Customer Reviews

T SERIES 26IN DTUNER LCD TV

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

 

 

The picture on this tv is decent for the price, but there are a bunch of little nuances that make this tv more trouble than it's worth. The processor inside is very slow, and that makes everything take a long time: booting up, changing channels, switching between video inputs.. all very slow. The menu isn't set up very well, and the tv itself looks kinda bulky compared to others on the market.
I got this tv cuz i'm a cheap bast'rd and couldn't bring myself to spend a grand on a decent tv. but i had to have a flat-panel, so i compromise by dealing with the annoying navigation.
Also, in case you didn't read it anywhere else, you can't use universal remotes with this badboy because none of the codes are compatible with this device.

I bought this direct from Target last night for use in my bedroom; it works as expected. Standard definition channels are of course not so clear, but high definition stations are a wonder to behold. The picture is nice and bright, good contrast, great colors; the sound through the built-in speakers is plenty good enough for my purposes, especially once the bass is turned up (although it jumps pretty quickly from silent to loud). I looked at this model next to the well-received Olevia 37-inch model and in some ways I actually prefer the image on this smaller screen, especially the non-HD channels.

There's some motion blurring on fast moving subjects, unfortunately... not sure how it would do for gaming. Other cons: only one of each type of input, so you can't hook up both an HDMI dvd player (I just ordered the Samsung DVD-1080P7 Up-Converting 1080p DVD Player from Amazon) and HDMI cable/satellite box at the same time (I've just hooked up my coax cable directly to the set); only offers 720p/1080i resolution (but then I don't believe there's any lcd hdtv set this size that features 1080p as it's not really necessary); the remote is not the best I've ever used, and you must point it directly at the small infrared receiver on the front panel; the user interface for changing picture settings, aspect ratio, etc., is rather clunky; the user manual (pdf file only) is sparse; I'm (so far) not able to get any firmware updates (says I haven't registered my serial no. when in fact I have). These are relatively minor gripes for what amounts to a bargain LCD HDTV set.

I bought a xbox 360 a couple of months ago, using that on a regular tv is a waste, half the time you can't see the baddies perched on the building shooting at you; you simply must have a display that can give the 360 the resolution it's capable of producing. I've been wanting a flat panel for quite awhile but just couldn't justify what was being asked for them and up till lately I really wasn'te teribbly impressed with most of the cheaper models. I saw this one on display at target and I was quite impressed. Up till now I'd had my heart set on a Samsung but this one was just as sharp and clear as what I'd seen on my chosen brand that was a good bit more money. I did a bit of research, yes Olevia is a newer company but I couldn't find any really negative opinions about them and you can't beat the included warranty, one year on site, you usually pay extra for on site service. Target also offers a very cheap three year warranty for 29.00 which was another attraction. I brought this guy home and had to figure out how to use my existing TV mount on the wall, I just strapped it down and it's fine but I think I will end up replacing the wall mount because sometimes the angles are not quite right when viewing very dark scenes (it can be lived with for now). This unit includes both HD and regular tuners, it even manages to tune in a couple of HD channels off cable with no box. I have played Bulletwitch and heavy weapon on this with the xbox 360 and I don't see the blurring mentioned in the other review. I'm also happy with the sound output, apparently a lot of flat panels have insuffucient built in sound, perhaps because they expect you to plug it into a home theater system (which I currently don't have). You get one composite input, one VGA plug (and sound inputs), one RCA/satellite input (with a svideo port) and a single HDMI port and a usb port for firmware upgrades. I don't currently use the HDMI port (and it even came with a cable, those cables are not cheap) but if I find myself needing more than one switchboxes are made so it's not a big issue. I'm am overall very happy with the unit for the price and it's made my xbox 360 100% more fun than it was before. The only annoying thing about this tv is the dumb blue power light that stays on all the time, it's so bright it wakes me up in a completely dark room (I have this in my bedroom). This is a great TV, so far as I know it doesn't have user replaceable light source but at an average of 8 hours a day viewing it should last a good ten years very easy (mtbf something like 50000 hours). There will undoubtedly be something better that I want long before this one fails. These TV's work by adjusting a constantly on light source, as the light source ages they tend to change color of the output light but that is not something that will happen for years. The sign on the shelf at target says 1600:1 contrast however the box mentions 800:1 native so apparently some processing is occuring within the tv to improve the picture. It does take a good ten seconds to come on when you turn it on or change inputs. The remote is capable and well layed out. It includes a button to change picture for three types of room lighting and a button to select inputs but it's not a multi remote that you can setup to run your dvd player also. So far I love it, only time will tell if it's a good product.

I bought one of these recently and am satisfied with my purchase. The good things about this TV:
- Clear, sharp picture
- Responsive: Responds to commands quickly, changes channels quickly
- Good tuner: The automatic channel setup picked up all my local stations fairly quickly. Digital channel scanning was faster than analog and picked up even more digital channels than analog for me.
- Good input options: This TV has S-Video, composite (RCA video/left/right), component (RCA red/green/blue/left/right), analog VGA (for computers), and HDMI. The only thing it lacks that would be nice is a DVI input (why an analog VGA but no DVI?)
- RS-232 input so that it can be controlled by other home entertainment components (I think)
- Firmware is upgradeable: If Olevia comes out with new features for this TV, it can be upgraded easily. This TV has a USB port so that you can download firmware to a drive using your computer and plug it into this TV.

The not-so-good:
- The viewing angle is not always great: The image looks great when you have a straight view of the TV, but at angles, the picture starts to look dimmer. I have the TV on a shelf and sometimes like to watch it lying down, and the image doesn't appear quite as bright and sharp in that position.
- No DVI input. This would be useful for connecting a computer to this TV. But that's no big deal; there are DVI-HDMI cables available that would do the job.

Overall, I am satisfied with this TV. For the price, this TV is a good value.

A lot disappointed with this TV. First, because OLIVIA is such a new brand, they have not yet produced remote codes that allow you to progran your dish remote to control this TV....which means searching for more than one remote to turn on TV and sattelite box and control functions on TV. Also, the blue power light on the front of the TV could land a plane....and it stays lit all the time! I use this TV for my bedroom, so I now have to sit something in front of the light or it keeps me awake. I bought a Toshiba at the same time I bought this one and it is much easier to use and has more innovative functions like 1/2 mute. The picture quality is okay on the OLIVIA, but I can't seem to get beyond the other annoyances. Delivery from the west coast to east coast took nearly 3 weeks.

First of all, do your homework before purchasing any HDTV. You have to know what you're looking for, especially as far as the aspect ratios of your movies, cable, and video games.

This TV is 720p and LCD, so it looks fabulous for its small size. Those of you who can afford anything you want should buy a large 1080p TV. But 720p is actually better than 1080i; don't let the numbers fool you.

Up-converted DVD's look great, really fabulous. After watching your favorite DVD on this, you won't be able to go back to standard DVD players on cathode ray tubes. I currently have a good, up-converting DVD player, the Sony DVP-NS75H. Obviously, you need an HDMI (high definition multimedia interface) cable for this to work. When I bought this TV from Target, there was a free HDMI cable with it.

I also have a Playstation 2 hooked up with an S-video cable. It looks much better than on a standard TV. No, there are no blurring problems because this is not an interlaced (1080i) TV. Hooking a PS2 up to this with Component cables (sold seperately) will make the PS2 look as good as you'll ever see it.

Standard cable looks OK, but in my experience digital cable looks better. High-def stations, whether through cable or broadcast, look stunning.

There are just a couple of drawbacks to this TV. Some of you may experience blurring with standard DVD players; this is why you shouldn't buy this TV (or any HDTV) unless you're willing to buy an up-converting DVD player or true HD-DVD players/Blue-Ray players. Also, yes, the remote is a little hard to use. You just have to aim and press hard. Third, there is only one HDMI input, which other HDTV's (logically) have more of. So if you want to hook up more than one HD signal (like an up-converting DVD player and a Playstation 3), you're in trouble.

Finally, keep in mind that HD equipment is more finnicky than what you're used to. Occcassionally, the lighting in some of my movies causes pixelation, or digital noise. This may be because of the TV, or my cheap HDMI cable, or my DVD player. It's rare, but don't buy all this stuff unless you're willing to grow with it. High definition is both more spectacular and more temperamental than standard TV's.

Bought this TV as a bedroom set. Got it refurbished through an amazon vendor for less than $400. That's quite competitive for a 26" TV.

This set has, for me, a perfect size for a smaller room. Big enough to watch a movie and not be squinting but not so big that it dominates the room. Mine fits nicely inside a bookshelf so it's totally unobtrusive. Very cool.

Look: The form factor of the TV is quite clean and slick. Impressive design from a second-tier company. Better than any similarly priced models.

Connectivity: Set also has an impressive number of inputs. Only one HDMI, but I've found that component is pretty much indistinguishable from HCMI, especially on a smaller TV.

Image quality: Good but not fantastic. Not as good as a Sony or Panasonic, and put next to my 42" Panasonic plasma, it can't compete. But the images are sharp and clear and this thing is definitely bright. Contrast is adequate, though in a darkened room the blacks are not deep black, but more of a washed out dark gray. DVD's in an upconverting player through HDMI look excellent, save for the average contrast. The image controls are surprsingly extensive in terms of color correction, sound, contrast/brightness, and are reasonably intuitive. Standard Def (non HD) images look surprsingly good. One of the benefits of a smaller LCD set is that SD content isn't nearly as stretched out as on a jumbo living room set, so channel surfing isn't as painful an experience. In this regard this TV is better than my 42" panasonic. Though this is likely more because of the smaller size than a better HD engine.

Sound: not amazing but certainly adequate. Definitely loud for a small set, and while it doesn't have deep bass or a huge sound, it's totally fine for the casual TV or movie watcher.

Customer service: Very good. I called Olevia a few days after I bought this machine with a couple of questions and was surprised at how helpful they were. Walked me through a problem with my DVD player connection and offered some good tips. So refreshing to call a company, not wait on hold for twenty minutes, and then talk to a real person who was proactive in helping me. Bravo!

Some negatives: Remote control is sluggish. Must be a really weak CPU in this TV because changing between inputs, like from HDMI to component is SLOW. Changing channels is also slow. Also, the remote is not, at this point, compatible with universal remotes, so you're stuck with it. Finally, there is a BRIGHT blue light on the front of the TV that is on when the TV is off, so when you're sleeping, it's like having a night light, whether you want one or not! I put a tiny square of black electrical tape on it and it fixed the problem and you can't notice it unless you're inches away. But still, annoying.

All in all, at $400 refurbished this TV is a decent deal, but you can find better models, like a sharp or panasonic 26", for $500-600 at sites like Newegg or TigerDirect. If you have slightly more money to spend, you're probably better off buying a name-brand. If you're on a budget, this is definitely a good option, and while you won't think it's the greatest TV you've ever seen, it will certainly suit your needs.

Olevia is a new brand of HDTV's that most people haven't heard of. I bought an Olevia 32 inch HDTV a year ago for my living room and I love it so I decided to purchase an Olevia 26 inch HDTV for my bedroom. I've had this Olevia HDTV for about a month and it's great. The only negative thing about the Olevia HDTV's is that they come with an Olevia generic remote control and most universal remotes don't have the program codes for these HDTV's yet (It doesn't matter to me because my Direct TV remote controls everthing on this HDTV except for the volume and I can use my Olevia remote for it). For the price and quality, you can't beat it. The picture in HDTV is very detailed and sharp. Buy an Olevia HDTV and you'll be glad you did!

Bought this unit at Target for my elderly mother in law. Being an engineer, I thought it would take a few minutes to set up. Boy was I wrong! The biggest problem is that there are no remote control codes for this set that work with Time Warner Cable. It took a couple of hours of trying almost every code on the Time Warner sheet. Gave up and went home to search the internet, Found many people having same problem. All said there was no solution except to go out and buy an additional remote with a"learning" function. Solving Olevia's problem by me spending more money didn't make much sense. The other problem is the menu/setup function is very poor and not easy to use. An 83 year old cannot do it.
Solution- Took it back to Target and for a few dollars more bought a 26" Magnavox that works perfectly and is easy to navigate. People who solve Olevia's engineering problems by spending more of their own money, are only helping to keep a marginal manufacturer in business longer than they should be.

I have this tv. Good tv, great picture - But manufacturer in bankruptcy and will not honor warranty on product.