Customer Reviews

Olevia 537H 37-Inch LCD HDTV

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I purchased the Olevia 537h LCD flat panel TV for my mother, as she entered an assisted living community. I wanted her to have the best picture quality. She loves baseball, and has fairly good eyesight.

I had spent some time looking at the Olevia 537h, but had only seen it showing a poor quality documentary. Still, I could see that the picture was excellent. When I installed my unit (which by the way was delivered sooner than expected, and in perfect condition), and first played a DVD, I was more than satisfied with the results (the Platinum edition of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was almost too good. You could see the artists' every brush stroke). The DVD player was one which Up-converted to HD 1080i quality, and the Olevia was up to the task. The picture was sharp, and the color was pure.

As has been stated, the on-screen display menu system Syntax is so proud of takes some getting used to, and I had to print out the manual from disc to have a reference in front of me. Some things are still not clear (manual-wise, that is) I almost have it fully programmed, but will probably have to find a simpler remote for my mother's use. I'm using it with an HD antenna, but will probably have to arrange for cable input, as some local stations just don't come in well. This I know is not the fault of the unit.

Overall it is a gem. The picture looks great in even bright room light. No glare from the screen. The colors are pure. And the price from Amazon is the best I had found.

A great product got better. The 537H is the successor to the LT37HVS which was a great product with a heavy internet following because it provided a excellent picture at a very reasonable price. So how did Syntax top the LT37HVS well they kiazen`d(fixed) its few failings the SD picture, ATSC tuner and the remote while retaining the excellent picture and the great price point.

The quality is fantastic, watching PBS's nature shows just shows off the picture.

The ATSC tuner works great, I live in a rural area and many of our digital stations operate at low power but with a good indoor power antenna I picked up all the broadcast channels without problem. WKET transponder is a good 40 miles away and operates below 100W but came in with no dropouts.

Where this television really separates it self from the other low end HD panels is the SD picture quality. Low end panels normally fail when it up converts an SD 480i signal, the cheap video processors usual included cannot process a decent looking SD picture which a real annoyance since the majority on content will be SD until we go all Digital in 2009 or later if you are using cable sources. The SD up conversion looks great, nearly as good as the up conversion at the local broadcasting stations.


Pros:
Great contrast ratio 1:1600
Excellent colors, bright (though the darks took a little adjustment to get right)
An ATSC tuner that works great.
Lot's of different sources at the back.
Nice styling

Cons: (Silly small things)
A little thick for a flat panel.
Menu system takes a little getting used too.

I personally believe that it will be hard to find a better 37" HD panel at this price point.

This is an incredible TV. Aside from some annoying minor problems like the fact that I can't program my cable box remote with this TV's codes to turn the set off and on or to change channels (the codes that Olevia says will work--won't) and selecting the source by rotating through ALL of the options (including the unused ones). Otherwise this is a truly stellar piece of electronics. Amazing picture, great sound, nicely designed...oh and did I mention great picture? The HD channels are so vivid as to look like a photograph. While channel surfing I hit Madagascar in HD and just stopped because the picture was awe inspiring. Bottom line, the price is extremely affordable. Xbox 360 games take on a whole new perspective on this TV.

I bought the 537H before Thanksgiving for just under $1,000. The price has subsequently dropped to well under $900. Shop the net and get the best price. I did have to update the firmware which requires you to download the drivers and the software from the Olevia site, then hook up your USB cable from the computer to the TV and then follow specific instructions requiring you to unplug the TV two times. Not real user friendly and if Olevia had a little better product control, the consumer wouldn't have to "reboot" a new TV so to speak. The price is terrific for the size of the screen. The remote control codes are impossible to find and even Olevia admits that 3rd party remote controls will not work, unless you get a learning remote and program that independently. So I have three remotes right now, one with the TV to control the volume, the Time Warner cable box remote to change the channels and the Dish Network remote for the satellite. Got a learning remote on the way to help alleviate the clutter.
The 537H does have many input jacks to accommodate your cable boxes, audio receiver, DVD players etc. The downside is that when your trying to change the input(say going from cable box to satellite TV) you've got to go through a whole list of different inputs to get to the one you want. To be specific it is 10 inputs you will scroll through.
If I was going to do it again, I may of spent another $100 or so and looked for more well known maker whose remote codes are more known.
Overall for the money it's a good set, just be aware that there are some trade offs.


UPDATE March 2007:


I've had the 537H since November and now feel competent to write a review after living with this for 4+ months. The TV is now a better buy than when I purchased it for $1,000. It can be had for around $700.00. A terrific value in my opinion. The picture is very, very good. The shipping box is very, very poor. Make sure you know the sellers policy on returns/damaged goods. Don't let the UPS/FED-EX/DHL whoever leave until after you've inspected the box, opened the box and made sure everything is good.
The 537 has plenty of inputs especially at this price point. It has like 10 different component settings available(DVD, SAT, TUNER, S-Video(2), Composite(2), component(2) and HDMI. The problem is that one mist scrawl through all of these to get to the component that you want to watch. There is no way to "turn off" so to speak those that you do not actually have hooked up. The TV does not have a universal remote code, so if your trying to use a remote from another component(say your cable TV remote or satellite remote), your not going to be able to control the TV with those. I ended up getting a SONY learning remote and programmed that with all the codes from the Olevia remote, my DVD player, Amplifier, Satellite TV box and cable box. Another thing a buyer needs to know is that the TV ships in what Olevia calls "Showroom mode." When you first turn on the TV, you will have to take the TV software out of this mode and put it in "home" mode as this will allow you to change audio and video settings, take the tv out of Closed Captioning(yes it comes with CC activated - Why ??? Who knows ?)and change the audio from "church" mode(the audio is like an echo) to normal mode(again Why ???). The instruction manual is entirely on a CD and you should spend a 1/2 hour or so opening this CD on your computer and reading the set up instructions. The TV does have a base that can be removed for wall mounting but you'll need an extra long Phillips head screwdriver to reach the screws that are mounted 5 to 6" up inside the bottom of the base. However once you get it all hooked up and set up, you will really enjoy the picture.

This is a great TV. Unfortunately, my TV only worked for 12 hours before it would not turn on again. My first reaction was that I got a defective model, but I understand that this sometimes happens. I immediately contacted Olevia regarding the warranty. Here's where things went south. Olevia did not respond to my numerous e-mails regarding the problem. I've spooken to their representatives on the phone a half a dozen times and while they finally agreed to replace the TV with a new one, I've yet to take delivery of the new unit after a month. They don't seem to be able to give a definitive answer on the problem OR the resolution. Very disappointing.

Bottom Line: If your TV works, you're in for a treat as the picture quality is nice, with sound that can't be beat. However, if you have any problems and are counting on the warranty to fix them, you're in for a rough ride.

I want to first say that the box the Olevia is packaged in leaves a lot to be desired. I ordered from Target, and it was delivered by UPS. UPS rang the door bell and left. By the time I got to the door, the delivery guy was gone. I immediately noticed a huge, 6-inch hole punched in the side of it, which was no wonder given how thin the cardboard was. Upon inspection (through the gaping hole), it appeared that the screen had a 2 inch scratch in it. However, upon removing it from the package, it became apparent the scratch was in the protective film-not the screen itself. They really should improve the box this thing is being shipped in!!!

With that said, I am completely thrilled with my 537h.

Pros:

Skin tones look very natural.
The built in speakers are more than adequate for even a fairly large room.
Lots of inputs (10 total, including HDMI).
HD quality is very nice and even SD quality is good, though obviously no where near as nice as HD.
VERY reasonably priced. Granted, this was my biggest reason for purchasing this set, and I'm happy I did.
Channel autoprogram found several digital channels in addition to the normal analog, so depending on where you live, you can get some unencrypted HD channels without a subscription.
1 year in-home warranty.

Cons:
Boot up time is a little annoying (10 - 15 seconds), though I've noticed if you hit the "source" key on the remote as soon as the Olevia splash screen is visible, you'll get an immediate picture.
Also, it's a little annoying having to toggle through all 10 inputs. If you overshoot the one you wanted by mistake, you have to do it again. Also, I wish the television would remember what input it was on last time, rather than always switching to the "tuner" after being shut off.
"Power light" seems counter-intuitive. Bright blue LED is on when the tv is off, and turns on when you turn off the tv. Yes, this means a normally dark room is illuminated in a faint blue hue.

I'm giving it 5 stars, because I can't give it a 4.5. The things I don't like are very small in comparison to the things I do. Also, I can be a lot more forgiving given the incredible price point. It really is a very good value.

I would readily recommend this television to anyone wanting a mid performance unit at an entry level price. There are better screens out there, but they cost twice as much.

First of all...if you have the issue where you cannot change any items in a menu...do this:
On the remote, hit the "Menu" button and then press the down arrow until you see "Picture," then hit enter, now hit the down arrow until you see "mode" and hit enter again. You should then see "power up" displayed. Hit enter again to get to the setting choices where you can change the mode back to "home"
If you are in showroom...the TV cannot be changed in any manner.

I found the TV to actually have higher standards than most reviews stated. The clarity is exceptional, it even picks up 13 HD stations via my antenna; my last tv picked up only 6. As with most HDTV's the standard definition analog signals do not look as well as they do on the "old" sets. However, the Olevia has a nice option where you can take out some of the choppiness in the blocking setting.

I would definitely recommend the TV. I got it for $749 and would not take it back for $800.

The Olevia 537H is a wonderful and inexpensive way to enter the world of HDTV on a budget and still get big rewards. We owned an RCA 27-inch cabinet model we bought in 1991 and repaired once about 2000. It was a great television when we bought it, a big improvement over what we'd owned before. It never quite came back to its glory after that repair, which took it out of our home for two weeks.

In recent years, it simply got too old. I watch a lot of NFL on television and those little boxes in the upper left and right hand corners became about impossible to read. The scroll at the bottom of the page could be a challenge, too. I notice the colors were no longer exact, either. They turned pale and wayward when compared with the other television in our house. Since I am about to turn 57, I needed more help than just new glasses to resolve all this.

I checked out a lot of TVs before buying this one, both online and by comparison watching in stores. The universal acclaim this model has received is justified. It has a wonderful picture (with one little problem), excellent definition, and beautiful colors. And we aren't even watching in high definition yet. I merely plugged the coaxial cable from Dish Network into the "Antenna" line, turned the TV to channel 60, and it played. I was unable to completely rig my remote to do everything, so we are burdened with having to use two remotes for the time being. I hope to resolve this when we switch to HD in a week or two.

The one little problem I encounter it a light screen on the left quarter of the screen when the screen goes black. This does not affect the picture when it's in color, only in total black. I have no idea what this is and would like to hear from owners that may have experienced this. It is hardly a problem for me but I wonder if there's a way to eliminate this.

As you can tell by reading this, I am a low-tech television viewer. I know the definition on this model is excellent but not as good as the best, and the LCD picture is great but no challenge to plasma. However, I bought my television from a national retailer for $694, making this one of the best buys I've had this year. Even if you pay $100 more than this, it's a great television for the price and delivers the goods in spades. I'm sure it will be a knockout when we commit to high definition, too.

I paid $699 for this set and I have to admit, even though I ought this for my bedroom, it can be a main room TV with it's picture quality. For an LCD, the HD channels come in sparkling. As for the SD channels, they look ok. But, you can tweak your setting a little (noise reduction) and the channels come in quite well. The rotary menu takes a little bit to get used to but is actually quite simple to navigate once you get the hang of it. It has more than enough composite and component inputs. However, it has only 1 HDMI input. No DVI input but somewhat makes up for it with SGVA input.
I do have to complain about the sound quality. The on board speakers are pretty sorry to be nice. If you run a home theater system you will be fine. Otherwise you should turn the bass down to the mid level range and crank up the treble to about 70%. It sounds ok then.
Again, for the money, you get a very good TV with some mediocre sound.

Got a great price on this TV, easy setup and great picture. TV looks good and is a quality unit. I also have a 50" Toshiba HDTV and the picture on the Olevia is as good if not better. Minor complaint, you need to scroll through the various inputs to get to the one you want, no direct access. Would buy again.