Syntax Olevia LT30HV 30-Inch HD-Ready Flat-Panel LCD TV
good value
<br />originally bought the 27\\" around Christmas time - watched iRobot and played some Xbox but took it back when the HH Greg rebate increased at the end of the month ($1100 after incentives)... happy with the decision (using the LCD for a computer monitior, also, and the resolution seemed to sync better on the 30\\") <br /> <br />my 30\\" came with a superior remote, as well - would be nice if it glowed in the dark, though :P <br /> <br />initially, i was disappointed over the DVD aspect ratio/zoom situation already mentioned but i choos to blame Hollywood (boo widescreen!) <br /> <br />definitely recommend using composite (Psyclone)/DVI (Monster)cables - noticed a \\"swimming\\" effect (imagine TV static fuzz) inside of white content without them; also detected pixelation in the sky of Matrix:Revolutions end fight scene but that was the only time and i was only a couple of feet from the screen (already watched following: Kill Bill 1/2, Hero, Anchorman, Matrix II/III, and Dodgeball with exceptional results) <br /> <br />i can't say that i noticed any ghosting (inability to correctly transition images from one position on the screen without simultaneous display of intermediate images) while watching movies or playing Xbox; haven't tried Unreal on the PC, yet, but i'm confident that any problems will be a function of my video card's inadequacy <br /> <br />the Xbox looks great on this screen - played KOTORII and Top Spin so far; it's not the quality that i hoped for but the clarity is superior to analog TV <br /> <br />i've heard reports that the light/dark contrast isn't so hot; i'm pretty picky and i'd say that this device has no difficulty reproducing deep black and bright white <br /> <br />also, people have complained about the absence of specific color (red) settings - adjusting this value is possible when using composite inputs; i'm currently using the default, factory, settings, though, and am thoroughly pleased <br /> <br />it doesn't offer the 1200x1600 resolutionof my laptop monitor but it can achieve 1400x700 using a DVI input cable which is suitable for a desktop machine (i'm a coder, not a graphik artist); in Win2K the text is crisp and clear and should be better with XP since it's got built-in LCD friendly character interpolation; try Virtual Desktop (similar to Sun's multi-screen) if the screen space isn't sufficient; also, the applications suggested on other sites for adjusting the input resolution work well (\\"powerstrip\\") but \\"multires\\" from the same company is fine, easy, and free <br /> <br />one aggrevation about the TV is that there is an annoying noise when it's on; my speakers are disconnected (they're trash - about the same as come with cheap computers) so it's not feedback as i first suspected...it's not audible when the monitor is off or there's audio content playing (i said i was picky!) <br /> <br />warning: one of the review sites i read mentioned that it's possible for LCDs to exhibit a type of burn-in that appears to be reversible in certain circumstances; fact or fiction, i don't know but recommend not leaving the thing every night while the CNN ticker clicks along <br /> <br />speaking of standard TV, i plugged the coax cable into the TV tonight and was surprised at the quality of the picture; it's not as good as on an analog set but certainly would suffice except for a couple of channels (4 out of 70 were pretty bad: CNN, MSNBC, FOX, and Comedy Central - everything else looked decent); i'm guessing that HDTV would be spectacular (much like DVD) but it will be a while before i buy into that... <br /> <br />my only complaint thus far is a defect pixel; it's not dead but appears to be dying (on the no-input blue screen it's black, however, when there is video content it's not noticable); this is one major disadvantage to the technology which simply must be accepted for now; i decided that it wasn't worth boxing it up and returning it <br /> <br />with regard to aesthetics, i think it's a sharp box; there's a strip of brushed aluminumish accent near the bottom where the buttons are; the glowing blue light which indicates standby mode is a neat touch; the top of the base is clearish along the lines of a Macintosh (ripoff, true, but shows a little extra effort) <br /> <br />to conclude, this is a stupendous piece of equipment at a bargain basement price; yes, there are superior units available if you have $ to burn but seriously consider the Olevia when balancing cost/performance <br />