Product Description

If you're ready to move up to high-definition TV, the 27-inch Olevia 527V HDTV is the ideal choice for home or office - packed with the industry's top technology and innovative Olevia-first features. Delivering best-in-class video and audio, it is powered by ATI's state-of-the-art Xilleon video processor technology, and features a combo ATSC/NTSC tuner, super-wide 178-degree viewing angle, 1600: 1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio, and fast response time. The Olevia 527V displays everything - high-definition digital TV and widescreen movies (up to 1080i resolution), standard analog TV, action sports, video games, and home videos - with stunningly crisp, rich and vibrant imagery. This 27-inch HDTV can even double as a computer display with support for resolutions up to 1360 x 768 through HDMI and VGA. The 527V's vertical speakers complement its surround sound audio processor, making digital (SPDIF) theater-quality audio part of this outstanding new entertainment experience - all thanks to Olevia.

Product Details

• Brand: Olevia
• Model: 527V
• Dimensions: 8.00" h x 20.00" w x 34.00" l, 32.00 pounds
• Display size: 27

Features

• FutureProof - User upgradeable firmware via USB to add features, keep current
• Big Picture Technology - See the entire broadcast, DVD or VHS image
• Directors Image - Watch programs with the rich colors and image enhancements as the director intended
• OleviaCare in-house tech support/customer support
• 1366 x 768 Resolution with 16 - 9 Aspect Ratio

Customer Reviews

Good value
UPDATE: SOFTWARE PROBLEMS WITH THE QAM TURNER.
We bought this TV a long time ago, but didn't need the QAM turner until this month, when our cable company moved most channels off of analog and on to digital. There are major software problems with the TV. I don't know if you can update the software on this TV. It is something I might look into.

THE PROBLEM: The TV scans for the channels without a problem. It finds all of the analog channels (we have 31) and all of the digital channels (we have 300). But, the TV will not page through all of the digital channels. It only pages through about half of them. In order to see the digital channels, you have to punch the exact channel into the remote (like channel 128.10). This is a big problem if you don't already know what the channels are because our cable company won't tell us what they are (we have other TVs with QAM tuners, so we know what the channel numbers are).

THE ORIGINAL REVIEW:

Really, it is hard to go wrong when purchasing an LCD TV. Just look for something that is HD, has at least 800:1 contrast ratio and 8 msec refresh rate and is as cheap as possible. This is a very good TV, with a very good picture, and a very low price.

The only major downside with this TV is that is only 720p or 1080i, instead of 1080p. 720p and 1080i are fine for most applications, including HDTV. But if you want to look to future, you might want a 1080p TV. The newer HD DVD systems (Blue Ray and HDDVD) and Play Station 3 require 1080p for the best picture. Personally, I don't think HD DVD will really take off (but I could be wrong) and I am not going to get a Play Station 3, but I would still get a 1080p TV, just in case. However, I don't think you will find a 1080p LCD TV anywhere close to this price range.

The other minor downside to this TV is that it is a little confusing to setup. It comes with a sheet of quick setup instructions, but there is no paper owners manual. The owners manual is on CD, or you go online to view it.

The default mode on this TV is that the normal antenna connection that you would use for cable TV is disabled. So, you have to go through the menus on the TV to figure out how to enable the antenna hookup. After that, you have to instruct the TV to do a channel search, both analog and digital.

The TV comes with an ASTC tuner, so that you can get HD channels off the air (for free). However, getting HD channels off the air can be difficult. If you get poor reception in your area, then you won't be able to get the HD channels. Locking on the HD channels is more difficult than the old analog channels. If you don't have a rooftop antenna on you house, then you need to get rabbit ears. Then it is like being back in the 1960's with screwing around with antenna placement to get a signal. I get the best signal with old rabbit ears that my kids broke off, and touching them to a wrought iron stand. I have been thinking of bringing out the aluminum foil.

The TV also has a QOM tuner, so that you can get the HD channels directly off of cable, without getting a special cable box. For most cable systems, you can pick up all the local HD stations they offer on basic cable (in the Bay Area, it is only 5 of the 12 local stations). You can pick up ESPN in HD if you have the expanded basic service. The only thing you can't get is the premium channels like HBO. For HBO in HD you will still need a cablebox.

On most LCD TV's you get right now, the default setup for the picture quality is not optimally set up. This is especially true for standard analog TV. When you first hook up an LCD TV, the picture can look pretty bad. You will need to go in and adjust the color, contrast and other settings to get the best picture quality. Although the defaults on the Olevia were better than some others I have seen.

Although Syntax and Olevia are relatively new names they are recognized as one of the leaders in LCD TV's. It is hard to go wrong with this TV.

In the end, I recommend choosing the size TV you need, deciding if you really need 1080p, and then buying the cheapest TV you can find.

It Takes Time And "Tweaking". However, Once You Get Things Right, This Set Is Surprisingly Good
At first, I was admittedly reluctant to purchase this set because I had never heard of the brand. However, I couldn't resist, and didn't think I could beat, the price of $595 (no tax or delivery charges) at Beach Camera online. They are an alternate buying choice here on Amazon's Website.

That said, and to be truthful, this is not one of those sets you can just plug in, power on and expect to look good. It takes some diligent tweaking. However, once you get it right, you are rewarded with a really great picture and overall well-performing TV that to my mind, and eye, can at times give the "Big Boys" (Sony, Panasonic, etc.) a run for their money. I will concede that, as stated in previous reviews, the remote is just bare-bones basic at best. Multi-Brand Remote codes are virtually non-existant for this model/brand. Even the codes the company says will work (RCA, LG, etc.) mostly do not. At least not in my experience.

I purchased the Monster 600(?) HDMI wire ($99.99 from RadioShack) to connect the TV to the Scientific-Atlantic 8300HD cable box provided by Time Warner Cable, NYC. UPDATE: It's true! You don't have to pay expensive prices for good quality HDMI wire. I recently bought one, online, for a second HDTV, and only paid $10.83 incl. tax and delivery. So, shop around and get your best deal. All HDMI wires work EXACTLY the same way to get the signal from the source to the TV. Price, in this case, is NOT indicative of quality. So, don't be fooled into thinking that it is!

The addition of just that one wire made a world of difference in picture quality because, frankly, out of the box, the picture was worse than bad..After using the wire, the picture was GREAT! In short, if your budget allows for it, buy the HDMI wire. It's well worth the expense.

I still had to have the Cable Guy come to my house, though, because my local HD stations were coming in pixelated (Due to a low signal output from the cable box. Not a fault of the TV.) After the guy replaced all the connectors on the wiring in my apartment, which boosted the signal to the box, everything fell into place and has been working fine ever since. Now the TV is operating at peak performance.

Also, I have found that you don't necessarily have to invest in a professional LCD TV Calibration DVD. Just go to one of the online tech websites (CNET, PCWORLD, etc.) and watch one of their How-To videos to learn some basic "Do-It-Yourself" tips on making the necessary adjustments. While none of these online videos will leave you with as perfect a picture as you can get from following a purchased DVD, any one of them will certainly give you a better picture than most sets of this type do, untouched, right out of the box. The resulting picture will be one that is really very good for normal everyday viewing enjoyment.

Again, it takes work. BUT, if you're willing/able to invest the time and diligence to do it, you will end up with a picture that's well worth the effort and looks like it cost alot more to get than it actually did!

A lot for the money.
A lot of TV for little money. Great picture, and the refresh rate is fast enough to prevent most of the blurring that you tend to see on low end LCD's. Initial setup can be tricky because Olevia chose to include a CD version of the operators manual, though you can print a paper version from the CD or Olevia website. Better than average sound, but the side speakers add a bit to the overall width. After tweaking the factory settings we achieved a nice color balance without any of the black level problems that plague many LCD's. If you're using it in a bedroom you'll most likely be annoyed by the very bright on/off light on the front panel. Rear panel connections are intuitive and easily accessible, and wall-hanging was a breeze. Looked at many LCD televisions and there are better choices for sure, but it's hard to beat the performance of this set at the low price. Highly satisfied!