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"Bad Cnet Review - Great TV !" on by HDTVbuyer
Pros: Top of the line Picture Quality as good as LCD's twice the price , Great Color Reproduction
Cons: Average Black Level
Summary: This review is way off ! Consumer reports March 06" issue just came in and they reviewed this LCD and it's 26" sibling. They quick picked it as one of their "Best choices among smaller sets". Both the 26" and 32" received ratings placing them at the top of the heap along the big names LCD HDTV's such as Sharp, Sony and Panisonic. In the case of the "26 inch model it is rated directly under them. With the 32" model, only the samsung nudged its way ahead of the Maxent
Also the 26" Maxent was the only 26" inch LCD besides the Sharp Aquos" to get a "very good" ratings in all three of the following ratings, "HD programming" , "DVD playback" , and "Regular TV via high quality Input"
The Cnet review says that you might want to spend a premium to get a closer to home theater experience. They recommend buying a LG 32LX1D. Consumer Reports rated the Maxent 32" as having "very good" HD programming and DVD playback quality. The LG only received a "good" ratings for both marks.
Also the real kicker here is that the Santax 32" (which is just about the same budget price as the Maxent) received a better Cnet score the Maxent did. Consumer Reports begs to differ and it's score does not paint the Santax in a good light compared to the Maxent.
The Cnet article also made a mistake when it said the Maxent has no 2:3 \ 3:2 pulldown, Maxent's tech specs tell a different story.
I checked other sources to see which review was closer to the truth. Since a review by it's very nature, subjective. Other sources such as Home Threater Magazine pretty much tell me the same thing. That is that Cnet dropped the ball on this review and got it all wrong. It is possible that when Cnet reviewed the Maxent LCD that it was in early production and this could be why the TV was not given a fair shake.
I ended up making the purchase and a I can tell you, Consumer Reports was completely correct. Very nice overall picture quality, vibrant colors and HD content looks just amazing. You can go spend the extra money for a Sharp on Sony if you want to but why ? If your buying a tube CRT spending extra for a big name TV is usually worth it but with LCD's that's not always the case. The Maxent (currently $699 at costco) is just about the lowest costing LCD's on the market. it's rare and pleasantly surprising to find a budget TV contending with the big name LCD's twice it's price. -
"Fit my budget and worked as expected!" on by canuckintx
Pros: Price obviously
Cons: Remote control, stand
Summary: This was a total bargain from Costco at only $999. The Philips and Sharp 32" were much more and the Philips didn't even have two component inputs which was important since my Xbox and HD cable box both had to be plugged in. It's not a tv I use a ton and given the review from Cnet, that's all fine but I really don't notice any of the things they say. If you're REALLY into technology obviously you wouldn't even be looking at this tv, but if you just want your first flat panel that looks great with Hi Def you can't go wrong with this tv. I figure in 2-3 years i could throw this away and by then the prices on higher end sets will have come down so far that the cost of this one will be more than paid for.
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"inaccurate review, yes...but overrated i feel" on by Phantom130
Pros: got what we paid for
Cons: TV lasted maybe 18 months, very very very poor Maxent customer service
Summary: TV was purchased in 2006 , for still a high price as was prior to LCD price drop.
A little over 1 year after purchase, black vertical line appeared on left side of picture, followed by another one about 1 month later. TV service shop had no luck receiving any response from manufacturer, which we felt was them just yanking our chain, however after numerous attempts we were also unable to get any reply.
TV is now totally useless with two very dark lines on left side of TV and a bunch a red pixels throughout picture. Will be replacing as is totally useless now, $1000 down the drain for a TV that lasted basically 1 year.
I guess you do get what you pay for, will be purchasing brand name to replace. -
"This LCD television is pretty perfect!" on by newyork314
Pros: Very affordable, excellent HD, wide assortment of inputs
Cons: None, really!
Summary: This television is everything plus more for a price of around $1000. When I saw it at the store being compared to other more expensive brand-name LCDs, I wasn't able to see any differences in picture quality. It was even better than some of the others! I don't really notice anything that CNET stated, but I suppose that if you are a high-tech junkie then you'll want something higher up on the specification-ladder. I think that satisfaction comes from viewing with the naked eye, not comparing numbers. Anyhow, I highly recommend this LCD tv. It's fantastic!
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"PIXELS GO OUT...........TV DOES NOT LAST LONG!!!!!!!!!!" on by S3COND_CHANC3
Pros: TV SUCKS........................................
Cons: PICYURE IS....OK
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