Customer Reviews

Olevia 327V 27-Inch LCD HD Ready Monitor

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I picked up the 327V just before New Year's. I found it in a large electronics chain store for just under four hundred dollars. I knew it did not have a built in tuner, but I didn't need one for what I want to use this for. I got it as a large screen computer display, and for watching my DVDs in my bedroom.

Overall, I must say that this unit has exceeded my expectations. The picture quality is excellent for DVDs. I haven't hooked it up to the computer yet, because it requires a VGA cable that did not come with it (I have a cable on the way).

Anyway, I only have two minor complaints with this unit. One is the bright blue LED that is lit on the power button when the unit is off. It's too bright for my bedroom, so I've had to cover it with tape. The other complaint is that the "universal" remote that I have for my Home Theater Receiver is not able to control this monitor. A "learning" remote is required, at least in most cases. This monitor is too new for the codes to be programmed into most universal remotes.

I purchased a wall mount kit to mount this unit on the wall, and I think it looks excellent there. The mount is a VESA 100mm x 200mm pattern, which doesn't seem like a common size. Many of the mounts I saw were either 100mm x 100mm or 200mm x 200mm. Some were even smaller 75mm x 75mm. I did finally find one that was the right type, and it was very easy to install on the wall, at least for me.

I have used the built in speakers and think that they sound great for what they are, but I'm waiting until I get my home theater speakers set up so I can enjoy the home theater experience. I know that a larger screen makes a better home theater, but my bedroom is too small to make that a practical proposition. This screen feels like it's just the right size for this room, at approximately 14' x 16'.

I would recommend this monitor for anyone looking for something about this size, as long as they don't need to have a built in tuner. If you have a satellite box, cable box, or a VCR, it can work as a tuner. In order to get HDTV functionality, you need an HDTV capable tuner (which most, if not all, VCRs are not). Since it has no tuner, I don't understand why it has buttons for changing channels. This is simply an observation, and is not meant to be a complaint about this monitor.

I've had this TV for more than two months and so far I am more than happy with it. Before I bought it online, I went to an electronics store that carries this model so that I could compare its picture quality head-to-head with other brands. Its picture was at least as good as that of ANY other brand, regardless of price. Color accuracy appears to be excellent right out of the box - no adjustments were necessary. It seems to have every essential and truly useful feature I could think of, and the remote control even has a nice layout and feel. Sound quality through the built-in speakers is good.

Yes, it's tuner-less, but you don't really need a built-in tuner in a TV these days if you use a cable or satellite box. Even many DVRs have a built-in tuner that will work. Why pay for a tuner if you don't need one? On that note, why pay the premium for a more "name brand" TV if you don't need to impress anyone but yourself? At this price, you can afford to "trade up" in a couple of years if technology makes some new bell or whistle on newer TV models irresistible. Hopefully that would be the only reason you'd have for buying a new TV... only time will tell regarding the long-term reliability of this admittedly unfamiliar brand, but again at this price that risk seems worth taking.

After extensive resarch on-line for a new wide-screen, I at first selected the smallest model Olevia. This relatively new entry in the US market had been mentioned (although not yet officially reviewed) by Consumer Reports, offered very attractive LCDs at a lower price than better-known names. That model was on order and I needed a set right away, so I bought the 27" monitor, without a tuner (my cable includes a HiDef tuner). The set arrived in perfect condition and was set up in minutes along with a DVD/VCR auxiliary component.

Wow! What a set! Color discrete and accurate, images clear as a bell, stereo sound impeccable, easy-to-use remote control, very light weight and easy to move, exceptionally wide screen. What more can I say? It is a undeniably terrific buy. Rememember though, if you don't have a tuner from your provider you will need a model with an built-in tuner. It may cost you $100 more, but it is essentially the same set. A great purchase, with additional manufacturer's warranty up to 3 years for only $99. How can you beat that? My advice, buy Olevia.

This 27" Olevia 327V LCD HDTV is now my second HDTV. I also owned the Olevia LT20S which was only 20" with a 4:3 format and only a max resolution of 800 by 600 on pc and 480p in terms of HD. However I must say it was a great purchase for the price as an introductory tv.

As for the 327V, I was imnmediately dissapointed. I have cable HD and at first was using component cables. I must say that only 1080i was watchable with that input, the 720p signal was very blurry, the 480p and 480i signal was not very aestheticly pleasing when my LT20S looked great at 480p with the same cables. I was so upset and dissapointed I was going to send the unit back for another or a refund. I called Syntax Groups and they agreed to send me a new unit.

Since it would take some time for them to send me the postal stuff to mail it back to them I decided to upgrade my component HD box to a HDMI box and get the HDMI cable to see if that was the problem. So that was what I did and lo and behold with the new input the screen Resolution looks fantastic. I am overwhelmed with how great the TV looks with the HDMI input. Why the tv looks so bad with component cables I still can't figure out?

If you are going to use this product get an HDMI cable pronto!, post haste! However this product should have looked good with all the inputs not just with the HDMI, which drops this TV rating from 5 stars to 4. Now I have to tell Syntax I want to keep my TV.

When i decided to buy a new tv for my room, i did a lot of shopping around. I drove to uncountable electronics stores, talked to a lot of salesmen and read a lot of customer reviews just like this one. The first time i saw the Olevia 327V i was immediately attracted to it, not only because the set itself is really sleek and stylish, but the picture is pretty amazing. It could be better, of course, but it looks really nice at home and even on the display room floor it held up remarkably well next to much more expensive models.

The speakers sound full and can get really loud, but there are audio out jacks if you think you'll need something more powerful. If you happen to be a gamer, you don't have to worry about ghosting or slow response times like some older LCDs. My PS2, Wii and GameCube all look and sound and play great.

The only fault i can see with the Olevia is that it only has one set of each inputs. There's only one composite (yellow/ red/ white jacks), one component (green/ blue/ red/ red/ white jacks), one S-Video and one VGA for PC use. I really don't think anyone's going to need more than one S-Video or VGA port, but if you, like me, have multiple consoles all using the composite inputs, you'll have to reach back there and switch them each time you play a different system. If and when i ever get a PS3 this issue will resolve itself, but in the future everything will probably use component inputs and i'll have the same problem.

Still, it's not that big of a deal, a minor inconvenience at worst, and the Olevia is definitely the best buy i've found. Some people have complained that the blue stand-by light is too bright for their rooms at night, and it is, but there's a switch in the back that turns the power off of the tv completely. That's what i do every night, so that's not really a problem either.

The bottom line is that the Olevia is a great tv for a really great price. It's not the best tv in the world by any means, but it looks and sounds pretty fantastic and i've been really happy with my purchase so far. I think you'll probably like it a lot too.

(This review is of the Olevia 332H, which is the 32" version of this monitor.)

I wear bifocals and had been running a 17" CRT monitor at 640x480 positioned about 4 feet away to allow me to use my distance lens. In a store I saw a 27" Olevia used as a PC monitor and it looked great. Doing the math I found a 32" widescreen HDTV running at its native 768 (vert) resolution would have the same text size as my 17" CRT at 480 (vert), and I would have a lot more on screen. When I found this new model Olevia with great specs on Amazon/TigerDirect for $650, I ordered it Tues night and it was delivered on Fri.

Wow, this is a great PC monitor, bright, sharp, good contrast, and good color. Not only does it run great at its native 1360x768 resolution, but (surprisingly) it's superb at 800x 600 and pretty good too at 640x480 if you need really big text. I am probably going to run it at 8 feet distance at 800x600 or a little closer at 1360x768. All my testing to date has been with VGA from a new, low end PC from Compaq.

The Olevia comes with a remote that makes it easy to change screen setting and brightness. I find at either 800x600 or 1360x768 there is some combination of DVD player setting and Olevia setting so that the movie will fill the screen. The DVD movies from the PC on this monitor look superb. There is no way I can go back to my 17" CRT monitor.

This is the second one of these I've bought. The first was for myself; the second was a gift for my son, who drooled all over mine. I use mine as a TV with a tuner, and he uses his as a PC monitor for his recording-studio setup. The quality is very good. Nice features (like being able to easily set up for a bright-light area, which is where mine is). Sound on the attached speakers is pretty good, too! Nice unit at a great price.

First: this is a great TV at an amazingly low price. If you are on a budget and are looking for a great deal this is it.

The downsides for this TV are well known: only one set of inputs for Component and HDMI; the remote is clumsy; no picture in picture; sound quality from stock speakers is "meh". Build quality not as high (cheap plastic look to it) as Sony or Samsung.

However: those are minor quibbles.

I have this monitor hooked up via the following: IO HDTV via HDMI, progressive scan DVD player via component, XBOX (original) via S-Video, and finally to my laptop via VGA.

I can tell you that the clarity of the picture when watching both motion and still images (Yankees games vs. nature shows) is amazing when hooked up via the HDMI cable to my Cablevision box.

DVD wise, I watched "Children of Men" last night and was also impressed: even at only 480p it looked great.

XBOX games look OK via the S-Video and slightly better via component. I'm sure if I had a next-gen console with the higher end outputs it would look much better. Halo 2 still turns heads at 480p.

Don't sleep on the VGA input as well. I have a nothing special laptop that I hook up and use with a wireless keyboard and mouse. Screen looks crisp and readable from a little under 10 feet away. It's great to be able to surf the internet from my couch and not strain my eyes.

CONCLUSION:

Bottom line is that you can spend $400 (shop around on the Internet) for this TV and get essentially the same picture quality as a $700-$900 TV from Sony or Samsung. Even with its well documented limitations this is still a must buy. It might be a little small for a large living room, but in my cramped NYC apt it works excellent as our main entertainment center TV. Most people will probably find this TV works best in a den or bedroom.

...it would be perfect.

Bought this monitor for my kid's PS2 and I can't say enough good things about it: the picture is really quite excellent and the many formatting options let you fill the screen without serious distortion to 4:3 images. For the price, I thought I'd be getting a very basic, very low-end unit, but that's not the case at all.

This product is really nice, however it takes some getting use to looking at a screen that is longated that normal. Great picture fits really nice in our RV. Can be hooked up to anything you have analog, cable satelite, stereo etc. Really love it.