Olevia LT30HV LCD TV Review

The Olevia LTHV30 is a 16x9 HD-compatible (480p, 720p, 1080i), 30-inch LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) with 1280x768 pixel resolution, 750:1 contrast ratio, and 80,000 hour backlight life. This unit sports Dual-NTSC tuners with PIP, Split-Screen, and Multi-Screen display capability, using a Standard RF input, as well as Composite, S-video, Interlaced and HD Component. There is also a DVI-HDCP input for use with DVI equipped DVD players and HD-set top boxes. Additionally there is a standard VGA input that allows the LT30HV to be used as a PC monitor. The onscreen menu can be set to opaque or translucent. All controls can be accessed either from the unit itself or via the supplied remote control. I was disappointed that there was no feature supported on the LT30HV for the user to re-label input names. The standard nomenclature of video input names (IE. YCbCr, YPbPr, DVI, etc) are not very intuitive to most users as to which sources they correspond to.

For audio, there are two 10 wpc built in amplifiers with removable side mounted speakers and a line output for optional subwoofer. A Headphone output is included, as well as stereo audio outputs for connection to a home theater system. The LT30HV comes supplied with a table stand, but can be wall mounted via optional wall mounting kit.

Unpacking and installing the LT30HV was a breeze. I effortlessly placed this lightweight display (40lbs) of on my bedroom entertainment rack, made the appropriate connections, and was on my way to watching DVDs in the comforts of my own bedroom.

To make all the connections you must first remove the appropriate back covers depending on with I/O interfaces you plan to use.

• Back Cover A: unveils the DVI/HDCP, VGA video interfaces, RCA audio inputs, speaker output terminals, and a service port for service professionals only.
• Back Cover B: unveils S-video, Composite video, Component video, Audio inputs and outputs, subwoofer output and earphone output.
• Back Cover C: remove this to flush mount the display for wall installations.

The On Screen Display (OSD) is fairly straight forward and allows for picture and audio adjustments, aspect ratio, as well as configuring favorite channels, and parental controls.

For video set-up the user is allowed to adjust standard picture controls such as brightness (black level), contrast (white level), tint (hue), saturation (color), sharpness control. You also have the ability to adjust color temperature, noise reduction, and independent red/green/blue gain control (more on this later).

On the audio side there are user adjustments for bass and treble, but not for subwoofer level control. Thus you must calibrate the subwoofer with reference to the main speakers and tweak it via the subwoofer level controls anytime there are major level differences between the main speakers and subwoofer depending on source or program material.

Screen size has three aspect ratio settings; Full (16:9), 4:3, and Zoom which is used to enlarge 4:3 pictures while attempting to preserve the aspect ratio. Picture in Picture (PIP) can be selected in a variety of options including: split screen, pop3 and pop12 allowing the primary display to be located on the left split of the screen on pop3 mode or centered in pop12 mode while 12 pictures surround the primary display allowing the user to choose their selection.

The front panel adjustment controls are recessed under the main panel, a good measure to keep prying hands of children out of reach. Although I must confess at times I personally had difficulty reaching them myself. The black oval vertical circle indicates when the Display is in power standby mode outlined with a hypnotic blue illumination .

Using my trusted Avia disc, I calibrated the LT30HV as best as possible given my toolset at hand and figuring that most people purchasing this display would probably do the same or less. I adjusted the white level control (aka. contrast/picture) down so that both needle pulses were visible as per the respected avia test. Black level control (aka. brightness) was also adjusted down so that only the slightly brighter black needle pulse was visible and the black background was black.

Editorial Note
Realizing most displays are factory configured with white and black levels as well as color temperature levels set too high (mostly to look good on a showroom floor), a good rule of thumb I have found is to turn down both contrast and brightness controls about 50% as a starting point. This will ultimately save display longevity as well as provide a more accurate and balanced picture with a better contrast ratio.

Sharpness Adjustments

I found the color accuracy to be quite good out of the box with only a slight emphasis in red, or more popularly known as red push. I simply knocked the Red gain control down a few ticks and I was good to go. It was nice to see the LT30HV offered independent Red, Green, and Blue gain controls in addition to a Saturation control and an assortment of Color temperature settings (cool, normal, warm). I used the "normal" setting for color temperature as it revealed the most accurate picture setting.

The picture alignment of the LT30HV was dead-on from the factory. I also verified circle hatch test patterns for 4:3 and 16:9 display modes which also revealed excellent results.

Remote Control

• Simple Operation
• Narrow Profile

• Lacks programmability
• No backlighting or nighttime illumination

Regardless of the assortment of features that may endow a product, in the end what really matters is its performance and if it will deliver the goods in comparison to its competition and target marketplace. In this regard, the SYNTAX LT30HV does a fair to excellent job, depending on source material.

The audio performance was above average as far as TV's are concerned. There was plenty of headroom in the built in amplifiers and speaker system for casual viewing of cable or non surround type sources. Bass and treble controls offered a good degree of user adjustability of sound. The speaker system revealed clear and intelligible dialogue but a subwoofer was definitely mandatory if you wanted to hear the low tones. Perhaps this is why SYNTAX offered a subwoofer output.

A buzzing sound, attributed to the switching power supply, was slightly audible from my seated position (12 feet away) in a dead quite room to the most discerning listener such as myself. Upon discussing this with SYNTAX Tech Support, they instructed me to configure the Backlight setting in the video menu to "Bright". In normal mode, the Display doesn't fully load the power supply leading to the noise I was experiencing. I also noted that in "Bright" mode, a more dynamic picture was achieved. SYNTAX told me they now ship the unit defaulted to the "Bright" setting and I also recommend this setting based on my experience with this unit.

The video performance on substandard signal feeds, such as broadcast/cable reception or standard VHS is sub par to fair. However it is important to note that video performance on poor signal feeds generally produces the same result across most digital Displays, thus this is not a negative specifically to the Syntax Olevia LCD TV . While viewing standard satellite broadcasts and old VHS tapes, motion lag and graininess was clearly visible with these poor video signals, which had me yearning for my old CRT tube based display during these instances. These image anomalies are known as Posterization and Solarization . This is a characteristic of most all fixed pixel display devices, though some handle this better than others depending on the quality of the internal scalar of the monitor.

My short lived desire for a CRT Display quickly dissolved once I fed the LTV30HV an HD signal from my Dish network system or a 1080i signal from my Denon DVD-5900 via the DVI connection. This is where the LT30HV truly shined and should spend most of its viewing life. This is not a dissimilar comparison to a high performance audio system attempting to playback a poor quality recording. On very revealing systems, you will hear the compression and/or distortion of the bad recording as graininess or harshness. The basic principles we have become familiar with in audio; garbage in = garbage out; seemed to apply with equal favor for video applications, particularly when dealing with new digital displays. While I would have liked to see some digital processing enhancements built into this display to better manage poor video signals, I recognize that this feature is now only starting to surface on much more costly display systems.

The SYNTAX Olevia LT30HV LCD Multi Media Display represents a breakthrough in value to performance, unachievable only a few years ago when LCD displays were first introduced. It offers fair to excellent video performance, depending on source, has ample inputs and outputs to accommodate even the most sophisticated installations, and has a good degree of picture control adjustments for optimizing calibration. Whether you're looking for a budget, lightweight, space saving, high definition video display for a secondary bedroom system or family room or you're ready to dump your old bulky CRT tube display while dabbling in HD quality sources or DVD, the Olevia LT30HV won't disappoint. Digital is the future and the time to embrace it has never been any better, and certainly NOT more affordable!

SYNTAX Olevia LT30HV

MSRP: $1599
20480 E. Business Parkway
City of Industry, CA 91789
(909) 859-8400
Fax: (909) 859-8401
sales@syntaxgroups.com
www.syntaxgroups.com

About Syntax Groups
Headquartered in Southern California, Syntax Groups (www.syntaxgroups.com) controls a powerful end-to-end supply chain including R & D, panel supply, mass manufacturing, channel sales and support of its high-value, low-priced Olevia brand of widescreen HDTV-ready LCD TVs. Produced through DigiMedia Technology, a joint venture company formed in Taiwan by Syntax and Taiwan Kolin, Olevia LCD TVs feature superior specifications and market-leading low prices, with a unique, free first-year onsite warranty service program. Syntax has rapidly gained popularity and established broad distribution of its Olevia LCD TVs through leading Internet sales channels, and regional and national consumer electronics stores throughout North America and internationally in Asia.