Clear Max Descramblers (Questions & Opinions)
DCX
since I have an avid interest in cable descramblers and the technology used,
I'd like to share my opinions on the Clear Max 2000 and ask about the new
descrambler model known as the Clear Max 3000 "Gold Series". There are
various sellers on eBay that are selling these boxes, which supposedly have
a new tuner for enhanced picture and sound quality. They claim it's
definitely an improvement over the Clear Max 2000 -- a box which I used to
own up until a couple of weeks ago. I recently decided to sell it off to a
friend and order a brand new Clear Max 3000 Gold instead, which should be
arriving here (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) in a few days.
Having owned and used a Clear Max 2000 descrambler for a good 10 months,
here are my opinions that I have gathered from personal experience...
- In regards to picture quality, I am convinced that it almost entirely
depends on the quality of the cable connection coming into your house. The
cable connection I'm using is somewhat damaged, and without an amplifier,
the picture can be very bad on some channels. With an amplifier, the picture
quality is improved significantly on the majority of the channels, including
premium channels. I can't understand why people will argue so strongly about
the quality of tuners in universal descramblers when in actuality, the
quality of *your* cable connection may have more to do with picture quality
than anything else.
- Sound quality has always been great for me, even through the times that my
picture quality has been a disappointment. I know that my Sony TV supports
four speaker surround sound, and it really does show off when I set the box
volume up to the maximum of 32. Whatever sound chip is used in the Clear Max
2000, it certainly seems to work well.
- Is there really a descrambler chip called the "Super Chip" that is used in
some of the Clear Max
2000 models? I know that this was mentioned in the eBay ad description when
I purchased my box back in January of this year. Yet the two most common
descrambler chips used in the Clear Maxes appear to be the BOSS 7 and the
Maestro... finding info on those boards isn't too difficult, but I have to
wonder whether the "Super Chip" is some made-up name to make the
descrambling technology of the box sound fancy and appealing to buyers. For
those of you who really know your stuff, what *really* is the best
descrambling board out there? The idea of descramblers with "Intel" chips
sounds a little ridiculous to me... and yet quite a few eBay sellers seem to
use that as a selling point!
Back to my main question...
These Clear Max 3000 Gold Series models -- will they really offer a
noticeable improvement in a cable signal? That apparently is the main
advantage that these boxes have over older models, but the only real
difference I can see so far is that the lettering on the cases of the
descramblers is now in gold... a nice touch, but that not may be enough to
convince potential buyers to purchase the product.
I guess that for someone who owns a Clear Max 2000 and is looking for a box
upgrade, a Clear Max 3000 Gold might be the way to go, as it is currently
the latest model in the Clear Max series. As for somebody who already owns a
standard (first generation) model of the Clear Max 3000, I'm not so sure as
to whether or not an upgrade would be a wise choice.
If any of you own a Clear Max 3000 and / or a Clear Max 3000 Gold and have
any opinions or facts on differences between the two, please feel free to
respond.
I'm looking forward to hearing your replies... who knows, I may learn a lot
from this group. =)
DCX
April & Mark
Is that a black box ?
(sorry, I'm a newbie to this)
DCX wrote in message ...
DCX
models can be found on the online auction site, eBay, for about $100 to $120
USD each. If you intend to bid on one, be sure to buy from a seller that has
a positive feedback rating, to ensure a smooth transaction.
If you'd like to know more about these boxes, visit http://www.cableboxx.com
for some useful, in-depth information and good quality pictures. You can
learn a lot from that one site alone...
DCX
"April & Mark" <NOS...@GETLOST.COM> wrote in message
news:9V%O5.478210$1h3.12...@news20.bellglobal.com...
> What's the cost for a Clear Max 3000 ?
> Is that a black box ?
> (sorry, I'm a newbie to this)
>
>
> DCX wrote in message ...
April & Mark
I checked out the site.
Pretty good. Only one problem.
The channels are higher on my cable system.
At least past 250.
Any suggestions ?
DCX wrote in message <_F6P5.92773$96.67...@pouncer.easynews.com>...
DCX
cable... and if that's the case, there is no current way to get full access
to all the channels, other than paying for all of them... which can be very
costly.
As soon as somebody finds a way to crack digital cable, it'll be big news...
so just keep an eye out for that, when it happens.
DCX
"April & Mark" <NOS...@GETLOST.COM> wrote in message
news:MTkP5.483181$1h3.12...@news20.bellglobal.com...
> Thanks for the info.
> I checked out the site.
> Pretty good. Only one problem.
> The channels are higher on my cable system.
> At least past 250.
>
> Any suggestions ?
>
>
>
>
> DCX wrote in message <_F6P5.92773$96.67...@pouncer.easynews.com>...
DCX
received in the mail yesterday. The remote is nice, the look of the box is
pretty slick, and the descrambling performance is impressive, but the tuning
seems *very* problematic in the unit that I received.
In my case, I tune into a channel by entering it through the remote... the
box changes to that channel, shows it in clear picture and sound for about a
half-second, then gets messed up for the next 5 to 10 seconds before it
slowly stabilizes back into the proper signal. This applies to both regular
and premium (scrambled) channels, but the problem is a lot more serious on
the regular channels. For some reason, the problem is less likely to happen
when I just flip up or down with the remote or with the buttons on the
actual box itself, but it does still occur every now and then.
Having contacted the seller, he's told me that the problem appears to be
related to a faulty BOSS Board used in my Clear Max 3000 Gold... so it's not
the box itself that is the source of the problem, but the descrambler board,
which also handles the regular tuning for the box...
Here's a picture of the BOSS Board I'm referring to, in case any of you are
wondering what it's supposed to look like:
http://www.bossboards.com/pics/bossboard.jpg
If it is indeed the case that I have received a unit with a faulty BOSS
board, then I really can't pass judgement on the Clear Max 3000 until I have
a proper, working unit in my hands. I can, however, honestly say that my
Clear Max 2000 with its "Super Chip" descrambler and 800 MHz Toshiba tuner
had much better tuning, even if it wasn't perfect. =|
So from what I've seen of the Clear Max 3000 Gold so far, the reception
seems fine (it mostly depends on your cable), the audio seems perfect
(stereo sound with no problems), but the tuning in my unit, at least, could
use some serious improvement.
I guess the general point I'm trying to make is that not all Clear Maxes are
built the same... different dealers will use different internal components,
and if you're concerned with getting a quality unit that works as
advertised, you should go ahead and ask to have the unit *fully* pre-tested
ahead of time, so as to avoid any later hassles...
I wish I could be praising the Clear Max 3000 right now, knowing that I had
tested it and seen its great performance for myself, but I may have to wait
another couple of weeks for that. =|
DCX
"DCX" <d...@easynews.com> wrote in message
news:dPNO5.79326$96.58...@pouncer.easynews.com...
StrayKatNdsLov2
Eric Combs
warranty, someone that will be there in 6mo. if there is a problem. You may
pay $200 for a Clearmax 3000 Gold Boss, but at least you have piece of mind.news:_F6P5.92773$96.67...@pouncer.easynews.com...
April & Mark
But it won't be available here in Canada until early next year.
Gary Tait
April & Mark
Gary Tait wrote in message <3A12BB81...@primeline.net>...
Paul
<th...@concludes.our.broadcast.day.org> wrote:
>There is some truth in what you say but in my experience it is mostly
>the fault of the box itself in regards to bad picture quality. I
>tried a clearmax 2000, and the new clearmax 3000 gold both with
>maestro boards. Both had sucky picture quality with washed out color
>and little squiggly interference lines on some channels, and weak
>sound. Then I tried an original equipment box with the exact same
>setup and...TADA!! no such problems, great picture and sound, no
>amplifiers needed. I dunno your situation, if you move around a lot
>and a universal box suits your needs better...ok....but like many
>others have said in this group there is no substitute for original
>equipment as far as quality goes. I guess you will just have to judge
>for yourself according to your needs.
>
>Chip D.
Don't know about all that, since I run the cable straight into my TV
and use the tuner, and the picture quality looks to be the same as
when I put my old Clearmax 2000 in line and use it instead.
All the whining about Clearmax picture quality seems to be from people
trying desperately to justify their own purchases. I had a
Phantom/Samsung box from the punks at Covert Electronics and THAT has
bad picture quality, the Clearmax is a miraculous step above that box.
So for most of the populace the clearmaxes have more than good picture
quality. Get off the ivory tower folks. For the $85 you can get a
Clearmax 3000 on ebay for, it is a good deal.