Syntax Olevia LT37HVS 37-Inch HD-Ready Flat-Panel LCD TV
TV delivered non-working, worst support I have EVER experienced, but a great TV
Since my original review, I have revised my opinion of this set.  I now give it four stars out of five, but it's the support that gets only two stars out of five. <br /> <br />I'm a pretty fair guy, and I always try to post something positive about things when I can.  I never appreciate when others have nothing good to say about something, and can only harp about how bad something is. <br /> <br />Out of the box, the TV's screen flickered on and off, with a buzzing sound that was annoying. <br /> <br />The specs sounded good, the reviews said \\"good value, great TV\\", but I didn't realize I would be spinning the roulette wheel on this.  But in spite of spending the extra cash for the extended warranty, it took forever to get a replacement.  It is advertised as \\"in-home repair\\", but what that means is you have to first find a way to actually reach their support teams, which is pretty much impossible, unless they FEEL like calling you back. <br /> <br />They offer a telephone number to call, but when you do, you have to navigate through their seemingly easy voicemail system, only to be number whatever in line, and do you wish to hold ... if so press \\"1\\" ... no answer ... still wish to hold press \\"1\\" ... no answer ... sorry nobody is answering, so you'll have to go back to the main menu, lose your place in line (seriously ... I'm not kidding here), and start all over.  It's THE WORST SUPPORT LINE EVER!  I spent an hour trying to get through sometimes getting to be next in line, holding, holding, holding, only to get kicked out to the main menu DESPITE ASKING TO HOLD, where I had to start all over, only to find myself SEVENTH IN LINE. <br /> <br />I can't say enough about how bad the support communication is.  They suggested sending email, which I sent REPEATEDLY, but without getting anything more than \\"we have your information and we'll get back to you\\".  It took over a week to get a response.  They took my credit card info, but after that I didn't hear anything from them, despite multiple voicemails left and emails sent. <br /> <br />If you want something that you KNOW will work, but want top-notch support, I suggest you consider Sony.  They aren't cheap, but they KNOW how to support their customers. <br /> <br />That said, I FINALLY got a response to a sharply worded email to Syntax, letting me know that the TV had already been shipped.  This email came though not from my Customer Support rep, who was in charge of my case, but rather from a different TECHNICAL support rep who I had previous contact with.  They were very responsive after that, and apparently Syntax recognizes it has a problem and is looking for solutions, as they met that day about my issue and have promised to make changes to improve their communications with the consumers. <br /> <br />I'm sure I'm not the only person to complain to them, so hopefully things will improve.  I will give them another star for \\"intent to improve\\" as well as the efforts of one particular technical support rep (initials C.T.) who went out of his way to do what he could to make me happy. <br /> <br />As for my replacement TV, it arrived within a couple of days via UPS and it works flawlessly after they responded to my sharp email with the shipping info. <br /> <br />So, now for my review of the TV itself, which worked fine this time. <br /> <br />I mounted it on the wall.  I STRONGLY recommend doing this, as I have seen a LOT of LCD televisions for sale on eBay with broken screens, which are more expensive to fix than they are to buy new.  This particular TV weights 75 lbs., so you will need a good strong mount.  I chose the Ulti-Mount, which allows the TV to tilt, swivel, and rotate, giving it you a lot of positioning options. <br /> <br />As has been mentioned before, the remote doesn't have a very high quality feel, but I like the larger buttons, as I have larger fingers and the remotes with little tiny buttons can be difficult for me to use. <br /> <br />The picture on the TV is great.  Excellent color, excellent contrast, good black level, nice sharp image. <br /> <br />The menu system is relatively intuitive, although it took me a little while to get used to having to go back to the menu button to leave screens/menus that were opened with other buttons.  One of the neat features of the set is the Electronic Program Guide (EPG).  For the DTV (broadcast HD) channels, it can display the program listing for the currently selected channel, as well as descriptions of the program, as long as the broadcasting station supports those features. <br /> <br />The menu button that allows you to select the source brings up a list of inputs to choose from.  It would be nice if the system would allow you to name these sources yourself, so that rather than choosing the \\"YpBpr1\\" source, I could choose a source named \\"Satellite\\" instead.  Also, the \\"display\\" button, which I always mistake for the source button, shows program information, and I think should be relabeled \\"Info\\". <br /> <br />One of the aesthetically cool things about the set, is the brand name \\"Olevia\\" at the bottom, which lights up in blue.  Unfortunately, it lights up when the TV is OFF, instead of when it's ON, which can be annoying when the set is in a bedroom where you might prefer darkness without annoying lights in the dark.  It also is more intuitive to know when the set is turn on, to see a light on, and when the set is off, the light is off. <br /> <br />My only other criticism is that it would be nice if all the menus and displays had the same \\"look and feel\\".  Instead, there are four different styles and sizes of menus and screens.  Making this consistent would be more aesthetically pleasing. <br /> <br />Another \\"nice to have\\" would be to have the ability for the TV to either automatically switch to the broadcast resolution for the channel being watched, or be able for it to remember the last resolution selected for each channel.  I find switching from a 1080i broadcast to those with lesser resolutions to be annoying, and am constantly having to readjust the resolution to get the best possible display. <br /> <br />So, to sum up this review, Syntax's 37\\" TV gets four out of five stars, and their support gets two out of five stars (despite the number of stars shown at the top, which apparently I can't change). <br /> <br />Good luck!