TV about 3" away from the wall. Is that measurement to the back of the tv or to the actual screen? If it is to the back of the screen then how far out does the whole thing stick?

jeremyhelling:
Your location shows you in Colorado was wondering if you have had any problems with the Maxent at elevation. Reason I ask is that one of the "personal shoppers" that I talked to at a local Colorado BB told me that the Maxent more so that others has the plasma buzzing sound because of the higher elevation in Denver. Now, I don't put too much faith in anything that BB sales folks say, but I figured it was worth a post.
Also, as a local in Colorado, what do you use for your HD signal?

I am thinking about putting the maxent above a fireplace (about 10" above). We don't actually use the fireplace all that often, but as it's been like -6F here this past week, we've actually had it on quite a bit lately. Just curious if anyone has had any problems with above the fireplace, or am I just being a bit overly cautious?

Finally, I see a lot of people all use seperate cables depending on what device they are using and what they are watching (i.e. DVD, SD, HD, etc...) due to varying signals and picture adjustments, etc. Has anyone succesfully gotten a component switching reciver (I have a Denon AVR-3300 that I love) to work well with the maxent?

Thanks.

Monolithic

02-20-06, 10:23 PM

No I didn't, but my guess as well as a few others is that the power supply went. I was just navigating through my DVR menu when the picture went out and the monitor became unresponsive to the remote or the buttons on the unit itself. The green power light stayed on, and there was some power to the monitor itself, as it had a slightly grey glow. I thought recycling the power on the back of the set might help. When I turned it off, the glow went away, and as expected, the green power light went off also. Both the screen and the power light were never to light again, except the power light did come on briefly once while wiggling the cord.
Do you have any rug rats (ankle biters) or pets?

silvercans

02-20-06, 10:57 PM

I was watching SAW II the other day and periodically noticed solid green or red horizontal lines during black scenes. It is especially noticeable during the LGF (lions gate films) logo scene at the begining. The lines are sort of faint but noticeable when sitting close. Has anyone noticed this, or can someone look out for this? It doesn't just happen on SAW, other dvds exhibit this as well.

FYI:
My DVD player is a Denon DVD 2200 connected via component.

I do not notice this when using the s-video connection

jeremyhelling

02-20-06, 11:39 PM

Your location shows you in Colorado was wondering if you have had any problems with the Maxent at elevation. Reason I ask is that one of the "personal shoppers" that I talked to at a local Colorado BB told me that the Maxent more so that others has the plasma buzzing sound because of the higher elevation in Denver. Now, I don't put too much faith in anything that BB sales folks say, but I figured it was worth a post.
Also, as a local in Colorado, what do you use for your HD signal?

I have heard no buzzing and for right now it's our bedroom TV until we sell the 65" HDTV in the living room. Since it is in the bedroom that means I watch it a lot at night after the wife has gone to bed and the volume is what I would consider much lower than normal listening volume. At his level I hear nothing. I have never turned it on and muted it and stood right behind it to see if I hear anything since this is where you normally hear it if it exists. But, from about 4' away at lower than normal listening volume I hear nothing. So, at normal viewing distance at normal volume levels I would say you're good to go at this elevation. My guess is that BB person was trying to sell you one of the 50" PDPs they have more margin on (read: any of the other 50" PDPs) and would want to sell you.

I currently have an antenna on the roof and am able to get Fox & WB out of Denver and CBS out of Cheyenne OTA and we also have Dish w/the HD package. More than likely we'll be going to Comcast any day now as they now have HDs in NoCo and in addition to the channels that Dish has they also have ABCHD which I can't get in Dish. Due to that I had to watch MNF and the Super Bowl in SD which SUCKED in a big way. This along with the fact that the Comcast HD receivers have DVR in them that allows for HD recording (even if only 15hrs worth) which I could do with Dish if I paid for my own receiver and it would be mpeg2 and obsolete when Dish rolls out mpeg4 within the near future. That and I get $10 off of my Comcast cable modem as well as 6MB speeds down instead of 4MB that I currently get. I only wish it upped the upload speed but I guess you can't have it all.

SoopahMan

02-21-06, 12:24 AM

A little more thought on that black-flashing issue -

From reading that Panasonic FAQ posted on this forum, if it's true the 50x3 uses a Panasonic screen, then presumably it shares the black-flash feature Panasonic states they use. From the way Panasonic describes things, high brightness levels are the primary cause of pixel aging ("burn-out"). They mention a feature meant to fix station logos and things burnt-in to the screen, where a very bright white bar moves down the screen, wiping it away - essentially aging all the pixels uniformly, which if you think about it can only be done by aging the youngest pixels dramatically. Logically, the feature improves image quality by reducing the life of your TV. If this feature works, then you should expect disabling this "black flash" feature to have the exact same trade off.

Personally, I watched a DVD over HDMI and the Olympics over Component and looked for this feature and found no distracting fluctuations, but then again I leave my Contrast and Brightness relatively low. I wonder if the feature isn't enabled in my firmware, or if my settings are too low for it to be noticable.

_token_

02-21-06, 08:53 AM

Based on recommendations purchased the VMPL from AV-Clearance. According to some of the posts this mount puts the TV about 3" away from the wall. Is that measurement to the back of the tv or to the actual screen? If it is to the back of the screen then how far out does the whole thing stick?

For me, the VMPL put the BACK of the TV 3" from the wall.

Good luck, ;)
Token

pfkoss

02-21-06, 09:57 AM

First Impressions.

Received the TV a week ago and have been working through the rest of the installation , speakers, DVD, Wall mount. Been reading the posts for sometime and here is my 2cents on some of the discussions I've read here.

Mount - Using the Peerless PLA - articulated wall mount. My setup requires that I be able to move the set "out of the way" at times. The mount is great but it was not cheap. Not hard to install, does a nice job, with a good range of motion and adjustment

Cable - Motorola STB / Comcast - Component connection - Very happy over all. HD looks great. Have noticed a bit of green push on SD, I have yet to try s-video for the SD so I'll be checking the results of that.

DVD - HDMI connection - went with the OPPO player set at 720, very happy with this as well. Have not watched a ton of DVDs but what I have watched I've been happy with.

One minor bi*ch

don't understand why wide screen modes are different depending on input type. Why are we limited to only 16:9 or 4:3 when in component ?

BBQBoy

02-21-06, 10:22 AM

Do you have any rug rats (ankle biters) or pets?

:) No rugrats, just a dog and a cat, neither of which venture anywhere near the corner the TV is in.

One thing that may be related to the the TV dying tho - everytime I powered the TV off, there was a very loud pop through my speakers. I am not using the detachable speakers. I have the audio output from the TV going to the sound card in my media PC. That would indicate to me that something isn't quite right with the electronics in the TV. I had my panasonic 27" CRT hooked to the same system for over a year, and never had any strange noises like that. I never did hook the external speakers up to see if they popped too. Too late now, I guess! We'll see tonight if the replacement has the same popping.

dharnett

02-21-06, 12:04 PM

For me, the VMPL put the BACK of the TV 3" from the wall.

Good luck, ;)
Token

How far then to the front of the tv from the wall?

Thanks,

-dharnett

_token_

02-22-06, 11:43 AM

How far then to the front of the tv from the wall?

According to Maxent specs (http://www.maxentusa.com/uploads/files/221.pdf) the TV would add another 4.29" so roughly 7" from wall to front of screen. Note: I didn't measure the depth of mine yet ;)

Token

JRock3x8

02-22-06, 01:22 PM

I am thinking about putting the maxent above a fireplace (about 10" above). We don't actually use the fireplace all that often, but as it's been like -6F here this past week, we've actually had it on quite a bit lately. Just curious if anyone has had any problems with above the fireplace, or am I just being a bit overly cautious?

I always thought that was a really bad idea due to heat, but I have never done it and would love to know if it works because I have a similar floorplan in my "man cave".

Tigershark

02-24-06, 03:11 PM

JRock3x8

02-25-06, 07:23 AM

koach

02-25-06, 11:02 AM

why would you want to spend money on DVD's now with HD-DVD and Blu-Ray literally right around the corner. I know it will be a bit expensive at first but if you spent $2000 on yer TV, do you really want to watch movies in 480p?

because we don't know which standard will make it. most people don't want to buy an hd-dvd or blu-ray player until we know which one will succeed. it will be awhile before that happens. and even then, when my TV is properly calibrated and am sitting at a conservative seating distance, most DVDs look 95% as good as HD content to me. the jump to blu-ray or hd-dvd is so incremental IMO, that i won't do it for years.

cmeinck

02-25-06, 12:46 PM

Has anyone got the Tivo peanut to work with this set? I have a Harmony remote, but would rather use the Tivo peanut on this particular TV. I've tried Gateway, Sampo codes and no luck.

TIA

silvercans

02-25-06, 07:09 PM

Regarding the Tivo peanut remote, I too have been unsuccessful in finding a code that works (even went through the procedure that scans all codes, but had no luck).

anarchys_revenge

02-26-06, 01:38 AM

I searched this thread and the DVD forum, but there doesn't seem to be a consensus on this: what is the best DVD player to hook up to this TV?

I know that there are Macroblocking issues with certain upscaling DVD Players, and some forum members prefer regular progressive players through component in general over "upscaling" players over HDMI. I need to buy a new DVD player ASAP and was wondering if a $50 progressive player through component is good enough, or if I should spring for an upscaling player - and if so, which one. Thanks in advance.

I've asked this question in the past on this thread but a got just a few replies. I have the Toshiba 850 from Costco for about 40 bucks more than Philips 642 but I don't really see a big difference. The small consensus seems to be on the Oppo that is about 200 bucks or Panny S97 (i've been lurking around the DVD player forums). You might wanna check out there just to get more 411.

Good luck and let us know what you end up. I'm planning to return the 850 back to Costco; I'm on the fence with the Oppo.

gotchaforce

02-26-06, 01:55 AM

alright got this last night from costco, set it up today!

PQ is awesome... so glad i jumped to the 50", i dont think 42" would have done it for me heh

one thing im worried about with this tv, contrast set to 60 and brightness set to 70 brings out the darks in movies while retaining image quality (with the color temp @ cool), however im worried about torching the TV!

cant wait until the first 50 or so hours are up so i can start settin everything to high :)

right now im hovering at 50 and 55 for the contrast/brightness

this is all on a philips dvd DIVX player]

btw picshure:
http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/7185/neeyukaa5wi.png

Tigershark

02-26-06, 04:46 AM

I've asked this question in the past on this thread but a got just a few replies. I have the Toshiba 850 from Costco for about 40 bucks more than Philips 642 but I don't really see a big difference. The small consensus seems to be on the Oppo that is about 200 bucks or Panny S97 (i've been lurking around the DVD player forums). You might wanna check out there just to get more 411.

Good luck and let us know what you end up. I'm planning to return the 850 back to Costco; I'm on the fence with the Oppo.

I've checked a number of threads in the DVD forums. I thought that there was macro-blocking problems with the Oppo & Panasonic plasmas (therefore, the MX-50X3 as well as it uses Panasonic glass).

I saw the Toshiba 850 as well - why are you returning it? Is it just the lack of improvement over a cheap progressive player, or was there an actual problem?

I also heard some good things about the Sony's - although new ones are scheduled to be released in late March.

Tigershark

02-26-06, 05:16 AM

For those that use the MX-50X3 as a computer monitor - is the picture that much better using the HDMI input (via the PC's DVI out) than the standard VGA input? Using VGA, I can only get 1280x720 resolution. At 1366x768 the screen picture actually shakes. Also, on both resolutions, there is quite a bit of overscan so the screen doesn't display part of the top and bottom of the computer desktop, which makes it tough to use the "start" bar in Windows XP. Will these problems all be solved be using the DVI out instead?

In case it matters, my PC has a Radeon X300SE video card (128mb) with both VGA and DVI output. Thanks!

Armus

02-26-06, 11:45 PM

TJ22

02-27-06, 08:35 AM

If they were ever to release a firmware update for this TV where would it appear?

Mpov

02-27-06, 11:32 AM

Hi, everyone. Just had this set delivered and installed last week (in time for the last few days of the Olympics!) and so far I am very impressed. PQ for HD content is amazing. PQ for eveything else is less so.

In any event, I had a question I hope someone can answer. I am using a Scientific Atlanta 8300 HD box and the HDMI connection. Cable service is Cablevision (IO). On some stations, I see white flashing "dashes" (almost like static) at the very top of the screen. I assume this is because the vertical height of the image is too low. However, I cannot seem adjust the height since I am using HDMI. I know the manual says that the V height and width controls are only available for Component connections, but has anyone found a workaround? Is my only choice to switch from HDMI to component?

Njmurvin

02-27-06, 06:26 PM

Has anyone used the Costco wall mount described as '32"- 60" Flat Panel TV Tilting Wall Mount' on their website for your 50X3? It sure looks like a Sanus VMPL (same size and specs).

BBQBoy

02-27-06, 06:34 PM

Hi All,

If you've been following my posts lately, I've been describing my trials and tribulations when my 50x3 died a few weeks ago. I have the replacement installed and everything is working fine. We still have no idea why the old one died, but my wife had a good observation...she was wondering if our subwoofer is too close to the monitor.

I have the monitor in a corner, so it creates a triangle along with the two walls behind it. I have the subwoofer behind and below the monitor in the corner. The front of the subwoofer is abot 17 inches from the bottom of the monitor. When I was moving my old CRT-TV out, I noticed that when the subwoofer was about 4 ft away, it was leaching color out of the CRT within about 5 minutes, so it's putting out a pretty hefty magnetic field.

Would the magnetic field from the subwoofer have an adverse affect on any of the 50x3's parts, causing it to just stop working?

Description of what happened from one of my previous posts:

....but my guess as well as a few others is that the power supply went. I was just navigating through my DVR menu when the picture went out and the monitor became unresponsive to the remote or the buttons on the unit itself. The green power light stayed on, and there was some power to the monitor itself, as it had a slightly grey glow. I thought recycling the power on the back of the set might help. When I turned it off, the glow went away, and as expected, the green power light went off also. Both the screen and the power light were never to light again, except the power light did come on briefly once while wiggling the cord.

tingham

02-27-06, 06:35 PM

jfischer

02-27-06, 06:38 PM

Would the magnetic field from the subwoofer have an adverse affect on any of the 50x3's parts, causing it to just stop working?

I'd be more concerned about the vibrations from the subwoofer rattling the circuity apart :)

tingham

02-27-06, 06:41 PM

littlechou

02-28-06, 09:55 AM

I know people have been discussing a lot about the wall mount. I guess that I am too conservative and still prefer the TV stand. Is there any TV stand that you guys recommend?

Mpov

02-28-06, 02:24 PM

Another dumb question - can you adjust vertical height and position of the picture when using a component feed? I want to know before I start re-wiring. The manual is unclear on this point.

Tigershark

02-28-06, 03:12 PM

I know people have been discussing a lot about the wall mount. I guess that I am too conservative and still prefer the TV stand. Is there any TV stand that you guys recommend?

I went with a wood TV stand . There is a great thread on TV Stands for Plasmas here:

AVS Forum Thread on Plasma furniture (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=416358&page=1&pp=30)

Just be warned, a lot of those stands discussed are expensive. I finally just went to my local big box retailers and picked up a nice wood one for about $300. The problem is that most of the big box retailers carry the metal/glass stands for Rear Projection TVs - plasmas look better with wood stands (in my opinion). Good luck in your search.

tingham

02-28-06, 06:22 PM

Another dumb question - can you adjust vertical height and position of the picture when using a component feed? I want to know before I start re-wiring. The manual is unclear on this point.

The maxent will let you adjust the vertical height thru the component and I think the rgb input only. You cannot adjust it thru the hdmi connection.

tacos

02-28-06, 06:38 PM

I would like to get my hands on this plasma. However, my nearest costco doesn't have them and neither does any of the Bestbuys around me. Will this become more widespread in the next couple months or what? Thanks for any help.

tingham

02-28-06, 07:12 PM

Neilster

02-28-06, 07:27 PM

I got mine at Best Buy...They never have them in stock...When I bought it at the store, they shipped it from the local warehouse. They had tons of them there (Il) it took three business days. I bet you they have a similar set up all over the country!

Neilster

02-28-06, 07:36 PM

Anyone else had this problem? My maxent no longer displays the input in the top right corner when switching from say component1 to component2....Also when I cycle thru the inputs, my component 2 (which is the only one I use) loses it's user settings. Has anyone else experienced this? Finally my set has a build date of September 2005. How do I check if it has the Mishutsu/ Panasonic Parts?

Discovery Hd good!

Direct tv Hd movie channels, barely better than Sd. Why is this?

Is this Mp3 video or what!

tingham

02-28-06, 10:37 PM

Back to the issue about the TV seeming to flash a brighter picture on and off (I'm not sure how to describe it, but we talked about it earlier, and someone mentioned that the Panasonic's suffer from this same problem.) It's been driving me nuts lately because I'm watching a show, especially a dark one like "Supernatural", and I see it flash to a brighter setting, then back to normal, and this repeats for the whole show. So I got to thinking, and realized that I never saw this until a few weeks ago. I then remember that a few weeks ago, I changed the brightness from 60 to 70. I just now changed the setting back to 60, and it is no longer flashing on me. I don't know if the flashing has actually stopped, or if my eye just cannot detect it because it's now a darker picture.

60 is a hair darker than I'd like, but it's well worth the trade off to not have the flash. Maybe if enough people have this problem, we can report it to Maxent, and get a fix for it.For those that mentioned that Panasonics suffer from this problem, do you know if a fix has been found?

My Maxent has been flashing the brightness up and down on bright white programming since I purchased it 3 weeks ago. It does'nt matter what the brightness or contrast is set at. It only does it on comp1 and comp2. No brightness changing on hdmi though. I don't think this is a source issue because it does it on dvd and stb thru component.Time to exchange it for a new one. Hope I get a good one?

silvercans

02-28-06, 10:46 PM

My Maxent has been flashing the brightness up and down on bright white programming since I purchased it 3 weeks ago. It does'nt matter what the brightness or contrast is set at. It only does it on comp1 and comp2. No brightness changing on hdmi though. I don't think this is a source issue because it does it on dvd and stb thru component.Time to exchange it for a new one. Hope I get a good one?

I wouldn't exchange it because I think they all exhibit this issue. On mine, all inputs except HDMI have this problem.

FinallyIgotone

03-01-06, 01:59 AM

First would like to say thanks to all that has educated me about this TV. I seen this thing at BB and got home and googled it and found you all here. The price made me fall over and I thought the deal was to good to be true. I would have not forked over the dollars with out all your help and comments. So, you people that are cheap like me and look for a good value I am greatful. I allways look for regular folks for opinions. So far this method has not let me down on anything I have purchased. Blogs are fricken awsome1!!!

So, here is the deal I to have the brightness problem mentioned in thread. I thought I had a bad TV (I didn't read deep enough) so I got a new one from BB. Same problem. The olympics skating was annoying!! Plus I am a huge huge NHL fan so I am going to try the other hookup I think you all said DMI. Crap that cable is huge bucks so I hope you are correct on this call. I sent Maxent a support request on this issue and I will post thier reply for all that is intrested when I hear back. That said for all you newbies out there looking at this TV don't let this problem scare you. The picture is unbelievable with HD. Problem only happens with mostly white background. I don't care what the pimple face kid at BB tells you your eyes don't lie. This thing competes with Plasma's twice the price. If you had fantasy about a plasma like I have for years it is now in reach for us regular folk. Enjoy!!! I did not buy the warrenty but I am still thinking about it. I agree with earlier post if electronics are going to dump on yu they usually do it in the first couple weeks. Anyway good luck to all and I will keep you posted.

jonnythan

03-01-06, 09:03 AM

HDMI cables don't need to be expensive.

http://www.cablesforless.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=406
http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10231&style=

Mpov

03-01-06, 10:46 AM

hfelsh

03-01-06, 03:46 PM

T...Please don't turn this into a warranty or no warranty debate. If you bought it that's fine, you saw the value and that's understandable. I didn't and who knows, my TV might just crap out in 13mos and then I'm out a large sum of money. Lesson learned. Until then let's just get this thread back on topic and I apologize for voicing my opinion on warranties to take this thread off topic.

These 50x3 TVs are a great value w/or w/o the warranty and I love mine so far as it sound like you do too. Let's focus on the good things. :cool:Just a note to consider: The BB 4-year warranty includes coverage for damages caused by power surges. I live in Florida - lightning capitol of the USA. In about 3 years, I'm gonna start checking out new models. if I find one that's 50" or bigger, for the same or very reasonably close to the price I paid - and if I get lucky, it'll be LCD with an even better picture and more inputs - I can almost guarantee a power surge will strike my unit and take it out completely. :p not that I would "cause" it, of course...let's just say that God owes me a favor. ;)

tingham

03-01-06, 03:51 PM

I wouldn't exchange it because I think they all exhibit this issue. On mine, all inputs except HDMI have this problem.

Originally Posted by tingham
My Maxent has been flashing the brightness up and down on bright white programming since I purchased it 3 weeks ago. It does'nt matter what the brightness or contrast is set at. It only does it on comp1 and comp2. No brightness changing on hdmi though.

Let's see 2.5k for a TV that only has one properly functioning input. hmmm
I would like to take a poll from all you Mx-50x3 owners if your set has this problem thru all inputs- but the hdmi input. A simple yes or no will do. Thanks

_token_

03-01-06, 04:25 PM

Let's see 2.5k for a TV that only has one properly functioning input. hmmm
I would like to take a poll from all you Mx-50x3 owners if your set has this problem thru all inputs- but the hdmi input. A simple yes or no will do. Thanks

No problems here since purchase in Dec.
I used S-video for a few weeks with a SD DTV Tivo.
Since then I have been using HDMI with a HD Tivo

Token

FinallyIgotone

03-01-06, 09:47 PM

yes one functioninig input and no I don't have another 2 k to upgrade to get a 50" HD plasma with a picture this good. Most have three so I think that would be about 700 bucks per hookup. The color flicker only happens on shots with mostly white. I could live with it even if it didn't have a fix. No one can disagree that other then this problem the Maxent Plasma compares shoulder to shoulder to the naked eye to LG, JVC, Zenith, Panny etc.... Google them dogs and price compare then look at your flicker one more time.

Guys, quick question does the hdmi connection provide picture quality as good as the component?

tingham

03-01-06, 11:19 PM

Guys, quick question does the hdmi connection provide picture quality as good as the component?

I prefer the picture quality of component over hdmi. That is why I would like to get the flashing issue corrected.

Mpov

03-02-06, 08:26 AM

Last night I hooked up the component input (I had been using HDMI) and watched the Devils game. I saw the "flashing" that everyone is talking about. It does not happen with HDMI.

I also determined that, even without this issue, I prefer HDMI overall. To me, the image appears to show more detail with HDMI.

hfelsh

03-02-06, 08:58 AM

Originally Posted by tingham
My Maxent has been flashing the brightness up and down on bright white programming since I purchased it 3 weeks ago. It does'nt matter what the brightness or contrast is set at. It only does it on comp1 and comp2. No brightness changing on hdmi though.

Let's see 2.5k for a TV that only has one properly functioning input. hmmm
I would like to take a poll from all you Mx-50x3 owners if your set has this problem thru all inputs- but the hdmi input. A simple yes or no will do. ThanksLast night I hooked up the component input (I had been using HDMI) and watched the Devils game. I saw the "flashing" that everyone is talking about. It does not happen with HDMI.

I also determined that, even without this issue, I prefer HDMI overall. To me, the image appears to show more detail with HDMI.There are two things I watch a lot of on this TV: HDTV thru HDMI, and my modded XBox (running XBMC, to watch downloaded movies/TV shows) thru component (#1, but I had it on #2 for a while.) I also, to a lesser extent, watch TiVo (SD) thru S-Video. Mostly because "The Shield" is only SD on F/X, and I like to skip the commercials.

None of them experience this "jumping" issue you two are talking about.

I'd be hapy to try to make it happen (like the red bug with PiP) if you can tell me what to watch so that it will happen. :confused:

Mpov

03-02-06, 10:25 AM

There are two things I watch a lot of on this TV: HDTV thru HDMI, and my modded XBox (running XBMC, to watch downloaded movies/TV shows) thru component (#1, but I had it on #2 for a while.) I also, to a lesser extent, watch TiVo (SD) thru S-Video. Mostly because "The Shield" is only SD on F/X, and I like to skip the commercials.

None of them experience this "jumping" issue you two are talking about.

I'd be hapy to try to make it happen (like the red bug with PiP) if you can tell me what to watch so that it will happen. :confused:

In order to make it happen you need to watch a scene with a lot of white in it, like a hockey game or other winter sports event. My guess is that there is some defect in the Maxent's processing algorithms and it cannot cope with a large field of white. Whatever is causing the problem gets overridden by the HDMI feed.

tingham

03-02-06, 05:53 PM

I'd be hapy to try to make it happen (like the red bug with PiP) if you can tell me what to watch so that it will happen. :confused:

Ok,,, If you can plug your stb into your component input-It does'nt matter which one.
Try to watch a Hd or sd program with a lot of white backround on the picture. Try to find a hd feed because this issue is much easier to see in hd. Hockey in hi-def does it alot on my tv. Thanks.

mproper

03-02-06, 07:34 PM

Is anybody using the comcast dual DVR (Motorola 3412) with this TV? I am having issues apparently.

I am using components to attach the comcast DVR to the TV. I am also using the 50/50/22 settings on the TV for contrast/brightness/color that was suggested earlier in this thread.

Everything looks fine using those settings on the HD channels and DVD playback, and even for my S-Video from the Tivo feed.

However, on any non-HD channel through the comcast box (comedy central, FX...etc) the picture is so dark I can barely see it. Everybody looks like sillouettes. I have to crank the brightness up to 90-100 just to see any details, but then everything looks crappy anyways due to the color/contrast needing adjusted.

I'm not even sure what to look at. Is it a problem with the comcast box? The cable feed? Anyone else having this problem?

Ok, it has been awhile since I made the above post, but I finally figured out how to fix this if anyone is seeing this problem. Go into the service menu of the comcast box (turn the box off and immediately press the menu button). Switch the 4:3 override from 480i to 480P.

For some reason, this completely fixes the problem for me. Everything looks a-ok and the darkness is completely gone. Also SD looks much much much much clearer than the S-Video through the Tivo. In fact, I'm really happy with SD now on this set.

Guess I'll be moving some of my season passes over to this box and off of the Tivo

almostinsane

03-02-06, 08:04 PM

The jumping whites sounds like a power supply issue, not enough juice to power all the pixels when the color is white.

Njmurvin

03-02-06, 08:18 PM

The jumping whites sounds like a power supply issue, not enough juice to power all the pixels when the color is white.
Then, why would HDMI be OK - same pixels, same power, different signal source type.

I haven't unpacked mine yet (waiting for construction to finish). Is this really objectionable, folks? I can take it back to Costco and swap it out for a Visio 50" model for the same price. I can use HDMI for my HDTivo, but my HTIB only has component out.

WooBah

03-02-06, 08:31 PM

The Maxent seems to have a very nice HD picture. But, how is the picture for Standard TV such as TV Land Shows? Will the Maxent allow viewing in normal 4:3 mode? Also, how is the Maxent for DVD's?

rockker

03-02-06, 09:50 PM

Is the maxent good for an ISF type of calibration? Is the service menu available?

tingham

03-02-06, 10:39 PM

Then, why would HDMI be OK - same pixels, same power, different signal source type.

I haven't unpacked mine yet (waiting for construction to finish). Is this really objectionable, folks? I can take it back to Costco and swap it out for a Visio 50" model for the same price. I can use HDMI for my HDTivo, but my HTIB only has component out.

I am very satisfied with the picture quality of my maxent. Yes there is a issue with the brightness changing on bright white programming thru component and s-video inputs on my maxent-your maxent might not have this issue-but you only see it if you watch that kind programming, like hockey or other white sporting events-All other programs are fine thru those inputs. I have it hooked up presently thru hdmi from my digital cable box and the picture quality on sd, analog are very good. Hd picture quality is excellent. Hopefully Maxent will come up with a fix for the brightness problem. My dvd picture quality is very good-I see no pixelization, false artifacts, grayface, Etc. And this is with a standard progressive scan jvc dvd player thru component. I watched the movie Alien- the socalled torture test for plasma tv picture quality and it looked really good. I was going to take this tv back but I doubt I will. I will wait and see what maxent comes up with. I like the visio but not as much as the maxent.

FinallyIgotone

03-02-06, 10:55 PM

Well, I am going to run out and snag an HDMI cable. I guess I assumed that this was a better connection then the Component but since I see conflicting reports on Picture quality on these connections I got to see it for myself. I am hockey FAN and I would like to fix this problem. Still have not heard back from Maxent Tec support on this white flicker problem. I am not sure this is a good sign. I work on large computers for a living and I have seen situations where a batch of electronics come off the assembly line defective and the company can't afford to fix/replace all of them or they are just to cheap. They just wait for the customer to bring them in for warranty service. The customers that don't find the problem until after the warranty is out saves them a ton of money. Great if you own stock in the company dog sh_t if you are the customer. If some users are reporting this issue and some are not this could be what is going on. Read up this thread far enough and you will notice a lot of folks are reporting this white flicker. I did look back though the threads and it appears as though these reports started a couple months ago. Early Maxent owners do not say anything about this problem. I am sure they would have seen this considering how complete some of their reviews were.

I must admit that my practical price range is all used up on a TV so I am being a bit biased. My choices in this price range are DLP's or smaller 42” HD plasma's. Maybe I want to be happy with this so much I got blinders on a bit. The HD picture is awesome though and I seen 3 active BB displays on this TV and it does compete with much much more expense 50” plasma’s. I still got 3 weeks on my return so I am going through the hardcore eval.

elee532

03-02-06, 11:04 PM

Suddenly, when viewing HD stations at 1080i or 720p, the picture is very blue. Solid blacks look almost solid blue. If I set my cable box to output only 480i, the picture looks normal. HD recordings on my DVR that used to look fine have the blue look. I've already had the cable company bring out a new DVR.

I called Maxent tech support on this yesterday. They asked me to send some photos at the different output resolutions. I did that and I've called twice since, and no one has gotten back to me.

Any ideas?

My wife, who wasn't too keen on my recent purchase, was looking forward to the Oscars in HD.

Thanks for any help,
Ed Lee

tingham

03-02-06, 11:13 PM

Is the maxent good for an ISF type of calibration? Is the service menu available?

Someone in this thread said there was a service remote availible for this set.
You could contact maxent and ask them.

FinallyIgotone

03-02-06, 11:15 PM

Put it back in the box and have BB hook you up with another one.

tingham

03-02-06, 11:16 PM

elee532

03-02-06, 11:17 PM

How do you have the set hooked up?

Component. I've tried both sets of inputs and two different sets of cables.

Thanks,
Ed Lee

tingham

03-02-06, 11:18 PM

Does your cable box have a dvi or hdmi output?

elee532

03-02-06, 11:21 PM

Does your cable box have a dvi or hdmi output?
The box has HDMI (Motorola Moxi). I recall hearing that Charter has not yet activated HDMI. I haven't confirmed this for myself yet. Maybe I'll pick up a cable this weekend and give it a try.

Ed Lee

tingham

03-02-06, 11:28 PM

I am not familiar with that box but I would definitely hook up through hdmi to see if you have the problem through that input also. Comcast told me that my dvi was inactive also but i decided to try it and it worked fine. Alot of these cable boxes output all their signals through all the outputs on the box regardless of what output you are using. You don't want to miss the oscar's in hi-def!!

tingham

03-02-06, 11:34 PM

Put it back in the box and have BB hook you up with another one.

Do you mean me FinallyIgotone.

FinallyIgotone

03-02-06, 11:52 PM

No sir, I was talking to the guy with the sudden blue picture. Doesn't sound good at all. You replace source box and cable and picture is still Blue doesn't sound good.

FinallyIgotone

03-03-06, 12:09 AM

HDMI cables don't need to be expensive.

http://www.cablesforless.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=406
http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10231&style=
Thanks!!!!! What is the deal on these!!!! DO BB have a 600% mark up on these. I even checked at Radio Shack and same cost. Monster wallet eater!!! I got one on the way :}

jeremyhelling

03-03-06, 01:02 AM

Thanks!!!!! What is the deal on these!!!! DO BB have a 600% mark up on these. I even checked at Radio Shack and same cost. Monster wallet eater!!! I got one on the way :}

Does Best Buy have a 60% mark-up on cables?? Try 400% mark-up.

Mpov

03-03-06, 08:29 AM

gupta_ash

03-03-06, 01:19 PM

I have MAXENT MX-42X3 for around 6 months now and here the few problems I am noticing.

1. When I have my XBOX connected using component and switch on the TV, it flickers as you have described above. It flicker for 4-5 seconds and then everything is fine.

2. Again, when using xbox, I noticed that when using component, the intiial xbox green screen, the gradient colors where disconnected at the middle, the lower half has proper gradiant and then upper half. In the middle you can see a line. Later I noticed the same with HDMI->DVi adapter connected thru comcast box and if the output from box is black.

3. I also tried connecting my HTPC with this TV and I noticed that there are some small thin vertical artifacts all over the screen. In lighter colors, you cann't see it but on dark background, they are more visible. They are of same color as the picture but little darker.

I am little concerned with the above problems and not sure if these can be addressed with the firmware update. I have the original firmware (not sure what #) and I had purchased this TV back in August.

The official 42" thread seems to have died so I thought of posting this here.

Njmurvin

03-03-06, 01:34 PM

I want to retract what I said earlier :o I think I jumped to conclusions.

I went back and watched some more hockey last night, alternating between the HDMI and component inputs. I am now convinced that (i) the "flashing" I saw was actually coming from photographers' flash units, and (ii) the changes in brightness were being caused by the TV camera's adjustment for exposure as it panned across the ice and the arena. These were happening through both inputs. I generally don't watch hockey (and never on a big screen before) and I am now thinking that what I saw may be typical for this type of programming. I am an amatuer photographer and I do know that photographing a white ice hockey rink and the darker stands around it can be very challenging and could cause a camera's auto-exposure to make lots of rapid changes as the camera pans across the scene.

I watched a lot of other programming, too, including lots of bright scenes (some almost all white) and did not see this happening in anything but the hockey games.
The first time I watched a basketball game in HD - last year's NCAA tourney - I saw this phenomenon. I first thought it was the TV. Then, I concluded the same as you that it was actually flash photographers. Once I realized that, it no longer bothers me. I hope you're right.

If you have the DVD for The Italian Job, there are some bright snowy scenes in there that are almost all white. Give that a try. If it flickers, there goes your flash theory. That's also a great movie for putting your surround sound thru its paces.

codiak

03-03-06, 04:17 PM

I noticed the white issue a couple nights ago while watching SD Discovery in 4:3. The terrain they were filming on was snow covered, rocky mountains. Looking at the color of the side bars, it was very obvious that the blacks were changing depending on how much snow was on the screen.
Lots of snow = greyish blacks.
Lots of rocks = inky blacks.

Watching a similarly bright program in 4:3 may be a good way for other people to confirm the problem on their sets. I'm eager to see if an HDMI cable remedies the issue as I'm currently hooked up to my cable box via component.

rockker

03-03-06, 05:39 PM

Does this monitor support closed captioning?

Wife is deaf so this very important for us.

Njmurvin

03-03-06, 07:04 PM

Does the 50X3 have the same configuration of mounting holes in it as the 50X2?

I am looking at a Chief PLP mount which is approved for use with the 50X2, but no mention of the 50X3. I am hoping that this is simply the case that they haven't updated their compatibility list. I like this mount because it tilts a little but still hugs the wall.

By chance, did any of you start out with a 50X2 and use the same mount with a 50X3?

Njmurvin

03-03-06, 07:17 PM

Have any of you detached the speakers, spread them out and used them for your front channel surround speakers? I have a Panny HTIB which is grey, but it has crappy little speakers. I'm wondering if these speakers would work in this manner. It's certain they would match the monitor.

tingham

03-03-06, 07:59 PM

Does this monitor support closed captioning?

Wife is deaf so this very important for us.

That depends. First the s-video inputs do support cc. But from what I am able to tell the other inputs do not. You really want this tv to watch Hi-definition tv or else you are wasting your money on a plasma tv,, and s-video input will not do that very well. Second- Most digital cable boxes support cc. You have to turn this feature on in the cablebox setup menu. So if you are going to use a cable box with this tv I would say it would be able to display cc. Remember this tv has no tuner so you either have to connect it to a over the air (QTA) tuner or a cable box. Hope this helps.

rockker

03-03-06, 10:40 PM

Thanks tingham.

We're in transition, still have the sd directivo and we're not ready yet to upgrade all the equipment, although that may change depending on the closed caption situation. My better half is warming up to the bigger screen idea! :)

I went to BB look at this Maxent and they had it connected using component, and didn't seem to have any closed captioning controls. Couldn't see a remote button or menu item (greyed out or otherwise) for Captioning. I would guess go to the s-vid input and get into the menu there? I'll try that. If s-video supports CC we should be in business! It would make some amount of sense for the legacy connections to support CC while the newer tech connections themselves don't (because CC is handled by the newer devices).

The BB person said that "no ATSC tuner meant no Closed captioning". Not sure if I totally believe that statement because the Vizio P50-hdm (?? I think - whatever 50" Vizio Costco has) had a CC button on the remote, pressed it and the OSD showed CC on or off. I believe they are using component in. I'm sure it is just a monitor too. I'm not sure under what circumstances captioning works though. Turning it on didn't have any affect on the sample vid stream they were showing, but I really didn't expect it would.

tingham

03-03-06, 10:57 PM

Thanks tingham.

I'm sure it is just a monitor too. I'm not sure under what circumstances captioning works though. Turning it on didn't have any affect on the sample vid stream they were showing, but I really didn't expect it would.

I am not quite sure how cc works either but I think a signal is sent with the audio portion of the program you are watching. Some of the tv's at bb, cc, costco dont have the audio feeds (even though they look like they are setup that way)and some do- so I think you might not see the closed captioning on the screen anyway-unless it is getting a audio feed. I know that on my setup when I turn cc on in my cablebox setup menu it shows the cc on the screen-But only if the channel or program you are watching is sending the signal. Most of the station's do nowadays but some still do not.