Customer Reviews

Olevia 42-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I bought this TV after reading through a lot of positive comments in an online forum. It was actually bigger than I originally wanted, but the price was less than the smaller sets I was considering. I thought it would be too big for my space, but I am very glad for the size now.

It has performed very well for the past 4 months, and I am extremely happy with it.

It is just a little bit heavier than similarly sized sets, and you do need two people to lift it safely.

I compared the set side-by-side to a Sony in a store. The Sony does have some darker blacks, but nothing close to being worth the $800 difference. There are some menu options to boost the black up on the Olevia but I find I lose too much detail. I personally think the hyper black of the Sony looks too fake.

Be sure to set the lighting setting to "dark room". It makes a huge difference. If you have a Disney or Pixar DVD (better with Blue-ray) there is a calibration section on the menu that can help you tweak your picture.

The sound is pretty good. It helps to boost up the base a bit. I've never even turned my volume up to 1/4 of the way and it is plenty loud. Its not a lush stereo sound, but it is good and clear.

The frame of the unit is a nice matte black. My parents have a Samsung with the shiny frame and I find it to be very distracting.



Pluses:
It has an HDTV tuner, so you don't need the fancy cable service. I have the uber-cheap limited cable, and all the local HD stations come through the cable without any special equipment or upgrading the service.
Additionally, you can get an HD antennae and skip cable altogether (unless you want the extra channels - you need to have a cable box and HD service for those).

It has a one year on-site warranty, but you need to send the warranty card in within 30 days or you lose the on-site feature! They allow you to register online as well. Do that so you don't forget.

You get plenty of inputs. 2 composite, 2 component, 2 SVHS, 2 HDMI, VGA, VGA component, and cable.

Downsides:
There are a few, but none are too terrible.
The manual is on a CD. This can be a pain if you want to look something up quick.

The inputs run up the left side of the back of the unit. Some of my cables were a little short to reach the top of this very large set where their particular inputs are. The TV is very stable, so having cables plugged in at the top doesn't pull it. Having the inputs vertical makes them very easy to reach though.

The menu settings take a few minutes to get used to. If changing the source input, you do need to scroll through all the unused options with a bright blue screen. When the signal drops out from a DVD or VHS the screen goes bright blue. My old tv had a setting to change that to black, but I couldn't find any on the Olevia (those are the times it is nice to have a paper manual). The dropouts hardly ever happen though.

It takes a few seconds to start up - again, with a big blue screen. Once you get used to these, you don't really notice them

There is a little blue light that stays on when the set is off, but it is off when you are watching it.

The worst thing for me is that the remote doesn't have an auto shut off if something is pressing it for an extended period. I always have books on my couch burying the remote, so I've gone through 2 sets of batteries now. I've switched to rechargeables.

I just bought this television. It's and amazing value. After adjusting the settings some, it looks every bit as good as my friend's Panasonic, and I paid at least $400 less (he won't say what he paid after he found out what I paid..) $400 might not mean a lot to some of you, but it does to me ... especially if I can get similar quality at this price.

When I say huge, I mean it. We upgraded from a 32" to this, and couldn't believe the size difference. Watched my first movie in 1080p and it is incredible.

Set up some of the settings in "idea", and could not believe how amazing the picture comes out for the price. I'm definitely a fan of these TV's, and would recommend them to anyone looking at cost vs. value.

I bought it at Office Depot for $799. I was skeptical...price so low and didn't know the brand. What a surprise! Great picture and quality. When I see other HDTV's and compare price and picture, I can't believe what a steal this is. I have used since 2007 and no problems. Except PIP...still haven't figured out how to use. I would not hesitate to buy other products by Syntax/Olevia.

When I bought this TV it was through Tigerdirect through Amazon and the price (with shipping) came out to $925. That is an amazing price for a 42" 1080P TV. The picture is excellent, though I'll be the first to admit a $3000 Sony's picture would top it, but I can't complain for the price.

The picture is superb. Everyone who has seen the picture raves about the clarity.Setup is easy. The only negative is the relatively long time to get a picture when you turn the tv on.

I bought the tv three and a half years ago .Two weeks ago the sound wont work .I called the company .They are no longer in bussiness.So much for warrenty .I was told that the main board was no good .Board is $250.00 plus install fee .The tv in my opion is a piece of crap!! On top of the tv .The olevia blu-ray we had .After four firmware updates .IT DIED TOO . Iwill never reccomend olevia to anyone.

I purchased this TV sight unseen i.e.(online and at a bargain) and so far (had it about 2 months) I am very happy with it. If I have a complaint is that on non HD channels the black reproduction is not as crisp as on my other LCD. The picture looks a bit artificial if that makes sense. Its just not sharp. This is definitely not a TV that you look at up close. 8-10 feet away and it comes into its own. 1080P HD and DVD's look fantastic. The price was awesome and I am pleased with my purchase. The only thing keeping it from 5 stars is the non HD picture quality. It may even be the digital signal that the satellite provider is sending. I would recommend this TV despite that one issue.

Don't be misleading by the bad reviews, this TV is a great buy, excellent picture quality for so little price, you won't be dissapointed. I love that you can remove the speakers, since most of us use an external audio system anyway, this make it look great hung on the wall. A+

I researched HDTVs for a couple of months before deciding on this model. The deciding factors actually were rather elementary. 1. it is one of the only models with front access menu buttons and as I was trying to fill the entire TV opening of my entertainment unit that was prefered. 2. it was the lowest priced 42",1080p, flat panel available! It's been an awesome upgrade from a 35" CRT. The model itself is actually quite attractive I love the picture quality and the sound is good. The on screen menu takes getting used to but has a lot of cool tweaking options.
Unlike most I received a paper manual, I also received a different remote control than listed with the product. Not sure why. I too find the light on when off, and off when on a different feature but I won't complain. But the slow response time turning the unit on and off is slightly annoying. But overall I'm thrilled and loving it!