Customer Reviews

Olevia 542i 42-Inch LCD HDTV

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

 

 

I keep on hearing just how good HDTV looks, and I've seen in-store displays and not been impressed, of course. I also haven't been impressed with most of the HDTVs I've seen in people's houses with all the glare and stuff ruining the picture. So, I waited a LONG time before getting an HDTV for two reasons. First, I had a price point the TV had to get down to before I would buy. Secondly, the TV had to be an LCD (need to wallmount above fireplace; need to connect to HTPC, so no plasma with the rectangular pixels). Therefore, after a HECK of a lot of research and reading review after review, I chose the Olevia 542i for a great many reasons.

Reasons included very high ratings, very few complaints, extremely low price, Phillips S-IPS LCD panel, excellent SD scaler, lots of picture modes/zoom/adjustments/etc, built with PC use in mind, firmware updateable (haven't updated yet, but I could), etc. Ok, so I get the TV when it's at its cheapest price ever (mwahaha!), which was a full Benjamin below what I was willing to pay for it (the extra money paid for the Peerless Onemount wallmount for it). After I unpack the TV, I quickly scoot it over and use a VGA cable to connect it to my main PC just to test it out with World of Warcraft. I was completely blown away. It was a 42" LCD computer monitor at 1360x768, so clear you couldn't see pixels unless you were within two feet of it (with my glasses on)!

Anyway, I tested it with a bunch of different sources and everything just amazed me. It looks WAY WAY better, even with standard-def s-video and component video sources, than my Sony WEGA 27" CRT TV. I didn't expect that at all. The scaler in this Olevia (and the 37" 5-series model) is just incredible. Noise reduction is extremely impressive also, better than my Sony WEGA CRT by far, as regular Dish Network content is full of noise (low-bitrate mpeg-2; I will get an mpeg-4 Dish HD receiver soon).

Well, I rarely post reviews of items and mostly just read tons of reviews, but I had to post a review for this TV, especially since I didn't see any reviews for it on Amazon. I posted a bunch of pictures I took with my camera at 2048x1536 resolution, but Amazon scaled them down so they don't really do the TV justice. Still, you can get an idea of how awesome this TV is by looking at the pics.

I can honestly say that this is the best-looking display of any kind I have ever seen for any price. It is truly a bargain and can easily compete with any 1080i LCD its size at twice the price. Oh, also, HD content puts even the best-looking DVDs playing through the best-quality DVD player to shame, and this TV shows every detail beautifully in HD. The only downside is the black-level detail, but it is less and less noticeable with higher quality sources (I don't even notice a loss of any black-level detail in HD).

First of all, let me get the cons out of the way. This is a pretty heavy TV! However, the build quality feels solid. Also, as another reviewer has mentioned, there is quite a lag between turning the TV on and the display turning on. The power switch also seems buggy. If I unplug the AC and plug it back in (or if the power goes out in my house), the TV will not turn on. (the trick is to watch the blue LED on the front of the TV - the light turns off when the TV powers on and stays on while it is powered off). This is corrected by flipping the power switch on the back of the TV off and back on.
The above is an annoyance and easily correctable. However, someone that is unable to figure this out could assume that the unit is defective.
The actual picture quality that you get for the money outways the above problems though. I use this TV for many different purposes: gaming, watching cable TV (SD and HD), and watching movies. It excels at all of these. Gaming is very important to me, and ghosting or lag in a TV would kill the deal for me. Fortunately, there are zero issues in this area with the 542I. I regularly play Nintendo Wii and Gamecube games on this TV, and have used it with the XBox 360 as well. Each systm looks and plays terrific.
Another area that this TV excels in is connectivity. It has a lot of options from standard A/V composite, to S-Video, Component, HDMI, VGA, and Coaxial for cable or antenna if you need that (note, the TV includes a built in HD TV tuner). It also includes digital audio output. The TV is also firmware upgradable - not something you would necessarily expect at this price point.
The TV is very attractive in person, especially with the speakers removed. It is vertically adjustable on its stand, or can be removed from the stand altogether and be mounted on a wall.
Finally, while it's configuration menus are not anything special, there are a lot of display options. Once you figure out the navigation scheme, it's fairly easy to get around.
The bottom line for this TV is that it is a great value. It looks as good, if not better than most LCD's out there, even those costing much more. It is a good display for video gaming as well.

My first HDTV, and it looks awesome!! I am very happy with the decision I made to purchase it. Only two issues:
1) I have an HDTV ready cable box (Comcast), and I originally hooked up the TV to the box with a regular coaxial cable. The picture quality was only so-so. Then, I purchased an HDMI cable (about $70), and the difference was amazing. I strongly recommend the HDMI cable to maximize your picture.
2) I have to re-program my 3-year old to keep him from touching the screen. At least he does not eat peanut butter . . .

After seeing this set (Olevia 542I) next to a Sony 42"p, there is no way
I would pay 800 to $1,000 more for the Sony. There is virtually no difference between the clarity of the Olevia's picture and the picture of the Sony.
I purchased the 542I two months ago, and am completely satisfied. Also,
I purchased an "OPPO" DVD player which works beautifully with the 542.
I have recommended the Olevia to several people.

if you're looking for a 42" hdtv at a great price, this is what you're looking for. I just hooked up an antenna(waiting for my terk hdtva from amazon) and i couldnt believe i was missing out on over the air hdtv(1080i) this long! saying the picture is amazing is an understatement. dvds come out pretty good with component(480p) but theres room for improvement with the hdmi port. i hooked up my computer to the tv via VGA and its just amazing! the screen comes out VERY clear and VERY bright.

save yourself a few hundred dollars and get yourself this tv... you'll thank your wallet. in this case lower price does NOT mean lower quality.

I bought this TV base on its positive reviews. And I was pretty satisfy with its performance. Both picture quality and viewing angle are comparable to much higher price units. Unfortunately my TV died within two months. The unit won't power on and I'm force to deal with olevia support. Olevia say they will ship out a power unit to me and then I have to call back to schedule a tech to install it. It's been 3 weeks and I still don't have the part. And get this, I live within 10 miles of Olevia's warehouse! Olevia support's hold time is at least 20 minuts each time you call. I say buying a olevia is more of a roll of the dice. If you get a working one then you're fine. However, if anything goes wrong with it, then be prepare to be without your TV for a long time.

I really wanted to like this TV. I bought it for my husband December 2006 as a Xmas present. Right from the first time that we turned it off, it made clicking noises. Customer service said it was cooling down... basically saying it's normal. After a month or so we started having color problems. Yellow, swirly marks would show up where it was bright white... and months later showed up where it wasn't white as well. Luckily (I hope) I had also purchased Target's extended warranty as a back up in case Olevia's warranty would suck (which I was right). I called Target customer service for help and through them I got to Olevia to send out a technician. However, the "parts" didn't come in for a month. So I had to wait a month for someone to come and fix the tv. Well finally the Syntax (Olevia) tv tech came to replace the main board in my tv. The color is great! BUT NOW THE TUNER IS MESSED UP! I call up Target customer service and they say that it is a manufacturer problem, so I call Olevia again. I was directed to try to input channels one by one and save them and see if the tv remembers. Mind you now I am missing SEVENTY-FIVE CHANNELS! I just did 3 to test, and lo, the tv has amnesia. The second step the Olevia tech (over the phone) said to take was to get my cable company to test the signal strength, which could be the reason why I was missing channels. So my husband calls Charter Cable and a cable guy comes out within two days. Nope, nothing is wrong with the signal strength and to top it off, he says, "I've been seeing these Olevia tvs with tuner problems a lot." Step three: If the cable/signal strength is fine, then "it's a tuner problem." These words came from the tech guy at Olevia customer service. So we call them back to tell them we tried steps 1,2 and now it was time to talk about number 3! We were speaking to another tech guy (you can never get the same person as last time) and this guy says to load new firmware. The old firmware might be the problem, he says. We load up the new firmware later (had to wait for husband to help with that) and nope, still missing almost all of my analog channels. My husband calls Olevia customer service this time to tell them of the newest findings. We are asked if we could lug the tv to them so they could look at it. I suppose if I wasn't pregnant and my husband could juggle the 42" tv there without damaging --- SURE WHY NOT? It clearly says in the warranty that if damage occurs during transporting it the warranty is void, so that would be dumb of us. Plus all the packaging, boxing, and shipping would be a royal pain in the a$$ to get and do. The tech then says that they could send out another tech but it might take several weeks or something like that. Tech said he'd call us back to schedule an appt. My husband asked to speak with a manager, and the tech support gave him an attitude, saying no managers were availabe. In order for us to get service, either my husband or I would have to take off of work M-F, because they only service M-F between 9-4. I've already done this. Why do I have to do it again? The first time the Syntax tech came out to replace the main board in my tv he said: If this (replacement part) doesn't work, then you'll get a new tv. Talking to customer service over the phone, that's not the idea I'm getting. I'm starting to feel like I'm going to have to push the Target warranty. Target warranty states that if they fix the same problem twice, and it requires a third repair, then they will issue a Target gift card not to exceed what I paid for it, minus taxes. I had really, really high hopes for this tv. I did a lot of research, reading reviews before buying it. There were lots of excellent reviews out there. Too bad. The worse part is my husband is so mad... saying today, "Never buy these off-brands again!" On Syntax's website, they have a slogan that states that their focus is customer satisfaction. With so many customers recently venting about bad customer support... Olevia/Syntax is failing in that respect. Again I must reiterate, I really wanted to like this tv/brand... but I don't think we'll be purchasing this again, nor will we be recommending it (to anyone we like and respect).

EDITED 10/18/07:
Ok, so the problem is now resolved! I emailed the COO of the corporation and immediately balls started rolling and the wheels started turning in my direction! It's a super long story, but the jist of it is - customer service was FANTASTIC and I had a brand new television delivered TWICE to my house. The first one still had issues, but the second one (a different model 242 I think) had NONE - no problems. The techs called on Saturday, came after work hours... was on call to help us with anything we needed. So I suppose the moral of this story is: When the little guys won't help - go over their heads to the CEO or COO of the company! I love my TV! It really is a great TV. I think all companies crank out lemons now and then.

I'd revise my rating to 4 stars for the TV and 5 stars for the customer service (if customer service and quality control is consistent). :)

Well made. Easy to install. Good manual. Good picture. Not using the speakers so, no comment. So far, seems like a good buy.

Purchased this TV December 10 after much research. Unfortunately for me the TV was defective on arrival!
When it is working it is a very nice TV, but the customer support from both Olevia and Target leave a lot to be desired.
Target will not replace the item... the corporate policy I am told is the item must be returned via shipping... you are responsible for packing the item and putting it outside for the shipping company to pick up... and once target receives the TV back and it is processed thru receiving a credit will be issued... they say within 30 days... my credit card company AE says it will take 6 - 12 weeks... All this time with no TV, paying interest on the credit card or paying the balance and not be able to purchase another one until everything clears... I don't know about you but that is pretty steep!
Now Olevia... though it is under warranty I again must pack up the TV in the original box, ship it back to Olevia and when they receive it back they will ship another one to me... the TV weighs 100lbs packing it up is not easy and again I am without TV for a month or more while the transaction takes place. If I want a TV at the time the defective one is shipped I must give Olevia a $1600 credit card hold while they process the transaction.
EITHER WAY THE CONSUMER GETS SCREWED!!
The television has a one year warranty, I purchased the extended warranty... What else could I have done!?!
I am told by both TARGET and OLEVIA this policy falls under the "other terms and conditions" ... I wonder why they don't actually say that?

BUYER BEWARE OF TARGET AND OLEVIA!!!

Pros: Picture quality is as good as it gets. It displays HD content (off the air or cable) as good as any brand I've seen. Speakers below the screen can be removed making the tv look sleeker.
Cons: Takes ten seconds to switch on. Channel flipping is slow. The menu is not very well designed but eventually one can get used to it.
Overall: Given the price and the top-notch picture quality, this is an excellent product.