Customer Reviews

Syntax Olevia LT26HVE 26-Inch HD-Ready Flat-Panel LCD TV

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I just bought this model for a spare bedroom tv.When I first hooked it up strictly through the cable tv cable, the picture was grainy. I then hooked it up through component cables into Time Warner's HD cable box. The picture is awesome! Great contrast, dark blacks, no artifacts. It truly looks like you are looking out a window when viewing HD channels. Standard definition channels look fine, also. The remote is a little quirky, but I found an RCA code that worked with the cable box remote. I mounted it on the wall using a Premier tilt/pan mount, but the stand mount that is included is also sturdy and good quality.What a great tv for the price!

I wanted to rave about this monitor as much as most other folks on this site, but I must say, I was not impressed with the Olevia when I first took it out of the box, connected it, and turned on the TV. I kept checking the sound on every channel to see if it said mono, because it sure didn't sound like stereo to me. I went through both manuals, trying to find some adjustment I could make to improve the picture and the sound. I even went out and bought the suggested S video cable, but I couldn't see any difference in the picture once I plugged it in.

But all that changed as soon as I popped in my Batman Begins DVD.

Wow. This monitor is the bomb. The sound is indeed stereo with rich tones and good separation. The picture is great with fantastic resolution, more than I hoped for.

I wish that the print in the user's manual were actually large enough for me to read with my 40+ year old eyes and that the onscreen menu were easier to maneuver. But it's clear to me that this thing was designed for watching DVDs in widescreen and at that, it absolutely excels. TV people look a bit squat and the sound is more like flat mono than stereo. Who needs television anyway? If you use this equipment for watching DVDs only, it will be well worth the price you paid for it. I have no complaints with it now.

I just purchased the same brand and size tv but I puchased Model #LT26HVX for the same price. I read many reviews before purchasing and the HVX has had many improvements. The aspect ratio was improved and it was upgraded with the Philips LCD. Check the differences before you purchase. Except for the remote controls sleep timer function, I would rate mine a 5. I am writing this review because so many have helped me in my prior purchases that I would like to return the favor. When you make a purchase on any item, please write a review to help others.

I can't believe how totally awesome this monitor looks! The brightness and total image clarity are outstanding, and I haven't even used it as an HDTV yet! I am using it to replace a 19" LCD monitor. I can connect two pc's to this unit (or the same one twice). I have a DVD player, PS2, and computer connected to it. It is just simply amazing. The menus are easy to navigate once you learn that right arrow = select or enter.

I plan on adding pictures later. Personally, I would prefer detachable or no speakers.

As for people who say game play isn't great on LCD Monitors, they should buy this and then say that.

Larry

I bought this TV for my bedroom. The picture quality in HDTV is excellent. I use comcast HD and have no complaints. I bought this TV in June. Olevia customer service was very good. They tracted my rebate and I got it within the 10 weeks. I would say for the money this is a great deal!!

Vanessa
Connecticut, USA

First of all, this is probably a good "value" considering it's currently low price point ($699-$799 + Rebates), and it has a decent array of inputs, and it comes right out of the box ready to go (stand is already attached). but that's where it all comes to a subtle stop.
I'll explain. After a lightning storm took out a 5 year old analog 32" 'square' TV, i said "yep, it's time for another widescreen HDTV" . We own a 55" Hitachi Ultravision Projection and it has awesome written all over it. Maybe I set my expectation a little high on the LCD, even though I never expected an LCD to look near as good as the Hitachi.
My direction was pointing to CRT (conventional picture tube) Widescreens. 30" from Sony (KVH-30hs420), Panasonic (Tau), Toshiba (30hf85) and Philips (30pw911od). Where this is where I wish I hand ended up, instead of began

LCD are incapable of reproducing images as clear as CRT's . period.
there's just something about LCD's that have always bugged me. the Black's are never 'black' , action creates artifacting (blocks of pixels), graphic and text looks overprocessed. This Olevia has some of those (but not all) and a few of its own)

Pros and Cons
------------

Pros :
Nice footprint
30 lbs - easily mountable on a wall
Inputs for days : VGA / DVI / Component x2 / S-Video x 2 / Composite x 2
Clean and usable interface
the new IDEA technology works ... sorta
HD broadcasts look great but not awesome
hooked up a Dell laptop via VGA and it looked real nice, but....

Cons :
VGA is locked at 16:9
Nice footprint , but the foot isn't removable (so I've read)
would look nice on a wall, if you could remove the stand (foot)
the inputs are nice to have lots of, anything Composite (Yellow) is sure to look bad
the added EQ and Surround modes are nifty, but some of the Surrounds are useless
the remote is too simple, but it does allow you to access everything (which isn't much)
-except you cannot change aspect ratio with remote
non-HD Letterboxed programs are tiny. the letterboxing bars are almost as big as the image
there is a line of time code viweable at the top of the screen.
-there is no way of stretching it out
-the only way to change aspects is to go into the menu
-there should be an "Aspect" button on the remote
-in the video menu there are options to adjust the screen vertically and horizontally
-these options are "shaded" and are not accessible by the user. VGA use only - that sux
15:9 is an awkward ratio. Some say you can't notice it, but you can - if you look
-16:9 mode effectively crops 1/2 inch of both the top and bottom of the screen
IDEA technology kinda does what it says, but I didn't see it as dramatic as it's shown
There is no way to stretch out a 4:3 image to 16:9
-your aspect options are FULL /4:3/ 16:9 / Panoramic
-what I had to do was go into a secret menu on my Motorola Cable Box
-when asks : 4:3 Override ? - you have to select STRETCH. I had override set to 480p
Settings from the factory need adjusting
-if you are unfamiliar with adjusting video you might get an undesirable picture

Final Thoughts -
I wanted to like this LCD. I thought maybe someone had finally got an LCD to look good with TV broadcasts, and while Syntax-Olevia is probably doing a better job then anyone else in the range, they still haven't got it where an A/V enthusiast is going to be pleased with the final results.
Pictures are still to 'washed' for my liking, and watching any action or sports has got to be a struggle. Static or normal images look great, but once things start to move or speed up they lose it.
Using my little cable box trick (which everyone should now) solves some problems but complicates others. 1st -the trick. with your cable box OFF, select MENU on the front of the box (not the remote), you should get a grey tech screen. it'll ask you the display type and 480i override options as well as Component output
I've met quite a few people who had their component outs to 480i and the screen type to 4:3 , whic would solve some issues.
Type - 16:9
Output - 1080i (or 720p)
480i Override - Stretch

But to this point, I cannot remove the line of code at the top of the screen
----called Syntax Support (1-888-Syntax-8) nice quick response

"We usually only see that w/ DVI connections"
so why do i see it on Component ? "Maybe it's the cable box"
So, i checked some channels. It seems that once you get passed chanel 70 the line goes away, which is about where the DigiCable starts.
too bad we have SciFi , Spike, Comedy, Nickelodeon, etc.. under that threshold
i'm also not encouraged by this being a DVI observed anamoly

I'm going to give this monitor 1 week. If I haven't figured it out, it's going back
which will be a shame because I really wanted to like this set
too bad I started out looking at CRT's whose images are much sharper

but for someone who just has to have there TV mounted on a wall
or wants both a TV and a PC monitor, they won't find a better LCD at a better price

Paid - $699 w/$100 Rebate = ($599) September 1, 2005
well worth the money. Syntax makes a quality product in the Olevia line

I started to give this a 3, but I will give it a 4 and consider that the code line is a product of the Cable Box, however, if you can adjust picture orientation in VGA, you should be able to do the same in DVI and Component

I'll also take into account that LCD's aren't capable of being as clear as CRT. Having said that, this is one of the better pictures I've ever seen on an LCD; and by far the best for $700

The purchase of the LT26HVE 26 represented our families first venture into the world of flat screen television. We have, over the past few years, explored the flat screen market and always found the price of a nice sized television to be the biggest obstacle. Well, when we found this television for below $700 we figured now was the time to take the plunge. We were concerned about purchasing a television from a company we had never heard of until the sales rep explained to us why this set was as good as many name brand televisions. The sales rep actually took the time to point out the pros and cons. I usually don't pay much attention to greedy sales reps, but this guy really seemed more concerned with making sure we understood what we were purchasing than with making sure we purchased any old television.

Anyway, here are a list of the pro's and cons.

Pros
1. Light weight. I usually get a good work out hauling around our 27 inch and 32 inch tube televisions, by comparison, the LT26HVE 26 seemed as light as a feather. My lower back loves the television more than the rest of my body.
2. Easy hook up. Like many people I shun reading the manuals, at least with this television I didn't need it for the installation of the various cables.
3. The on screen menu options are fairly easy to understand and follow.
4. The DVD picture is good. Our cable pictures are about the same as our tube pictures. We don't have HDTV yet and so I can't blame the television for not improving our cable image.
5. I'm pleased with the sound. I should mention that this television is in our bedroom and so we don't play it with the volume up that loud.
6. I don't want to beat a dead horse but the price is really good. I guess I'm a little cheap, because it's going to take one heck of salesmen to get me to spend a Grand or more on a television.
7. The picture is still pretty clear when not viewing the screen while directly in front of it.
8. This television comes equipped to handle just about any kind of connection you may have. I doubt I'll use the television for a computer monitor or to play games on but at least I have the option. It's the first television I've been able to use with an S Cable connection for the DVD player.

Cons
1. Screen burn out may be a problem. I prefer to watch shows and movies that are shown in the 4:3 aspect ratio in that ratio. I don't like stretching the image to accommodate a wider aspect ratio. I've been warned that the reduced image may cause the cropping lines to be burned into the screen over time. I guess some newer televisions come with a feature that slowly shifts the cropped screen from side to side so that screen burnout can be avoided. I don't believe this television has that feature.
2. There is no "Sleep" function on the remote. For me this is a big "con." I'm used to hopping into bed and tapping the sleep button to set the television to shut off within a half hour. Now I have to flip through the menu options and set the television to shut off at a specific time. I also have to adjust the time to 24 hour (military) time. Seems kind of slow and outdated to me. I haven't purchased a television within the last fifteen years that didn't have a "Sleep" button.
3. Call me crazy but I kind of like a tube picture. I know LCD's are all the rage these days but I think my tube televisions are richer in color than LCD's? Also, my eyes get a little sore after staring at this LCD. It may just be me but I think LCD's are harder on the eyes.

In the end this television has more pros than cons. We are considering purchasing a 32 inch model for our downstairs family room.

I don't have much to say outside of what's already been said, but I did want to add that the base of the TV is removable. You can go to the FAQ section on Syntax Group's website and click on "LT26HVE stand removal" to see a photo description of how to remove the base. It's a great deal for the price and the picture isn't half bad considering I'm only using rabbit ear antennas!

I have only had the Olevia for 3 days now so this review may be a bit biased by the newness factor.

Picture:
I am pleasantly suprised at the quality of the picture. I had to do some minor tweaking of the settings to get a quality image, but even viewing SD images on Directv the picture is good to great. My test of this is watching a sporting event. SD is usually unwatchable on a highdef screen. I have watched and enjoyed quite a few baseball games on this set.

Sound:
The speakers that are part of the TV have adequate sound, I don't have it hooked up to a home theater.

XBOX:
I had to tweak the contrast/brightness but afterwards it looks and plays great. I am not seeing any streaking/blurring. I am playing using the component input.

The problem with all LCD TVs are that they are not as sharp with a SDTV feed. With that said this TVs SD picture is the WORSE I have seen. Even using the Component inputs the SD picture was very bad. No amount of tweaking helped. I guess if you are only using it for a PC monitor, DVD (haven't tried it), and HDTV only then the other reviews may be accurate. BUT if you plan to use it for SDTV viewing (the number of HDTV channels offered through cable and satellite are still low) then this TV is not for you.

I returned it and found a Sony KLV-S23A10 for $877 locally in central NJ. The Sony is 100% better at displaying SDTV and HDTV than this thing. Your safer buying a 1st tier manu. (Sony, Pioneer, Sharp, panasonic) than the low end of the market.

One more thing. If your not going to use HDTV as 80% of your viewing on any LCD then buy a CRT they still are superior displaying SDTV than LCD or Plasma.