Entered CNET Catalog: 09/13/2005
SKU: MX-42X3
Manufacturer: RegentUSA (Maxent)
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Manufacturer description
The MX-42X3 monitor does not have an NTSC broadcast tuner. The product will not accept a connection directly from a coax connector. A connection directly from an antenna or from a cable provider contains information that the monitor will not understand. You will need to "translate" this information by suing an external device. Most VCRs have this ability.Product summary
The good: Inexpensive for a plasma; relatively deep blacks help achieve a high contrast ratio; accurate color decoding; video processing includes 2:3 pull-down.
The bad: Some visible false contouring artifacts occur just above black; lacks an HDTV tuner and a CableCard slot.
The bottom line: In its MX-42X3, Maxent has assembled a bargain 42-inch plasma that performs quite well compared to the higher-priced competition.
Average user rating: from 18 users
3.0 stars
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 10/28/2005
The remote is fairly well laid out, and the most common function buttons such as volume and channel are easy to access by thumb. Behind a slide-down cover, we found dedicated buttons for each input; a nice bonus but not ideal for easy access. Unfortunately, the remote is not backlit or illuminated in any way. The Maxent MX-42X3's internal menu system or GUI, for graphical user interface, is straightforward and easy to navigate, although we exited it unintentionally on a few occasions due to a poorly placed menu key. With a native resolution of 1,024x768, the Maxent MX-42X3 qualifies as a high-resolution 42-inch plasma; it has the same number of pixels as most other plasmas of its size and will display more detail with HDTV and computer sources than EDTV models (more info). All sources, including high-def, computers, DVD, and standard TV, are scaled to fit the pixels.
Since it lacks an HDTV tuner, the MX-42X3 is technically an HDTV monitor. It's also not Digital Cable Ready, so you'll need to use an external tuner such as a cable or satellite box to watch TV or HDTV on the MX-42X3.
The Maxent MX-42X3 does include a few picture-affecting features. Selectable picture modes, namely Vivid, Standard, Cinema, and User, all have different picture presets for contrast brightness, and so on; and the User setting is different for each input, providing the set with color-temperature options, Cool, Natural, and Warm, each result in different grayscales. The panel also includes horizontal and vertical size and position controls, similar to a computer monitor, but we didn't find them all that useful. They only affect the image with component-video and computer sources and don't work properly even then; for example, the right side of the image expanded disproportionately when we tested the horizontal-size control.
The Maxent MX-42X3's aspect-ratio controls are similarly hobbled; while we liked having five choices for use with 480i sources such as standard TV, we didn't appreciate being limited to just 4:3, which places black bars to either side of a 4:3 image; and 16:9, which fills the screen with native wide-screen images, for 480p and HDTV resolutions. That's annoying because, for example, you can't expand nonanamorphic letterboxed DVDs from a progressive-scan player to fill the screen. Other than a few audio options and onboard speakers with a 10-watt internal amplifier, that's all there is to the feature package.
The connectivity options on the Maxent MX-42X3 are adequate if not overly generous. There is one HDMI input with HDCP copy protection for use with HDTV sources, two component-video inputs, two A/V inputs with either S-Video or composite, one VGA input, one VGA output, and a subwoofer jack. Custom installers will appreciate the inclusion of an RS-232 port for control-panel programming. Overall, we were happy with the picture that the Maxent MX-42X3 produced. Its out-of-the box color temperature was rather accurate, and after calibration, we saw that blacks were deeper and richer than many other plasmas we've tested, which really helps it produce a better-looking home-theater image.
We did see two problems, however. The MX-42X3 tends to float blacks, meaning that black areas became brighter when other areas of the screen increased in brightness--this contributed to its Poor score under DC Restoration in the Geek Box (see below). Also, in the opening scene of Alien: The Director's Cut, we saw a few false contouring artifacts. We often see these artifacts in a variety of areas just above black and sometimes even in relatively bright scenes--people's faces, for example--but thankfully, they were visible only in the very darkest scenes on the Maxent. Conversely, bright scenes from the awesome Vertical Limit Superbit DVD looked really solid, with excellent detail and snap to the picture.
The color decoding is relatively good as far as plasmas go, with only a hint of red push, so we had to back the color control down, resulting in slightly less than full saturation. The Maxent MX-42X3's actual primary colors measured closer to the HDTV standard than many plasma panels we've tested. Red is a little on the orange side but still more accurate than most, green is the biggest offender in that it measured yellowish, and blue is very close to accurate. The reason manufacturers choose inaccurate phosphors, which create color in plasmas, is twofold. Accurate phosphors are often more expensive, and sometimes accuracy is sacrificed for more brightness. For example, a yellowish green is much brighter than the green that will make football fields look natural.
The Maxent MX-42X3's video processing was clean and smooth. It definitely incorporates the all-important 2:3 pull-down detection for the elimination of motion artifacts with film-based material such as prime-time TV on cable, satellite, or antenna. We verified this by running the DVD player interlaced and watching the opening scene of Star Trek: Insurrection, which was rendered smoothly and cleanly with no visible motion artifacts.
HDTV sources looked fine with excellent color saturation and natural skin tone rendition. HDNet aired a movie preview program that looked really snappy with good detail. Dark concert footage on HDNet revealed excellent shadow detail and looked clean and smooth. Note that we were using the HDMI input with our HDTV source set to 720p resolution, but when we switched to 1080i, the picture immediately lost some sharpness. Test patterns from our Sencore signal generator confirmed that the Maxent severely truncates the resolution on 1080i sources via HDMI, so you should set your HD receiver to 720p output.
Although HDTV looked sharp and detailed, the Maxent MX-42X3 won't look as sharp as a larger, 50-inch plasma with 1,280x768 resolution or better, but that is to be expected. For true HD resolution in a plasma panel, be prepared to go bigger and spend more money.
Geek box
| TEST | RESULT | SCORE |
| Before color temp (20/80) | 6,350/6,275K | Good |
| After color temp (20/80) | 7,350/6,600K | Poor |
| Before grayscale variation | +/- 452K | Good |
| After grayscale variation | +/- 158K | Average |
| Overscan | 2 percent | Good |
| DC restoration | No stable pattern | Poor |
| 2:3 pull-down, 24fps | Yes | Good |
| Defeatable edge enhancement | Yes | Good |
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 User Rating:
0.5 stars
out of 18 user reviews
No support and short life expectancy
Pros: it worked nice the first year
Cons: Apparently Maxent is the new Muntz of this century. Products are built to only last about 18-24 months
Review: Any company who sells a high dollar product like a 42" TV should be run out of business for making them so cheap they won't last much beyond the warranty. (Not just my experience here, check around) DO NOT BUY MAXENT
User Rating:
1.0 stars
out of 18 user reviews
Total waste of money, OK picture but overheats.
Pros: The initial picure is ok
Cons: TV overheats causing distorted picture. Customer service won't help. When I can afford to get a vizio this piece of junk will be in the dumpster.
Review: DO NOT BUY MAXENT GARBAGE! Unless you feel like flushing $1000 down the toilet. I have to run a window fan behind the tv to help cool it. If the air temp in my house gets over 75 then this is no longer effective. It's on a stand, not a wall mount so mthere is plenty of air circulation. Do yourself a favor and avoid this junk brand at all costs.
User Rating:
1.5 stars
out of 18 user reviews
no support
Pros: cheap (was)
Cons: no support for remotes
Review: Maxent lives in a fishbowl. nobody has codes for universal remotes and maxent remote won't work with other accessories, making tabletop clutter
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 18 user reviews
Great Plasma tv
Pros: Picture Quality for the plasma is great
Cons: No tuner if you don't have cable
Review: Just bought a brand new maxent and I love the picture quality on it especially when watching my espn and sports. Im a huge sports fan and watching any sports on this tv is like you are there.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 18 user reviews
Who ever heard of Maxent?
Pros: picture, many inputs
Cons: only one HDMI, some red noise
Review: This plasma stacks up with the more expensive brands of time same size. I have had it for 1.5 years with no issues. The picture is very crisp & with some tuning really looks great even during the day.
User Rating:
0.5 stars
out of 18 user reviews
DOA! Right out of the box.
Pros: Great at doing nothing.
Cons: Dead out of the box
Review: I guess I'm dumb for buying a product that I already knew had issues. A friend of mine bought the newer Maxent MX-42XM11 brand-new from Best Buy, and it was DOA out of the box. He ended up buying the floor model, as they were out of stock on new ones.
So, I should have taken that as a sign to steer clear of Maxent products. But I read the reviews here, and the favorable reviews on avsforum.com and figured I would pick up a (refurbished) MX-42X3 from tigerdirect.com at a very reasonable price of $1499.
What a surprise! It's dead out of the box. The power transformer makes an unhappy 'click' noise (which I am going to call the Maxent "click of death" and hope it catches on), and will not display any video sources or even the on-screen menus for changing inputs, etc.
I'm willing to give any manufacturer a little leeway with DOA's, but two DOA products within 2 months from the same manufacturer spells trouble to me. I know thats not a huge sampling of product, but its enough for me. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this company unless you like buying expensive paperweights.
So, I should have taken that as a sign to steer clear of Maxent products. But I read the reviews here, and the favorable reviews on avsforum.com and figured I would pick up a (refurbished) MX-42X3 from tigerdirect.com at a very reasonable price of $1499.
What a surprise! It's dead out of the box. The power transformer makes an unhappy 'click' noise (which I am going to call the Maxent "click of death" and hope it catches on), and will not display any video sources or even the on-screen menus for changing inputs, etc.
I'm willing to give any manufacturer a little leeway with DOA's, but two DOA products within 2 months from the same manufacturer spells trouble to me. I know thats not a huge sampling of product, but its enough for me. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this company unless you like buying expensive paperweights.
Updated
Ok, well I was a little emotional in my first review due to the fact that my MX42X3 was DOA. I got Maxent to replace it with another one and it has been an excellent performing plasma for me. If I could re-score it I would give it a 9. Sorry for dragging the rating down with my emotional response.
Ok, well I was a little emotional in my first review due to the fact that my MX42X3 was DOA. I got Maxent to replace it with another one and it has been an excellent performing plasma for me. If I could re-score it I would give it a 9. Sorry for dragging the rating down with my emotional response.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 18 user reviews
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! Brilliant picture Sharp as a Panny
Pros: Sharp picture, Blacks , colors espec on DVD`s
Cons: My Moxi HD remote cant control this bad boy
Review: I went thru 5 sets. I went to BB, CC, Frys and finally costco to find the right set. I bought the Samsung 4232(twice), Panny 42pd50,Panny 43 LCD and returned them all till this 1. I read that this set had the Panny 42PX50/u panels and Hw. I searched everywhere for this set. I wasnt dissapointed. DVD`s look Incredible. Blacks look dark and when mixed with color . I could not belive it. I really was about to give up on Plasma all together.Samsung set was nice on color but coulnt hold a dark scene if its life depended on it.The Panny 42pd50/u was too green on thier dark scenes, I wasnt going to goto the 3 k sets and above like the Pan 42px50u to get what I want. I was in the sub 2k catergory. I scored witht this set. TY costco. get it fast cuz when I saw there were 5 of these newly stocked.I came back the next day and I bought the last 1. I heard now maxent other hd sets have the LG hw and panel..not good.
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 18 user reviews
OK for the price.
Pros: Not Available
Cons: Not Available
Review: At the time of this review, I've had this model for 4 months. I'm using HD cable service and the picture does indeed look very sharp, natural and clean. HOWEVER, in dark scenes and dark shots, the video processing in those areas is very poor. It results in a solarize or posterization effect. Also for the first time, I am NOW SEEING A SLIGHT SCREEN BURN-IN on the screen. Burn in has become the biggest downside of plasmas technology. Even with the cable box set to display gray bars along the side, I can now see a thin vertical line where those bars meet the edge of the video itself. It is most noticeable when watching a high definition channel with a white background such as snow or ice skating. The burn-in can even be seen from the ESPN HD channels, vertical bars which contain a series of thin light gray vertical lines. The last problem with this set is its picture when using the HDMI connection - HORRIBLE! The colors are very unnatural even after making menu adjustments. The picture also looks slightly soft through the HDMI. In fact, the component connection looks 100% better. I will be returning this set primarily due to the burn-in. I will switch to a LCD flat panel set which, by the way, has no burn in issues. Remember this - it says a lot that a company like Sony would be bold enough to stop making plasmas in favor of LCD flat panel!
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 18 user reviews
By far one of the best 42" plasma bargains out there
Pros: Great picture and black level, discrete buttons for all inputs and power, ample amount of inputs, HD content looks outstanding
Cons: Audio level not the greatest, major red push on HDMI connection, occasional shifting black levels, SD material very watchable but not the greatest
Review: Oh my gosh, where do I begin?? I have been looking for a 50" plasma for well over the past 6 months. I have posts here all over cNet on which one to get, and I have posts all over avsforum.com trying to ask other people which one to get. For the longest time, I was hooked on getting either a Toshiba, Pioneer, or Panasonic plasma set--in a 50" size. From a size standpoint, my wife talked me in to looking at 42" models first and then returning the set if it ended up being too small. Bottom line, I ended up looking for a 42" model for now.
This was my very first HD TV set purchase, so I wanted to get something very nice. Thus, the reasons for looking at the above 3 mentioned brands. But after hearing all of the talk about impending 1080p plasmas coming to mainstream America in the next year to two years, I wasn't sure I would want to spend the kind of money involved to get one of the above 3 models and then have it be, well, not obsolete, but be somewhat "outdated" if and when 1080p were to be here in the not-so-far-off future. I know 1080p is already here in DLP and some LCD sets, but I wanted a plasma based on the size of my living room. So, all of the above reasons, combined with my desire to have HD in my home pushed me to look elsewhere. So, I began combing through the AV forums to find out some cheaper alternatives.
To make a really long story a little shorter, after much reviews and many nights reading up on this set, I decided it was going to be the best available option for a 42" plasma HDTV. The one thing some people know about but many others don't is that this TV uses all of the same panel parts and processors that Panasonic is using in their current models, such as the 42px50u. So to be able to pick up this set, which is essentially a Panasonic, at a Costco with their outstanding price on it ($1799) and outstanding return policy, it was really a no brainer on picking up this set.
First and foremost, every TV purchase out there needs to be based 95% on one thing and one thing only--picture quality. Because if your TV looks like crap after you get it up and going, it won't matter how many HDMI inputs you have, or how cool your memory card reader is, or how neat it is that your speakers can be unhooked from your plasma, or how cool it is that your TV has a separate media receiver. NONE of it will matter at all if in the end your oicture is still garbage. That all said, PQ on this set is very, very nice. It is not perfect by any stretch, but it also not nearly as bad as some other plasma TVs I have seen before.
HD PQ is simply outstanding. Football over the last two weeks I have owned this set has been totally awesome to watch. Discover HD, ESPN HD, INHD 1 & 2, have ALL looked nothing short of stunning. As I mentioned in my "cons", there has been some shifting black levels--even on the HD channels. But I'm not so sure that it wasn't my cable co's problem as it was my TV. The INHD 1 & 2 along with HDnet channels are the only HD channels that I have noticed this on--and trust me, I've been looking!! None of the other HD channels (including my local HD stations) have this problem. But the colors, black levels, bright whites all look awesome on this set on the HD channels.
SD material, as expected, is noticeably worse than HD, but not nearly to the point that it isn't watchable. I didn't really care for, though, the way some of the SD channels were looking, so I went out and bought Avia's Guide to Home Theater to better calibrate my set. WOW!! By far the best 30 bucks I have spent this year. It dramatically improved SD material and slightly improved my HD channels. My local cable co.--Time Warner--is in the process of making all of their channels on their boxes an all digital signal. So basic, low bandwith channels, like, say, HSN, CNN, Nick, Cartoon Network, etc. all look above average, especially after calibrating my TV. And some of the higher channel numbers, like food TV, HGTV, National Geographic, etc. all look near HD in quality. Very bright, crisp images with little to no pixelation, artifacting, etc. Again, very watchable SD. Much more enjoyable after using Avia's DVD.
The HDMI input, which I initially tried with my HD box, had such a hard red push that I was either going to have to upgrade my firmware OR use another input. Again, being my first HD set, the last thing I wanted to do was to go into the guts of my near $2000 purchase and start screweing around with the factory settings!! So I switched to component cables instead and have been totally satisfied.
The black level shifting and the audio are the only two ther things that are "wrong" with this TV. As far as the black levels go, it, IMHO, does not take away from the viewing pleasure. If it did, then I would have taken it back 2 weeks ago after I bought it. But I feel it's fairly easy to live with. And the audio, well, it's at least some sound! It isn't 6.1 Dolby digital sound, but for watching regular TV, it beats having to fire up the surround sound to watch the news or whatever.
So there it is. ALL of the above reasons to own it or not to own it. For $1910 out the door from Costco with their great return policy and to have essentially a Panasonic plasma sitting in my living room, I simply put could not be happier. Well, I could. I could have the Pioneer Elite I REALLY wanted to get. But I'd be out well over twice what I paid for this set. But for my first plasma purchase, I could not have made a better decision. If you can still find one of these sets--either the 42" version from Costco or the 50" version from Best Buy--I would pick it up in a heartbeat if I were still in the market for a HD plasma.
-Scott
This was my very first HD TV set purchase, so I wanted to get something very nice. Thus, the reasons for looking at the above 3 mentioned brands. But after hearing all of the talk about impending 1080p plasmas coming to mainstream America in the next year to two years, I wasn't sure I would want to spend the kind of money involved to get one of the above 3 models and then have it be, well, not obsolete, but be somewhat "outdated" if and when 1080p were to be here in the not-so-far-off future. I know 1080p is already here in DLP and some LCD sets, but I wanted a plasma based on the size of my living room. So, all of the above reasons, combined with my desire to have HD in my home pushed me to look elsewhere. So, I began combing through the AV forums to find out some cheaper alternatives.
To make a really long story a little shorter, after much reviews and many nights reading up on this set, I decided it was going to be the best available option for a 42" plasma HDTV. The one thing some people know about but many others don't is that this TV uses all of the same panel parts and processors that Panasonic is using in their current models, such as the 42px50u. So to be able to pick up this set, which is essentially a Panasonic, at a Costco with their outstanding price on it ($1799) and outstanding return policy, it was really a no brainer on picking up this set.
First and foremost, every TV purchase out there needs to be based 95% on one thing and one thing only--picture quality. Because if your TV looks like crap after you get it up and going, it won't matter how many HDMI inputs you have, or how cool your memory card reader is, or how neat it is that your speakers can be unhooked from your plasma, or how cool it is that your TV has a separate media receiver. NONE of it will matter at all if in the end your oicture is still garbage. That all said, PQ on this set is very, very nice. It is not perfect by any stretch, but it also not nearly as bad as some other plasma TVs I have seen before.
HD PQ is simply outstanding. Football over the last two weeks I have owned this set has been totally awesome to watch. Discover HD, ESPN HD, INHD 1 & 2, have ALL looked nothing short of stunning. As I mentioned in my "cons", there has been some shifting black levels--even on the HD channels. But I'm not so sure that it wasn't my cable co's problem as it was my TV. The INHD 1 & 2 along with HDnet channels are the only HD channels that I have noticed this on--and trust me, I've been looking!! None of the other HD channels (including my local HD stations) have this problem. But the colors, black levels, bright whites all look awesome on this set on the HD channels.
SD material, as expected, is noticeably worse than HD, but not nearly to the point that it isn't watchable. I didn't really care for, though, the way some of the SD channels were looking, so I went out and bought Avia's Guide to Home Theater to better calibrate my set. WOW!! By far the best 30 bucks I have spent this year. It dramatically improved SD material and slightly improved my HD channels. My local cable co.--Time Warner--is in the process of making all of their channels on their boxes an all digital signal. So basic, low bandwith channels, like, say, HSN, CNN, Nick, Cartoon Network, etc. all look above average, especially after calibrating my TV. And some of the higher channel numbers, like food TV, HGTV, National Geographic, etc. all look near HD in quality. Very bright, crisp images with little to no pixelation, artifacting, etc. Again, very watchable SD. Much more enjoyable after using Avia's DVD.
The HDMI input, which I initially tried with my HD box, had such a hard red push that I was either going to have to upgrade my firmware OR use another input. Again, being my first HD set, the last thing I wanted to do was to go into the guts of my near $2000 purchase and start screweing around with the factory settings!! So I switched to component cables instead and have been totally satisfied.
The black level shifting and the audio are the only two ther things that are "wrong" with this TV. As far as the black levels go, it, IMHO, does not take away from the viewing pleasure. If it did, then I would have taken it back 2 weeks ago after I bought it. But I feel it's fairly easy to live with. And the audio, well, it's at least some sound! It isn't 6.1 Dolby digital sound, but for watching regular TV, it beats having to fire up the surround sound to watch the news or whatever.
So there it is. ALL of the above reasons to own it or not to own it. For $1910 out the door from Costco with their great return policy and to have essentially a Panasonic plasma sitting in my living room, I simply put could not be happier. Well, I could. I could have the Pioneer Elite I REALLY wanted to get. But I'd be out well over twice what I paid for this set. But for my first plasma purchase, I could not have made a better decision. If you can still find one of these sets--either the 42" version from Costco or the 50" version from Best Buy--I would pick it up in a heartbeat if I were still in the market for a HD plasma.
-Scott
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 18 user reviews
Great Buy!!!
Pros: Great picture, price, CostCo's return policy
Cons: None that I can think of.
Review: This panel is not a Samsung as some noobs think. It is in fact a Panny, the main boards have Matsushita all of them which is Panny's parent company. The picture is great, has a nice assortment of inputs. Maxent has great support as it took them 2 days to get me a CD containing firmware for the set. I have not complaints.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 18 user reviews
Best 42" HD plasma bargain on the market.
Pros: Picture quality, price, build quality, Costco return policy
Cons: Good luck finding one now - sold out!
Review: You cannot find a better 42" plasma HD for the price on the market today. This set features a Panasonic panel and circuit boards (look thru the grill on the back of the TV for the Matsushita logo as they are the Panasonic parent company). This means you are getting the best picture quality on the market in a Maxent shell for $1,000 less! I couldn't be happier with the set and enjoy endless hours watching sports and movies in HD. I used to watch HD on a 32" Sony Wega and this set blows it away.
The only problem is that Maxent recently discontinued the X3 because of a shortage on Panasonic panels (they cannot meet the demand for their own sets) and are now selling the XM11 which features an LG panel and no HDMI input. So if you can find one of these grab it, you'll be happy you did.
The only problem is that Maxent recently discontinued the X3 because of a shortage on Panasonic panels (they cannot meet the demand for their own sets) and are now selling the XM11 which features an LG panel and no HDMI input. So if you can find one of these grab it, you'll be happy you did.
User Rating:
0.5 stars
out of 18 user reviews
Maxent are the worst Plasma by far
Pros: Inexpensive
Cons: Bad image quality. Bad processing speed
Review: I have been to MANY electronic retailers and EVERY Maxent I have seen has been below quality. Also every person that has ever read or knows anything about the Maxent agrees that is a poor quality TV. I would rather spend the extra few hundred dollars and get a Samsung.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 18 user reviews
Excellent Plasma for the price
Pros: Easy Set Up. Discrete Values for IR controls. Solid picture in 720p format
Cons: No tuner. Difficult to find IR codes in Direct TV remote.
Review: Overall this TV is a very good price for the performance. One of the dings that it gets is for functionality of the remote. I happen to run my whole system on a Programmable Remote (Philips), and by having the discrete codes available from the Maxent remote is actually a bonus. It saves a great deal of time from hunting down codes, or attempting to reconfigure. I would happily buy another Maxent product, and given the Costco return policy, would make it the product of choice.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 18 user reviews
Great Bang for the Buck
Pros: PQ, Features, Cosmetics, ease of use, Costcos return policy
Cons: Cannot adjust aspect ratios on HDMI/Compnent input
Review: Why Cnet would give this a 6 rating is beyond me. This is essentially the same TV as the Panasonic TH-42Px50! It uses the same parts OEM from Panasonic and has the same features minus the tuner. it has an RGB input.
It costs $600 less then the Panasonic and at Costco you have an unlimited return policy.
The display looks great. You can save input adjustments per input. It has a serial port to upload firmware and make calibration adjutments as well as an RGB port for computer input. I cannot say enough about the PQ. At less then 40% on all color adjustments it looks great. You do not need to turn up the brightness and contrast to get realistic looking colors. Not the neon looking colors you see ONLY on a TV, real muted real life colors.
The black bezel is a nice touch over the usual all sivler plastic models in thos category and is NOT wavy like some other lower priced Plasmas and makes the TV screen look bigger then it is. i like the side speakers as the width hides the mount more.
Set up is very easy and understandable. Adjustments are also very easy to make.
In short the ONLY reason I do not give this a BAng for the Buck 10 is no tuner. Phillips makes a like plasma in this price range with a tuner...but its all silver.
It costs $600 less then the Panasonic and at Costco you have an unlimited return policy.
The display looks great. You can save input adjustments per input. It has a serial port to upload firmware and make calibration adjutments as well as an RGB port for computer input. I cannot say enough about the PQ. At less then 40% on all color adjustments it looks great. You do not need to turn up the brightness and contrast to get realistic looking colors. Not the neon looking colors you see ONLY on a TV, real muted real life colors.
The black bezel is a nice touch over the usual all sivler plastic models in thos category and is NOT wavy like some other lower priced Plasmas and makes the TV screen look bigger then it is. i like the side speakers as the width hides the mount more.
Set up is very easy and understandable. Adjustments are also very easy to make.
In short the ONLY reason I do not give this a BAng for the Buck 10 is no tuner. Phillips makes a like plasma in this price range with a tuner...but its all silver.
Updated
BTW this is NOT a Samsung product. It clearly uses Panasonic parts as printed on the glass and boards.
BTW this is NOT a Samsung product. It clearly uses Panasonic parts as printed on the glass and boards.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 18 user reviews
FANTASTIC picture, AWESOME design.
Pros: Cost, Picture Quality, Ease of Installation.
Cons: Sound (bellow average speakers)
Review: I did lots of reserach before buying this plamsa, and without a doubt, this is the BEST product in the 42" category, specially if you buy it at Costco (you can take it back any time for any reason if something goes wrong, no need for extended warranty, and no to mention the 2% cash back you get when using the Executive membership...I LOVE Costco!!!)
The picture is excelent, the design is GREAT, the black border makes the screen looks bigger giving you a subliminal improved image.
My only complain is the speakers, they produce weak audio, but who cares? it's OBVIOUS that you'll invest in a Home Theater System for a screen this size.
I looked at other brands like Panasonic, Hitachi, Sony, Dell and Pioneer and let me tell you this Maxent was the best by far, specially the Price (I paid $1,799.00)where the others sold for more than $2,500.00
Even the Cable technician who installed the HDTV gear was very impressed with this screen (I have Cox Cable in S.B. CA) and his comment was "this is one of the best plasmas I've seen, and at a bargain price"
My only concern is that the brand Maxent hasn't been around long enough, but after researching the company (Regent USA) I learned that it's a well established firm with great reputation, with its headquarters in City of Industry, CA
I highly recommend this product.
The picture is excelent, the design is GREAT, the black border makes the screen looks bigger giving you a subliminal improved image.
My only complain is the speakers, they produce weak audio, but who cares? it's OBVIOUS that you'll invest in a Home Theater System for a screen this size.
I looked at other brands like Panasonic, Hitachi, Sony, Dell and Pioneer and let me tell you this Maxent was the best by far, specially the Price (I paid $1,799.00)where the others sold for more than $2,500.00
Even the Cable technician who installed the HDTV gear was very impressed with this screen (I have Cox Cable in S.B. CA) and his comment was "this is one of the best plasmas I've seen, and at a bargain price"
My only concern is that the brand Maxent hasn't been around long enough, but after researching the company (Regent USA) I learned that it's a well established firm with great reputation, with its headquarters in City of Industry, CA
I highly recommend this product.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 18 user reviews
People take note: it is a Samsung product after all!
Pros: Inexpensive...great quality...buying from Costco( no need for extended warranties)...
Cons: No turner, speakers no loud enough!
Review: Purchased at Costco for $1,799.00(Oregon NO TAX) and have it set-up with DirectTV HDTV and picture looks fantastic.
I also connected a LG dvd player with HDMI output and I NEVER seen picture look so awesome!
The best thing is that buying from Costco, I don't have to pay another $400 for extended warranties...I will just return it...in case something happens!
I also connected a LG dvd player with HDMI output and I NEVER seen picture look so awesome!
The best thing is that buying from Costco, I don't have to pay another $400 for extended warranties...I will just return it...in case something happens!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 18 user reviews
Great Plasma for the price
Pros: Cost and picture quality
Cons: remote is cheap, base not adjustable, no local support
Review: Just bought this at the local Costco for $1799.00 without tax. Had to drive to another Costco because the one closest to me ran out. Picture looks great with S-Video connection using DirecTV digital feed. Can't wait to get HD upgrade and really take advantage of this Plasma. Only negatives so far....could have second HDMI connection, cheap looking and feel to remote(but works fine), base doesn't adjust,no local support for warranty work, otherwise this is awesome! If you don't need a tuner, then this monitor will work out great.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 18 user reviews
Great Picture at a great price!!!
Pros: Design, picture, speakers, price
Cons: No TV Tuner but for $1800 at Costco and digital cable who cares? No name brand- so how is the durability?
Review: Love it. Picture just as good as the many others in my family which were much more expensive. Speakers have decent sound on their own but should have surrond sound for full effect. Costco stands behind the products they sell but the no name brand is my only concern now. I love every else so far.
