Review: Apek Maxpad PC-TV touchscreen with Windows 8.1

How about combining the power of a computer with a big TV screen, all without additional wires, cabinets or complications? And yet, with the Windows 8.1?

The proposal was the basis for the creation of the TV line maxpad da Musty, a Brazilian company that intends to enter the market of ultra-powerful televisions. Their models are basically PCs built into a LED LCD touch screen, with variations of 39, 50 ou 64,5 inches.

We tested one of these models, and the result you can see in the review below:

Hardware

A maxpad has a processor AMD A10 quad-core of 3.8 GHz, graphics card ATI Radeon 4660, 8GB of RAM, HD with 500GB and SSD with 64GB (both for system and data storage), webcam for video calls, Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections. There are connections from HDMI e component video, plus two doors USB 3.0 and plus 6 USB 2.0 that can be used to bring movies to the TV from a flash drive.

Access to TV channels and other types of video is provided by HDMI input, using software developed by the company itself, the touch tv. It has additional features that take advantage of the touch sensor present on the screen, allowing you to edit images and share them on social networks and email.

The display technology was developed by the company itself. Musty, based on the use of a DHW optical sensor, called the Apek Quad Sensor. In it, four cameras are positioned in the corners of the screen, to generate a mesh of light, combined with an optical fiber. When the signal is interrupted by the user's fingers, the touch is identified. The result: very high precision.

In addition, the screen response time is 4 milliseconds, which makes this an excellent machine for gaming. The static contrast is 4000:1 and the 176 degree viewing angle (Super MVA technology, similar to IPS panels).

The configuration of maxpad is top of the line, but the materials used to compose the maxpad make it one of the heaviest TVs today (43kg). We need two people to assemble it correctly.

Design

While interesting, the design of the maxpad takes us back a few years to the past. Fat edges, simply rectangular shape and iron support give an air of prototype. She's not ugly, by the way. It just doesn't have the appeal of the new lines ultra-fine da Samsung, LG ou Philips.

A maxpad it can also function as a totem, which can be interesting for companies that need an efficient panel for exhibitions. It may be dangerous to attach it to a wall, although it is possible. Also, not every mobile phone will support it.

An interesting detail is the camera attached to the top. It has a wide-angle lens with 100 degrees of vision and resolution of 5 megapixels. That is, the product is excellent for videoconferencing.

touch tv

The software developed to view TV channels allows the user to manipulate the images through the touch screen itself. Among the main features are:

• Continuous recording (back in time) of 150 minutes;
• Possibility to switch between two signal sources;
• Freehand drawing integrated with Facebook and email;
• Capture and direct search on Google Images.

Maxpad Remote

Despite having a touch screen, we cannot forget that most of the time spent with a TV is usually away from it. Therefore, part of the package is the Max Remote, double-sided remote control. On one side are the traditional buttons. On the other, a miniature keyboard.

Similar to controls LG (Magic Remotes), Or Max Remote works as a “pointer”, showing a pointer on the screen, which tracks the user's movement (using an internal gyroscope). It uses an internal battery, which can be charged via the USB port (mini USB).

Our impression of using it was, however, a little disappointing. In addition to not being very ergonomic, the remote control responded with difficulty to some commands. He did not turn on the TV and the PC (it was only possible to turn it off), so it was necessary to activate the maxpad on the button.

The channel change buttons also worked strangely. Instead of changing the channel being viewed, they worked like the volume buttons, increasing and decreasing the sound.

Asked about these results, the company replied that such difficulties are present only in the model sent for testing:

“The issues mentioned in the review are not design issues, but probably some flaw in the sample sent for testing. We had a lot of work to develop a control board that would sync the TV and PC.

With MaxRemote It is possible to turn the device on and off. In addition, the controls with TV mode selected are programmed correctly and respond to their functions according to printed subtitles.”

Price and availability

This high-end configuration, however, is not cheap: the prices of the TVs in the maxpad vary between 16 thousand reais (39 inches), 21 thousand reais (50 inches) e 27 thousand reais (64,5 inches). The model is only available in stores of Fnac.

Conclusion

A MaxPad it is certainly something new on the market. The fact that it is a Brazilian product also adds value and shows the power of the national industry (congratulations Musty!). However, the cost of joining a powerful pc + Touchscreen TV should be prohibitive for most home consumers.

Buying a screen with superior image quality and connecting it to a desktop computer can be an improvement in design and practicality, compared to maxpad. But it is undoubtedly much cheaper.

the future of maxpad, however, reserve news. we talked with Frederico Ferraz e Rafael Tonelli, responsible for the idealization of the line, and they gave us very interesting information. Among them, the development of a low-cost line.

Special: interview with the company

1. Are there any system updates planned for the TV software?

Yes, we will have a lot of news soon. We will also have an additional software called Maxboard, especially focused on corporate presentations and education. This new application will be complementary to the touch tv and will allow you to manipulate Office documents, images, videos and audio in a whole new way! the launch of Maxboard is scheduled for August.

2. What are the possible upgrades that the user can make to Maxpad TVs? Does the company intend to offer an installation service for new boards and the like? Max Remote Update?

Users will be able to upgrade the storage disks (HD and SSD), RAM memory (up to 64GB) and processor (A10 line). Offboard PCI cards are not available. Otherwise, the user can use any external connections (USB 2.0 or 3.0) to connect other devices to the equipment.

3. What are Apek's plans for the next line of TVs?

In fact, although the maxpad don't be so “slim”, your screen already has an LED backlight. In the new generation we will focus on decreasing the thickness of the edges and depth, which will be possible due to the evolution of our touchscreen technology, which will have its optical sensors much smaller (only 2mm thick).

4. Price must be a major deterrent for consumers interested in a Maxpad TV at home. How do you intend to overcome this barrier??

We plan for next year a more simplified version of the product, with a much more competitive cost to serve low-end consumers. It will be an amazing product for those who don't need all the features of maxpad and wants to invest much less. It will be a product of great innovation that will once again revolutionize the market. Wait!