Olevia LT30HV LCD Television

The LT30HV is very stylish. Unlike CRT and projection sets, this unit looks great even when its off! All the controls are accessible via both the TV and remote control. The side mounted AV hookups make it very easy to connect the rest your components.

This unit also has a great sounding internal speaker system; I especially like the line output for an added powered subwoofer. The screen brightness was excellent; the "soft" backlight setting is more than adequate as is the side viewing angle.

The LT30HV offers good progressive scan performance; HD performance via DVI input is impressive. The color is excellent, with no overblown reds when using Component, or DVI-inputs, and very little with S-Video.

The onscreen menu functions are easy to navigate - great PIP/split screen/POP. The price point for what you get is outstanding.

However, along with the positives, I did find a few negatives.

The video performance on poor signal feeds, such as broadcast/cable reception or standard VHS input is lackluster; motion lag is present. There is no color intensity control. The Zoom function only has one setting. Having a variable zoom control would allow greater flexibility in adjusting 4x3 and letterboxed images to fit the 16x9 screen.

In conclusion, with DVD and upscaled HD sources, the LT30HV performed great, with excellent color and detail. This unit is just the ticket if you desire an inexpensive flat panel television for viewing primarily DVDs and High Definition source material.

However, its performance with low resolution analog material, such as analog cable and standard video (VHS) sources, falls short when compared to standard CRT-based direct view and projection televisions. Basically, the quality of the source material really contributes to what you end up with on the screen. Which brings me ot my next point; I did not use the Olevia with a direct HD-cable, HD-broadcast, or HD-satellite source. However, based on the results I observed with the DVD progressive scan and DVI input sources, I would expect good results from any HD or progressive scan signal source. Watch for a possible followup.

In addition, not be overlooked, is the audio side of the Olevia LV30HV. Athough most consumers would elect to have the audio from their DVD player and other components connected through a separate home theater system, this unit has decent onboard audio. The 10 watt-per-channel onboard amplifier is a good match for its removable side mounted speakers, which produce a very wide stereo sound stage. In addition, the Olevia has a subwoofer line output, which lets you combine a compact subwoofer, such as the Maxx Miniwoofer , with the onboard speaker system to provide much fuller stereo sound.

Overall, The Olevia LT30HV respresents a great value in terms of design, funcitionality, and progressive scan and high definition performance for an LCD TV in its price range. This set is definitely worth consideration for DVD and HDTV fans on a budget; and it also makes a great large screen computer and video game monitor.

The LT30HV really demonstrates how much LCD technology has improved in the area of large screen applications in recent years. However, with just a few more additions and improvements, such as a color intensity control, variable aspect ratio control, a good onboard scaler, and faster response time/motion detection on lower resolution analog signals, the LT30HV would definitely be deserving of a full 5-STAR rating, in my opinion; especially if the low price point can continue to be supported.

Lastly, I want to make mention of the positive, prompt repsonse from Syntax customer support, with regards to answering questions on some of technical details of the LT30HV. The Olevia product line is definitely one that I will be following.

Note: This review was written when the LT30HV was first released to the market. Since then, some LT30HVs have had problems with a random shut-off issue over time. A product review is a snapshot in which can provide information on how the product operates and performs during the review process (usually 30-90 days), with added perspective and opinion of the reviewer. Although product reviews can give the consumer a benchmark how a product performs, it cannot accurately predict performance in the long term.