Vinny's new LCD. Olevia? No...

Vinny

Vinny

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It's... soo beautiful. It's soooooo beautiful. The HD image looks more amazing then the Olevia (it's marginal but noticeable), SD looks way better then it does on an Olevia. The extra $60 really was worth it.:D

Sorry about the crappy pics, but they're just some quick ones I took. I'll have better ones once my room is redone for the summer.

http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=SHLC32D43U

[quote name='previously']I just made my decisions... and an order has been placed.

You'll find out what next week.:)

[quote name='old post']
NEW INFO!!!
I found out what the apartment I'm most likely going to be staying at will be like. I don't have exact dimensions but... it's not a very big place. Here are some Quicktime tours of them.
Living room: http://www.ugroup96.com/106daniel/106daniel-1bed-liv-cube.htm
Bed room: http://www.ugroup96.com/106daniel/106daniel-1bed-bed-cube.htm

Yikes.:whistle2:(

Ok, Olevia owners had their say and now, Olevia haters (yes, that means you Chacrana) it's your turn to sway me otherwise. As I did the first time around, I hope Olevia lovers will respect the haters (minuscule comments are ok though).

Again, I'm still constrained to the same limits and expectations expect I might be willing to spend a bit more.

As per PROLIFE333's recommendation, this is my biggest competition against the Olevia 537H (which is the one I'll be getting). I can get it with a 3 year protection plan (shipping this behemoth back to Sony would cost be freight charges, upwards of $600, so might as well get the 3 year plan for $110).

Olevia link: http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=AA51800&RSKU=AA51800
Sony link: http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony...psm/oid/147206/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do#tabs

I've seen both and here are my impressions with both.

I'll say this:
-Sony wins, hands down, in image quality... looks better than most any sub-$2000 LCD I've seen (god, the black levels on this thing are so... black!). -The Olevia looks good (uses an LG screen too I hear) with 720p but I have yet to see any SD or 480p image on it.
-Olevia is so light and easy to carry- I can pick it up myself and walk a mile with it. The Sony weights more than I do and takes up about 5x as much space as the Olevia and weights 4x as much. I doubt I can even lift it.
-If I get the Sony, I'll need a new TV stand, which is another $100.
-If I get the Sony, I'll DEFINITELY buy a protection plan. Like I said, shipping this thing back to Sony would cost more than the TV itself (usless FeDex's online calculator is wrong). But this would beat out Olevia's 1 year on site plan (I'm assuming Olevia's service and CC's service as equally crappy).

And that's all I have so far... so, go at it.

Oh, and I need to make a decision by this Saturday!:)

[quote name='my original post']
If you don't own or have never owned an Olevia brand LCD then I would appreciate it if you kept your comments to a minimum in this thread. I don't care if your friend has one, if you saw it at Circuit City, or if you're the world's leading expert on LCDs.

I want to get feedback from owners so that I can make a decision about a potential purchase. Not to discriminate but this thread is meant to garner personal experience info.

Thank you.:)

Ok, I've wanted a new LCD for a while now because my PC HDTV monitor won't work for me next year when I'm transferring to University of Illinois and have my own apt (hopefully I get one, I won't get to see/sign anything until May 29).

I've done my research and gathered up around $700 for something around 32".

I have the option of saving up another $200 and going with an LG, Panny, or Sharp. Or I can go with an Olevia.

Personally, I love the Aquos. It's beautiful... the image quality with Gears of War made me drop a few tears. My uncle's basement entertainment is heaven to a A/V geek but I always admired his 42" Aquos the most.

But money is short these days and I'm honestly considering an Olevia. Sure some people say it's only $200 more for a superior brand but if I was one of those some people, I wouldn't be making this thread now would I? That's the difference between eating and not eating for 2 months. Besides, I don't want something that'll distract me too much.:p

So to those of you who own one, three questions:
1. What model do you have (or had) and how long have you had it?
2. List of pros/cons?
3. Any big problems (which required repair)?
4. Are you satisfied?[/quote][/quote][/quote]
 
1. What model do you have (or had) and how long have you had it? I have the 32 inch 232V and I've had it for a month.

2. List of pros/cons?
Pros: Cheap, 1 of each input. HD Built in.
Cons: would've liked more than one of some inputs. The TV and remote don't interact as fast as I would like(personal gripe that could be extended to probably most HDTVs).

3. Any big problems (which required repair)? None yet, I've noticed some delay in power up time and some popping noises when a digital channel doesn't send a signal but I attribute this mainly to the tv stations and not so much the tv. I can live with it.

4. Are you satisfied? Very satisfied. I got it on sale at Circuit City for just under $650 shipped. I fell into the money and decided to get what I could and heard good enough things from Olevia (mostly that they're cheap because not a lot of people know the brand). That being said, if you have the money burning a hole in your pocket and want a definite upgrade (I upgraded from a cheap 25 or 24 inch tube tv) this is a great brand.
 
1. Olevia 527v. had it for about 6 days, maybe.

2. pros: cheap for the size compared to the good brands, hd games looked great.

cons: cable tv looked awful with lots of ghosting. sd games looked worse than awful--imagine a blurry game with the jaggiest graphics ever. DVDs also took a hit. I adjusted it and tried almost every possible combination-- it had inherently horrible picture in sd.

3. it was in fine condition. nothing broke, though I only owned it for 6 days ;)

4. very unsatisfied. I was pretty pissed when I realized I just spent $500 on something so awful. I sold it quickly, got a nice, used HD CRT for about 65% of the price of the Olevia to tide me over until I can afford a nice LCD, plasma, or whatever new tech they're coming out with. The CRT blows the olevia out of the water, though HD isn't quite as bright and clear (and it weighs about 200 lbs.)
 
1. What model do you have (or had) and how long have you had it?
32" 532H. had it since Black friday(Nov. 24th).

2. List of pros/cons?
Pros: Very Cheap (350 AR from MicroCenter) has at least 1 of each input (Antenna/cable, AV, Component, HDMI, VGA, S-Video, etc.) Image quality is superb at 720P/1080i. Has a USB Firmware input upgrader(Meaning whenever there are update for the TV you can use a flash drive to the usb to upgrade it)
Cons: Only one of each input. no 1080P. The power up of the TV takes several seconds before any image is on.

3. Any big problems (which required repair)? 480P isn't much of an improvement from 480i. The Jaggies on 480P are not very pleasant looking. hopefully Olevia is working on a firmware upgrade to fix this. This isn't a tv made for older video game system like Nintendo or Genesis unless you have an S-Video cable to hook them up to.

4. Are you satisfied? For my 1st HDTV, I'm very satisfied. I think this tv is Perfect for the Xbox360 or any next gen console. It'll keep me satisfied until I save enough money when the next price drop happens for bigger and better HDTV's.
 
[quote name='Vinny']If you don't own or have never owned an Olevia brand LCD then I would appreciate it if you kept your comments to a minimum in this thread. I don't care if your friend has one, if you saw it at Circuit City, or if you're the world's leading expert on LCDs.

I want to get feedback from owners so that I can make a decision about a potential purchase. Not to discriminate but this thread is meant to garner personal experience info.

Thank you.:)
[/QUOTE]

Good Stuff. :applause: I got nothing on the TV's but I love this quote :)
 
1. What model do you have (or had) and how long have you had it?

i own the 537H (720p). i've owned it since November of 2006. for reference, this my second HDTV set, as i also have a 50" Sony RP LCD in the living room (also 720p).

2. List of pros/cons?

PROs -- i am very impressed with several aspects of the set: first and foremost, the level of control offered is phenomenal: there are literally dozens of settings for fine-tuning the geometry of the set, the color (individual RGB), the brightness/contrast (and not just the obligatory "brightness" and "contrast", either), the sound, and many others. if you're like me, you want to tweak every last detail of your TV to suit your source. this TV floored me as to the depth with which i could achieve that.

it has plenty of inputs (at least when considering the price): 1 ant., 2 composite, 2 s-video, 2 component, 1 VGA and 1 HDMI. display settings are discrete for each input (meaning you won't have to constantly adjust your video/sound settings when changing from your DVD player to your 360, etc.).

the picture is very accurate. colors are excellent and being able to adjust them individually means not having to deal with any "push" in any particular area (something my Sony is known for). the overall contrast is nice and despite the set being LCD, the black level is pretty deep while still maintaining a decent level of detail.

HD looks great, as does standard definition! SD certainly looks better on my 37" Olevia than on my 50" Sony. it's surprisingly sharp and doesn't look at all distorted or blurry. this particular model upscales quite nicely overall. even my N64 over composite looks better than expected.

i also appreciate the aesthetics of the set. i don't know who decided that silver was a good color for TVs, but they're cracked: black has a professional and timeless appearance and this set looks very nice in its black casing. not a lot of wasted space to be found either (another popular design blunder amongst TV manufacturers); the design overall is functional and compact.

CONs -- for most people, this won't be a complaint, but it's a biggie for me: the "panoramic" display mode (more commonly referred to as "wide zoom" or "smart stretch" in other sets) is, in a word, horrendous. while i don't often use this mode to stretch live-action television, i enjoy using it for animated shows, since the proportions of cartoon characters are often distorted enough to make this mode very useful. however, with the 537H, it's pointless. it looks like a "fish eye" camera, and using it for any extended period of time will probably make you nauseous. it's that bad. and for live-action (ie: real live human actors): forget it! the left and right edges (about 20 percent of the screen on each side) is completely blurry and stretchy. a wasted effort overall. again, most people will never use this mode, so it may not matter to you.

another con is the startup time. this is my first flat-panel LCD, so perhaps it's inherent to all of them, but i don't enjoy waiting 5-10 seconds for the TV to power on. this is a small annoyance, but an annoyance all the same. on a related note, when powering on or shutting down, the set makes a few bizarre noises: pings and pops, and even a few crackles. i've checked around, and apparently it's just the nature of the beast. the first few times it did this, i was worried something was wrong. it's pretty quiet while in operation (ie: you won't hear any weird noises during normal use), but it's not my favorite thing to hear, so i'll list it under the cons.

lastly, i'm not sure if it's fair to list this along with the true annoyances, but i wish the speakers detached. i'm not fond of the crappy drivers that companies use in their sets and i hate that most of them can't be removed. so, you can always add your own HT speakers (and you should), but these will still be there, staring back at you forever. at least they're fairly well disguised.

3. Any big problems (which required repair)?

none thus far. considering its performance thus far, i don't really anticipate any problems. the warranty is 1 year in-home parts and labor from Olevia.

4. Are you satisfied?

absolutely. if i recall, i paid just over 800 bucks for the thing (shipped and taxed), and i think it meets or exceeds my expectations at that price point. the features, performance, and overall quality add up to a pretty good value.



EDIT: oh! one other thing i liked about it: the aspect settings are awesome. even though the set scales internally to 720p, the actual resolution of the screen is higher than 1280x720 (like most LCDs). the cool thing is that the TV actually allows you to use 1:1 pixel mapping (even on 480i/480p ratio!), so if you want to watch everything at its exact and proper resolution, you can. might not matter to most folks, but i really like it.
 
1. 226v, about 6 months

2. Pros: great color, great price 100x better than a standard crt, has every input except dvi. Cons: speakers- they are just okay, only one hdmi, no compatibility with most universal remotes, sometimes the sd channels look like crap- but appears to be cable company problem- won't matter soon as our cable co is going all digital soon.

3. absolutly no problems.

4.very satisfied, to the point I am buying a 32" or 37" olevia this summer.
 
[quote name='Vinny']
So to those of you who own one, three questions:
1. What model do you have (or had) and how long have you had it?
2. List of pros/cons?
3. Any big problems (which required repair)?
4. Are you satisfied?[/QUOTE]
1. OLEVIA-27-2-Series-LCD-HDTV-227V I've had it since January
2. Pros: Looks great for HD gaming. 360, Wii. Has HDMI. Got it on sale.
Cons: Get a weird white looking line through my TV when viewing some cable chanels. This TV is for gaming though, so I don't really care. Doesn't happen while gaming. SDTV looks pretty darn good on it to considering
3. No BIG problems.
4. 100% satisfied, especially because I got it on sale.
 
I've got the 42" HD. I snagged it for a grand even on clearance at CompUSA right before the no-adjustments-ever liquidators took over for the closing - and that includes the 4-year in-home service. I also had an in as an employee at the time...oh, and I got the 3 year no interest financing XD

I love it. 2 of every input. HDMI, Coax, Component, Composite, S-Video. Nice sound. Lovely picture. Nice and bright.

My only complaint is that, like with all HD Tvs, the picture is TOO sharp, so you see the jagged edges on a lot of games.

Everyone either loves or hates the remote. Its a common complaint in user reviews but Consumer Reports applauded the TV's remote control.

PS. I use the Wii & PS2 with component cables, upconvert progressive scan DVD player with HDMI, and everything else is older systems with composite or coax.
 
[quote name='puternerd']1. 226v, about 6 months

2. Pros: great color, great price 100x better than a standard crt, has every input except dvi. Cons: speakers- they are just okay, only one hdmi, no compatibility with most universal remotes, sometimes the sd channels look like crap- but appears to be cable company problem- won't matter soon as our cable co is going all digital soon.

3. absolutly no problems.

4.very satisfied, to the point I am buying a 32" or 37" olevia this summer.[/QUOTE]

same as what he said except i wont buy one anytime soon
 
[quote name='freestyledust77']if you want alot of feedback hit avsforum.com best ht forum out there[/QUOTE]

I already have... and here's the problem with AVS: there's just too many threads and it's very unorganized.

Plus, most of those AVSers talk about specs and details too much, most of which I don't understand.

Thanks for the feedback people... looks like it's positive overall which is good. Now I'm just hoping for a good deal around May when I'm ready to buy.
 
1. 32" 332h - 2 weeks

2. Pros - Weighs next to nothing. Much more portable than my 150 lb CRT. Decent picture quality on 720p and 1080i. HDMI. Low price.

Cons - 480i stuff is absolutely hideous. 480p DVDs and games don't look that hot either. No tuner. No coax input (but it would look like crap anyway ...)

3. No problems.

4. I'm only somewhat satisfied. I like that it is lightweight, and the price is right, but the picture on my CRT is better by a long shot. I think for the price I paid, though, it is acceptable. And being able to play PS3 stuff in 720p (which my CRT obviously can't do) makes a pretty big difference. It is okay for a second TV, but I wouldn't recommend it for your main set.
 
27" Olevia Syntax(cant remember exact model number since im not home atm)
Had it since October
Not had a single problem with it
Totally in love with it. I got it off ebay local pick up for about $400 and boy was i really reallly happy. Everyone always ask how much i paid for it, and when they find out they are even more impressed with it.

I think the last statement really sums up Olevia products the best. Good stuff, but when you find out the price, absolutely great.
 
432v

cheap great looking 1080i


slow remote response, 1 of each input ( I have a hd cable box and a 360 so if i want to switch, i have to around back and reconnect the other. (could sub a vga for component or so it says) but I am not very sure.

No problems.
 
[quote name='PROLIFE333']http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony-34-WEGA-Flat-Screen-HDTV-KD34XBR970/sem/rpsm/oid/147206/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do


Just get this one and close the topic.[/QUOTE]

Please read before you post, thank you.

[quote name='Vinny']If you don't own or have never owned an Olevia brand LCD then I would appreciate it if you kept your comments to a minimum in this thread. I don't care if your friend has one, if you saw it at Circuit City, or if you're the world's leading expert on LCDs.

I want to get feedback from owners so that I can make a decision about a potential purchase. Not to discriminate but this thread is meant to garner personal experience info.

Thank you.:)

...

But money is short these days and I'm honestly considering an Olevia. Sure some people say it's only $200 more for a superior brand but if I was one of those some people, I wouldn't be making this thread now would I? That's the difference between eating and not eating for 2 months. Besides, I don't want something that'll distract me too much.:p

...[/QUOTE]
 
I did read it...you said you had 700.00 and feel forced to by cheap. So this one is a better deal and it is also in your price range. What part do you not understand? Once again. You made the topic and the ironic thing is...maybe YOU need to read it again.

I would appreciate it if you kept your comments to a minimum in this thread.

Once again...read YOUR post again. Buy what ever the hell you want. Hope your tv breaks.
 
I bought the 442i on BF at MicroCenter for around $900 I think, so I've had it for about 5 months now.

For the price I don't think I could have gotten anything better. Sure it isn't the greatest set out there, but that isn't what I wanted. The picture quality is certainly worth it for me.

On the downside the factory speakers are terrible, not an issue if you have a stereo to plug into. The RCA out on the tv is line level and pass-through so you don't have to have the volume on the tv up at all to run it into your stereo.

I had one problem where the thing sort of froze while booting. I turned it off and unplugged it for a minute then started over again and it's been fine since.

I'm glad I bought the set and would do so again without hesitation.
 
[quote name='PROLIFE333']I did read it...you said you had 700.00 and feel forced to by cheap. So this one is a better deal and it is also in your price range. What part do you not understand? Once again. You made the topic and the ironic thing is...maybe YOU need to read it again.

I would appreciate it if you kept your comments to a minimum in this thread.

Once again...read YOUR post again. Buy what ever the hell you want. Hope your tv breaks.[/QUOTE]

My apologies for the price part, I didn't see that it was only $600 in the cart. Definitely a better display but I don't want to deal with a 200 pound behemoth, not to mention buying a stand for that thing would cost a lot more than the $100 I save.

But I'm looking for an LCD, not CRT.

Sorry about the mix-up.
 
I just got a 26" Olevia off of craigslist for $250

I just have an antenna for local channels that looks average quality. But when I hooked up my xbox360 for the first time in HD, it was amazing playing inh 1080i.

This is my first HDtv and I think it has stunning quality. I highly recommend.
 
I hope you don't consider this to be thread-crapping. I'm honestly trying to help. I was in Big Lots today and I saw an Olevia 32" LCD. As far as I know, it's not refurbished. The thing is it was only $499.99. Either I'm missing something or you can have what you want for a lot less than you're thinking (unless you don't have a Big Lots near you.)
 
I have one of the very first Olevia models (the 30" LT30HV). I paid about $1000 AR back in late 2004 when that was a great price for a TV of this size. I use it as a monitor for my gaming PC, and have several consoles and a DVD player attached to it. I don't use it for TV at all. I'd say it's reasonable quality for the money. I did have a couple of issues with it. One is that the remote (which is pretty crappy in term of its design to begin with) didn't work from more than 5-6 feet away. The other was that after a few months I got this problem where all the colors on the TV would be inversed. I had to unplug the TV to get it to correct itself. I called customer service about the problems and they sent a repairman out. He fixed it up and it's work pretty much fine since then, although I did have the inversing problem once since then, and I've noticed a little flickering in the backlight recently, which has me a little worried.
 
[quote name='ragtop70']I hope you don't consider this to be thread-crapping. I'm honestly trying to help. I was in Big Lots today and I saw an Olevia 32" LCD. As far as I know, it's not refurbished. The thing is it was only $499.99. Either I'm missing something or you can have what you want for a lot less than you're thinking (unless you don't have a Big Lots near you.)[/QUOTE]

Well, I always appreciate someone trying to save me money. I was trying to keep the 'you should get a $1500 LCD because it looks so much better and because you're obviously rich like me and can afford it.

Thanks for the tip, that's a great price for a 32" LCD!:)

[quote name='icruise']I have one of the very first Olevia models (the 30" LT30HV). I paid about $1000 AR back in late 2004 when that was a great price for a TV of this size. I use it as a monitor for my gaming PC, and have several consoles and a DVD player attached to it. I don't use it for TV at all. I'd say it's reasonable quality for the money. I did have a couple of issues with it. One is that the remote (which is pretty crappy in term of its design to begin with) didn't work from more than 5-6 feet away. The other was that after a few months I got this problem where all the colors on the TV would be inversed. I had to unplug the TV to get it to correct itself. I called customer service about the problems and they sent a repairman out. He fixed it up and it's work pretty much fine since then, although I did have the inversing problem once since then, and I've noticed a little flickering in the backlight recently, which has me a little worried.[/QUOTE]

Hm, that's a little nerve recking. A busted backlight doesn't sound like it'd be cheap to fix but hopefully they've improved their quality since then.
 
[quote name='Vinny']
Hm, that's a little nerve recking. A busted backlight doesn't sound like it'd be cheap to fix but hopefully they've improved their quality since then.[/QUOTE]
I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's broken. It might even be my imagination.
 
[quote name='Thongsy']http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/OLEVIA-32-2-Series-LCD-HDTV-232V/sem/rpsm/oid/163702/catOid/-12867/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

This is a 32" lcd for $550, I was thinking of getting either this or the Sony posted eariler. Yea that Sony is a monster, I wasn't even considering this till I saw the Sony personally in the store.

If you use the $40 off coupon or get one of those AAA 10% off ones, it's even cheaper.[/QUOTE]

Hm... tempting. But I'm not ready to commit just yet, probably going to wait until May or June.
 
[quote name='Vinny']

So to those of you who own one, three questions:
1. What model do you have (or had) and how long have you had it?
2. List of pros/cons?
3. Any big problems (which required repair)?
4. Are you satisfied?[/quote]

1. I have the 232-S12 32" model. I have to say that the picture quality is great for me. I wanted to go with a big name bran, but this was about $454 at circuit city over the holiday. So my fiancee and I camped out and grabbed one.

2. When you hae a 32", you'll wonder what it would look like just a bit bigger. Then you start planning to put this one in your bedroom and buy a 42" for the living room....Seriously though, my only gripe is that there is only one HDMI port. So I'm going to have to buy another device to allow me to connec two HDMI decices...or buy another TV.

The only other thing that I do not liek is teh slow response time for the remote control.

3. No problems at all.

4. Very satisfied, Idid my research and the Olevia's usually share teh same screns as LG ones and some of the same innards as Westinghouse. Which as well is another great company to go with for the low end LCD HDTV. Just keep in mind that less than two years ago, these were considered "expensive" at $1000.
 
Well.. I know you're asking about Olevia... but in my experience the guts of these "house-brand" LCD HDTVs are more or less the same... I just picked up the 32" I-Inc 720p HDTV for $350 (AR)+ $60 shipping, so $410 total. This TV is manufactured by Hannspree, a reliable brand, and has ratings in the 4/5 and 5/5 range on its newegg.com page. I just bought it and I can't be happier with the performance. I did notice SLIGHT ghosting from DVDs while using composite connection in 480i, but I upgraded to an HDMI player and that resolved the issue.

The price jumped back up to $450 (AR) but it's still a decent savings over the $700 TV you originally quoted.

Here was the deal:

Pickup the i-inc IN01-32U1B 32" LCD HDTV for $349.99 after rebate at Newegg. Features: 1366x768 resolution, 500 nits brightness, 800:1 contrast ratio, 12ms response time, 170-degree H/V viewing angle, Built-in ATSC/NTSC tuners, HDMI. Shipping is $59.99. NEWEGG

Steps to Purchase:

  1. [*]Add i-inc IN01-32U1B 32" LCD HDTV to cart at $499.99.
    [*]Apply promo code EMC417DINC at checkout for $50 off.
    [*]Send for $50 rebate.
Click to expand...
 
To add to my earlier post, I have not seen any ghosting nor image blur. My setting for digital\HD cable is 1080i. My Xbox 360 is set to 720P. I have a reasonably sized living room, longer than wide, but i do not even haveto crank the TV up very far to get good and clear audio. Audiophiles will say i'm just deaf, but it works for me and my fiancee. Definitely go with a black set though. Silver looks like crap most of the time.
 
a couple things i'd like to mention:


some of you keep remarking about 1080i. if you're using an Olevia LCD (that isn't 1080p), you're running natively at 720p no matter what. that means, if you're sending your TV a 1080i signal (from your 360 or whatever), you're asking your TV to scale it to 720p. you'll find the best picture by setting up your 360 (again, or whatever) for 720p, and avoid an unnecessary step (and possible latency).

also, OP, here's a bit of advice that someone offered me, and i am glad they did: find the size of TV that looks good for your room, and go one size bigger (if that's at all financially possible). it's a known phenomenon that whatever TV you buy will sorta... "shrink" after you've had it a while (not literally, of course). there's nothing worse than deciding after the fact that you should've gone bigger. and i've yet to hear anyone complain that their set is too big!
 
[quote name='Vinny']Well, I always appreciate someone trying to save me money. I was trying to keep the 'you should get a $1500 LCD because it looks so much better and because you're obviously rich like me and can afford it.
[/QUOTE]

Why do I feel like all these comments are meant to keep me out of this thread :lol:

Okay okay, I'll leave. No more shenanigans.
 
I got a 232v from the circuitcity deal at Xmas ish.

Pros. cheap, pictures good, makes a super fantastic PC monitor if you like 1024 x 768 aka 1366x768 in widescreen.

Cons. one of each input and you have to cycle thru them. The remote makes you cycle thru. It goes composite, svhs, component, hdmi, vga, vga-composite, then tv tuner. This gets old QUICK. It also has a delay in the remote. Eg you hit input .5 seconds later it responds. That doesn't sound like a big deal, but it means it takes like 10 seconds to cycle thru inputs or else you risk skipping the input you wanted and are forced to repeat.

Other than the non dedicated input keys and a lil bit of tinnyness in the speakers, I have no complaints.

I'm satisfied with it. I'm not sure what a 32' sharp would cost, but I'm thinking if you shop the 232v at 450-600 vs the aquas, which im guessing hangs around 800, then I don't see the reason to pay nearly double. The stupid input/source key is the only real pitfall I see in the Olevia 232v. If anyone knows of a logitech harmony or some fancy remote would fix this PLZ PM me.
 
[quote name='allyourblood']a couple things i'd like to mention:
...
also, OP, here's a bit of advice that someone offered me, and i am glad they did: find the size of TV that looks good for your room, and go one size bigger (if that's at all financially possible). it's a known phenomenon that whatever TV you buy will sorta... "shrink" after you've had it a while (not literally, of course). there's nothing worse than deciding after the fact that you should've gone bigger. and i've yet to hear anyone complain that their set is too big![/QUOTE]

You're the second person to mention that to me and I know it from personal experience with our HDTV back home. We couldn't decide between a 53" or a 62" (this was a while ago) and went with the 53". A year later, my bro and I both though, "damn, should've pushed dad towards that 62."

My brother also bitched about his decision to get a 24" instead of a 30" TV (between two flat screen SD CRTs).

The apartment I'll be getting looks really small IMO. I've only seen floor layouts and my living room is no bigger than my room back home where I had a 20" CRT and a 21" LCD so something that's 32" will be plenty IMO.

Thanks for the input, it only backs my idea of getting a bigger LCD than I think I need right now.:p

[quote name='Chacrana']Why do I feel like all these comments are meant to keep me out of this thread :lol:

Okay okay, I'll leave. No more shenanigans.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, GTFO you Bravia having bastard!:lol: I was actually going to pick up a 32" Bravia without the HD Tuner for $700 from FRYs but they sold out and won't restock. That's why I'm going for an Olevia unless there's another magically priced LCD.:whistle2:(
 
Hahahah, thank you, Vinny.

Okay, so why shouldn't you get an Olevia? For the same reason I believe you shouldn't buy any sub-par electronic device -- it makes no sense. The vast majority of the comments regarding Olevia TV's seem to go something like "It's a great TV," but then the statement is always qualified by "for the price." In other words, the people getting Olevia TV's probably wouldn't bother if they could step up to something like a Sharp or Sony. Olevia TVs are like a half-step towards a decent HDTV. To me, it honestly makes no sense to buy a TV that you know full-well isn't very good simply because it's affordable right now. I realize that people have budget constraints and I'm not trying to be an elitist asshole, but at some point, you have to question whether or not you want something you actually like, or something that will make you think "this is kinda decent... though I can't wait to step up to that Sony model." Honestly, I think you, and the vast majority of CAGs would be a lot happier with their setup and gaming if you waited until you could get something truly great (we're not necessarily talking much more expensive than Olevia here either) or figure out some way to get a slightly more expensive TV that's much better overall. Okay, so enough with the generalities of why I think Olevia and... Sceptre, Vizio, whatever bootleg TV brand you want to bring up, is crap.

As you may or may not guess, I'm going to recommend that Sony TV over the Olevia, although that TV has significant downsides in terms of practicality as it's ridiculously heavy. Since you're bringing this to school, that's probably going to be an issue. Personally, I'd recommend looking into some of Sharp's LCDs simply because the prices would definitely be in the range you're looking at, they have very good picture quality, and they're not so damn heavy since they're LCDs. If you can scrape together a bit more somehow, the absolute best TV you'll get is the XBR2 which is surprisingly less than I thought it'd be by this point: http://www2.butterflyphoto.com/shop...abber-_-Sony-_-LCTV - 32 37 Inch-_-KDLV32XBR2

But yeah, the picture quality on that is ridiculously good and you literally could not do better than that. You wouldn't need to buy a TV stand, you wouldn't need a protection plan (Sony's TVs... LCDs in particular, seem to be very reliable.)

Point is, I'd look into Sharp's offerings for the most part, but if you can step up to that XBR2, then you know the answer for what TV to get. Either route you go, I think you'll be a lot happier since you'll be enjoying the TV rather than thinking about when you're going to upgrade it.
 
Yes, yes... all good, logical points (unlike some people who'll chew you out for saying Olevia).

I just wish they'd make more name brand TVs without the digital tuners. It's pretty pointless to me because I'll only have cable and back home, our DirectTV HD box has component output so it's really pointless.

I found a coupon that'll take 10% off the price of that Sony CRT (basically kill tax) and I remembered that we DO have a high quality stand back home what was once used for our 32" Sony CRT which should work with this TV (the TV will stick out a bit but whatever).
 
I will chew people out for saying Olevia... so I am not sure what to think now.:whistle2:k

Edit: Oh, but if it absolutely must be between the impractical CRT from Sony and the Olevia, then the best choice is clearly Sony. I think you know that's the case as well.
 
I've seen them over and over but I'm just not impressed. I have the feeling they are "settling" when there really is better stuff even though it's a bit more expensive. As for the op looking/buying Sony, it's the same as Samsung. I don't care what anyone says there's no way in hell I'd buy anything Sony. Too many bad experiences.
 
I have an Olevia 437V. I bought it at Office Depot for $700 a few months ago. It has a very good HD picture and OTA digital broadcasts in both HD and SD are really good. Analog OTA SD does suck though. I did consider the Sony 34XBR970, but it's too heavy for me and I couldn't get it down my basement. And don't let the CRT fans fool you. They have their fair share of problems also. Just go to the AVS forums if you don't believe me. Getting it professionally calibrated will cause you to lose any savings you find on these sets.

That being said, if you want a deal on a "name brand" set, go to Circuit City. Right now they are clearing out last years models and you can get great deals on "open box" sets.
 
[quote name='VipFREAK']I've seen them over and over but I'm just not impressed. I have the feeling they are "settling" when there really is better stuff even though it's a bit more expensive. As for the op looking/buying Sony, it's the same as Samsung. I don't care what anyone says there's no way in hell I'd buy anything Sony. Too many bad experiences.[/QUOTE]

Now see, that's just the thing with me.

I've seen all kinds of HDTVs and we have two in our house and the Olevia's HD image looks good to me (and this is an uncalibrated unit- it's using the out of the box settings) which is what I'm most concerned with since I'll hardly watch any regular TV. But considering the price (as Chacrana said) it becomes a justifiably great TV. A friend of mine works for a LCD and Plasma repair company (not sure if they deal with HD CRTs) and he said that if and when he ever comes over to my new apartment (which he will) he'd calibrate it for me if I buy him some good vodka so calibration will only cost me $35.:lol:

The Sony's space and weight are what's in question for me- with it, I'll lose 2 feet of space in my tiny living room and who knows what story I'll be on. For $600, the picture on that baby is unbeatable and brings a tear to my eye. But if my apt is anything beyond the second story, I'm going with the Olevia.

Our Sony TVs have been good. We have a 10 year old CRT and a 6 year old CRT. The 6 year old CRT did show some problems but it was fixed because it was under a BB protection plan.

Geez, this is one hard as hell decision.:bomb:
 
Well, in Sony's defense they weren't all tvs but for awhile their stuff was garbage and since then I just can't bring myself to get over that and get something from them. I've heard if your going tvs from them make sure it's Bravia but then again what kills it for me is how expensive they get. It's just not worth it imo.
 
[quote name='VipFREAK']Well, in Sony's defense they weren't all tvs but for awhile their stuff was garbage and since then I just can't bring myself to get over that and get something from them. I've heard if your going tvs from them make sure it's Bravia but then again what kills it for me is how expensive they get. It's just not worth it imo.[/QUOTE]

I know what you mean, besides our Sony TVs we (my brother and I) lost 3 PS1s and 2 PS2s and a surround sound system. We've never had to replace any consoles ever, other than aforementioned Sony consoles.

And no other company makes a good CRT anymore. Samsung has these SlimFit models but they're problematic I hear.
 
I didn't say they were bad but it's just not good enough for me sadly. (hope that doesn't make me sound too snotty)

[quote name='Vinny'] We've never had to replace any consoles ever, other than aforementioned Sony consoles.[/quote]

That's funny I still have my original PS1 and PS2 intact to this day.
 
[quote name='VipFREAK']I didn't say they were bad but it's just not good enough for me sadly. (hope that doesn't make me sound too snotty)



That's funny I still have my original PS1 and PS2 intact to this day.[/QUOTE]

I think that's what I'm saying though. The Olevias are good enough for me in my situation.

And yes, I know a lot of people who swear by Sony consoles... not in our family though. We seem to have had bad luck with them.
 
Sorry, I don't understand what this thread is for. If you want cheap, Olevia isn't necessarily the cheapest--why does it have to be or not be Olevia?

And if you want good, then save your lunch money and invest in a Bravia or XBR.

Don't worry if you think you need it now, but can't afford it now because there's still LED backlights and other tech that are going to be brought into the mainstream, and prices for certain sizes are going to go down even more as LCDs and HDTVs start moving to the 3-4K pixel resolutions. Trust me, it's totally ok to wait.
 
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