Syntax Olevia LT27HVX 27-Inch Flat Panel LCD HD-Ready TV
Good 27
[...]    I don't have much to comment on picture quality because it is such a subjective thing.  It is better to say that compared to a high-end 23\\" Dell or HP widescreen LCD computer monitor running 1920x1200 or even a regular 20\\" Dell monitor, the Syntax picture is just as good when viewing from dead center.  Unfortunately, as with any LCD display, the off axis viewing (meaning you are not sitting directly in front of it in the middle) isn't that great.  The black level diminishes about twice as bad off axis as a Dell or HP computer monitor would.  This affects the perceived contrast as well.  I would not buy this TV for viewing by many people in a large room but rather for a bedroom where only a couple of people are watching directly in front of it.  That is how I'm using it.    As others have written, there is an annoying buzz on the speakers.  This buzz is there even when the volume level is set at 1 and the level of the buzz does not change when the volume is raised or lowered.  The only time the buzz goes completely away is when the volume is set to 0 or if the mute is enabled.  What appears to be causing this is the LCD backlight.  The TV defaults to \\"medium\\" backlight.  If you change it to \\"bright\\" the buzz goes away.  If you use \\"medium\\" or \\"dark\\" the buzz will return.  There is probably insufficient shielding and filtering because the power supply for the white backlight behind the LCD is leaking noise into the audio circuits in \\"medium\\" or \\"dark\\" modes.  By setting it to \\"bright\\" the backlight power supply runs at full power which reduces the level of noise generated.  Hopefully this workaround will help you out.    If you plan to remove the stand in order to wall mount the TV there will be an oval shaped hole on the bottom.  Unfortunately, Syntax does not provide any cover to fill up this hole and it is somewhat unsightly if you look underneath the TV and see the guts of the TV inside.  They said there is nothing available at this time so you'll have tomake something up out of plastic, rubber or foam.    But even with these minor problems, I still rate it a 4-star given its decent picture quality at the price point of $[...](after rebate) for a 27\\" LCD with 1280x720 native resolution.  If you compare the picture quality of this Syntax to a Sharp or Hitachi that costs twice as much [...], the slight improvement in black levels from the Sharp or Hitachi is really not worth the extra [...]as long as you are always sitting directly in front of the TV.    Update [...]:  It's been 6 months so far and no problems with the TV.  It took a very long time for my rebate to show up but it finally did.  For those of you handy with a soldering iron, a quick modification to remove the buzz noise from the speakers is to insert a 5watt 39ohm resistor in series with the red wire going the speaker.  This effectively increases the impedence of the speaker and attenuates the buzz from the audio amplifier.  A side benefit is volume at low levels is easier to adjust.  With the resistor installed, I need to turn up the volume to 18-20 which used to only be 3-4.  It was nearly impossible to find a comfortable volume with only 3-4 'volume steps'.  With 18-20 'volume steps' to achieve the same volume, it is much easier to find a good volume level to watch the TV in the bedroom late at night.