Syntax Olevia LT30HV 30-Inch HD-Ready Flat-Panel LCD TV
Review of 30" Olevia
I just recieved this unit today.   <br /> <br />1. Packaging is absolutely first class.  The unit comes double boxed in very sturdy cardboard.  Everything in putting the pakage together appears to have been done with care for the product. <br /> <br />2.  The unit itself is very modern with the silver accents and glowing blue stand-by light.  The speakers are removeable, but arrive attached and wired.  The remote I received was the standard version.  Also included was an XGA cable, power cable, and all necessary manuals and warranties. <br /> <br />3. Performance.  <br /> <br />I have the unit hooked up using the most basic connection, a 75 ohm cable (regular cable wire), from the wall to the unit.  I have an HD box coming from Comcast.  I will post a follow up once it arrives.  I have found that the unit out of the box is 7 out of 10.  There is some red push, but tweaking the controls allows you to get a decent picture.  I would highly recommend using a calibration disc such as AVIA to set all necessary functions.  I performed all calibrations by eye and achieved decent results.   <br /> <br />Colors are very punchy especially with animation, which I would use to show the set to my friends until HD arrives.  Very clear and vibrant.  I used this as a benchmark for what the set could achieve if properly set.  Again maximum settings can be had using AVIA.  Unfortunately, the DVD player has yet to arrive, so I will have to make do by eye. <br /> <br />I tend to use the Weather Channel to calibrate my sets due to the computer colors they employ; plus the fact they have people on screen to allow correct setting of flesh tones.  You get the best of both worlds on one screen.  Blues in the background were very full.  The contrast detail was very good.  General human appearance was natural and not to over done.  Be patient doing your tweaks.  It took me three tries over the course of two hours.  Not a straight two hours, but you get the idea. <br /> <br />My settings endedup with sharpness being way down, most color setting near middle, brightness and contrast on the lower side of center, backlight to soft, full screen mode, and noise red. to high.  I was pretty impressed by this sets ability to present a decent picture using the worst possible signal. <br /> <br />Pros: <br /> <br />Color saturation <br />Tweaking flexiblity <br />Relative clarity on a poor signal <br /> <br />Cons: <br /> <br />Some appearance of motion drag; minimal at best, and could be attributed to signal strength. <br /> <br />Lack of picture streching modes; however full screen does an excellent job of rendering 4:3 material.  It should be noted that I have had a 16:9 HDTV for about 3 years so I am a bit more used to what the signal supposed to be. <br /> <br />Shadows are more of a dark grey than black, but no real information is lost in the shadow.  I took me a while to get it, but tweaking can get you a decent shadow detail.  Again AVIA will reduce your time in doing this. <br /> <br />Summary: <br /> <br />I will be using this set as a second HDTV in the living room.  I have a 65\\" HD set in the theater room and a 17\\" HD set in the work out room.  I took a chance on this set and have been pleasantly surprised.  I gave it the worst signal I could and still felt comfortable giving it 4 out of 5.  My only question I have now is whether to go to the 32\\" or stick with the 30\\". <br />I will post a follow up once the HD box arrives, and I have a chance to correctly calibrate the set. <br /> <br />PS: the standard remote works fine, and the buzzing sound is barely noticeable beyond 3 feet from the set.