Syntax Olevia LT27HVX 27-Inch Flat Panel LCD HD-Ready TV

by Syntax

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8 x 35 x 20 inches ; 39 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 40 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• ASIN: B000BKJZ0K
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #113,991 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 12, 2005

Product Description

27 Inch 16:9 Widescreen / Up to 1280x720 Res / 750:1 Contrast Ratio / DVI w/ HDCP Compatibility / 10w X 2 Virtual Surround / 12ms Response / NTSC Tuner 12ms Response Time PIP Split Screen capability Digital YC 3D Comb Filter Dual Progressive-Scan Component Inputs 178 / 178 Degree Vertical and Wide Viewing Angles VGA (DB15) & DVI HDCP Inputs 10 Watt + 10Watt Stereo and TruSurround Speakers VESA 200 Wall Mount compatible (wall mount not included) Includes table stand Unit Dimensions (W x H x D) 35 x 19.7 x 8.3 w/ Stand One year standard manufacturers on-site parts and labor warranty

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good 27, January 3, 2006

By 

JPL Engineer (Pasadena, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Syntax Olevia LT27HVX 27-Inch Flat Panel LCD HD-Ready TV (Electronics)

[...]

I don't have much to comment on picture quality because it is such a subjective thing. It is better to say that compared to a high-end 23" Dell or HP widescreen LCD computer monitor running 1920x1200 or even a regular 20" Dell monitor, the Syntax picture is just as good when viewing from dead center. Unfortunately, as with any LCD display, the off axis viewing (meaning you are not sitting directly in front of it in the middle) isn't that great. The black level diminishes about twice as bad off axis as a Dell or HP computer monitor would. This affects the perceived contrast as well. I would not buy this TV for viewing by many people in a large room but rather for a bedroom where only a couple of people are watching directly in front of it. That is how I'm using it.

As others have written, there is an annoying buzz on the speakers. This buzz is there even when the volume level is set at 1 and the level of the buzz does not change when the volume is raised or lowered. The only time the buzz goes completely away is when the volume is set to 0 or if the mute is enabled. What appears to be causing this is the LCD backlight. The TV defaults to "medium" backlight. If you change it to "bright" the buzz goes away. If you use "medium" or "dark" the buzz will return. There is probably insufficient shielding and filtering because the power supply for the white backlight behind the LCD is leaking noise into the audio circuits in "medium" or "dark" modes. By setting it to "bright" the backlight power supply runs at full power which reduces the level of noise generated. Hopefully this workaround will help you out.

If you plan to remove the stand in order to wall mount the TV there will be an oval shaped hole on the bottom. Unfortunately, Syntax does not provide any cover to fill up this hole and it is somewhat unsightly if you look underneath the TV and see the guts of the TV inside. They said there is nothing available at this time so you'll have to make something up out of plastic, rubber or foam.

But even with these minor problems, I still rate it a 4-star given its decent picture quality at the price point of $[...](after rebate) for a 27" LCD with 1280x720 native resolution. If you compare the picture quality of this Syntax to a Sharp or Hitachi that costs twice as much [...], the slight improvement in black levels from the Sharp or Hitachi is really not worth the extra [...]as long as you are always sitting directly in front of the TV.

Update [...]:
It's been 6 months so far and no problems with the TV. It took a very long time for my rebate to show up but it finally did. For those of you handy with a soldering iron, a quick modification to remove the buzz noise from the speakers is to insert a 5watt 39ohm resistor in series with the red wire going the speaker. This effectively increases the impedence of the speaker and attenuates the buzz from the audio amplifier. A side benefit is volume at low levels is easier to adjust. With the resistor installed, I need to turn up the volume to 18-20 which used to only be 3-4. It was nearly impossible to find a comfortable volume with only 3-4 'volume steps'. With 18-20 'volume steps' to achieve the same volume, it is much easier to find a good volume level to watch the TV in the bedroom late at night.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars for a PC Monitor, Not Rated for a TV, May 28, 2006

By 

Richard S. Pasma (Upland, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Syntax Olevia LT27HVX 27-Inch Flat Panel LCD HD-Ready TV (Electronics)

Having only had this product for about five hours I will provide you with my first impression. I am using this as a computer monitor/TV and am very pleased with the quality and capabilities it provides.

I am not sure everything regarding the computer setup being used with this product as a monitor is important but here is what I have: 3.2 Ghz Intel, 2 Gigs Ram, ATI X850XT P, Windows Home XP, and most important a Hauppauge WinGo TV card.

All I have at this point is basic cable with no HD capabilities.

As far as using this as a stand alone TV I would say the following: The color and picture quality are excellent. The remote does not have enough buttons. You have to go though a menu and several buttons to use and turn/off the PIP. The source button does not toggle between items but brings up a menu you have to arrow through before making a selection (Toggle in my opinion is better). Other reviewers have touched on other items. Because the stretch and compression of the picture in full screen mode is noticeable I prefer the 4:3 aspect ratio. This reduces the screen size to about a 22 inch diagonal picture.

Using this as a computer monitor/TV combo makes this product shine. The picture quality between a direct cable hookup and going through the TV card is the same. In my biased opinion the 25 inch diagonal picture which can be provided by the TV card provides the best picture/aspect to actual ratio compromise. This is the maximum you can get using the TV card. Although full screen is not possible with the TV card it is not problem with a cable splitter to have both options available.

Playing DVDs with Power DVD provides awesome full screen picture quality without the aspect ratio problem standard TV has.

Having a 27 inch screen for Word of coarse has no value. However, being able to use Word with a TV screen as I am doing now works great. As this is being typed game three of the Dallas/Sun playoff game is being aired. What I have is about a 18.5 inch and 12.5 inch diagonal picture for Word and TV, respectively. Being able to have two screens with TV and the internet with Fantasy football is something I used to do with a 21 inch monitor. Next season there is going to be a new and better stadium provided with this monitor.

With two of the games I have looked at and general internet browsing I have not found any problem with the shift in aspect ratio. For game quality, running at full screen, Colin Mcrae 2005 and The Rise of Legends look and play fantastic.

If you are going to buy this as a computer monitor there are a few tips I would throw your way. Before disconnecting your old monitor set the screen resolution and refresh rate to one this monitor will work with. You cannot change these setting in Safe Mode, I know this because I have tried. Because of the resolution setting set in Rise of Legends was not compatible with this monitor it would not run. This required hooking up the old monitor or reinstalling the game. It is possible there is an easier way and is something to keep in mind.

Because the people in charge of energy conservation have not caught up with these people the monitor power will not be shut off by the power saving features built into the Windows Operating System. Having to turn on/off the monitor each time the computer is turned on/off is a minor annoyance.

Follow up: After having emailed Syntax, I was informed neither built in functions nor software drivers were available for these energy saving features. They stated this was a TV not a computer monitor, and was star complaint with the energy regulations for TVs.

If you are thinking about using a PC with a TV card the software Beyond TV gives you better capabilities than TIVO with no monthly charges. The best feature this program has in my opinion is information and the means to record shows you would not otherwise think about. It also provides the means to transfer recorded media to a PDA which is really cool. If you choose to buy this program and can find Version 3 at a cheaper price than the Version 4 price, buy it. It will have a free upgrade to Version 4.

The specifications on this monitor from some of the information I have seen are not accurate. As far as a computer monitor the three specifications I believe to accurate and important: Maximum resolution: 1360:768 (That is what I am currently using), Brightness 700 cd/m2, and a Response Time of 12 ms. With a product specification comparison I would expect this one would hold up well. Based upon my personal experience and needs I have given this product a five star rating.

Rich


Update June 4, 2006: I am using the VGA cable supplied with this product. Using a VGA versus a DVI cable gives more options for display resolutions. To get to the maximum resolution of 1360:768 you must uncheck the box, `Hide modes that modes this monitor cannot display.' This may be why some people incorrectly indicated a maximum display resolution of 1280:1024. This is not a display resolution I would recommend because of aspect distortion.

My earlier comment indicating a full screen display not being available with the TV card being used was not correct. Full screen mode with this TV card can be obtained by selecting the no title option located at the upper right hand corner of the display. There is not any significant difference in the picture quality between using this and a direct cable hook up. The opinion regarding the best aspect ratio with the title information displayed still stands. If you are going to be using this product with a PC without a HD TV signal, the additional control a standard TV card gives you with the aspect ratio is well worth the money. In addition using the PIP with PC applications is not practical (Maybe possible would be a better word).

The reason the title of this review states, `Not Rated for TV', is because I am not using HD TV. Based upon the quality of the screens produced by my PC using a DVD and gaming software I doubt there would be any problem with the quality of a picture obtained using a HD TV signal. I also neglected to mention the price of this product was considerably less than other the other products with this picture size, having no better quality

Having a few days now to use this product, I have no regrets having purchased it.

Update July 8, 2006: In my opinion comparing products with other brands and/or sizes on a showroom floor should be the first level used in the process of making a decision of what to buy. As lighting and the type of use you are going to be giving this product are not always reflected on the showroom floor, it is nice to know what the specifications are. Hearing what people have to say from personal experience from such places as this has value as well.

As of this date the specifications listed for this item at Amazon as well as one other site I checked were for the previous model. The fact no one has bothered to point this out until now should tell you something about specifications. As I, and assume you, would prefer to have accurate specifications here are what I got from my manual and Syntax's web site. It is a 9ms response time, 800 cd2/m brightness, and a 1000:1 contrast ratio. The 1600:1 dynamic contrast ratio listed on their Web site is a modern version of horse power rating Sears has been using and others have picked up on.

For my purposes I am still very happy with this product. However, if you plan on using this with neither HD TV nor a computer I would recommend you wait until you are ready to make the jump to HD TV, unless aspect distortion does not bother you.

Update July 22, 2006: If you purchase this monitor there are a few more tips you might find useful in the following comments. With the use of PC applications such as Word, Excel or the internet I would strongly recommend that you set the desktop resolution to 1360x768. However, I have found some of the games I have used do not work at this resolution. If you find a game does not display after changing the resolution or for some other reason, go to the desktop and change to a lower resolution. This tip would have saved me a lot of time. The Windows shortcut to go to the desktop is the Windows key held down followed by a press and release of the D key. This of coarse does not work with all applications, games in particular but is worth a try before doing a Ctrl-Alt-Del (which works fine, most of the time).

If you fast forward a VHS tape with the default settings while in TV mode, the screen goes blank. What were the people that set this up thinking? Not is the answer. To correct this problem while in TV mode go to Menu then Advanced Picture Adjust and set DNR to Off.

While the length of this review is rather long, it is hoped the content could be easily understood and remembered for future reference. Dealing with all the issues raised here has not changed my opinion that purchasing this product was a good decision. Actually seeing a product such as this before making an internet purchase is something I could not emphasize too much.

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great TV for the money, December 1, 2005

By 

Ed "edshull" (Henderson, NV, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Syntax Olevia LT27HVX 27-Inch Flat Panel LCD HD-Ready TV (Electronics)

I got a tremendous deal on this TV at $500. I was keeping my expectations low at that price, plus the fact that this is a brand I never heard of. But I am really quite impressed. The picture quality is pretty good. I did hear some hum from the speakers when I used the sound on the TV, but I hooked it up to my stereo and it sounds great now.

I have not tried it with HDTV yet, but DVD looks very good. It's not exactly on par with the $5k Sony I was looking at in the store, but it's not much different. I would imagine that I will be even more impressed when I actually get to use the HDTV inputs.

One tip: If you are hanging this on a wall, it's a little confusing getting the base off. I had to call the company for support (which by the way was quite painless). You have to unscrew 7 screws total. Just look for the sets of screws in line with the base. It seems like common sense, but their 3 different screw sizes and placements.