Time to update your old-technology CRT TV? Zoom into the future with the 27-inch Olevia LT27HV flat-panel LCD TV, which is HDTV-ready. It features XGA (1280 x 720) resolution, a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio, 3:2 pulldown, a 750:1 contrast ratio, and 170-degree-wide viewing angle.
Its 3:2 pulldown cinema video processing provides a smooth theaterlike experience and the 10-bit 3D comb filter enhances color purity. The TV has a brightness rating of 500 cd/m2 (candela per square meter) and a 16 millisecond (ms) response time. It's compatible with 480p, 1080i, and 720p HDTV signals and has a built-in 181-channel tuner, though you'll need an optional HDTV tuner to receive high-definition broadcasts. The two built-in speakers are removable and offer 10 watts of power apiece. It has 1 component, 1 S-video, 1 DVI, 1 VGA, and 4 composite A/V inputs, 1 headphone, and 1 subwoofer connection.
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Test Report

Not only inexpensive, but excellent image quality, October 7, 2004 Reviewer: Gadgester (New York) - Syntax Group is an Asian company that has recently entered the LCD market here stateside. Its first offerings of LCD TVs are already getting positive reviews from users. ExtremeTech (a PC Mag offshoot) recently reviewed the 30-inch LCD TV and gave it an 8 out of 10. I also found other positive independent online reviews, so I decided to give this new brand a try, and got the 27-inch model after landing a new job.

Wow! I was very impressed with the image quality of this LCD TV. I had seen "low-cost" LCD TVs from Westinghouse (at Best Buy) and Gateway (at one of the now-defunct Gateway Country stores), and they were disappointing in contrast and image quality. The Syntax Olevia, despite its silly name, is definitely the best I've seen for this price class. Of course, if you take a Sharp Aquos or a Panasonic LCD TV side-by-side with the Olevia, the Sharp and Panasonic will be much better, giving you a more vibrant image, but they also cost almost twice as much as the Olevia! If you are absolutely into the best LCD quality, you have to get a Sharp; they are just the best. But if you want value but don't want to sacrifice too much in quality, this is probably the best balance.

The Olevia is also generous in terms of video inputs. You also get DVI, something a lot of LCD TVs omit. The VGA port means you can use this as a computer monitor, but I haven't tried that yet. The native scan supports 720p and the internal scaler allows you to view 1080i programs as well. Hooked up to a progress-scan DVD player, the Olevia makes movies a joy to watch.

In summary, the Olevia is a great entry-level LCD TV. If 27" is a bit too small for you, go for the 30" model which costs just $400 more. Syntax is also coming out with bigger screens later this year.




Not only inexpensive, but excellent image quality, October 7, 2004 Reviewer: Gadgester (New York) - (I reviewed this model's little sibling, the 27" model, but both use the same video engine and are identical in feature and quality. I hope my review can help you somewhat.)

Syntax Group is an Asian company that has recently entered the LCD market here stateside. Its first offerings of LCD TVs are already getting positive reviews from users. ExtremeTech (a PC Mag offshoot) recently reviewed the 30-inch LCD TV and gave it an 8 out of 10. I also found other positive independent online reviews, so I decided to give this new brand a try, and got the 27-inch model after landing a new job.

Wow! I was very impressed with the image quality of this LCD TV. I had seen "low-cost" LCD TVs from Westinghouse (at Best Buy) and Gateway (at one of the now-defunct Gateway Country stores), and they were disappointing in contrast and image quality. The Syntax Olevia, despite its silly name, is definitely the best I've seen for this price class. Of course, if you take a Sharp Aquos or a Panasonic LCD TV side-by-side with the Olevia, the Sharp and Panasonic will be much better, giving you a more vibrant image, but they also cost almost twice as much as the Olevia! If you are absolutely into the best LCD quality, you have to get a Sharp; they are just the best. But if you want value but don't want to sacrifice too much in quality, this is probably the best balance.

The Olevia is also generous in terms of video inputs. You also get DVI, something a lot of LCD TVs omit. The VGA port means you can use this as a computer monitor, but I haven't tried that yet. The native scan supports 720p and the internal scaler allows you to view 1080i programs as well. Hooked up to a progress-scan DVD player, the Olevia makes movies a joy to watch.

In summary, the Olevia is a great entry-level LCD TV. If 27" is a bit too small for you, go for the 30" model which costs just $400 more. Syntax is also coming out with bigger screens later this year. --This text refers to an alternate option.







Great Product. Exceeded expectations, January 29, 2005 Reviewer: T. Decker (Tampa, FL) - I did a great deal of research and shopping around before committing to the Syntax/Olevia 30" set. From what I found, there is no other product out there of this quality and image level at this price point. Hats off to Syntax for a great product. The unit performs as good or better than expected based on other reviews I have read. Many bad comments on the remote, but mine works fine from just about any distance, but is a little sensitive to angle. FYI If you have a universal remote, you may not find Syntax codes in the manual, so try the various RCA codes available... one of these should probably work... it did with my SA Cable Set Top Universal Remote.

I have not seen the TV operate with and HD input yet. Still anxiously waiting for my cable company to come out and hook me up. The quality on standard Digital Cable is still outstanding, exceeding my expectations, even on an S-video input. I plan to use the DVI-D interface for HD Cable ..... can't wait! DVD's are awesome when using Component inputs (Y Pb Pr). Sound is fine with built in speakers... not great, but more than acceptable. I did not notice the audible noise or humm that others reported.

The unit is very sleek and stylish and put together well. It would make a nice addition to anybody's home theater or bedroom, which is where we have ours set up. --This text refers to an alternate option.



The Bargain of the Year!, January 27, 2005 Reviewer: Couch Tater (Florida, The Sunshine State) - My 30" Olevia LCD TV was delivered two days ago. I plugged it in, hooked up my regular cable connection, turned it on and fell in love!

I had extensively researched both LCD and Plasma TVs and this model has exceeded my wildest dreams in every way, and I haven't even taken the time to try out all the features. The price was unbeatable...I ordered from Target, got 10% off and free shipping. The delivered price (excluding state tax) was $1,259.99, cheaper than I had seen anywhere for a 30" LCD TV. I bought it for my bedroom and quickly realized that a bigger screen would have been TOO BIG. Unless you are into really massive screens, this size would fit in nicely in any living room.

I just have regular cable..not digital or HDTV and the colors and sharpness are unbelievable. I could easily have spent twice as much on another brand and I can't imagine the image being any better. I can't say too many good things about this TV.

My ONLY complaint? The alarm feature doesn't give you the option of what channel comes on..just whatever the last channel you were watching. I can't wait until this weekend so I can really study the manual and learn how to use all the great features.

Way to go Syntax!!!!! I'm telling all my friends! --This text refers to an alternate option.



good value, January 27, 2005 Reviewer: D (toledo, oh) -
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")

my 30" came with a superior remote, as well - would be nice if it glowed in the dark, though :P

initially, i was disappointed over the DVD aspect ratio/zoom situation already mentioned but i choos to blame Hollywood (boo widescreen!)

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)

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

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

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

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

it doesn't offer the 1200x1600 resolution of 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

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!)

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

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...

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

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)

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




A very big bang for the buck, January 26, 2005 Reviewer: James M. Mccluskey "cigar afficianado" (Hermosa Beach,CA.) - have had the 27" Syntax/Olevia LCD T.V. for two months.At the price it sells for there is no other T.V. in it's class that even comes close to it's superb performance.It's nice to be able to have the option of changing aspect ratios.The picture is brilliant and razor sharp.Contrast is amazing.I haven't seen it on H.D.T.V. yet,but when I play a DVD it is a revelation.Much sharper than the picture on a movie screen.I researched LCD T.V.'s for three months before I purchased the Olevia;including reading many reviews and looking at them in stores.The only other T.V. I saw that can equal it's performance in the 26"-27" range is the Sharp Aquos and it COSTS TWICE AS MUCH.If you want to save a thousand dollars and still have an awesome T.V. to watch buy the 27" Olevia.You won't be sorry.P.S. not even one dead pixel! Jim McCluskey Hermosa Beach,CA.

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