Since I am tired of waiting for my Olevia 542i, I am willing to jump on this..but has anyone tried to use it as a monitor with good results?

Planning to use this mainly for a computer monitor for bloomberg etc. in an office. Westinghouse was the other option, but this one has better value.

Since I am tired of waiting for my Olevia 542i, I am willing to jump on this..but has anyone tried to use it as a monitor with good results?

Planning to use this mainly for a computer monitor for bloomberg etc. in an office. Westinghouse was the other option, but this one has better value.

What in particular are you waiting on with the Olevia 542i? Some price drop?

I'm new here, but I've been monitoring this thread for a few weeks. I just received my Magnavox and am supremely disappointed in the PQ. I get a very dull picture and the colors are bad, even after using some of the settings suggested here. I bought the 42" Sceptre (1366x768) from Costco about 3 months ago and feel that set is superior to this one. I was planning to return the Sceptre...but after seeing this Magnavox, I think I'm returning this one. Should I not return a 1920x1080 set in favor of a 1366x768? Quite honestly, I haven't noticed any difference in the sharpness of the PQ between the two TVs, but the Sceptre has a much nicer color, contrast, and overall viewing pleasure advantage. Would I be making a mistake return the Magnavox instead of Sceptre? I know I lose my 90 day window because my Sceptre is near that old, but quality is most important.

I'm new here, but I've been monitoring this thread for a few weeks. I just received my Magnavox and am supremely disappointed in the PQ. I get a very dull picture and the colors are bad, even after using some of the settings suggested here. I bought the 42" Sceptre (1366x768) from Costco about 3 months ago and feel that set is superior to this one. I was planning to return the Sceptre...but after seeing this Magnavox, I think I'm returning this one. Should I not return a 1920x1080 set in favor of a 1366x768? Quite honestly, I haven't noticed any difference in the sharpness of the PQ between the two TVs, but the Sceptre has a much nicer color, contrast, and overall viewing pleasure advantage. Would I be making a mistake return the Magnavox instead of Sceptre? I know I lose my 90 day window because my Sceptre is near that old, but quality is most important.

Well, you should choose whatever looks better to you now. These TV's are always coming down in price. If you're not hooking up to the computer, it doesn't matter the resolution.

Since I am tired of waiting for my Olevia 542i, I am willing to jump on this..but has anyone tried to use it as a monitor with good results?

Planning to use this mainly for a computer monitor for bloomberg etc. in an office. Westinghouse was the other option, but this one has better value.

The westinghouse is better as monitor only since it has more firmware features. I compared the two earlier in the thread.

Then this panel should be fine as these are all high end dig sources. Only problem i forsee is the forced overscan at 1080[p|i]@60hz over hdmi, which you can only work around on a HTPC.

There isn't a forced overscan at 1080p. No forced overscan on a 360, and I recently picked up a PS3 and it doesn't overscan either. The only overscan that occurred for me was with a notebook with an nvidia video card. My desktop with an ATI card does 1080p without overscan @ 60hz. So the overscan issue only seems to be with Nvidia cards @ 60hz, which can be a driver issue since I'm using beta Nvidia drivers with Vista and not "official" releases.

Can you share the ICC profile?

My biggest problem with the set is that you can't set the backlight level. This set definitely has potential for better blacks, but I can't set the backlight to really low like the westinghouse.

Here's an icm profile for the magnavox. Just unzip it and put it in the icm directory, or go to color management and add it.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/prophoto/colorcontrol.mspx

This is a good color control app for Windows XP. Vista has color management built in similar to it.

Got my Magnavox from Costco today via UPS.

There's a slightly dark vertical line in the middle of the picture. It's most visible on solid backgrounds - like blue sky or the windows desktop. (see attached pics)

The line seems to be there on all the inputs regardless of resolution (at least the ones I tried.) When watching TV it's only noticeable some of the time, and sometimes you can't tell that it's even there (as you can see from the Leno pic.) On other shows (like Planet Earth) with lots of panoramic shots it's very annoying.

Does anyone have similar problems with their sets? Is it just mine? Will Costco offer me another set (I'm otherwise satisfied), or do I have to take the refund??

ALSO - I've noticed the picture seems to intermittently resize vertically (seen as a small jump) when watching my DVR cable box (Verizon FIOS.) I've set the output to 1080i whereas I used to always use the 720p mode with my previous plasma. So this could be the 1080 out of my cable box and not the TV.

FINALLY - I am otherwise happy with the set - the picture quality is nice for a $1,000 set. Not perfect - but satisfactory. I would really, really, really like to get in the service menu to turn down the backlight. Anyone know how????? Every service code I've tried for Phillips or Magnavox does not seem to work.

Input on the vertical line issue would be appreciated.

There isn't a forced overscan at 1080p. No forced overscan on a 360, and I recently picked up a PS3 and it doesn't overscan either. The only overscan that occurred for me was with a notebook with an nvidia video card. My desktop with an ATI card does 1080p without overscan @ 60hz. So the overscan issue only seems to be with Nvidia cards @ 60hz, which can be a driver issue since I'm using beta Nvidia drivers with Vista and not "official" releases.

You have the 360 elite? The overscan only occurs exactly at 60hz. The TV would show "1080p" when you press 'Info'. Otherwise, 'Info' shows res@refresh (1920x1080@59hz) or whatever. What does your say?

Sorry, no. That's using component.

For my desktop pushing info I get 1920x1080@60hz, for my notebook I get 1920x1080@59hz.

Btw, I calibrated the tv using HCFR Colorimeter, constrast and brightness patterns... The settings are:

Constrast: 54
Brightness: 52
Color: 37
Sharpness: 2
Color Temp: warm
Tint: -1
Noise Reduction: 0
Dynamic Contrast: Off

The CIE diagram looks like blue and red are pretty spot on, and cyan, magneta, and yellow are not too far off... but green is pretty off, and there is no way to adjust that short of using adjustments on the HTPC for green. I'm attaching the CIE diagram for anyone who might know more about them and have any suggestions on how to improve it.

Sorry, no. That's using component.

For my desktop pushing info I get 1920x1080@60hz, for my notebook I get 1920x1080@59hz.

Btw, I calibrated the tv using HCFR Colorimeter, constrast and brightness patterns... The settings are:

Constrast: 54
Brightness: 52
Color: 37
Sharpness: 2
Color Temp: warm
Tint: -1
Noise Reduction: 0
Dynamic Contrast: Off

The CIE diagram looks like blue and red are pretty spot on, and cyan, magneta, and yellow are not too far off... but green is pretty off, and there is no way to adjust that short of using adjustments on the HTPC for green. I'm attaching the CIE diagram for anyone who might know more about them and have any suggestions on how to improve it.


The overscan only occurs over HDMI (though it did happen _once_ for me over VGA, with an ATI laptop, but it went away after flipping through a couple modes). But the 1920x1080@60 over hdmi is interesting. I can't get that. Maybe nVidia does something special at 60hz that makes it register as the "video" 1080p.

Wierd.


----edit-----

I guess I was right. I went in and played with custom timings @60hz a bit to see if can't get it to register as non-video. The only timing standard that would work was CVT w/ reduced blanking. This reduces horizontal and vertical porches and totals. Now 60hz works. Create the custom timing and switch into something else and back to activate. Delete the time and switch again to overscan.

Yah me. An hour of my life I'll never get back. >.<

G

Input on the vertical line issue would be appreciated.

That black line is very similar to my two dark dots I have.. Will this be something that goes away?

Does anyone have similar problems with their sets? Is it just mine? Will Costco offer me another set (I'm otherwise satisfied), or do I have to take the refund??

ALSO - I've noticed the picture seems to intermittently resize vertically (seen as a small jump) when watching my DVR cable box (Verizon FIOS.) I've set the output to 1080i whereas I used to always use the 720p mode with my previous plasma. So this could be the 1080 out of my cable box and not the TV.

The uneven backlighting may go away if you're lucky, but probably not.

You can try to set the 'format' to a fixed one instead of automatic if it's not already.

What in particular are you waiting on with the Olevia 542i? Some price drop?

Ordered via Officemax in April 2007, still on backorder

I just got mine yesterday and haven't got around to tweaking the picture, but does anyone know how to disable the channel info?

By that I mean when you switch to a channel the channel info that pops up on the left side. It seems to stay on the screen for a very long time.

does anyone know how to disable the channel info?

+1

So you are telling me that these HDMI cables I can get for $3.00-4.00 each when they are sold at best buy for $120.00. It's the Male to Male cord that I need correct? I just want to get the best picture from the HDTV digital box to my TV. Just want to make sure I'm ordering the right thing, I'm def. a newbie.


Yup... the box stores compete pretty tough on prices for 'big ticket' items. They then hope to make the money on the accessories which MOST consumers spend a lot less time pricing.

Wooohooo... my first post.

Got my Magnavox from Costco today via UPS.

There's a slightly dark vertical line in the middle of the picture. It's most visible on solid backgrounds - like blue sky or the windows desktop. (see attached pics)

The line seems to be there on all the inputs regardless of resolution (at least the ones I tried.) When watching TV it's only noticeable some of the time, and sometimes you can't tell that it's even there (as you can see from the Leno pic.) On other shows (like Planet Earth) with lots of panoramic shots it's very annoying.

Does anyone have similar problems with their sets? Is it just mine? Will Costco offer me another set (I'm otherwise satisfied), or do I have to take the refund??

ALSO - I've noticed the picture seems to intermittently resize vertically (seen as a small jump) when watching my DVR cable box (Verizon FIOS.) I've set the output to 1080i whereas I used to always use the 720p mode with my previous plasma. So this could be the 1080 out of my cable box and not the TV.

FINALLY - I am otherwise happy with the set - the picture quality is nice for a $1,000 set. Not perfect - but satisfactory. I would really, really, really like to get in the service menu to turn down the backlight. Anyone know how????? Every service code I've tried for Phillips or Magnavox does not seem to work.

Input on the vertical line issue would be appreciated.

A dark line is generally caused by bad or poorly designed backlighting. That cannot be fixed.
Get a new set.

Ordered via Officemax in April 2007, still on backorder
Was there a special price or something?

A dark line is generally caused by bad or poorly designed backlighting. That cannot be fixed.
Get a new set.

Thanks - that's what I was afraid of. Does anyone else have the problem with dark lines in the picture from inconsistent backlighting? Is it just my set? Would you recommend that I pursue the same model from Magnavox or try a completely different option?

Was there a special price or something?

It'd better be to wait 3 months for a TV. I'm guessing $700?

I don't know about all these negative comments going on here, of course you will get the bad comments because some TVs are not working. My Magnavox works excellent and I have had it for a couple weeks now. I had a buddy over that had a 42" Samsumg LCD TV that he paid $1400.00 bucks for a month ago and he thought the picture on mine was bad ass. Just wanted to post a positive comment in here, if you want to get one of the best CURRENT deals, this one is it. You can't beat having a 1080P for this price.

I don't know about all these negative comments going on here, of course you will get the bad comments because some TVs are not working. My Magnavox works excellent and I have had it for a couple weeks now...

It means the Qualty Control at Magnavox is not good. If you're lucky you may get a good working set and if you're not lucky then you may get a defected one. To me that is not good.

I think this magnavox set is great. For 1G I couldnt be happier. I would be embarrassed to have something like a sceptre or a vizio in my living room and I think for a basic set this Maggy cannot be surpassed. As far as the remote a few people have complained about, who uses their TV remote anymore? I usually use my cable box remote to do everything...but not for long, just ordered a harmony! :)

It means the Qualty Control at Magnavox is not good. If you're lucky you may get a good working set and if you're not lucky then you may get a defected one. To me that is not good.

Honestly, I appreciate your earlier input on this tv, but if you have nothing further to say, why post? :confused:

I don't know about all these negative comments going on here, of course you will get the bad comments because some TVs are not working. My Magnavox works excellent and I have had it for a couple weeks now. I had a buddy over that had a 42" Samsumg LCD TV that he paid $1400.00 bucks for a month ago and he thought the picture on mine was bad ass. Just wanted to post a positive comment in here, if you want to get one of the best CURRENT deals, this one is it. You can't beat having a 1080P for this price.
I agree the TV is a great value, and I'm totally happy with the TV except for the subtle black line down the middle - noticeable on any mostly solid picture or background - like the sky or computer desktop. Can some of you please look at the pictures I posted, and confirm that your screen does not have these artifacts? I'll try and replace the TV with the same model if this is only a defect with my particular unit.

I'm having a hard time determining if I'm just being more picky than some of you, or if my TV is actually worse. Please take a look at these pics and let me know if you see similar artifacts on your set when viewing similar images. I'm reposting them again here.

Thanks!

I agree the TV is a great value, and I'm totally happy with the TV except for the subtle black line down the middle - noticeable on any mostly solid picture or background - like the sky or computer desktop. Can some of you please look at the pictures I posted, and confirm that your screen does not have these artifacts? I'll try and replace the TV with the same model if this is only a defect with my particular unit.

I'm having a hard time determining if I'm just being more picky than some of you, or if my TV is actually worse. Please take a look at these pics and let me know if you see similar artifacts on your set when viewing similar images. I'm reposting them again here.

Thanks!

Linus, get a new set. I dont have a line like this at all that I can see. I'm out of town until next wednesday. I'll be getting my HD receiver and whatnot that thursday so I'll post more indepth results when I have them.

I have a question about the "automatic" format. When I am watching a widescreen DVD with the format on my Magnavox 42MF437B set to automatic, the tv will switch into widescreen mode during certain scenes. The picture will stay that way for 30 seconds or so and then eventually switch back to covering the entire screen. This also occurs every now and then when I watch regular cable channels.

I've also noticed that for certain widescreen format DVD's the automatic is not effective in stretching the picture across the entire screen. There will still be a black bar at the bottom on the screen but not the top.

Is this normal or is there a defect in the automatic setting of my TV?

I have a question about the "automatic" format. When I am watching a widescreen DVD with the format on my Magnavox 42MF437B set to automatic, the tv will switch into widescreen mode during certain scenes. The picture will stay that way for 30 seconds or so and then eventually switch back to covering the entire screen. This also occurs every now and then when I watch regular cable channels.

I've also noticed that for certain widescreen format DVD's the automatic is not effective in stretching the picture across the entire screen. There will still be a black bar at the bottom on the screen but not the top.

Is this normal or is there a defect in the automatic setting of my TV?


From what I've seen watching TV, automatic works ok most of the time, but is unnecessary. For analog channels, 4:3 or 14:9 (choose one) always works, and for regular digital, widescreen always works (for low bandwidth digital channel, for some reason it just uses the analog setting). I've seen what you describe on some digital channels where it'd take the widescreen setting first, and jump into 4:3 or something making the picture too narrow.

How is the player hooked up?

From what I've seen watching TV, automatic works ok most of the time, but is unnecessary. For analog channels, 4:3 or 14:9 (choose one) always works, and for regular digital, widescreen always works (for low bandwidth digital channel, for some reason it just uses the analog setting). I've seen what you describe on some digital channels where it'd take the widescreen setting first, and jump into 4:3 or something making the picture too narrow.

How is the player hooked up?

Thanks for the info. The DVD player is connected using component Video cable in the AV2 input, but I had the same issue when I had it connected with an S video cable in the AV3 input. For widescreen format DVD's I tried using the other formats but all of them leave some black around the top or sides of the screen. The only format that will stretch the picture across the entire screen is automatic. Does this sound correct?

Also, have another question. Is it ok to use an SVGA cable when connecting the tv to a laptop or does it have to be a regular VGA cable?

Thanks for the info. The DVD player is connected using component Video cable in the AV2 input, but I had the same issue when I had it connected with an S video cable in the AV3 input. For widescreen format DVD's I tried using the other formats but all of them leave some black around the top or sides of the screen. The only format that will stretch the picture across the entire screen is automatic. Does this sound correct?

Also, have another question. Is it ok to use an SVGA cable when connecting the tv to a laptop or does it have to be a regular VGA cable?

Automatic can be wider than widescreen??

SVGA == VGA cable. Just get a nice one since 1080p is high bandwidth.

I think this magnavox set is great. For 1G I couldnt be happier. I would be embarrassed to have something like a sceptre or a vizio in my living room and I think for a basic set this Maggy cannot be surpassed.

The 42" Sceptre offered on Craigslist for the same price is a better TV than this Magnavox. I have both of them, side-by-side, and the Sceptre is more impressive both in picture quality and overall features. The Sceptre has 2000:1 contrast as opposed to 1500:1 on this Mag, and a 6ms response time to 8ms for the Magnavox. In addition, the Sceptre has picture-in-picture capabilities. The remote is better and it came with cables included (the Mag did not). I don't have a dog in this fight, and I actually bought the Magnavox with the intention of returning the Sceptre. Instead, it will be the Magvx going back to the store. I would suggest anyone thinking of getting this set should instead purchase the Sceptre. Better quality for the price.

I said in a post earlier that I was impressed with PQ of Magnavox 37" 720p set on display along side with Philips and Olevia at a Target store. Since there is no Magnavox on display at Costco to compare with Vizio VU42LF, the only way to compare the two sets was to order the Magnavox to compare at home. Thinking that Philips owns Magnavox and the two 42" 1080p Philips and Magnavox boxes are very similar in design and people who own Philips are very happy with its PQ such that Magnavox PQ should be good too.

May be the Magnavox set I got was defected in video proccessing, the picture quality was not even close to Vizio. Since many are happy with Magnavox PQ, if one has a set with subpar video, specially the white color is not white, and like Magnavox brand better than Vizio, then exchange for another set and may be the second set will be better. Since you bought this Magnavox from Costco, it will not cost you anything for exchange another set, Costco will pay for the cost of returning the defected set and ship you a replacement.

About Sceptre, I like the 46" 1080p on sale next week for few Bens more than 42". I am not proud nor embarrass for owning a Sceptre or Vizio TV, I just like to own some good HDTV sets that do not cost me a fortune.

Automatic can be wider than widescreen??

SVGA == VGA cable. Just get a nice one since 1080p is high bandwidth.

Automatic is wider in the sense that the Widescreen format will leave thick black lines on the top and bottom of the picture. When I switch to automatic the picture will fill up the entire screen (Top, bottom, left, right). Could this be because I am using a Widescreen Format (as oppsed to Full Screen) DVD?

It's a known fact that people usually post when they have questions, complaints, or something negative to say. The happy people usually remain quiet and won't bother spending time to make comments.

I followed this thread while Costco had this TV on sale and after a week of debating I decided to take a chance and buy it. 90 day return policy and 2 year warranty convinced me it was worth checking out.

I'm not an audiophille or videophille. I don't sit there using diagnostics or scanning tools or have to have the latest and greatest or replace equipment every 1-2 years.

My criteria for a new TV was the following:

1) LCD - I like the thinness and low weight
2) Built in HDTV tuners
3) 1080P
4) Good Picture Quality
5) Can hook in my PC
6) Cost
7) Dependability

This Magnavox fills all the criteria and my set has been solid. Since unpacking it I have had it on 24/7 for the past 12 days without any relief. I leave it on while at work and have hooked up consoles, PC, DVD, VCR and everything I can through it.

The picture is sharp, the colors are vibrant, and I can't find dead/stck pixels or see any backlight problems, the white is white, there is no shaded area like I saw on the pictures some other users post. This must be a good set and the people who have those concerns need to perform an exchange or return.

Negatives of the TV?

1) Speakers and sound are weak, however most people will probably have a receiver HT setup or at least 2 decent speakers to swap in.

2) Remote is small, basic, and non-universal. Third party universal remote fixes this and is better for an entertainment center.

3) Magnavox/Philips rep - Some people hate this brand. I don't really consider this a negative, but it probably dissuades others from trying this TV. I've owned JVC, Sony, HK, Mitsu, and multiple other brands and regardless of the brand there are going to be defects, issues, and just poor pieces of equipment. Brand should guarantee quality, but it doesn't.

People should remember that $1000 for a LCD like this was unimaginable a few years back. About three years ago my Mitso 32" CRT broke and I was pricing out LCD TV's and the prices were just incredibly high. I chose to repair the Mitsu and wait.

This Magnavox is far from the high end and for the price it isn't even mid range, however for bang for the buck I find it to be hard to beat.

Prices will continue to fall and HDTV's will become more advanced, but I have no regrets picking up this Magnavox. I'm glad I got a 'good,' set with no issues so far. I'll probably run it all this weekend too without a break, but any defects that were borderline should have shown themselves already.

Right on Jaseball, I totally agree with you.

Mild negative: Three stuck pixels. Magnavox agreed to replace the panel, which I think is insane - wouldn't it be cheaper just to replace the whole thing?!?

Positive: Like that speakers are removable. I use the speaker outs for a couple of decent side channel speakers and the audio ain't bad.

My setup: Pioneer DVD player (progressive scan), component video outs. Not using any other inputs.

Picture: It's really bad. Maybe I am spoiled because I am comparing to a NEC plasma, but the picture is downright cartoon-like. It seems to lack color depth. Also, transitions between colors seem to have picture artifacts, like halos. I agree with one previous poster who said it looked like jpeg artifacts. This is using a high quality dvd (Return of the Jedi); for example, there is no detail to the snow background in some of the early scenes. It is like the video processor is running on 16 bit color instead of 24. Maybe in order to accommodate 1080p, they have to cut down the bits, or compress the signal heavily ... Anyway, it doesn't look like anything is broken, just low budget.

The repair tech who came to my house said the picture is pretty much typical of LCDs. We messed around with the settings but gave up after a bit.

My comparison (the NEC plasma) was using this same DVD player, and that picture was great, so it's not the DVD player's fault.

At this point I am inclined to skip the panel repair and just take the thing back to Costco. I do not watch a whole lot of TV, and when I do I want to really enjoy the experience - mostly movies and such.

One question for you all: Should I try an upscaling HDMI DVD player? Is there much chance that HDMI and/or the DVD upscaler would be significantly better?

Thanks for your advice.

Mild negative: Three stuck pixels. Magnavox agreed to replace the panel, which I think is insane - wouldn't it be cheaper just to replace the whole thing?!?

Positive: Like that speakers are removable. I use the speaker outs for a couple of decent side channel speakers and the audio ain't bad.

My setup: Pioneer DVD player (progressive scan), component video outs. Not using any other inputs.

Picture: It's really bad. Maybe I am spoiled because I am comparing to a NEC plasma, but the picture is downright cartoon-like. It seems to lack color depth. Also, transitions between colors seem to have picture artifacts, like halos. I agree with one previous poster who said it looked like jpeg artifacts. This is using a high quality dvd (Return of the Jedi); for example, there is no detail to the snow background in some of the early scenes. It is like the video processor is running on 16 bit color instead of 24. Maybe in order to accommodate 1080p, they have to cut down the bits, or compress the signal heavily ... Anyway, it doesn't look like anything is broken, just low budget.

The repair tech who came to my house said the picture is pretty much typical of LCDs. We messed around with the settings but gave up after a bit.

My comparison (the NEC plasma) was using this same DVD player, and that picture was great, so it's not the DVD player's fault.

At this point I am inclined to skip the panel repair and just take the thing back to Costco. I do not watch a whole lot of TV, and when I do I want to really enjoy the experience - mostly movies and such.

One question for you all: Should I try an upscaling HDMI DVD player? Is there much chance that HDMI and/or the DVD upscaler would be significantly better?

Thanks for your advice.


Better brand TV's have better video processors, and plasmas are just better for video. Personally, I wouldn't get this set (or any lcd) just for video apps. For me, it was a compromise between computer and video which other technologies don't work as well for. The only other tech that works kinda ok for that are the 1080p projection tvs.

Automatic is wider in the sense that the Widescreen format will leave thick black lines on the top and bottom of the picture. When I switch to automatic the picture will fill up the entire screen (Top, bottom, left, right). Could this be because I am using a Widescreen Format (as oppsed to Full Screen) DVD?

Using 16:9 would fill up the screen if that's what you want. But it may not be the right aspect ratio.

My parents had bought the 42" Sceptre and returned it for the Magnavox after seeing mine. I have not line problems or missing pixels.. From time to time though the picture does seem to try to adjust vertically for some reason, Im not sure if it is because I have it set on automatic picture and it's trying to figure out which format to be in, but it doesnt happen much.

Better brand TV's have better video processors, and plasmas are just better for video. Personally, I wouldn't get this set (or any lcd) just for video apps. For me, it was a compromise between computer and video which other technologies don't work as well for. The only other tech that works kinda ok for that are the 1080p projection tvs.

Thanks. That's kind of what I figured. Video processors ain't cheap - I bet that after the panel, it is the next most expensive component - and there is not much reason to expect a bargain brand TV to include a powerful processor. Its shortcomings would especially show when they are trying to run it on 1080p.

I think I will take it back and get a nice Panasonic plasma.

I'm also having that AUTOMATIC problem.
The automatic option will fill up the screen when I'm watching something like 2.35:1 bluray movie, but then sometimes during the film it'll switch back to the widescreen format with black bars.

Also, when I'm watching non HD stuff, I get 7 screen format options. When I watch HD material, I only get 2 screen format options (Widescreen and Automatic).

Is only having two options when watching HD material normal, or is this just a "cheaper set" thing? Losing five of my screen options when I'm trying to watch stuff this television was made for doesn't make much sense to me.

Hey guys...

I've been keeping up with this thread and just got my Magnavox a few days ago. Fortunately, UPS didn't mishandle my package as much as others. Now, I have set my TV up, but I have some questions on what I should buy from the monoprice website some of you suggested...

Which HDMI cable should I purchase? Male to Male? Male to Female? What's In-Wall Installation and will I need it? I will be linking the TV to the Cox Digital Cable Box

Same thing with the SVGA cables..Male to Male? Male to Female? In-Wall Installation...

I apologize for all the questions, but I would greatly appreciate any help...THANKS!!

For both HDMI and SVGA cables, you need Male to Male. You don't need in-wall cable if you don't intend to install this set on the wall and hide all cables in the wall for a clean look.

You may want to think what other equiments are you going to have with this set in the future and order all cables (video, audio, SVGA, DVI ...) at once to save shipping&handling.

Using 16:9 would fill up the screen if that's what you want. But it may not be the right aspect ratio.
Agent HX thanks for your continued feedback (and patience with me) I tried using the 16:9 format and, as you said, it did make the picture larger on the top and bottom, but there were still black bars on the the top and bottom. As I mentioned before the only way to completely get rid of all black bars is when I use automatic (although this does tend to distort the image a bit).

I think the reason for this is because the DVDs I am using are "widescreen" format. I just need someone to confirm this for sure. Is this what you mean when you say that "it may not be the right aspect ratio"? I tried using a "fullscreen" format DVD and all of the formats (except for the 4:3) filled up the entire screen with no black bars. Just want to make sure this is what is supposed to happen and that there is nothing wrong with the set. As it must be painfully obvious to you all by now, this is my first Non-CRT television.

I'm also having that AUTOMATIC problem.
The automatic option will fill up the screen when I'm watching something like 2.35:1 bluray movie, but then sometimes during the film it'll switch back to the widescreen format with black bars.

Also, when I'm watching non HD stuff, I get 7 screen format options. When I watch HD material, I only get 2 screen format options (Widescreen and Automatic).

Is only having two options when watching HD material normal, or is this just a "cheaper set" thing? Losing five of my screen options when I'm trying to watch stuff this television was made for doesn't make much sense to me.

In the FORMAT section of the manual the lst sentence reads:
"Note: Not all screen formats are available when displaying HD sources."

Not sure if this is standard with HD sets, but at least you know there's nothing wrong with the tv.

I agree the TV is a great value, and I'm totally happy with the TV except for the subtle black line down the middle - noticeable on any mostly solid picture or background - like the sky or computer desktop. Can some of you please look at the pictures I posted, and confirm that your screen does not have these artifacts? I'll try and replace the TV with the same model if this is only a defect with my particular unit.


Wow! That is annoying! I would return that in a heartbeat. Great to hear so many people happy with this tv though.

For both HDMI and SVGA cables, you need Male to Male. You don't need in-wall cable if you don't intend to install this set on the wall and hide all cables in the wall for a clean look.

You may want to think what other equiments are you going to have with this set in the future and order all cables (video, audio, SVGA, DVI ...) at once to save shipping&handling.

Also you may want to check with your cable company and verify that the HD box has an HDMI input as oppsed to DVI. If the box only has DVI you'll have to get a cable that has a male HDMI on one end and a male DVI on the other. Although I think there are also adapters you can by to convert the HDMI plug to a DVI.

I just had RCA in Brooklyn, NY install HD cable and their regular HD box only has the DVI connection. However, their HD DVR box (which costs extra per month) has both the HDMI and DVI connections.

Agent HX thanks for your continued feedback (and patience with me) I tried using the 16:9 format and, as you said, it did make the picture larger on the top and bottom, but there were still black bars on the the top and bottom. As I mentioned before the only way to completely get rid of all black bars is when I use automatic (although this does tend to distort the image a bit).

I think the reason for this is because the DVDs I am using are "widescreen" format. I just need someone to confirm this for sure. Is this what you mean when you say that "it may not be the right aspect ratio"? I tried using a "fullscreen" format DVD and all of the formats (except for the 4:3) filled up the entire screen with no black bars. Just want to make sure this is what is supposed to happen and that there is nothing wrong with the set. As it must be painfully obvious to you all by now, this is my first Non-CRT television.

Well it took me two days but finally figured out what the problem was. The setting on my DVD player was set to 4:3 instead of 16:9. Once I changed all of my picture formatting issues went away.

I bought the Vizio VU42LF 1080p set back on June 25. I love the set, but there is one issue that bugs me, and I'm wondering if this is also an issue on this set.

There are a few channels, for example NBC HD, MHD, and NESN HD, which show a very thin vertical line on the screen. With NBC HD and MHD, it's at the left edge of the screen, while NESN HD has a line on the very right edge (only on field camera shots during Red Sox home games). These lines appear when my cable box is set to output at 1080i (these are all 1080i sources). If I force my cable box to down-rez everything to 720p, the lines are gone, as it appears that overscan is taking place. Now, the VU42LF does offer some options to manipulate the picture, but only vertical size, vertical position, and horizontal position. So, there's no way to output at 1080i and eliminate the lines. This happens via both HDMI and component inputs.

Does this 42 inch 1080p Magnavox offer me an option to output my HD DVR at 1080i, while eliminating these lines with some overscan? Thanks.

I got my Magnavox 42MF437B 1-1/2 weeks ago thru the Costco deal that many of you have discussed. The box and styro were thrashed when mine arrived as well, but the set seemed to be undamaged.

I tried scanning this huge thread for mention of my issue, but didn't spot it.
Has anyone encountered this:
The power connection to the back of the set seems loose and if bumped at all will make what sounds like sparking noises and turn the set on/off. The socket doesn't seem to capture the vertically inserted female plug very well and allows it to wiggle around. I came home the other day and the set was un powered. After giving it a reach around, the power came back on. I'm thinkin' this one is going back to Costco, but wondering if I got a lemon, or is this common.

Is this the mother board problem that was discussed in an earlier thread about a recall of this unit?

Try different cables, some are a bit bigger in the head. Mine is a tad loose, too.

It does suck that IEC connectors are non-captive and this set has its hanging down. Maybe some electrical tape if that doesn't work.

DirecTV just installed my HR20 receiver.
The Magnavox looks GREAT!!!
Knocked our socks off!!!
No problems after a couple of hours of use!
I went to program my HR20 remote to control the TV.
It says 24 codes for Magnavox.
But it only shows 6 of them.
How do you see the others?
I called DirecTV.
She said that she has 14 Magnavox codes.
I wrote them down.
11254 controls On/Off and Volume, but, not Input.
I only tried 7 of the 14 codes.
Does anyone know a code that will also enable me to change the Input?

This may not be helpful as I my directv tivo box is a few years old (and not HD) but the code that worked for me is 0148. To program volume and mute, I hold down the DTV button and TV Power until the light goes solid. For input, hold DTV and TV Input together. Worth a shot...

Could some experts tell me why I only got a resolution of 1024x768 over the DVI-HDMI cable after rebooting the PC? I did get a resolution of 1920x1080 before reboot, but the texts looked awful (with shadows around). Now there is no option for me to reset the resolution higher than 1024x768. Why??? :mad: Thanks a lot :)

1080p looks aweful because it's overscanning. Look at my prior posts on how to turn work around that.

1080p looks aweful because it's overscanning. Look at my prior posts on how to turn work around that.

Thanks for the reply. Now my biggest problem is that the computer only recognizes the TV as a 1024x768 LCD. Any way to force the 1920x1080 setting? BTW, I am using Vista Home Premium with 6600GT video card.

That's strange. Try going into device manager and deleting the monitor and re-scanning for it. The monitor's DDC info should give the computer all the monitor specs. I have two geforce cards that detect it fine over both vga and hdmi. Make sure you have the latest drivers. 1080p support wasn't added to some drivers until later.

Another thing if that doesn't work might be the "hide modes the monitor doesn't support" checkbox located on whichever properties page can be unchecked.

That's strange. Try going into device manager and deleting the monitor and re-scanning for it. The monitor's DDC info should give the computer all the monitor specs. I have two geforce cards that detect it fine over both vga and hdmi. Make sure you have the latest drivers. 1080p support wasn't added to some drivers until later.

Another thing if that doesn't work might be the "hide modes the monitor doesn't support" checkbox located on whichever properties page can be unchecked.

Thanks for the help. I solved the problem to some degree. By rebooting the computer again (while the TV acts as the monitor), I got a very nice 1920x1080 screen when I log in as the adminstrator, but the weird thing is that if I log out the administrator account, then log in as a regular user, the screen again looks awful (though still keep the 1920x1080 resultion), and now I can only see the center of my desktop. And it does not go away even I re-log into administrator account. I will do more debugging tonight, but would be grateful if someone could point out the source of problem to me. Thanks!

Thanks for the help. I solved the problem to some degree. By rebooting the computer again (while the TV acts as the monitor), I got a very nice 1920x1080 screen when I log in as the adminstrator, but the weird thing is that if I log out the administrator account, then log in as a regular user, the screen again looks awful (though still keep the 1920x1080 resultion), and now I can only see the center of my desktop. And it does not go away even I re-log into administrator account. I will do more debugging tonight, but would be grateful if someone could point out the source of problem to me. Thanks!


You're getting the overscan because the output timing of the signal is within what Magnavox considers "video", and it goes into its "1080p" mode instead of "1080x1920". Hit the info button when you're in the two different scenerios and you'll see what I mean. Look at my prior post(s) to see how to fix this. The gist of the solution is that you may have to use a custom timing depending on your video card brand (you'll have to install the latest drivers to get the options).

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11117403&&#post11117403

I suspect your refresh rate is slight different in Administrator vs Non-admin accounts.

First, thanks to all contributors to this thread. I just received my Mag yesterday, and had a few comments/questions.

I can only attribute the handling by UPS to a passive/aggressive move by the folks who are moving these big boxes. If you wreck enough TVs maybe they'll stop shipping them? Mine arrived with the box ripped up and most of the styrofoam packing smashed. It was left on my back deck, in 90 degree temps, uncovered, with a nice note on my front door telling anyone who stopped by where to help themselves to a new TV. Good thing it didn't rain. Apparently, $1K shipments are not big enough to bother sending signature req'd.

Miraculously, when I plugged it in it works. Oh wait, you want sound? That would require being able to attach the speaker which is packed separately. Except there are no screws. Maybe they fell out of the ripped up box? So when I called Costco Concierge to report this, I'm told they already have a "known issue" that the screws are missing but no info on where they are. Perhaps I want to try a hardware store? No? Well, can I hold while they get the OK from the supervisor to call Magnavox and ask when I could get some screws? So I wait, get the Magnavox guy on the line and yes they know the screws are missing, can I hold while he looks for them? I'm starting to think somebody hid them in a desk drawer or something. This is too funny for words, except that they are sucking up my time with this nonsense. He finally comes back, gets my mailing info and says they will send me some, priority mail.

I bought a Vizio plasma back in December, at the store, no problems. This is the first time I have bought a TV sight unseen, so far, not so good and I haven't even started watching it!

So for now the speaker is wired in, balanced underneath the TV. I'm not sure how it looks in HD, as I can't get those channels to work on the Time Warner HD box, and the rep can't figure out a code to make the remote work the TV either. So now I have had the TV for one day, I have spent 1 hour on the phone (30 minutes with Costco & Magnavox and 30 minutes with Time Warner) and I'm expecting a cable repair person on Monday. I'll be sitting around for a few hours waiting for them to show, maybe I'll watch a little TV to pass the time.

I can only hope that this is one of those stories that will be funny in hindsight, after I have a fully functioning TV!

I'm still waiting...

I just got mine delivered the other day and the box made it in one piece. TV did too, and it seems pretty nice thus far, cable box and PS3 are hooked up over HDMI, XBox 360 is connected via VGA (slightly washed out colors though). No bad pixels that I've seen.

I can see what some people are saying regarding the stripe going down the center, as well as if the color temp is set to warm, whites will look a bit yellow. For the price however, it's tough to beat. I'm a big fan of the fact it can push 1080p over component and VGA.

Probably going to end up keeping it but I am kinda tempted to trade up to the Philips that Costco is also carrying. Kind of wondering how they both compare. The Philips has no VGA in however, which is kind of a downer for the 360.

The Costco deal keeps getting extended... I checked the website today and it was running through til August 6th.

I just got mine delivered the other day and the box made it in one piece. TV did too, and it seems pretty nice thus far, cable box and PS3 are hooked up over HDMI, XBox 360 is connected via VGA (slightly washed out colors though). No bad pixels that I've seen.

I can see what some people are saying regarding the stripe going down the center, as well as if the color temp is set to warm, whites will look a bit yellow. For the price however, it's tough to beat. I'm a big fan of the fact it can push 1080p over component and VGA.

Probably going to end up keeping it but I am kinda tempted to trade up to the Philips that Costco is also carrying. Kind of wondering how they both compare. The Philips has no VGA in however, which is kind of a downer for the 360.

The Costco deal keeps getting extended... I checked the website today and it was running through til August 6th.

VGA cables for the 360 are the red green and blue wires? I myself was thinking about the philips costco is selling, I saw it in the store last week hooked up to a blu-ray player but it was only demos but the PQ was very good.
so if I bought that philips set i CAN'T hook up my 360 through the red green and blue wires for HD?
im deciding on the philips, the samsung 40 inch for 1k, or the vizio 42 1080p.

im lenaing more toward the vizio because of the 1080p

Today I ordered this LCD (42MF437B) from costco online. The $200 off sale has been extended until 8/8/07 for anyone still thinking about it.

I've been lurking here reading all the valuable comments before ordering. Thanks to all the contributors.

If anyone comes up with a way to access the service menu, please post it here. I am sure there are other hackers like me who would like to get into this thing.

I'll be using it primarily for HDTV cable from Time Warner, although I plan to hook up a media center PC eventually for online content.

VGA cables for the 360 are the red green and blue wires? I myself was thinking about the philips costco is selling, I saw it in the store last week hooked up to a blu-ray player but it was only demos but the PQ was very good.
so if I bought that philips set i CAN'T hook up my 360 through the red green and blue wires for HD?
im deciding on the philips, the samsung 40 inch for 1k, or the vizio 42 1080p.

im lenaing more toward the vizio because of the 1080pNot sure what Philips model you are talking about, but I connected my xbox360 to my 47" Philips using the component cables and it looks great in HD in 1080i. I switched to a Toshiba HD-DVD player, but it looks pretty much the same to me.

Update for Windose Vista. Simply put, with a nvidia card it really sucks for this Monitor. There are no custom timings available, no reduced blanking, nothing. The highest refresh I can get to work is 30hz by going into the windows advanced display -> adapter tab (any Nvidia panel settings will do this crappy "conpensation for overscan" mode). I'm going to try to edit the nv_disp.inf, but it's all just kinda suck.

In other news, I'm really hating that this TV doesn't have backlight adjustment. Watching it in a dark room with the proper settings for brightness and contrast is seriously burning my retinas not to mention ruining contrast ratio. Computer work is worse because of the tendency towards bright backgrounds. I'm proabably going to return the thing just for that because it's giving me a headache. Goddamn stupid magnavox, how hard is it to just put that in? The panel itself is good but just that ruins it.

Anyone with the visio 42 1080p know if it has the seperate backlight control?

Anyone with the visio 42 1080p know if it has the seperate backlight control?
Sure does if you leave DCR (Dynamic Contrast Ratio) turned OFF - which is the way I run it.

Hi all, I just found this forum and because of the informative post, I'm planning on making the plunge for the Magnavox on Monday. I've been looking around for a 42" Flat screen LCD with 1080P and nothing comes even close to the Costco Price. I presently have a Toshiba CRT HD 61" and am quite happy with it after 6 years of constant use. I would assume the LCD Flat screen will be an improvement and the $1,000 is a joke. Is there any issue with the speakers that come with the TV? Aren't they part of the bottom section of the TV? Thanks all.

By the way, If you get this tv and want to ship it back rather than bringing it back to the store, is there a charge? and what is the procedure?

Call Costco Concierge Services @ 1-866-861-0450, they will tell you how to return it via shipping it back to them.

Hi all, I just found this forum and because of the informative post, I'm planning on making the plunge for the Magnavox on Monday. I've been looking around for a 42" Flat screen LCD with 1080P and nothing comes even close to the Costco Price. I presently have a Toshiba CRT HD 61" and am quite happy with it after 6 years of constant use. I would assume the LCD Flat screen will be an improvement and the $1,000 is a joke. Is there any issue with the speakers that come with the TV? Aren't they part of the bottom section of the TV? Thanks all.

The speakers suck. Bad. Good thing is that it's just spring clips out to the speaker bar so you can use any normal speaker if you're not going to use a receiver.

I found some of the source of my burnt retina problem. I had the dynamic contrast set to high, which exaggerates brights. Turning it off makes it way better.

Update for Windose Vista. Simply put, with a nvidia card it really sucks for this Monitor. There are no custom timings available, no reduced blanking, nothing. The highest refresh I can get to work is 30hz by going into the windows advanced display -> adapter tab (any Nvidia panel settings will do this crappy "conpensation for overscan" mode). I'm going to try to edit the nv_disp.inf, but it's all just kinda suck.

In other news, I'm really hating that this TV doesn't have backlight adjustment. Watching it in a dark room with the proper settings for brightness and contrast is seriously burning my retinas not to mention ruining contrast ratio. Computer work is worse because of the tendency towards bright backgrounds. I'm proabably going to return the thing just for that because it's giving me a headache. Goddamn stupid magnavox, how hard is it to just put that in? The panel itself is good but just that ruins it.

Anyone with the visio 42 1080p know if it has the seperate backlight control?


Same here. Any comments on running the Mag with ATI card? or maybe running it with Linux box instead of Vista if sticking to Nvidia card? Thanks.

VGA cables for the 360 are the red green and blue wires? I myself was thinking about the philips costco is selling, I saw it in the store last week hooked up to a blu-ray player but it was only demos but the PQ was very good.
so if I bought that philips set i CAN'T hook up my 360 through the red green and blue wires for HD?
im deciding on the philips, the samsung 40 inch for 1k, or the vizio 42 1080p.

im lenaing more toward the vizio because of the 1080p

No no, VGA is a higher end mostly PC connection. It's a 15 pin block, and it's got generally better PQ than the component cables (Red/Green/Blue cables).

The Magnavox can do 1080p over both VGA and component, I don't think the Vizio can actually do 1080p over either. The 52" might but not if it's the same engine as the 47" and 42".

I wanted to see the Magnavox is person at Costco, but they didn't have anything other than the Phillips 42PFL7422D/37. It looked fine. Is the Phillips basically the same tv as the Magnavox that is for sale for $999? I wanted to see about the picture quality.

Phillips and Magnavox are two different sets, they have different panels. Phillips is a much better set that why it is much more than Magnavox. Target may carry Magnavox if you like to see one in person.

Phillips and Magnavox are two different sets, they have different panels. Phillips is a much better set that why it is much more than Magnavox. Target may carry Magnavox if you like to see one in person.

The Phillips I saw at Costco looks identical to the web pic of the advertised Magnavox other than the perimeter was a shiney black. Everything else looked the same. I'm going to try to run over to target or anywhere else that carries the Magnavox. It's not a bad idea to see the TV. Does the Magnovox have a USB port and of course the stand as well? I want to hook up to my computer in order to watch netflix pics?

Ok, I've had this tv for now two weeks and at first I was a little unhappy with it. The box arrived pretty beat up and the styrofoam was dented but the tv seemed to be fine. The speakers suck but I just hooked up my old stereo speakers and it sounds great now. The screws for the speakers were in a tiny plastic pouch taped onto the speaker packaging. All of mine had fallen out into the box. I attribute this to poor packaging. I had to fidget with the settings for what seems like forever, but once I did that the picture was great. The dark scenes seems still a little dark but still extremely clear. I toyed with returning the tv but the longer I keep it the more I like it and for the price you can't beat it. I've had no problems at all with funtionality. Unless you are planning on spending over $3k you really can't beat the quality. Also if someone figures out how to hack this thing it would be great to be able to adjust the backlight some.

I just came back from Sears and watched their Magnavox 42" LCD which looks exactly like the model described here. The model was the 42MF337B. I checked all the specs and everything seemed to be the same except for the 1080P. I believe it was 780 or close to it. I checked the speakers they sounded fine, even better than that. The speaker were also 10W each. The picture was bright and flawless. The base was the same and as far as I could tell, it looked exactly like the Costco model. The only number on the model different is the 3 instead of the 4 before the last 37B of the model. What am I missing here? This TV look fantastic! Could they be that completely different? Any imput would be appreciated. I'm ordering the $999 deal tonight. The woman at Cosco said she does not believe the sale will continue but nobody knows for sure. With the 90 days return policy and the 3 year warranty with American Express, it really is a no brainer.

Ok, I've had this tv for now two weeks and at first I was a little unhappy with it. The box arrived pretty beat up and the styrofoam was dented but the tv seemed to be fine.


Unless you are planning on spending over $3k you really can't beat the quality. Also if someone figures out how to hack this thing it would be great to be able to adjust the backlight some.


Magnovox's packing is obviously not designed to withstand the rigors of UPS. :)

Try turning off dynamic contrast control, that's the least offensive setting.

Here's what I set mine to when using computer:

contrast 45
brightness 45
color <-- no worky?

Not necessarily optimized for accurate colors, but easiest on the eyes.

The Phillips I saw at Costco looks identical to the web pic of the advertised Magnavox other than the perimeter was a shiney black. Everything else looked the same. I'm going to try to run over to target or anywhere else that carries the Magnavox. It's not a bad idea to see the TV. Does the Magnovox have a USB port and of course the stand as well? I want to hook up to my computer in order to watch netflix pics?

No stand.

Not sure why you want to hook it up via usb, there's no pr0no stored in the TV. I think you'd want a vga cable or something like that instead.

I just came back from Sears and watched their Magnavox 42" LCD which looks exactly like the model described here. The model was the 42MF337B. I checked all the specs and everything seemed to be the same except for the 1080P. I believe it was 780 or close to it. I checked the speakers they sounded fine, even better than that. The speaker were also 10W each. The picture was bright and flawless. The base was the same and as far as I could tell, it looked exactly like the Costco model. The only number on the model different is the 3 instead of the 4 before the last 37B of the model. What am I missing here? This TV look fantastic! Could they be that completely different? Any imput would be appreciated. I'm ordering the $999 deal tonight. The woman at Cosco said she does not believe the sale will continue but nobody knows for sure. With the 90 days return policy and the 3 year warranty with American Express, it really is a no brainer.


Here's my take on LCD tv's. There are basically two classes, el-cheapo and el-expen$ivo. All the el-cheapo ones like this and the westinghouse or visio are less than idea TV/Monitor solutions. The video contrast isn't quite there, or it's really annoying in some department, or it's missing some relevant feature. But they are cheap, and you pick one that more or less looks ok and live with it for while and chuck it in a couple years when something better comes along. This thing's got 1080p, QAM tuner, and decent inputs. Only sucky part is they forgot to put in a backlight dial so it'll make you blind sooner or later.

The $$$ stuff is better, but at 50-100% more $, you might as well get some hookers and booze w/ that $ cus really, life ain't all about TV, it's at least 1/3 to 1/2 hookers and booze.

Is it true that this TV does not come with the stand shown in the description? I just ordered the tv last night.

Is it true that this TV does not come with the stand shown in the description? I just ordered the tv last night.

Yes it does.

Why was I told a few posts back that it didn't come with a stand? That was kind of strange.. Anyway, I ordered the unit last night. The Magnavox I saw at sears yesterday model # 42MF337B looked pretty damn good to me with lower resolution. I have a 6 year old Toshiba HDTV CRT 61" that plays well so I'm certain this should be somewhat of an improvement.

Boca, Yeah the tv def. comes with the stand. I'm obsessed with the picture on HDTV channels. I just bought the TV for regular channels and it works beyond what I expected. The HDMI cable makes such a huge impact on the picture rather than the cables Time Warner gives you. Obviously the cost was cut on the speaker and remote on this TV which doesn't mean anything. Next purchase is going to be the DVD Upscaler home theater and I will have everything I need.

Why was I told a few posts back that it didn't come with a stand? That was kind of strange.. Anyway, I ordered the unit last night. The Magnavox I saw at sears yesterday model # 42MF337B looked pretty damn good to me with lower resolution. I have a 6 year old Toshiba HDTV CRT 61" that plays well so I'm certain this should be somewhat of an improvement.

Sorry I misunderstood what you mean by "stand". A lot of costco tv's come w/ floor stand, and this ones still requires some kind of tv to floor adapter.

This Magnavox does come with un-installed stand and speakers, ready for wall mount. If you like to have your TV on a table/cabinet then you need to install the stand/feet to the TV.

This Magnavox does come with un-installed stand and speakers, ready for wall mount. If you like to have your TV on a table/cabinet then you need to install the stand/feet to the TV.

Thanks. That is what I thought. I just bought my HDMI cables from monoprice and now I'm good to go!

The promotion has been extended once again to August 10th.

Speaking of Harmony remotes.
I just got a Harmony 720 and can't get it to control my new Magnavox.
Does anyone have a Harmony working with this new Magnavox?

Holey, moley....I think UPS delivered this package via Baghdad! The box was beat to sh*t, holes, tears, scuffs, etc. But, after opening the package and getting it all set up, it works perfectly (go figure) and all the screws where there, so that's a plus!

The picture looks fine to me, even thru just regular DirecTV (they're coming out on Monday to change the dish and receiver to HD, so I'm hopeful the picture gets even better.

As for the speaker - it's a bit tin-e, but not bad considering. My thoughts after a few hours are that it's a decent LCD TV for $1K.

This TV is no longer showing as available on Costco's site. It will show up in search results, but gives a product not available if you click on it.

This TV is no longer showing as available on Costco's site. It will show up in search results, but gives a product not available if you click on it.

Wow, I just made it by ordering it a few days ago. It's on it's way from California. :) :)

Wow, I just made it by ordering it a few days ago. It's on it's way from California. :) :)

You made it by a few days? lol, I only ordered mine last night. 12 more hours and I wouldn't have been able to get it.

You made it by a few days? lol, I only ordered mine last night. 12 more hours and I wouldn't have been able to get it.

Did you get a confirmation that it has been shipped?

As of 11 PM PST they are sold out. :(

Did you get a confirmation that it has been shipped?

No, status is "In Process"

No, status is "In Process"

Make sure you register on Costco.com I had that "in process" going on when I called, but I got an email that it had been shipped at the same time. The website info seems to be the most current.

I saw the exact same Magnavox in 37" at Sams club with 1080P next to a Samsung 37". It was model 37MF437B. The picture was quite clear, but the samsung was brighter. The magnovox just looked a little darker. I wonder if that is an adjustment or the actual unit.

according to philips website.. max computer res supported is 1280x768 60hz

anybody elso with a nyvdia 5500 / 6600 get 1920x1080 60hz
to work on vga or dvi (hdmi adapter) ?

thanks

I saw the exact same Magnavox in 37" at Sams club with 1080P next to a Samsung 37". It was model 37MF437B. The picture was quite clear, but the samsung was brighter. The magnovox just looked a little darker. I wonder if that is an adjustment or the actual unit.

Display models are all set way too bright for home use. Brightness is used to entice people the same way loudness is in speakers (louder sounds "better", almost always). The difference is the samsung has WAY more range of brightness setting at the low end.

Bright is not a good quality measure for LCD tvs since they mostly have problems with not-bright.

according to philips website.. max computer res supported is 1280x768 60hz

anybody elso with a nyvdia 5500 / 6600 get 1920x1080 60hz
to work on vga or dvi (hdmi adapter) ?

thanks

I am, on both. But the Mag is a pain to set up right so it doesn't overscan. Downright impossible on the nVidia in Vista (I only got it to work at 30hz).

Read my posts in this thread for the journey.

Ok, I got the Magnavox yesterday. The UPS guy told me the box was pretty beat up and asked if I wanted it. I guess he didn't want to lift it. I opened it to find a very small dent and scuff on the top of the panel. I fired it up and all was fine. I connected the unit directly to my cable outlet. I have comcast and also have a box for my other 61" Toshiba CRT for HD reception. I am getting ABC,CBS,NBC,FOX, and PBS on the Magnavox in what seems to me to be HD reception. I guess the QAM tuner is doing its job. I have no clue about all the negatives I've read about this TV on this forum, but I'm happy as a lark! The picture is bright and clear on all but the SD stations. The DVD reception is unbelievable and I have an older DVD player with the component cables! By the way, they also forgot the screws for the speakers but are mailing them to me. The speakers are not great but they will do for the time being and I couldn't care less about the small remote. This TV is a great value and I'm very pleased. I would never have paid the extra bucks for the supposely premium brands.

Got my Magnavox from Costco today via UPS.

There's a slightly dark vertical line in the middle of the picture. It's most visible on solid backgrounds - like blue sky or the windows desktop. (see attached pics)

The line seems to be there on all the inputs regardless of resolution (at least the ones I tried.) When watching TV it's only noticeable some of the time, and sometimes you can't tell that it's even there (as you can see from the Leno pic.) On other shows (like Planet Earth) with lots of panoramic shots it's very annoying.

Does anyone have similar problems with their sets? Is it just mine? Will Costco offer me another set (I'm otherwise satisfied), or do I have to take the refund??

ALSO - I've noticed the picture seems to intermittently resize vertically (seen as a small jump) when watching my DVR cable box (Verizon FIOS.) I've set the output to 1080i whereas I used to always use the 720p mode with my previous plasma. So this could be the 1080 out of my cable box and not the TV.

FINALLY - I am otherwise happy with the set - the picture quality is nice for a $1,000 set. Not perfect - but satisfactory. I would really, really, really like to get in the service menu to turn down the backlight. Anyone know how????? Every service code I've tried for Phillips or Magnavox does not seem to work.

Input on the vertical line issue would be appreciated.

I have the same exact problem as this guy. Half of my srceen is darker than the other half! I am not sure to replace it through costco or through magnavox. This is unaceptable. It is noticiable when watching anything.

Also i have a ati 1800xt pro running on vista ( i also have dual boot on xp) and i was wondering how to change the refresh rate so i can do 1080p over hdmi. It looks great over vga...but i want to hook up my 360 through vga so i need that port open. So if u guys can just answer me those 2 questions.

1. Should i send back to Costco or Magnavox for the screen problem?

2. How do I change the refresh rate on my at 1800xt pro on vista or xp to run 1080p over hdmi?

As far as half your screen being darker than the other, that is unacceptable and you should return your tv to Costco. Once in awhile I get a very faint darker line in the middle of the screen when I get a light blue sky. This really doesn't bother me as it is hardly noticeable. The only reason I even notice it is because it was mentioned in this forum. I also get the resizing jump when I change stations and my tv is connected to the cable in the wall jack. My question is this. Is there any adjustment to be made for the distortion in the corners of the screen on auto mode when the camera scans horizontally? I don't get it in widescreen, but widescreen is not always the best format for some shows.

I received mine on Tuesday. After watching Chronicles of Narnia last nite via Comcast OnDemand in 1080i, I notice the corners of my TV are leaking light? especially top left and lower right corners. On complete black scenes, like when the credits are rolling at the end of movie I can see the corners are not very black compare to the rest of the screen.

I can run it on 1080P via HDMI w/ my ATI Radeon X850PT with no problem. I watched the IMAX film "Amazing Caves" in WMVHD 1080p and it looked great. BUT sometimes when I am using my PC through HDMI, then switch to a local TV channel, then switch back to PC. Half of my screen(right side) goes scrambled, I then have to turn off the TV and switch it back on and the problem will be resolved.

Other than these 2 annoying thing, the TV is good enough for me. The black is definetly not as black and the 42" Panasonic 1080i I purchased for my parents, nor is the black better than my cousins 50" Samsung 1080i.

I am still considering returning it...

I will take some pictures of the leaking light and the scamble right side when I get a chance. It's pretty frustrating.

I received mine on Tuesday. After watching Chronicles of Narnia last nite via Comcast OnDemand in 1080i, I notice the corners of my TV are leaking light? especially top left and lower right corners. On complete black scenes, like when the credits are rolling at the end of movie I can see the corners are not very black compare to the rest of the screen.

I can run it on 1080P via HDMI w/ my ATI Radeon X850PT with no problem. I watched the IMAX film "Amazing Caves" in WMVHD 1080p and it looked great. BUT sometimes when I am using my PC through HDMI, then switch to a local TV channel, then switch back to PC. Half of my screen(right side) goes scrambled, I then have to turn off the TV and switch it back on and the problem will be resolved.

Other than these 2 annoying thing, the TV is good enough for me. The black is definetly not as black and the 42" Panasonic 1080i I purchased for my parents, nor is the black better than my cousins 50" Samsung 1080i.

I am still considering returning it...

I will take some pictures of the leaking light and the scamble right side when I get a chance. It's pretty frustrating.


Backlight unevenness sometimes fixes itself, so hold off a few days. But then often it doesn't.

I have the same exact problem as this guy. Half of my srceen is darker than the other half! I am not sure to replace it through costco or through magnavox. This is unaceptable. It is noticiable when watching anything.

Also i have a ati 1800xt pro running on vista ( i also have dual boot on xp) and i was wondering how to change the refresh rate so i can do 1080p over hdmi. It looks great over vga...but i want to hook up my 360 through vga so i need that port open. So if u guys can just answer me those 2 questions.

1. Should i send back to Costco or Magnavox for the screen problem?

2. How do I change the refresh rate on my at 1800xt pro on vista or xp to run 1080p over hdmi?

For 2, the question doesn't really make sense. To run 1080p, you set your resolution to 1920x1080. If the tv overscans, play w/ blanking timings (see my prior posts).

Ok guys so i called up Magnavox about the tv and long story short i am returning it to costco. It sounds like a back light problem.

And AgentHex where did u post about the blanking timings and how do i adjust that with my settings with the ati 1800xt? cuz when i put it at 1920x1080 it over scans like a mother!

THanx guys u guys rock.

Ok guys so i called up Magnavox about the tv and long story short i am returning it to costco. It sounds like a back light problem.

And AgentHex where did u post about the blanking timings and how do i adjust that with my settings with the ati 1800xt? cuz when i put it at 1920x1080 it over scans like a mother!

THanx guys u guys rock.

I also noticed that on some backgrounds half the screen is somewhat darker than the other side. Although I'm not an expert, I have a feeling that this is inherent on all these units as a number of forum members have the same issue. The problem with returning the unit for another is the chance of course to get a damaged unit or one with another issue.

Well I just off the phone with Magnavox with regards to the dark line in the center of screen and they think it might be a bad main signal board. Nevertheless, I will be sending it back to Costco. Do they give you the option to exchange for another one? or is there a refund policy only? Also, isn't there a pretty good chance the next one will have the same problem? Decisions.....Decisions

I was just wondering if many of the problems our members are experiencing now have something to do with the recall that Magnavox had with the mother boards that was mentioned at the early part of this thread?

Did they say anything about the ones from costco[dot]com were needing to be recalled or just the ones to that specific Costco Home store? I'm just curious if all of the tvs in this promotion are going to be doomed from the start or if it was a few bad batches.

This is one of the posts with regards to the problematic mother boards.

I love my 42MF437B. it fit perfectly in me ent center and the picture is really good. my only thing is that when it is OFF, sometimes the power button is backlit red on the unit, and the remote can turn it on... and sometimes the power button is dark, and the remote wont turn it on. I walk up and hit the button it comes right on... is there some setting to have it go off a "standby" status or something ? is this just a quirk? or a serious issue?


I don't really care enough to go through the trouble of taking it back unless this is indicative of something more dire down the road such as a bad power supply or something.

I would love to know if anyone else has noticed this in this model or any others!
thanks!

Yes, my power button does the same thing.

So how do i messing with those timming so i can get 1920 x 1080 over hdmi?

I think hitting off on the remote is like a standby and the remote turns the tv back on. Hitting the actually button on the unit turns it completely off and kills the remote as well, so you have to press the button again to turn it back on.

interesting theory... I will test it. I usually turn the tv off with the directv HD DVR "reciever and tv off" button... not the button on the TV... but it may function the same. I will try turning the TV off with its own remote and see if it reoccurs!

My power up button works fine. Anyone else with the dark line in the center of picture issue?

I think hitting off on the remote is like a standby and the remote turns the tv back on. Hitting the actually button on the unit turns it completely off and kills the remote as well, so you have to press the button again to turn it back on.

This could be the way intended. Wild guess: The set has the 'energy star' icon on the lower left
so it must be because of that feature.
Let the TV turning off completely is a great way to save energy and yourself some money btw. And
it gives the couch potatoes at least a good reason to get up and walk .. sometimes. ;)

Cheers.

Backlight unevenness sometimes fixes itself, so hold off a few days. But then often it doesn't.

Thanks AgentHEX, I notice today that the backlight issue is indeed gone. So it fixed itself! I'm very happy with this TV, except the black level isn't as dark as more expensive one. But for the price it's good enough for me.

Does anyone have an issue with the picture doing sporatic verticle jumps in the automatic format? It gets very annoying. I'm trying the different formats and it seems the the super zoom might be best suitable for most tv watching. Is that verticle jumping normal? Between the dark half of the screen and the verticle jumping I'm getting close to sending it back for an exhcange. I just don't want to get another unit with worse banding that I already have.

Does anyone have an issue with the picture doing sporatic verticle jumps in the automatic format?

It happens to me like 10 sec after switching to one digital channel (just one). But then I found like "widescreen" setting on digitals and "14:9" or something like that on the analog, so no more automatic for me. In 14:9 mode, you can use up/down buttons to move the picture if you need to catch the scrollers.

Ok guys so i called up Magnavox about the tv and long story short i am returning it to costco. It sounds like a back light problem.

And AgentHex where did u post about the blanking timings and how do i adjust that with my settings with the ati 1800xt? cuz when i put it at 1920x1080 it over scans like a mother!

THanx guys u guys rock.

I posted it here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11117403&highlight=blanking#post11117403

Bascially, to work around overscan, you need to trick the TV into thinking the computar's not a TV signal. If you have a nvidia card, you go into the nvidia panel, then custom timings dialog and use CVT reduced blanking setting (you can try others, but this is the simplest). I don't have an ATI card w/ digital out but I would think it's something similar.

edit:

that's for xp. If you've got vista, forget refresh over 30. No custom timings and the controls are busted. The only way I can get around overscan is to set 30hz in the _Windows_ advanced display settings -> adapter tab. Nothing I do in the nvidia controls work. Nvidia finally got hdtv adjustments which'll let you resize the desktop and see the start menu, but it still looks ass because the tv overscans.

DirecTV just installed my HR20 receiver.
The Magnavox looks GREAT!!!
Knocked our socks off!!!
I went to program my HR20 remote to control the TV.
"11254" controls On/Off and volume, but, not Input.
Does anyone know a code that will also enable me to change the Input?

I'm contemplating sending my Magnavox back to Costco due to the banding issues. What are the chances that the replacement unit will not have the same issue with the banding as well as one half of screen being somewhat darker than other? I'm sending away for the benchmark DVD for any future purchases.

How is the heat on the Magnavox? I currently have a 42" Hitachi Plasma 1080i which I absolutley love. Unfortunately, plasmas in general give off a lot of heat. This unit is in my office and heats up the entire room making it very uncomfortable.

I know LCD's give off less heat but can anyone clue me in on this unit on the heat of this unti?

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6475_7-6400401-2.html

The mag seems about average in the heat it gives off. Unfortunately it doesn't have backlight adjustment so you can't turn off one of the sources of heat.

Maybe someone w/ a power meter can see how much difference changing settings makes (like turning down brightness).

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6475_7-6400401-2.html

The mag seems about average in the heat it gives off. Unfortunately it doesn't have backlight adjustment so you can't turn off one of the sources of heat.

Maybe someone w/ a power meter can see how much difference changing settings makes (like turning down brightness).

I have a kil-a-watt meter. I'll let you know the exact numbers later, but I know it saves about 70-80 watts if you set the picture to Power-Saver mode.

I broke down, sadly, and went with this model's sibling of some sort, the Philips 42PFL7432D model. I've got the dark line running through the center and one to the right slightly, which didn't bother me that much but all in all I felt the color and the set in general was mediocre at best. One place this set did shine, however, was XBox 360 over VGA. That I'm definitely going to miss.

To anyone who has returned it, I'm taking it into Costco, and I don't have a reciept but an invoice. Will they accept that or make me ship it back?

Costco knows what you've bought, so I'd think they take it.

I broke down, sadly, and went with this model's sibling of some sort, the Philips 42PFL7432D model. I've got the dark line running through the center and one to the right slightly, which didn't bother me that much but all in all I felt the color and the set in general was mediocre at best. One place this set did shine, however, was XBox 360 over VGA. That I'm definitely going to miss.

To anyone who has returned it, I'm taking it into Costco, and I don't have a reciept but an invoice. Will they accept that or make me ship it back?

If you bought it from Costco.com you can take it directly to the store with your invoice or (order number) and they will give you a complete refund on the spot. I called Costco.com for an exchange on my Magnavox and they told me there are no exchanges, just returns. If I wanted another set I would need to order it again. Of course, I'm not going that route just to get another set for $200 more with the same if not more issues. As I can see, these units all seem to have the center line thing.

If you bought it from Costco.com you can take it directly to the store with your invoice or (order number) and they will give you a complete refund on the spot. I called Costco.com for an exchange on my Magnavox and they told me there are no exchanges, just returns. If I wanted another set I would need to order it again. Of course, I'm not going that route just to get another set for $200 more with the same if not more issues. As I can see, these units all seem to have the center line thing.

One way to do is order another set, if it still is available online, compare two sets side-by-side at home, keep the better set and return the other with new receipt (higher price). This may be immoral way to exchange a defective TV but is there another way ?

One way to do is order another set, if it still is available online, compare two sets side-by-side at home, keep the better set and return the other with new receipt (higher price). This may be immoral way to exchange a defective TV but is there another way ?

Yes, except for one thing. Each shippment might be coupled with the serial number as well which would not allow you to switch tvs. Besides, it still involves the following.....To return either set, you must either go through the trouble of dragging one of the sets back to the store or arranging with UPS to come and pick it up. (Must stay home the entire day for the pickup). It might even be worth it if one of the sets actually was an improvement of the other. After all these posts do any of us really believe the banding issue is not part of all of these Magnavox units?

Here's my experience. Overall I'm happy with it and decided to keep it.

The first unit I received from Costco had a dent in the speaker grill (was packed really well, so wasn't from shipping, must have been in manufacturing), and didn't have a user manual. Costco said there was no way to get just a new speaker or manual (they consider it a defective unit and require a return and separate purchase of a new one). I called Magnavox and they were even less help. There was some story about how it could not be defective since their QA makes sure no units are sent out with dents or missing manuals. Whatever. I ordered a second one from Costco while they were still available and it came with a good speaker and a user manual.

While I have them both I ran them side by side to check the banding issue (one side darker than the other). Both of mine have this, but a little different than other people have reported. On mine the dark area is 6 inches wide from top to bottom, starting in the center and going to the right-center area of the screen. I only notice it on sports events with a green background (football, soccer) when the camera pans from side to side.

Originally I requested a UPS pick up for the return unit, but UPS showed up with just a mailing label to Ozark Electronics in Oklahoma, and couldn't give me a receipt that I was giving them a $1000 TV. So I am just going to drop it off at the local Costco so I can get a receipt saying I get $1000+tax/shipping back.

Like I said, overall I'm happy. Here are its strong points for me:
HDTV looks great
SDTV looks better than my old Sony 32" from the viewing location
Displays my Region 1 NTSC DVDs great through component cables in 480i
Displays my Region 2 PAL DVDs great through component cables in 576i

As I can see, these units all seem to have the center line thing.

Mines perfect, no problems at all. But the rate of problems does seem pretty high...

Mines perfect, no problems at all. But the rate of problems does seem pretty high...

I wish I could say the same. If you don't have the banding (center line thing) you are the exception to the rule. Other than that, I would have no complaints.

I have a small amount of backlight bleed at the top left corner. Everything else looks great (for the price). I do feel a bit lucky, as the local costco is probably more than an hour away so a return wouldn't have been all the convenient, and during shipping I was expecting that to be the outcome...

I went to Costco today to see what my options might be after another 2+ months if I decide to do a return. I looked at the Vizio 42" 1080P and although it looked ok, it didn't seem to have the picture quality of the Magnavox. Of course with the lights and possible adjustments made to the tv, I couldn't make a fair call. I'm sure I could end up trading one problem for another. I've heard a number of negatives for both brands. I agree that the price paid for the Magnavox is great, but I hate to watch tv knowing there are imperfections that I know about planning on showing up whenever I watch Planet Earth or a football game.

I purchased the Mag 42MF437B at the end of July. I had it shipped to my office and when it arrived the box was in poor shape as well as the packaging for the TV itself, but the TV looked okay. I set it up. I have it connected to an HD receiver with regular component cables. When watching regular TV channels the picture quality looks poorer than my old 27" Sanyo CRT TV. HD looks good but not GREAT. There is some blurring around images moving quickly across the screen. When the pic format is in automatic, the screen skips around a lot between shows/commercials/channels. It's really annoying and I've yet to find the magic combo of which type of programming to watch on which picture format. My questions are:

1) For standard TV broadcasts, do CRT's have better picture quality or is my poor picture quality a result of a bargain buy TV or a bad TV?
2) Will HDMI cables really make that much of a difference in terms of picture quality? Both in HD and standard TV broadcasts? (I've heard mixed reviews from friends)
3) Is there anything that I can do in terms of settings to stop the picture from skipping while watching TV or to improve my picture quality?

I have 60 days left to return this and if people keep posting problems re:this TV I may just take it back and trade in for a smaller set with higher quality. I just couldn't pass up 42" of 1080p but if I can't get great picture whats the difference?

My picture is pretty Damn good on my Magnavox. I bought HDMI cables from Monoprice for like $15 which included delivery. I switched them back and forth with the cables you get from the cable company and the HDMI cables were 20 times better. Purchase these cables and give them a shot, makes a huge difference. If you want me to post my settings on here let me know, I'm very impressed with the picture on my tv.

Please post up your settings, I'm buying HDMI cables right now.

Yes, except for one thing. Each shippment might be coupled with the serial number as well which would not allow you to switch tvs. Besides, it still involves the following.....To return either set, you must either go through the trouble of dragging one of the sets back to the store or arranging with UPS to come and pick it up. (Must stay home the entire day for the pickup). It might even be worth it if one of the sets actually was an improvement of the other. After all these posts do any of us really believe the banding issue is not part of all of these Magnavox units?

Mine doesn't have the banding. To a certain extent, most cheapo lcd's right now have similar issues.

I purchased the Mag 42MF437B at the end of July. I had it shipped to my office and when it arrived the box was in poor shape as well as the packaging for the TV itself, but the TV looked okay. I set it up. I have it connected to an HD receiver with regular component cables. When watching regular TV channels the picture quality looks poorer than my old 27" Sanyo CRT TV. HD looks good but not GREAT. There is some blurring around images moving quickly across the screen. When the pic format is in automatic, the screen skips around a lot between shows/commercials/channels. It's really annoying and I've yet to find the magic combo of which type of programming to watch on which picture format. My questions are:

1) For standard TV broadcasts, do CRT's have better picture quality or is my poor picture quality a result of a bargain buy TV or a bad TV?
2) Will HDMI cables really make that much of a difference in terms of picture quality? Both in HD and standard TV broadcasts? (I've heard mixed reviews from friends)
3) Is there anything that I can do in terms of settings to stop the picture from skipping while watching TV or to improve my picture quality?

I have 60 days left to return this and if people keep posting problems re:this TV I may just take it back and trade in for a smaller set with higher quality. I just couldn't pass up 42" of 1080p but if I can't get great picture whats the difference?

CRT will look better since they are designed for the analog signals. HDMI will not make it look that much better than component (if you have component set correctly to HD out). To me, the magnavox looks pretty good for a low buck tv, but then I rarely watch analog channels.

After reading everyones posts I made a decision and picked up the Magnavox. I'm waiting for Comcast to deliver the CableCards required for my Tivo HD so I only have a few comments regarding the television. First off, I've seen SD on HD sets look worse than this. It's definitely tolerable. The demo HD I saw at the store () looked really good.

The only thing I'm not sure about yet are DVDs. I have an older model Sony DVD player from 2002 (model DVP-NS715P) that I have set to 16:9 yet the television, when its on Automatic (for display detection), seems to have problems. It can't decide if it should show the film in Zoom (Widescreen Zoomed... I think) or 16:9 and bounces back and forth. Also, television shows seem to confuse the Automatic detection.

I tested Star Wars Ep. 3 and the opening, when the ship flies by, seemed a little choppy. I tried the DVD player on interlaced and progressive but neither seemed to fix it. The choppiness cleared up shortly after though. Also, in Automatic it fills the screen, but if I choose 16:9 it almost fills the screen but there is a little letterboxing. I assume this is because SW3 was shot in a 2:35:1 ratio.

Finally, I understand what people are talking about now with the Overscan. Has there been any fix yet? Is it possible to do a firmware upgrade on the set somehow?

Still, being my first HD set I can live with the minor flaws especially for the cost.

only way around overscan is to use a non-standard pixel timing

Well I returned my Magnavox last night, I just wasn't happy with it. The main problem I had were vertical stripes on the screen that were only noticeable during panning, being a shade different in color. The most dominant one was in the center but there were smaller ones in addition to it that covered half the width of the panel. It was most noticeable on SD, and least noticeable on HD, but if it was driving me nuts after 1 week there is no way I would be happy with this TV later. I'm a bit jaded on picking up an HDTV after spending some time on this forum, not sure what I plan to do now.

I will try and write down my settings tonite. I'm focused on all of the HD channels, I've ordered as many as you can for Time Warner cable. Your right Agent, you will get a better picture on all of the regular channels with Analog cables, but I generally watch ESPN like a mad man. Most sports that are on are going to be on HD, and when I have people over the HDMI cables make sports look amazing and people say **** all the time that have HD LCD TVs, in which they paid $1500 or more for. I'm not really a big Notre Dame fan, but they are viewing all of their games this season at 1080i. Anyways, if you purchased the HD channel packages I highly recommend using the HDMI cables. Obviously I like to show off my TV to guests when I come over, I'll show them a few ****** channels and then I go here's what the HD channels look like and they are blown away. I'll get my settings up here ASAP and then you guys can let me know what you think.

Well I returned my Magnavox last night, I just wasn't happy with it. The main problem I had were vertical stripes on the screen that were only noticeable during panning, being a shade different in color. The most dominant one was in the center but there were smaller ones in addition to it that covered half the width of the panel. It was most noticeable on SD, and least noticeable on HD, but if it was driving me nuts after 1 week there is no way I would be happy with this TV later. I'm a bit jaded on picking up an HDTV after spending some time on this forum, not sure what I plan to do now.

I have the same exact issue and it too makes watching this unit unacceptable for me in the long run. I'm planning on keeping it for the 90 days anyway until I find something better. I was leaning towards the Philips 42PFL7422D but they are having issues with humming in the standby mode. The Sharp Aquos has the banding as well. I guess I'll just wait and see what's out there and go back to my old CRT until they make an LCD that works with less problems.

Here are the settings that look good for me:

Contrast:60
Brightness:50
Color:60
Sharpness:5
Temp:Warm
Tint:0
Dynamic Contrast:Medium

only way around overscan is to use a non-standard pixel timing

Excuse me ignorance, but how do you do that?

Thanks for the tips. HDMI will be here tomorrow so I'm excited to see difference. Can someone explain what overscan is and, like THUNDERCLAP asked, How do you fix it.

Damn! I just got my HDMI cable and plugged my PS3 in. I put a test image on it and displayed it and it seems to be overscanning (I put a 1920x1080 image on it, but some line colors on the edges, and some lines are not visible). Is there any way to fix this? Stretching the image by just 1 pixel ruins so much quality. What is so difficult about displaying the exact image received?

Has anyone figured out what the small hole with a connector next to HDMI2 is for? I expect it is some kind of debug/ sw update port.

Excuse me ignorance, but how do you do that?

You need to set video timing to something not the normal TV input timing. In the nVidia xp drivers, it's call customize timing. The reducing blanking setting works.

It's usually not possible on non-pc's, tho, since devices with that flexibility are the exception. In Vista, the settings aren't there, and I can only get 30hz output non-overscan by playing with the advance display panel refresh tab (not nvidia drivers).

DirecTV just installed my HR20 receiver.
The Magnavox looks GREAT!!!
Knocked our socks off!!!
I went to program my HR20 remote to control the TV.
"11254" controls On/Off and volume, but, not Input.
Does anyone know a code that will also enable me to change the Input?

I love mine too...& blu-ray discs look awesome. The DTV Magnavox code works to change input for the HR20 remote, but (unfortunately) not with the "TV input" button. Rather if you slide the remote component switch over to "TV", then hit page up / page down it toggles through the inputs like the OE remote. Not seemless, but you don't have to get up and look for the other remote. :)

For the record, I can't find any real issues with this tv. The red light does turn off periodically, but I assumed that was my old lady turning it off by the button on the TV. Will research further as well. No dead pixels or bands running through the center of the screen either.

I watched this forum prior to purchasing and since it was via costcol I finally figured to give it a shot.

I haven't noticed any of the band problems / dark lines mentioned by others. I've had this TV for 3 weeks now and have the tv in a main room where we receive a lot of direct and indirect light. This LCD does well in different light sources and friends with plasma tv's are surprised that a LCD looks this good (expecially a "lower end" unit).

I do have a "screen shaking" problem only on HDTV channels now... seems to only happen at night when the source is AV1 vs. TV. I'm a hdtv neophyte so I'm sure I did something wrong with the inputs when I finally hooked up my dvd player and sound system. Volume isnt the same between tv and av1 so I'm sure it's related.

If anyone has a link / suggestion on what the common causes are for a shaking tv any help would be appreciated... will help me troubleshoot the problem

It's funny how the Magnavox comes on and off the Costco site. If it was available at the stores I would drag mine back and do a switcherenio.

i have been following this thread for a while, i made the plunge and ordered this tv back in july. i guess some people must have gotten a bad set, but i love mine, the picture is amazing, no dead pixels, no banding. i have mine hooked up to verizon fios tv with standard cables and the HD channels look incredible. i cant comment about hooking it up to my computer, i will probably never do that. i have an hdmi cable on the way. very happy with my set. only complaint, the remote is a piece of junk, but i just use the remote that comes with the set top box. i dont even use the supplied speaker. i have a samsung HTIB tx-75 and the sound is awesome.

i have been following this thread for a while, i made the plunge and ordered this tv back in july. i guess some people must have gotten a bad set, but i love mine, the picture is amazing, no dead pixels, no banding. i have mine hooked up to verizon fios tv with standard cables and the HD channels look incredible. i cant comment about hooking it up to my computer, i will probably never do that. i have an hdmi cable on the way. very happy with my set. only complaint, the remote is a piece of junk, but i just use the remote that comes with the set top box. i dont even use the supplied speaker. i have a samsung HTIB tx-75 and the sound is awesome.

You are definitely the exception to the rule if you have received a set without the infamous center line. I would be thrilled with my unit if not for that issue as it is otherwise a good value.

I followed this thread as well andI bought the Magnavox back in July and am completely thrilled. My box came trashed from UPS and everything, but the TV smokes. I love it. I have DirecTV HD and a Philips upconverting home theater. It's as good as I've ever seen or heard. I would buy it again in a heartbeat. Just my .02 :)

*Edit* I also bought the Monoprice HDMI cables. Shortly after I got the Magnavox, I bought a 32" Vizio for another room. Same DirecTV HD, but with a regular Samsung home theater (no upconverting). While the DVD still looked fine, the Philips upconverting looks way better and the DirecTV looks better as well. As for the DirecTV, it could just be the bigger size of the Magnavox. I'm just really pleased with the Magnavox, and would recommend it to anyone.

Incidentally, the Philips version of this is $1,000 at Home Depot right now, and the Philips upconverting home theater is $199 I believe.

Sad. Mine went back to Costco over the weekend. I hand two dark spots off center that when light or white images were displayed, you could see them. I agree with most of you that the picture was by far better than most even double the price. Sucks I got a bad one :(

Now I have a 42" 1080p phillips with some of the worst clouds/flashlighting I have ever seen!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=842732&page=135

I think my 3rd tv will be the charm...:o

Sad. Mine went back to Costco over the weekend. I hand two dark spots off center that when light or white images were displayed, you could see them. I agree with most of you that the picture was by far better than most even double the price. Sucks I got a bad one :(

Now I have a 42" 1080p phillips with some of the worst clouds/flashlighting I have ever seen!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=842732&page=135

I think my 3rd tv will be the charm...:o

Did you get the Philips from Costco ? (42PFL7422D). That was the unit I was planning on exchanging my Magnavox for but am hearing issues with humming in standby mode. I am afraid to be trading off my center line problem for something worse.

I followed this thread as well andI bought the Magnavox back in July and am completely thrilled. My box came trashed from UPS and everything, but the TV smokes. I love it. I have DirecTV HD and a Philips upconverting home theater. It's as good as I've ever seen or heard. I would buy it again in a heartbeat. Just my .02 :)

*Edit* I also bought the Monoprice HDMI cables. Shortly after I got the Magnavox, I bought a 32" Vizio for another room. Same DirecTV HD, but with a regular Samsung home theater (no upconverting). While the DVD still looked fine, the Philips upconverting looks way better and the DirecTV looks better as well. As for the DirecTV, it could just be the bigger size of the Magnavox. I'm just really pleased with the Magnavox, and would recommend it to anyone.

Incidentally, the Philips version of this is $1,000 at Home Depot right now, and the Philips upconverting home theater is $199 I believe.

I am not able to see anything at Home Depot at the price quoted here.

Did you get the Philips from Costco ? (42PFL7422D). That was the unit I was planning on exchanging my Magnavox for but am hearing issues with humming in standby mode. I am afraid to be trading off my center line problem for something worse.

I saw that one, but I decided on the 42pfl7432d at BB because of their "no interest for 3 years on tv's" deal. I want to note that mine has NO humming what so ever, but the picture when black has some major flashlight issues.

Check out the thread on Phillips, I think a firmware upgrade fixed the humming.

hth

I saw that one, but I decided on the 42pfl7432d at BB because of their "no interest for 3 years on tv's" deal. I want to note that mine has NO humming what so ever, but the picture when black has some major flashlight issues.

Check out the thread on Phillips, I think a firmware upgrade fixed the humming.

hth

Flashlightling doesn't bother me all that much as the Magnavox has it as well. It's just the center line thing that drives me crazy. I know about the Philps thread, as I have been following it ever since I got my Magnavox. Thanks anyway.

I am not able to see anything at Home Depot at the price quoted here.


I didn't see it onlline, I saw it when I was in the store. Maybe it's a store only deal, or varies from store to store?

What is "flashlighting"?

What is "flashlighting"?

Flashlighting or clouding is the uneven blotchiness of light on what should be a solid black screen.

Flashlighting or clouding is the uneven blotchiness of light on what should be a solid black screen.

I thought that was what you were talking about. I've noticed that, but it usually happens on older movies? I've not seen it on newer movies.

And I'm watching the Vizio now, and I have to retract what I said earlier...this Vizio has a great picture on HD.

Just finished reading this thread, I got mine back in July and have no complaints about it. I'm running a Linux PVR (HTPC) and I'll try the info I've gleaned from here to get my resolution to 1920x1080. The PC has an Nvidia card, so we'll see if the 60hz problem exists across platforms. Before it was overscanning, had to drop down to 1280x1024.

Still overscans, set the rate in xorg.conf to 30.0 but didn't help.

There's a new version of the driver, NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-100.14.19-pkg2.run; I'll install that and try again.

Here is the xorg.conf file I'm using. It does 1920x1080@48hz. I've been unable to get the 58 and 59 Hz entries working.

Earlier I wrote here saying how the Magnavox was fine and did a great job for the price and I was happy with the cost/quality.

Unfortunately my luck with the Magnavox ran out. Last night for no reason I can tell an entire column of pixels got stuck, so there was this yellow line running down the left/center of the screen, which of course makes the TV pretty useless.

I ran the TV for 24/7 on purpose for three weeks, but no defects showed.

The lucky part is this purchase was from the Costco deal and I still have about 17 days in the 90 day return policy, so the Magnavox was packed up and returned.

One Sunday wasted taking apart the cheap speakers and the stand and trying to stuff everything back in the box.

So, the people who warned about Philips/Magnavox seem to be right.

I didn't expect the best features, the best picture quality, but I did expect a $1000 LCD to last for a few years at least. Pretty disappointed in the quality and how fast this TV broke.

Earlier I wrote here saying how the Magnavox was fine and did a great job for the price and I was happy with the cost/quality.

Unfortunately my luck with the Magnavox ran out. Last night for no reason I can tell an entire column of pixels got stuck, so there was this yellow line running down the left/center of the screen, which of course makes the TV pretty useless.

I ran the TV for 24/7 on purpose for three weeks, but no defects showed.

The lucky part is this purchase was from the Costco deal and I still have about 17 days in the 90 day return policy, so the Magnavox was packed up and returned.

One Sunday wasted taking apart the cheap speakers and the stand and trying to stuff everything back in the box.

So, the people who warned about Philips/Magnavox seem to be right.

I didn't expect the best features, the best picture quality, but I did expect a $1000 LCD to last for a few years at least. Pretty disappointed in the quality and how fast this TV broke.

Thanks for your honest review of your set. One thing good about Costco returns are that it is not necessary to put the set back in the box. You can bring it back with the stand connected sans the packaging and they will gladly refund your money including shipping. Even if my tv holds up for the next month which will bring it to the 90 day mark, I'm planning on returning it as I don't have the confidence in it's reliability.

Great !! I've experimented myself with the ModeLines for serveral hours
but the Nvidia driver for Linux never really seemed to honor those settings.
I've tried exactly what you did, slightly lowering the vertical refresh to i.e. 59 Hz.

( I derived the timing numbers from the Windows 'advanced timing' options. ).

I'll try them out tonight, if it works you made my day..

Regards, Dan.


Here is the xorg.conf file I'm using. It does 1920x1080@48hz. I've been unable to get the 58 and 59 Hz entries working.

Here is the xorg.conf file I'm using. It does 1920x1080@48hz. I've been unable to get the 58 and 59 Hz entries working.

Well, I've got the 59 Hz working as well. Here's what needs to be added to
the Option "ModeValidation" :

Option "ModeValidation" "AllowNon60HzDFPModes,NoEdidMaxPClkCheck,NoVertRefreshCheck,N oHorizSyncCheck,NoDFPNativeResolutionCheck,NoVesaModes,NoEdi dModes,NoXServerModes,NoPredefinedModes"

Also, the 59Hz modeline didn't looked correct, here's my version
ModeLine "1920x1080@59" 146.02 1920 2008 2052 2200 1080 1084 1089 1125 +hsync +vsync

With these changes to above xorg.conf file I was able to get the Magnavox finally
giving up its dreaded overscan under Linux.

-- Dan

Thanks creese, I'll give it a try tonight. :)

Sweet! creese, your xorg.conf file works! Didn't have to try any other refresh rates, the first one works perfectly.

Thanks loads!

Thanks to hugodan3, I finally have 59Hz working. Here is my updated xorg.conf. I left the 48Hz modeline incase someone wants to use it for movies.

Does anyone think it's worth a try to get Philips out to my house to try to find a remedy for the phantom dark line down the center before my Costco 90 day return expires? I would keep the unit if it could be fixed. Where else can I get a 42" 1080P as such a rediculously low price? Is this unrealistic to think it can be fixed?

Best Buy has Westinghouse 42" 1080p LCD HDTV for $990. You can also print out a coupon for another 10% off making it $890.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8386285&type=product&id=1181831586462

http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/en_US/images/external/emailpdf/100107_oct_ese_coupons.pdf

Costco now has the Philips 42" 1080P for $999 as well. It could just be online though, not sure.

The prices are definitely dropping on some of these units.

Costco now has the Philips 42" 1080P for $999 as well. It could just be online though, not sure.

The Philips 42" is not a 1080P. It is a 760P or I would have it sitting in my house today. The 1080P is $1299 at Costco on line.

The Philips 42" is not a 1080P. It is a 760P or I would have it sitting in my house today. The 1080P is $1299 at Costco on line.

I just saw it in the Costco email newsletter and assumed it was the same one. I went back and checked and you are right, it is not 1080P. It does do 1080i though. From what I'm understanding, BluRay is the only thing that can actually do 1080P, so I don't get the hype on 1080P. I don't have a BluRay though LOL!

Is that right though? What does HD-DVD do, 1080i? I haven't purchased either of those yet, as I am waiting to find out which one will prevail. I just have an up-converting Philips Home Theater with the Magnavox TV at the moment. It looks better than anything I've ever seen, so I'm happy for now.

I just saw it in the Costco email newsletter and assumed it was the same one. I went back and checked and you are right, it is not 1080P. It does do 1080i though. From what I'm understanding, BluRay is the only thing that can actually do 1080P, so I don't get the hype on 1080P. I don't have a BluRay though LOL!

Is that right though? What does HD-DVD do, 1080i? I haven't purchased either of those yet, as I am waiting to find out which one will prevail. I just have an up-converting Philips Home Theater with the Magnavox TV at the moment. It looks better than anything I've ever seen, so I'm happy for now.

I have the Philips up-converting DVD player and it does the job.

Well I returned my Magnavox last night, I just wasn't happy with it. The main problem I had were vertical stripes on the screen that were only noticeable during panning, being a shade different in color. The most dominant one was in the center but there were smaller ones in addition to it that covered half the width of the panel. It was most noticeable on SD, and least noticeable on HD, but if it was driving me nuts after 1 week there is no way I would be happy with this TV later. I'm a bit jaded on picking up an HDTV after spending some time on this forum, not sure what I plan to do now.


Sounds like you bought my TV i returned.I had same problems.

>it is not 1080P. It does do 1080i though

That just means that it will play a 1080i signal, but, it down-rezs it to 720p.

I'm waiting 2 more weeks for my 90 days. I'm planning on returning my Magnavox and giving a shot with the Philips 42PFL7422D as they just lowered the price again at Costco. Prices are really starting to come down.

I bought one of these about 2 months ago and within the past few weeks, the TV started to take a long to turn on in the morning (or any extended period of being turned off). When I turn the TV on, the red stand by light will blink about once a second and keep blinking for about 3 to 4 mins, then the TV turns on and everything's fine. It seems like the TV needs to warm up or something before it can turn on...and after it's been on a while, I can turn it on and off with no problems and no blinking light.

Any ideas? I called the Costco concierge and they had me unplug the TV from the surge protector strip and I have it plugged directly into the wall. That didn't change the behavior, so I'm at a loss. I have less than 2 weeks until the 90 day period runs out...do you think I should return the TV and get something else, or is there an easy fix out there somewhere?

I bought one of these about 2 months ago and within the past few weeks, the TV started to take a long to turn on in the morning (or any extended period of being turned off). When I turn the TV on, the red stand by light will blink about once a second and keep blinking for about 3 to 4 mins, then the TV turns on and everything's fine. It seems like the TV needs to warm up or something before it can turn on...and after it's been on a while, I can turn it on and off with no problems and no blinking light.


3-4 minutes for hte TV to start working? I'd return that in a heartbeat.

Are you turning it off with the remote, or the switch on the TV? If you turn it off with the switch on the TV, I think you have to turn it on with that switch. The remote puts it on standby. I don't think that sounds like your problem, but just thought I would throw that out there. I've not had your issue though.

After 90 Days of ownership, I returned my Magnavox to Costco. I couldn't deal with the dark line down the center and that large grey area showing the station, and screen format while changing the stations. I went for the Philips 42PFL7422D and so far have no verticle lines or banding at all. I'm not quite sure if the overall picture quality is quite as sharp as the Magnavox, but I guess there is always some give and take if the unit performs correctly. Returning these units and looking for perfection is getting old for me.

Is the Philips the 1080P?

Can anyone tell me what HD-DVD is? I know Blu-Ray is 1080P, but I"m not sure about HD-DVD.

Is the Philips the 1080P?

Can anyone tell me what HD-DVD is? I know Blu-Ray is 1080P, but I"m not sure about HD-DVD.

Yes, the Philips is 1080P. Blu-Ray is 1080P as well. I have an upconverting DVD player as I don't want to spend the big bucks for a Blu-ray DVD player. The upconverting units are dirt cheap and do a great job. By the way, the Magnavox will be going on sale again in Mid November on Costco.com However, many other midgrade units are dropping in price these days. I bought my Philips for a few dollars more than the Magnavox.

Is the Philips the 1080P?

Can anyone tell me what HD-DVD is? I know Blu-Ray is 1080P, but I"m not sure about HD-DVD.
HD DVD can be 1080p if you want to buy a 1080p player...the lowest priced, which will be the $98 HD-A2 at walmart tomorrow is 1080i, which shouldn't make a difference if your tv deinterlaces correctly...which I think it does...Transformers is in HD DVD...

After 90 Days of ownership, I returned my Magnavox to Costco. I couldn't deal with the dark line down the center and that large grey area showing the station, and screen format while changing the stations. I went for the Philips 42PFL7422D and so far have no verticle lines or banding at all. I'm not quite sure if the overall picture quality is quite as sharp as the Magnavox, but I guess there is always some give and take if the unit performs correctly. Returning these units and looking for perfection is getting old for me.

you were able to return it after the 90 day window?

you were able to return it after the 90 day window?

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I returned it right before the 90 days were up.

I bought a 32" Vizio 720P from Costco after I bought the 42" Magnavox 1080P. I still have a little time before the 90 day window is up, and am thinking of returning it for a little bigger unit that will do 1080P. Any suggestions for maybe a 37" 1080P that is reasonable? I don't want another 42" simply because of the space that it is in.

LG makes a 37" 1080p.
I saw it in the current issue of Consumer Reports.

Thanks for the info. Did it rank ok? Where can you get LG's? Circuit City or Best Buy, I guess?

I couldn't resist picking up one from Costco at 1000 clamshells plus shipping. I fired it up last night and it's looking good. No banding or light leaks but it has one stuck pixel.

I'm setting up a HTPC running Linux and Myth so the problems I've read in this thread should not be an issue (built in scaling, overscan, tuner, picture-in-picture, etc). Basically I needed a large LCD monitor and this fits the bill. I can't wait to see what OpenGL rendering with MPlayer looks like at 1080p.

The only complaint I have so far is that UPS dropped the unit off WITHOUT signature... and left it partially in the rain on my back door. Idiots! Thanks be to the gods that it is shipped in dual containers.

So far it looks like money well spent.

Thanks for all the helpful comments on this board. Cheers!

Hey just be careful of non-adjustable backlight. It's the reason I returned mine since it was just burning my retinas even at the lowest backlight setting (no dynamic contrast range, which is achieved by upping backlight). Cutting contrast/brightness is a crappy solution since it just messes up shadows even worse than an entry level lcd already does. Also be aware that you may have to work around the overscan by default (discussed earlier).

Nice display for $ otherwise tho, good for watching in daylight.

I came really close to buying a second one of these Magnavox 42" 1080P. I can't say enough good things about mine. I did buy a 37" Vizio instead, but the only reason is the space it is in. I initially had the 42" here and it was just a tad too big, otherwise I would have bought another in a heartbeat.

Thanks for the info. Did it rank ok? Where can you get LG's? Circuit City or Best Buy, I guess?


It was rated #1!

I too thought the Magnavox had a great picture. I would have kept it if it weren't for that darker line going down the center on solid light blue and grey backgrounds. It made one side of the screen slightly darker than the other half. For the money, it's still one of the best deals in town.

I bought one of these about 2 months ago and within the past few weeks, the TV started to take a long to turn on in the morning (or any extended period of being turned off). When I turn the TV on, the red stand by light will blink about once a second and keep blinking for about 3 to 4 mins, then the TV turns on and everything's fine. It seems like the TV needs to warm up or something before it can turn on...and after it's been on a while, I can turn it on and off with no problems and no blinking light.

Any ideas? I called the Costco concierge and they had me unplug the TV from the surge protector strip and I have it plugged directly into the wall. That didn't change the behavior, so I'm at a loss. I have less than 2 weeks until the 90 day period runs out...do you think I should return the TV and get something else, or is there an easy fix out there somewhere?

Mine JUST started doing this over the past week and I'm also just over the 90 days. Doh! I suggest returning it while you get the chance!

I too thought the Magnavox had a great picture. I would have kept it if it weren't for that darker line going down the center on solid light blue and grey backgrounds. It made one side of the screen slightly darker than the other half. For the money, it's still one of the best deals in town.

So how does the Philips compare to the Magnavox? Is it the same basic TV? I think I remember reading in this thread that a Philips rep said that it was not the same, but I really can't understand why it would be that different. I know the inputs are a little different, but it looks identical if I remember correctly. How about the picture quality, etc?

So how does the Philips compare to the Magnavox? Is it the same basic TV? I think I remember reading in this thread that a Philips rep said that it was not the same, but I really can't understand why it would be that different. I know the inputs are a little different, but it looks identical if I remember correctly. How about the picture quality, etc?

The Philips is not the same as the Magnavox. Philips is the parent Company, but there are different components as well as the screen. Truthfully, I thought that the Magnavox had a better Picture overall with regards to facial detail etc. However, I find the Philips to have no issues with banding, uneven backgrounds, or lines that shouldn't be there. I'm at the point that I believe there is always going to be a tradeoff with any of the LCDs these days. Sharp has the banding, Sony the flashlighting, Toshiba the green nonsense, Vizio the washed out picture, LG, Panasonic, and Westinghouse have their own quality control issues. All have something. It's a matter of experimentation and returning those units that make you uncomfortable with performance. It is quite difficult to find the perfect compromise. I'm on my 2nd set, and will decide within the 90 day window given by Costco. That is one great thing about Costco.....it gives you plenty of time to decide which in many instances is necessary to make the "right" decision on keeping the unit or not. 30 days (give by most stores) is not enough time for me to decide on such an expensive investment.

Okay... check out today's deal (expires 28th) on the Philips Outlet site for this TV (refurb). WOW. I'm in for two! The reviews have been mixed... but I'll take my chances at this price.

Looks like you weren't the only one to buy two, they are sold out...Got email 10 minutes ago.

go to the phillips outlet online. coupon code CYBEROUTLET

$680 + $30 shipping. not a bad deal at all. altho its refurbished.

Looks like you weren't the only one to buy two, they are sold out...Got email 10 minutes ago.

I kept trying since early this morning and finally got through. The total price ended up being $752 with tax and shipping. Hopefully I'll get a decent set. :)

I tired the "Reduced Blanking" setting for a NVidia card to get 1:1 pixel mapping with no overscan as described earlier in this thread. It worked great, but now I need to hook the TV up to a PC with an ATI card (x1250). I've tried various drivers, but none have a "Reduced Blanking" or "Reduced DVI Frequency" setting so I end up with horrible overscan or underscan. I've tried using Powerstrip, but it has a lot of settings and I don't know what to use. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks.

Nevermind, I gave up and bought a NVidia card (7200GS for $37). Works great, I'll never buy ATI again.

I have this tv and its pretty good... my only complaint is there is a white/grey "haze" in about three spots in the t.v. You can't see it at all when there is a bright display, but, when i'm watching a widescreen movie you can really see it because one of the "haze" spots is at the top left corner (white on black, very obvious) Also, when there is a dark scene it is very noticable, frusterating actually.

Any way to fix this?

Mine JUST started doing this over the past week and I'm also just over the 90 days. Doh! I suggest returning it while you get the chance!

I have the same problem now....i'm going to have to call magnavox and see what they say :mad:

i have a 42MF337B and did a search that led me here. it has been in use for 8 days and we couldnt have been happyer with the picture quality.
3 days ago watched starwars to see how the sound effects from my 5.1 dolby reciver would match watching the 42" screen.
20 minutes in smelled it getting hot. let cool for 2 hr. try and same. cool over night-same. try gone in 69 seconds-takes longer but the smell. try driving miss daisy and watching direct tv and no problems??put a fan under it and allso went away.
called customer care and they said they hav'nt had heard of this.
my question is this-is there a processor that gets hot when you load it down with a lot of fast moving action scencs with a lot of detail.

if i have wandered into the wrong 4M please point my to the correct one
thanks

Nevermind, I gave up and bought a NVidia card (7200GS for $37). Works great, I'll never buy ATI again.

Easy there, I can tell you're gonna be pissed when if you upgrade to vista soon because I don't think their drivers there support the custom modes yet.

Greetings all!

I'm a complete newbie who has been lurking around the boards for a few days trying to research an HD set. So far my head is swiming with info. I thought I was sold on the Vizio VU42LF, but I got an email from Costco touting 2 Magnavox's (42MF437/37 & 26MD357/37) for $1299 ($500 off) and $129 shipping. I think this is a good deal, but would like to hear from the site "experts". Should I pull the trigger on the Magnavox's or stay with the Vizio?

TV will be used mainly for watching TV & xbox 360. Minimal, laptop hookup.

Any help will be appreciated.

Greetings all!

I'm a complete newbie who has been lurking around the boards for a few days trying to research an HD set. So far my head is swiming with info. I thought I was sold on the Vizio VU42LF, but I got an email from Costco touting 2 Magnavox's (42MF437/37 & 26MD357/37) for $1299 ($500 off) and $129 shipping. I think this is a good deal, but would like to hear from the site "experts". Should I pull the trigger on the Magnavox's or stay with the Vizio?

TV will be used mainly for watching TV & xbox 360. Minimal, laptop hookup.

Any help will be appreciated.

Yup, just saw this deal at the costco website, I am wondering the same thing as this guy. BTW, comes out to about 1552 with shipping and handling.

Got the 47" model last week on Costco online, pretty sure I'm sending it back. The backlight brightness has flickered on more than one occasion, I just can't stand the 5-second channel displays, and those lines in the middle of the screen are SO annoying, they just take you completely out of whatever movie experience you were watching.

bumping to get some feedback.

Greetings all!

I'm a complete newbie who has been lurking around the boards for a few days trying to research an HD set. So far my head is swiming with info. I thought I was sold on the Vizio VU42LF, but I got an email from Costco touting 2 Magnavox's (42MF437/37 & 26MD357/37) for $1299 ($500 off) and $129 shipping. I think this is a good deal, but would like to hear from the site "experts". Should I pull the trigger on the Magnavox's or stay with the Vizio?

TV will be used mainly for watching TV & xbox 360. Minimal, laptop hookup.

Any help will be appreciated.

Got the 47" model last week on Costco online, pretty sure I'm sending it back. The backlight brightness has flickered on more than one occasion, I just can't stand the 5-second channel displays, and those lines in the middle of the screen are SO annoying, they just take you completely out of whatever movie experience you were watching.

I returned my unit a few months ago for that center line issue. It's amazing after all this time they still have not fixed the newer sets. What a shame.