Syntax Olevia LT30HV 30-Inch HD-Ready Flat-Panel LCD TV
The LT30HV 30": Nice picture, but some technical problems and annoying features
I bought this TV because of the reasonable price and mostly positive reviews.  I understood that I needed additional equipment to pick up high def TV, and component video cables to get high def resolution with my other devices.  After owning it for only a few months, I began to regret paying $1,000 for it. It may be cheaper now, but beware because it has some issues.<br /><br />When I play Xbox and PS2 on this TV, it looks outstanding.  No problems there.  For DVDs the picture is great, but I began to notice a problem with the picture \\"blacking out\\" and going to a blue input screen every time there was a bright flash.  This also began to happen when watching high def channels on TV.<br /><br />I contacted customer support and they sent me a new A/V box to install myself at no charge.  It was easy to install with just a screw driver.  It seemed to help at first, because DVDs that caused the blackout problem before were fine now.  However, the new A/V box has an even worse time with high def channels on TV, with lines popping up on 1080i signals, and the picture now stays blacked out for longer periods when there is a bright screen.<br /><br />I called tech support again, and they were quick to offer me brand new TV at no charge under warranty.  This doesn't really satisfy me because I think it may be a problem with this unit across the board, not just my individual TV.  The representative said \\"The issues you're describing are usually a problem with the A/V box, and since changing that hasn't fixed the problem, we'll send you a new unit.\\"  It just makes me think that they see this problem all the time.  Even though it's free shipping, you still have to find a box for it to be picked up in, and they don't ship your new TV until they recieve your defective one.  This whole process is also very slow.<br /><br />This next issue is something I could have looked into beforehand, but found out when I started hooking up different devices for high def.  There's only ONE high def input for component A/V cables!  This means that if you're like me and you have more than one high def device, you'll have buy a component video system selector.  When I hooked up a selector however, I noticed a purple line going slowly down the screen.  When I upgraded to an expensive reciever, this problem went away.  So the purple line might have just been the particular selector I had, but be aware of that potential issue.<br /><br />My last complaint isn't as bad as the blackout problem, but after a while it wears down on you.  The remote is pretty unresponsive and you have to push the buttons down hard.  In addition, there's no quick way to change the aspect ratio.  If you go from watching a high def channel that's presented in 16:9, and surf to a channel that's presented in 4:3, the picture is stretched out.  You then have to surf through sub-menus (with the unresponsive buttons) to fix the ratio.  I'm always changing devices that support different aspect ratios, so this small issue has turned into a pretty large annoyance.  One button to toggle through the different ratios would be much better!<br /><br />This TV gets 3 stars for it's outstanding high def picture (when it's working properly).  If you haven't seen discovery channel HD you will be in awe when you first experience it.  However, this unit looses a star for the blackout problem, and another star for the annoying remote and limited high def input.<br /><br />This TV seems like a great medium-range unit to get you started for high def entertainment.  Just be aware that you'll still end up spending more money depending on what you want to hook up to the TV.  High def component video cables aren't cheap, and if you don't have a reciever or system selector to run your componend video cables through, be prepared to drop more money!ONE high def input for component A/V cables!  This means that if you're like me and you have more than one high def device, you'll have buy a component video system selector.  When I hooked up a selector however, I noticed a purple line going slowly down the screen.  When I upgraded to an expensive reciever, this problem went away.  So the purple line might have just been the particular selector I had, but be aware of that potential issue. <br /> <br />My last complaint isn't as bad as the blackout problem, but after a while it wears down on you.  The remote is pretty unresponsive and you have to push the buttons down hard.  In addition, there's no quick way to change the aspect ratio.  If you go from watching a high def channel that's presented in 16:9, and surf to a channel that's presented in 4:3, the picture is stretched out.  You then have to surf through sub-menus (with the unresponsive buttons) to fix the ratio.  I'm always changing devices that support different aspect ratios, so this small issue has turned into a pretty large annoyance.  One button to toggle through the different ratios would be much better! <br /> <br />This TV gets 3 stars for it's outstanding high def picture (when it's working properly).  If you haven't seen discovery channel HD you will be in awe when you first experience it.  However, this unit looses a star for the blackout problem, and another star for the annoying remote and limited high def input.  <br /> <br />This TV seems like a great medium-range unit to get you started for high def entertainment.  Just be aware that you'll still end up spending more money depending on what you want to hook up to the TV.  High def component video cables aren't cheap, and if you don't have a reciever or system selector to run your componend video cables through, be prepared to drop more money!