The Bottom Line
Pros
- Very Stylish - can be table or wall mounted
- Great Price
- Great performance with progressive scan and high definition source material
Cons
- No color intensity control
- Zoom function only has one setting
- Motion lag on low resolution material such as VHS, and weak cable or broadcast signals
Description
- 30-inch LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 16x9 HD-compatible (480p, 720p, 1080i) television.
- 1280x768 native pixel resolution, 750:1 contrast ratio, and 80,000 hour backlight life.
- Dual-NTSC tuners with PIP, Split-Screen, and Multi-Screen display capability. Standard RF input.
- Composite (1), S-video (1), Interlaced Component(1), and HD-compatible Component(1) video inputs.
- DVI-HDCP input for use with DVI equipped DVD players and HD-settop boxes. VGA input for PC use.
- Ten watt-per-channel audio system with side mounted speakers. Line output for optional subwoofer.
- Headphone output as well as stereo audio outputs for connection to stereo or surround sound system.
- Easy onscreen menus; can be set to transluscent or opaqe display. Setup functions easy to navigate.
- All controls can be accessed either from the unit itself or via the supplied remote control.
- Unit comes supplied with a table stand, but can be wall mounted via optional wall mounting kit.
Guide Review - Olevia LT30HV LCD Television
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 wide 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 S-Video, Component, or DVI-inputs.
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, there are some 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, if you watch mostly DVD and HDTV source material, LT30HV may be just the ticket if you desire an inexpensive flat panel television. However, its performance with low resolution analog material falls short when compared to a standard CRT-based television.
Note: This review was written when the LT30HV was first made available. Since then, some LT30HVs have had problems with a random shut-off issue over time. A product review can provide information on product operation and performance during the review process (usually 30-90 days), with added reviewer opinions, but cannot accurately predict performance over the long term.
