The Maxent TV measured close to the 6,500 K NTSC grayscale spec with its Low color-temperature setting selected, although a greenish bias could be seen at the low end of the scale. Both the Dell and JVC sets required service-level calibration to get their measurements up to spec. (Calibration needs to be performed by a qualified technician, so discuss it with your dealer before purchase, or call the Imaging Science Foundation at 561-997-9073.) Grayscale tracking on the Maxent was poor, measuring ±900 K. The Dell fared much better, averaging around 250 K, while the JVC's performance was average at ±500 K.

Color-decoder error varied slightly between the TVs. The JVC fared the best here, with 0% error measured on its HDMI input. Unfortunately, that input also showed reduced high-definition video resolution compared with the component-video connection, so I'd use that one instead. The most severe color decoder deviation was a -25% green error on the Dell's component-video inputs. There was almost no error on its HDMI connection, however. The Dell's S-video connections clip black levels below 10 IRE.

Picture overscan, which defines the loss of picture information behind the edges of the frame, averaged around 3% for the digital and component-video inputs on all three sets. The Dell fared best here, measuring 0% overscan on its HDMI connection. The JVC, Dell, and Maxent's 2:3 pulldown processing delivered consistently smooth pictures with 480i programs. On the JVC and Maxent, however, 480i programs looked relatively soft and noisy compared with the Dell.