Anyone know about datavision.com

I looked up their rating at resellerratings.com and it was awful.

if you have VGA output, you can only input that into the VGA connection.
what resolution and refresh rate were you trying? it needs to be set to 1360x768 @ 60Hz, and you need to make sure you are setting that for the secondary display, and you then need to make sure you enable your secondary display.

My laptop's default resolution is 1024*768, and it won't let me change it to 1360*768, what should I do? The manual doesn't say anything about that.

Thank you very much :)

I bought a 532H this afternoon from Micro Center in Santa Clara.

After adjusting the brightness and contrast, I'm very pleased with the picture from DVDs. There are a bunch of options to adjust PQ, including color gain and shift settings.

I don't have any cable or sat service, so the only HD I've seen was from an OTA digital channel. Very nice PQ.

The one thing I do not like is that the HDMI port faces downward. (HDMI, unless they've changed it recently, makes IMO a horrible, unreliable connection.) There's a set screw for the port, so I'll try one of those locking cables when I get my PS3 in the year 2015.

For those of you who live in the south bay, Micro Center sells the 532H for not much more than Datavis. They don't have a display model, however.

My laptop's default resolution is 1024*768, and it won't let me change it to 1360*768, what should I do? The manual doesn't say anything about that.

Thank you very much :)

If it has VGA output, you should be able to configure your secondary display to whatever resolution your graphics processor can output.

If it has VGA output, you should be able to configure your secondary display to whatever resolution your graphics processor can output.

Cool, problem solved. Thanks :)

Can someone who has one of the new 5 series syntax models please let me know what you think of SD content.

Can someone who has one of the new 5 series syntax models please let me know what you think of SD content.

I have the 537H.

SD from my Series 1 DirecTV TiVo (S-Video connector) looks very good from my regular viewing distance of about 12 feet. Somehow better than our old 21" tube tv - I think the picture is more stable and the colors are better. Blacks aren't as deep but I beleive that is expected of LCDs. Still very good though. Menu text is very clear indeed. Close-up you can see the low resolution clearly but it is softer than I have seen on our tube and on my Toshiba 56" DLP. For me the minimum viewing distance is about 6 feet. I have set the Noise Reduction to HIGH for watching the TiVo to help with the MPEG2 decoder noise. Seems to work very well. There are plenty of other settings to play with!
The Aspect button cycles through various modes - panorama is supposed to be an intelligent stretch but it isn't very good as compared to my Tosh. Full screen stretches uniformly so everything looks wider. I have found that the "Aspect" setting best for SD content - 4:3 filling the screen vertically with black bars on either side.

I had indended upgrading to HD cable or sat but the 537H's quality is plenty good enough that I can live with it for quite a while longer.

Here are some pics of a 532H. Old Dimage camera, no tripod, etc.

Cool, problem solved. Thanks :)


Well actually I noticed that when I designated the 532H LCD TV as a secondary monitor (VGA output), set the resolution to 1360*768, and extended desktop view to it, I always found that the resolution on the TV set was actually 640*480 (expanded to full screen), not 1360*768 as I expected. And so is my laptop, it's resolution changed from 1024*768 to 640*480. Is this normal or am I missing something here? However, when I used the desktop software that comes with my laptop's intel chipset(my video card is the on-board kind) to do "dual display clone", then the image on my TV set is the same as my laptop, which is 1024*768, and expanded to full screen. I don't know if this is just because of my video card or something else. Has anyone ever had a 1360*768 resolution desktop view sent to this TV? Please educate me how to do that. Thanks.

:)

Can someone who has one of the new 5 series syntax models please let me know what you think of SD content.

SD on My 532H looks as good as I have seen on any LCD screen, perhaps better. BUT, not as good as it looks on a good old CRT Standard Definition TV which is too be expected. So, I think its as good as can be on a HD LCD. By the way, the Blacks can be dramatically improved just by going to the OSD menu and then Picture, Mode, Input and choose Standard Definition.

So does anyone here actually own a 542i

I am about to pull the trigger, but want to ask them a few questions first. Especially QAM as its not officially supported, so I don't know why BrosChaos believes it is a feature on the 542i.

Also how about the stretch modes on the 5 series? Is there a mode that shows a 4:3 signal in 16:9 with very little distortion?

Can someone post some pics of the front and back of the 532H, there don't appear to be any good pictures on the web.

designedfor what do you want to know... it's got 1 componient, 1 vga/componient ( agapter required ), 1 hdmi, 1 composite, 1 s-video and analog audio for each as well as analog and headphone out.

There was also the manual posted in the first few pages of this post.

oh, and I'll post a few pickture as well... mine if coming today

Long time reader....first time poster. I am planning on purchasing my first television.

I have one, and only one question....I am interested in the 537H, I will be getting time warner digital cable with HD and DVR service...and my question is this:

Can I make non-hd stations (just regular basic stations) fill the entire screen with a decent quality picture (no black bars to the left, right, north, or south of the picture)? Granted, much of what I watch is going to be in HD (Red Sox and Bruins games on NESN), but I want to make sure my other channels fill all 37" that I am paying for. Let me know know.

Thanks,

Jeff

so what do these 5 series have over the old sets in terms of pq? better colors, blacks, gray-scale?

Long time reader....first time poster. I am planning on purchasing my first television.

I have one, and only one question....I am interested in the 537H, I will be getting time warner digital cable with HD and DVR service...and my question is this:

Can I make non-hd stations (just regular basic stations) fill the entire screen with a decent quality picture (no black bars to the left, right, north, or south of the picture)? Granted, much of what I watch is going to be in HD (Red Sox and Bruins games on NESN), but I want to make sure my other channels fill all 37" that I am paying for. Let me know know.

Thanks,

Jeff


Yes I would like to know if they have a stretch mode with very little distortion.

Yes I would like to know if they have a stretch mode with very little distortion.

So far the 532H strech modes are quite nice, I'll try and take a picture.

A picture would be great, I'm guessing the 542 has all the same technology as the 532?

Yes I would like to know if they have a stretch mode with very little distortion.

Taking a 4:3 image and filling 16:9 will either result in cropping the top and bottom(zooming in) but with no distortion OR stretching it where there must always be distortion, no way around it.

Ok, 532H how the hell do I turn off noise reduction, it's blurring the crap out of my DVD's

For those who are concerned about ordering from DataVision: I ordered a 532H at 7am MST today. I received an email confirmation in about an hour and a tracking # by email at 1:30pm. It was picked up by UPS in Long ISland City, NY at 5:40pm EDT with a scheduled delivery data of 8/23 in Phoenix, AZ. So far so good. I will update my experience.

Taking a 4:3 image and filling 16:9 will either result in cropping the top and bottom(zooming in) but with no distortion OR stretching it where there must always be distortion, no way around it.

I know this, but some televisions have a mode where it called anamorphic or something and it makes the picture not appeared as stretched, like it makes the middle of the picture not stretched i think

Datavision is offering a 3 year warranty on their 32" 532H LCD for an extra $99.00. Would I be wise to purchase one or are these just a waste of money.

Well actually I noticed that when I designated the 532H LCD TV as a secondary monitor (VGA output), set the resolution to 1360*768, and extended desktop view to it, I always found that the resolution on the TV set was actually 640*480 (expanded to full screen), not 1360*768 as I expected. And so is my laptop, it's resolution changed from 1024*768 to 640*480. Is this normal or am I missing something here? However, when I used the desktop software that comes with my laptop's intel chipset(my video card is the on-board kind) to do "dual display clone", then the image on my TV set is the same as my laptop, which is 1024*768, and expanded to full screen. I don't know if this is just because of my video card or something else. Has anyone ever had a 1360*768 resolution desktop view sent to this TV? Please educate me how to do that. Thanks.

:)

I'm just guessing here ... but it may have issues running at multiple resolutions at the same time.

Can you try turning off the display on your laptop? ... for many laptops, simply closing it will turn off that screen while leaving the VGA output going.

I know this, but some televisions have a mode where it called anamorphic or something and it makes the picture not appeared as stretched, like it makes the middle of the picture not stretched i think

There are Two "Distortion" modes for the 532H and 4:3. Full Screen and Widescreen. Full screen distorts everything and stretches to the edges and Widescreen distorts the right and left edges(dramatically) but the center looks fairly normal. I prefer the Zoom 1 mode which gives no distortion but crops the top and bottom to fill the screen.

Ok, 532H how the hell do I turn off noise reduction, it's blurring the crap out of my DVD's

I wonder if it is indeed some sort of noise reduction. I'm seeing some motion blurring with Analog Standard Definition channels AND with my older non-progressive scan DVD player. I don't see it with Digital or HD channels and my guess is that it would not show up with a Progressive Scan/upscaling DVD player. Seems like to me its some sort of De-interlacing artifact with the ATI chip and interlaced material. I would be curious if its something that could be fixed with Firmware. Of note is that I once used an Oppo DVD player with this TV and saw the exact same issue only when the Noise Reduction was enabled in the Oppo Player so maybee your on the right track with the noise reduction idea. BroChaos? Any ideas.

I wonder if it is indeed some sort of noise reduction. I'm seeing some motion blurring with Analog Standard Definition channels AND with my older non-progressive scan DVD player. I don't see it with Digital or HD channels and my guess is that it would not show up with a Progressive Scan/upscaling DVD player. Seems like to me its some sort of De-interlacing artifact with the ATI chip and interlaced material. I would be curious if its something that could be fixed with Firmware. Of note is that I once used an Oppo DVD player with this TV and saw the exact same issue only when the Noise Reduction was enabled in the Oppo Player so maybee your on the right track with the noise reduction idea. BroChaos? Any ideas.

This noise reduction is happeneing on progressive scan DVD, but not HDTV. It's definatly noise reduction of sorts since static scenes are beautiful.

This noise reduction is happeneing on progressive scan DVD, but not HDTV. It's definatly noise reduction of sorts since static scenes are beautiful.

Thats strange. I did not see any motion blur/persistant image problems on the Oppo V971H connected via HDMI(DVI-HDMI cable) when I turned noise reduction off in the Oppo. The Oppo is an up scaling player as well. Could also be something with the Scaling on the 532H and not just the de-interlacing? Or perhaps with your DVD player?

Thats strange. I did not see any motion blur/persistant image problems on the Oppo V971H connected via HDMI(DVI-HDMI cable) when I turned noise reduction off in the Oppo. The Oppo is an up scaling player as well. Could also be something with the Scaling on the 532H and not just the de-interlacing? Or perhaps with your DVD player?

I've had this DVD player for 5 years, I know it's picutre. The 532H is applying noisereduction and de-interlacing ( yes I'm positive ) to all non HD sources even if it's already 480p. For reference it's a panny RP-56, it got one of the higest scored as a componient player.

This is basicly a dealbreaker and will totally screw with SD/ED quality.

I have tried some reference materal such as "the fifth element" supoerbit and I can clearly see burring and "jitters". It's better with this materal than the other, but it's even so bad my wife can see it. All the problems resolve when using XBMC @ 720p to play the same reference materal, no blurring, no jitters.

I've had this DVD player for 5 years, I know it's picutre. The 532H is applying noisereduction and de-interlacing ( yes I'm positive ) to all non HD sources even if it's already 480p. For reference it's a panny RP-56, it got one of the higest scored as a componient player.

This is basicly a dealbreaker and will totally screw with SD/ED quality.

So how would it de-interlace an image which is already so? The Oppo DVD image definately did not have any noise reduction or anything else applied to it when hooked up via HDMI so I don't believe the 532H does that with a pure digital signal thrugh HDMI so perhaps its an analog/component issue with the set.

I have tried some reference materal such as "the fifth element" supoerbit and I can clearly see burring and "jitters". It's better with this materal than the other, but it's even so bad my wife can see it. All the problems resolve when using XBMC @ 720p to play the same reference materal, no blurring, no jitters.


I used that exact same movie when evaluating the Oppo by the way. It definately sounds like an analog input issue with the set.

I used that exact same movie when evaluating the Oppo by the way. It definately sounds like an analog input issue with the set.

Same analog cables and input @720p or 1080i shows no noise reduction

So how would it de-interlace an image which is already so?

I dont' know how, but I;m positive that I'm seeing interlacing on video that I know is progressive.

Same analog cables and input @720p or 1080i shows no noise reduction

So basically, anytime the TV is fed either 480i or 480P, there is an issue through component but if fed a higher resolution, no problem.

So basically, anytime the TV is fed either 480i or 480P, there is an issue through component but if fed a higher resolution, no problem.

Exactly, without being able to turn this off it will cause countless problems.

So basically, anytime the TV is fed either 480i or 480P, there is an issue through component but if fed a higher resolution, no problem.

Could you try 480p through HDMI and see if you get the same "effect"?

Could you try 480p through HDMI and see if you get the same "effect"?

Unfortunately, I returned the Oppo V971H last week because I was seeing Macroblocking with it. At the moment, all I have is an old 480i non progressive player and it too shows the issues you describe. I thought it was just because it was a non progressive player but now I know that I will need to buy a decent upscaling player to replace it to avoid this issue. Hopefully, someone else could test this.

Unfortunately, I returned the Oppo V971H last week because I was seeing Macroblocking with it. At the moment, all I have is an old 480i non progressive player and it too shows the issues you describe. I thought it was just because it was a non progressive player but now I know that I will need to buy a decent upscaling player to replace it to avoid this issue. Hopefully, someone else could test this.

Or syntax could release a real firmware with those controls.

Or syntax could release a real firmware with those controls.

Well, that would be great. Oppo actually released a Firmware which fixed their noise reduction ghosting issue. Hopefully that ATI chip used is up to the task... I guess thats one area where that HQV chip in the 7 series would make a huge difference.

well i'm not with a set or a dvd player right now. have you guys tried setting the mode to whatever you are using?

i think it's menu>picture>mode>(gets fuzzy here)input device?

we use the fifth element as a reference disc as well. perhaps i can get something setup when i have a chance.

So in english terms are we saying that the new 5 series syntax has motion blurring and other problems when using a dvd player?

At this point we are saying that 480i and 480p sources will look like mud to anyone who knows what to look for. We are talking low grade de-noise ( and I really do mean low grade since it trys to blur cross scene boundaries ). Choopyness that I can only presume is the player attempting to do 2:3 checking and failing badly ( on an already progressive source )

It's a shame since the HD picture 720 and 1080i are gorgeous and show none of the same defects. I really don't want to spend another $200 to correct these defects since they will rear their ugly heads on any 480p/i source.

For now I would say anyone interested in a quality 480p/i source should AVOID the ATI based 5 series ( 26, 32" ) for the time being. This IS something that can be fixed in firmware and I will be calling today to harass them about this flaw.

well i'm not with a set or a dvd player right now. have you guys tried setting the mode to whatever you are using?

i think it's menu>picture>mode>(gets fuzzy here)input device?

we use the fifth element as a reference disc as well. perhaps i can get something setup when i have a chance.

I would love to get sometihng setup, right now it appears to happen on all modes when fed 480p ( Was using High Def most of the night ). With reference materal like 5th element the effect is reduced, but definatly still there, with mixed quality source like B5 it's blatently apparent. I happen to be able to recognize it because for a while I converted TV to SVCD and this is the same effect that I have used in the past to de-noise.

well i'm not with a set or a dvd player right now. have you guys tried setting the mode to whatever you are using?

i think it's menu>picture>mode>(gets fuzzy here)input device?

we use the fifth element as a reference disc as well. perhaps i can get something setup when i have a chance.

Makes no difference as to the input setting mode is used. The input mode appears to only adjust Brightness/Contrast. The motion blurring is definately there on Standard Definition sources where the TV must do the De-interlacing/upscaling. It did not show up when I used a Scientific Atlanta 8300HD Cable box/Personal Video Recorder initially as I had set that device to output 720P to the TV(So the de-interlacing and upscaling took place in the Box, not the TV). To test this, simply watch any 480i source such as a standard DVD player(mines non progressive) or direct cable without a box and/or over the air source. The only place it will not be an issue is with HD, 720P, 1080i material. This definately needs to be addressed by syntax as it will show up on 90% of everything watched and basically nullifies the claims of "True De-interlacing", "3:2 Pull Down", "8ms response times" and "motion adaptive processing" as it looks like your watching a display with a very slow response time(Blurring and Ghosting) and without these other features(and would need to rely on the input device to provide them).

Just to clarify I went from a 100" 4:3 DLP front projection down to this. I only have high quality sources ( ATSC tuner, DVD player, Xbox ) and the 480i/p look like crap compared to my poorly configured XGA DLP and 720/1080 looks 100% better.

This is a problem with the set. This is a problem ONLY with 480i/p

When I first saw it I assumed my DVD player was in interlaced mode, but progressive saw 0 change in the quality.

Ruh roh ...

Syntax better start working on a fix for this ...

Its interesting that on some 480i channels the flaw is worse(or just more noticeable) than others. Seems to have a lot to do with both how the original material was recorded(Video or Film) AND the contrast of that material. For instance, The History Channel which is mostly Video based looks better than say a movie on TNT. Less contrasty material shows the Blurring much more than a High Contrast image. It really bothers me most on my DVD player.

Its interesting that on some 480i channels the flaw is worse(or just more noticeable) than others. Seems to have a lot to do with both how the original material was recorded(Video or Film) AND the contrast of that material. For instance, The History Channel which is mostly Video based looks better than say a movie on TNT. Less contrasty material shows the Blurring much more than a High Contrast image. It really bothers me most on my DVD player.


When I head home for lunch I'm going to try and use my dSLR to get pictures of the effect as well as throwing on an unmolested film transfew that I know probably has enough grain to show the effect for the crime that it is. The movie in question is "the muppet movie".

Your observations also perfectly corralate to my own B5 is shot funny half video half film and edited together. Film parts are grainy and show off the effect, station shots that are 30fps computer generated do not show it as bad. Pop in 5th element and the blurring is not as bad as b5, but it's defeinatly "jumpy" and the blur can still be seen if you know what to look for.

Is this defect also present on 480i material connected through S-video?

Is this defect also present on 480i material connected through S-video?


Yes

Thanks for your quick response. Please keep us informed about your discussions with Syntax.

I'm breaking off this discussion because it may only affect a handful of the new models.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=712567

as i posted in your new thread, i will make sure this is brought up first thing monday morning. was gonna do it today actually, but forgot. you guys are the second time i've heard of this problem, so it confirms suspicions i already had. my other source assured me that the 537 and 542 are fine.

Can we confirm the 542 and 537 are fine?

as i posted in your new thread, i will make sure this is brought up first thing monday morning. was gonna do it today actually, but forgot. you guys are the second time i've heard of this problem, so it confirms suspicions i already had. my other source assured me that the 537 and 542 are fine.


Bro Chaos:

I hooked up my PS2 to my 532H via component (480i) and composite, and played MLB 2004. The 532H has lag, i.e. when I press a button on the controller, the action on the screen lags behind the controller. I haven't tried 480p with the PS2.

Also, I use a Momitsu V880dx at 720p through component and notice that there's an issue with lip synch with this monitor.

Any possible FW fixes for these issues? Thanks!

Is anyone noticed that the new model 532H does not provide picture-in-picture (PIP) nor split screen feature? I got my 532H yesterday and was shocked to find this out. I personally like these features and think they're a must have in any TV over 30". What are they thinking about? Why would they decide to kill these features as the older models had it? :confused: :mad:

Can we confirm the 542 and 537 are fine?

Different chipset / MB so I can only presume they are fine.

Oh awesome...looks like 542i might be my choice.

Are there any specific advantages to having glass up front that would offset the plasma-esque reflections that will result from using it? It's a rather unusual choice in an LCD.

Most often, the glass acts like a camera filter and raises perceived contrast level. That is why many use these filters with lcd video projectors. I have an older (2 years) Philips 30" lcd and it does produce much better contrast than other sets of that time. It also adds heft to the set though (adds 10 lbs.). I am not sure with some of the specs out there now if it is as desireable as it used to be.

So, has anybody seen the Syntax 542i yet?
Does anybody have info when these will be available through a reliable seller?
Syntax seems to do a good job backing up their products, so the big concern is how it looks.

Does the 542i have a glass screen like the previous model ... or is the glass only for the 7 series?

Has anyone received a 542i yet?

I can't decide between the 542i and a 40" samsung, im hoping someone has a 542i I can ask them some questions about!

looks like the "4" series is dribbling out. Saw an add in the Sunday supplements, think it was the 427 at Office Depot, but it's not on the Web site.

Is the 400 series a monitor only or does it have a tuner built in?

Is the 400 series a monitor only or does it have a tuner built in?

Brochaos said earlier in this thread that the 4 series is the same as the 5 except for the deletion of some "advanced" features. That being the case, I guess the 4 series would have tuners.
Still no update on the Olevia Web site but, funny, if you root about in the support pages you can find references to the 4 series...

any 542i owners?

Hey all,

I was surfing around trying to find online retailers that have the Syntax in-stock, and it looks like J&R just got them. Check it out at at their website [I would link directly but I can't until I have a couple more posts]

J&R has gotten some pretty good reviews from customers, so they seem pretty safe. Plus, their price is competitive with Datavis.

Bro Chaos:

I hooked up my PS2 to my 532H via component (480i) and composite, and played MLB 2004. The 532H has lag, i.e. when I press a button on the controller, the action on the screen lags behind the controller. I haven't tried 480p with the PS2.

Also, I use a Momitsu V880dx at 720p through component and notice that there's an issue with lip synch with this monitor.

Any possible FW fixes for these issues? Thanks!

is there an "idea" menu in that model? if so, try disabling everything in there. that might help some.

the 4 series do have tuners.

the 542 does NOT have glass.

Hey all,

J&R has gotten some pretty good reviews from customers, so they seem pretty safe. Plus, their price is competitive with Datavis.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've been shopping at J&R since the early 80's and have nothing but words of commendation concerning the company : J&R has the best customer service with very fast connection to a rep, no extra sales pitch, no rudeness EVER, a lot of attention to details, the customer always gets an invoice number for the sale automatically, price-matching with any other authorized US dealer while on-the-phone placing the order, excellent and very/very fast shipment, unbeatable return policy/refunds/exchanges, etc, etc, etc....
In my 25 years of shopping at J&R (and believe me, i bought many/many/many electronic items from the store over the years) i can't think of a single complaint about the way they handled my orders; In fact, i remember a specific item which i returned to the store to exchange it for another item 30 days after i had purchased it, and J&R gave me full credit ! I can't think of any companies that would do likewise nowadays....To me, J&R "wrote the book" on how to be completely transparent while fully pleasing a customer, be it online, by phone or in person.

Flatliner

You have used an Oppo upscaling DVD player with the 532H, right? How does it compare to other none-upscaling players? I'm now thinking whether I should get an upscaling player or non-upscaling (in this case I might just build a HTPC instead) player for this TV. Also I'm not really sure about what the scalor in this tivi do, is it similar to something like the upscaling function in the Oppo DVD player? If so then we don't really need an upscaling DVD player, right?

Does anyone have first hand experience comparing the picture quality on this tivi using an upscaling dvd player like the oppo with using just a htpc? Any suggestions?

I would currently not recooment the 532H or the 527 to anyone until Syntax releases a firmware fix for the bad picture on 480i and 480p pictures.

Right now even the worlds best progressive scan DVD player will look like crap so it would be impossible to know if the upscaler really was doing all that much.

Does anyone know the difference between 540i and 542i?? Beside the size difference that is. Am I correct assuming that both support QAM unofficially? Thanks for the help.

540i is actually an old model that got rebadged...ignore it.

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I've been shopping at J&R since the early 80's and have nothing but words of commendation concerning the company [snip].

I second that. I work in Manhattan, and I will go out of my way to shop at J & R. They sell goods with manufacturer's warranties, they match prices, they stand behind their products, and their sales staff is well-informed and not intrusive. I've had nothing but satisfaction buying at the store, via phone or via the web.

Just bought the 532H and hope that the problem being reported 480i/p issue is resolved. I will let you know what I see when the 532h gets shipped. Kind of makes me wish I read this forum before I bought... Grrrrr....

Is everyone with a 532H having this problem?

Just bought Olevia 27" LCD HDTV TV/Monitor from OD for 549 after rebate. Model 427V.
Searched net for reviews but couldn't find much info. Somewhere it's mentioned that this model is for OD only and is the same as Model 527V that has been released recently.

It has HDMI input too along with host of other inputs - Composite, Component, S-Video, ATSC, NTSC etc. I'm pretty pleased with the TV picture quality and sound quality.

Surprisingly I find that Olevia website is not yet updated with the latest 5-series models.

I'm a newbie in HDTV and this is my first.

Kindly help with the reviews/feedabck on the TV and also how it compares to other Olevia 27" TVs

I just recieved my Olevia 532H. Nice and light! But I have three problems:

1) I can't get any sound out of the speakers. Using the volume control the yellow line duly moves right and left across the screen but no sound comes out. There is an orange triangle that is on top to the volume level osd and it doesn't move, although would seem to indicate some sort of preset or something. (And yes - I've checked my connections.)

2) Related is the fact that the paper manual and the cd rom manual seem to be written for the brand in general, and perhaps for the previous set of models, so I can't find any help on the volume controls.

3) I tried downloading the latest firmware via the link provided by a member here earlier:
(Sorry - as a new member I can't post that link. But it's the one linked to in an earlier post.)
but my set's serial number isn't recognized. Can someone please mirror this firmware download? Or perhaps email it to me? What with the picture problems listed above I imagine there might be other issues solved by new firmware seeing as these sets are so new.
Many thanks!

Flatliner

You have used an Oppo upscaling DVD player with the 532H, right? How does it compare to other none-upscaling players? I'm now thinking whether I should get an upscaling player or non-upscaling (in this case I might just build a HTPC instead) player for this TV. Also I'm not really sure about what the scalor in this tivi do, is it similar to something like the upscaling function in the Oppo DVD player? If so then we don't really need an upscaling DVD player, right?

Does anyone have first hand experience comparing the picture quality on this tivi using an upscaling dvd player like the oppo with using just a htpc? Any suggestions?

Yes, I had the Oppo V971H and returned it(due to Macroblocking). My old DVD player is a cheap non progressive Sanyo. In comparing the two, the Oppo definately did a great job of de-interlacing/scaling with little noticeable image artifacts. On a non-moving image on the 532H with the Sanyo, the image looks really nice(letting the TV do the scaling and de-interlacing as its advertised to do). Nice enough that I would probably not buy another upscaling player. Problem is with anything that moves and here is where the issue with the 532H and a 480i(and 480P) source comes into play. The Oppo(and most likely most other up-converting players) showed none of the motion blur with moving subjects which I currently see. As mentioned in this thread and another, the 532H has an issue with anything it upscales and de-interlaces. So, you could buy an HDMI upscaling DVD player and work around the current problem with the 532H when watching DVD's BUT you will run into this issue if you use a non upscaling DVD player. I will say though that if they fix the persistant image/motion blur problem, a non upscaling player may look just fine. Time will tell. Chances are though that any de-interlacing chip in a DVD player will be better than what is in the 532H to handle that job.

I just recieved my Olevia 532H. Nice and light! But I have three problems:

1) I can't get any sound out of the speakers. Using the volume control the yellow line duly moves right and left across the screen but no sound comes out. There is an orange triangle that is on top to the volume level osd and it doesn't move, although would seem to indicate some sort of preset or something. (And yes - I've checked my connections.)

2) Related is the fact that the paper manual and the cd rom manual seem to be written for the brand in general, and perhaps for the previous set of models, so I can't find any help on the volume controls.

3) I tried downloading the latest firmware via the link provided by a member here earlier:
(Sorry - as a new member I can't post that link. But it's the one linked to in an earlier post.)
but my set's serial number isn't recognized. Can someone please mirror this firmware download? Or perhaps email it to me? What with the picture problems listed above I imagine there might be other issues solved by new firmware seeing as these sets are so new.
Many thanks!

As far as the sound goes, have you been through the on screen display, go to Audio and then Speaker and make sure the speakers are turned on. Also make sure mute is not on obviously. The orange triangle just shows you where your setting is at currently so you can go back to it if desired. If you reset it higher or lower then close and reopen that bar, the triangle will now be at the new setting.

Thanks Flatliner.
Indeed - it was the on screen menu for the audio, although I have no idea why both Factory Default and Home Default settings should be set at Mute - which is how they were set. And besides - if they ARE set at Mute then surely the OSD shouldn't play with your head by moving the Volume OSD as normal. It should tell you that there's a Mute setting overiding your vain attempt to change the volume.

Until I get an HDMI capable DirecTV Tivo I'll have to stick with crappy old RCA jacks or S-Video as that is all that currently comes out of the box I have now. And for some reason the S-Video does not have audio - the exact same cable that works with my old TV - so what's that all about? Do I have a faulty S-Video socket?

I bought a cheap HDTV antenna from Target and tried it out but even here in the heart of Hollywood, CA I get hardly anything watchable. Anyone have experience of HDTV antennas - or of OTA HDTV in this area? Would a powered antenna make any difference?

Oh - and BTW - I found out there are NO firmware updates yet for this set.

I know the 537 uses a different chipset from the 532 and 527 series, but the problems with 480i and 480p have me a little spooked. Has anyone that purchased a 537 tried seeing how it handles either of those inputs? I'm planning to buy the set from J&R soon, but I would love to have some reassurance that this isn't a problem.

BTW, thanks to BroChaos for his quick responses on this forum - it's terrific to have someone from Syntax actually take the time to respond to current and potential customers.

I bought a cheap HDTV antenna from Target and tried it out but even here in the heart of Hollywood, CA I get hardly anything watchable. Anyone have experience of HDTV antennas - or of OTA HDTV in this area? Would a powered antenna make any difference?


Any UHF antenna should receive HDTV well since HDTV resides (mostly) on UHF. Powered (amplified) antennas should help. Try to keep your antenna as high as possible for best reception with as few as possible metal objects blocking it, also a directional antenna pointed towards the broadcasting tower would help too.

BTW, I jumped the gun on the 532h... I hope that the 480p problem gets fixed, I'm planning on watching DVDs and TV via Windows XP MCE through component video and surround sound. I would use DVI but how will component perform? (I already have DVI hooked up to my primary 18.1" lcd monitor and already have a 25' Comp cable from Monoprice.)

Thanks Flatliner.
Indeed - it was the on screen menu for the audio, although I have no idea why both Factory Default and Home Default settings should be set at Mute - which is how they were set. And besides - if they ARE set at Mute then surely the OSD shouldn't play with your head by moving the Volume OSD as normal. It should tell you that there's a Mute setting overiding your vain attempt to change the volume.

Until I get an HDMI capable DirecTV Tivo I'll have to stick with crappy old RCA jacks or S-Video as that is all that currently comes out of the box I have now. And for some reason the S-Video does not have audio - the exact same cable that works with my old TV - so what's that all about? Do I have a faulty S-Video socket?

I bought a cheap HDTV antenna from Target and tried it out but even here in the heart of Hollywood, CA I get hardly anything watchable. Anyone have experience of HDTV antennas - or of OTA HDTV in this area? Would a powered antenna make any difference?

Oh - and BTW - I found out there are NO firmware updates yet for this set.

S video does not carry an audio signal at all. Never has. Look it up. My guess is that Syntax probably set the internal speakers/Audio to off assuming that most people would not be using the built in speakers but rather be using this TV in conjunction with a Surround Sound Receiver

My 532h wigged out tonight. First, it started changing sources very rapidly by itself. That stopped. Then, I tried increasing the volume, and the volume ramped up to maximum. I turned off the back power switch, and restarted it. Same problem with the volume.

I took the batteries out of the remote, and tried adjusting the volume on the set controls. Same thing happened. I can either have the volume at zero or maximum. It does not stop anyplace in between.

My 532h wigged out tonight. First, it started changing sources very rapidly by itself. That stopped. Then, I tried increasing the volume, and the volume ramped up to maximum. I turned off the back power switch, and restarted it. Same problem with the volume.

I took the batteries out of the remote, and tried adjusting the volume on the set controls. Same thing happened. I can either have the volume at zero or maximum. It does not stop anyplace in between.

That happened to me too, but only momentarly and only once. Until now I chalked it up to remote funk.

While we are on the topic 532H panaramic mode does not function properly on 720p or 1080i. While this function is rare in HD modes, all other aspect ratio modes DO work except this one. I would call this another bug. Either it should work or it should be removed from the list of modes. It seems to half work, the image is warped, but then the sides are not cut off so it looks like a bad circus mirror.

Yes, I had the Oppo V971H and returned it(due to Macroblocking). My old DVD player is a cheap non progressive Sanyo. In comparing the two, the Oppo definately did a great job of de-interlacing/scaling with little noticeable image artifacts. On a non-moving image on the 532H with the Sanyo, the image looks really nice(letting the TV do the scaling and de-interlacing as its advertised to do). Nice enough that I would probably not buy another upscaling player. Problem is with anything that moves and here is where the issue with the 532H and a 480i(and 480P) source comes into play. The Oppo(and most likely most other up-converting players) showed none of the motion blur with moving subjects which I currently see. As mentioned in this thread and another, the 532H has an issue with anything it upscales and de-interlaces. So, you could buy an HDMI upscaling DVD player and work around the current problem with the 532H when watching DVD's BUT you will run into this issue if you use a non upscaling DVD player. I will say though that if they fix the persistant image/motion blur problem, a non upscaling player may look just fine. Time will tell. Chances are though that any de-interlacing chip in a DVD player will be better than what is in the 532H to handle that job.


I just got my OPPO 970HD, and I was watching King Kong tonight-- Very nice picture quality I'd say. Looks like this oppo is a way to work around the blurring issue for now.

Does any know when the 747 will be available?
Thanks.

Does anyone know when the 747 will be available?
Thanks.

I know the 537 uses a different chipset from the 532 and 527 series, but the problems with 480i and 480p have me a little spooked. Has anyone that purchased a 537 tried seeing how it handles either of those inputs? I'm planning to buy the set from J&R soon, but I would love to have some reassurance that this isn't a problem.

BTW, thanks to BroChaos for his quick responses on this forum - it's terrific to have someone from Syntax actually take the time to respond to current and potential customers.

To answer my own question, I took a look at the other post started by Snowmoon on the 480i/p upscaling problems, and it seems the 537H is fine. Another user tested their set with component inputs, and there wasn't an issue.

regarding the Olevia 537H: How Sturdy is the base on the new? Are the speakers detachable? Does the Olevia emblem on the front of the tv still light up blue when the tv is turned off?

regarding the Olevia 537H: How Sturdy is the base on the new? Are the speakers detachable? Does the Olevia emblem on the front of the tv still light up blue when the tv is turned off?


I'm very impressed with the sturdiness overall with the 537H.
The speakers are not detachable.
The emblem does not light up. There is a small blue light by the power button on the front right bottom that does light up when the tv is off. I don't mind it a bit, but nothing that a little elec tape couldn't cover without being noticeable.

Thank you for the quick reply, I actually like the blue light so I am a little disappointed they didn't keep it...although not enough to change my mind from buying it.

Have you tried connecting the 537H to a computer? how does it look? I generally would only use it to display video I have on my hard drive, but if it displays text clearly that would be great.

Has anyone had any problems with the 537h? I want to purchase one but I am a little worried regarding the quality thus far of the 5 series...

How do standard definition channels look of the 537h? Can you fill the ENTIRE screen when watching an SD channel, and if so, how is the picture?

I know HD Channels look great on Olevia products, so I am not too worried about that.

I would love to hear from owners of this television. I will be using it with a Time Warner Digital Cable Box with HD and DVR added...

Jeff

I just got my 532H last night, so here's some cursory impressions. I'm not an AV expert, so YMMV.

My setup:
Motorola 6212 III HD DVR STB: HDMI to Monoprice manual 2X1 HDMI switch to 532H
Oppo 970HD DVD player: HDMI to Monoprice manual 2X1 HDMI switch to 532H
Both devices outputting/upscaling to 720p to the 532H
Sound from both to receiver via digital outs

Initial impressions:
The PQ is amazing - HD channels are mesmerizing (I was coming from a 25" CRT), digital and analog are very good. I'm not experiencing any ghosting issues described above, but my cable box can output at 720p and 1080i, so it may be avoiding the noticable defects. Again, I'm not an video expert, so my eyes may be missing something, but since the difference between digital channels and HD is very acceptable to me, I'm happy. I'm not guaranteeing your results will be the same since the evidence seems pretty clear there are problems.

The Oppo upscales wonderfully, so DVDs do not suffer any problems. It's great to rewatch some DVDs and realize what I was missing before.

As far as usage:
I lowered the Brightness and raised the contrast but didn't feel I needed to touch anything other picture settings. One of these days I'll get AVIA and properly calibrate, but out of the box seems very close to ideal.
I primarily use "aspect" and if necessary, zoom 1.

As I use it more, I'll give an update iif my initial impressions change.

Thank you for the quick reply, I actually like the blue light so I am a little disappointed they didn't keep it...although not enough to change my mind from buying it.

Have you tried connecting the 537H to a computer? how does it look? I generally would only use it to display video I have on my hard drive, but if it displays text clearly that would be great.

Hooked it up to a spare computer last night. Looks great. I can clearly read web pages from across the room (8-10 ft).

Has anyone had any problems with the 537h? I want to purchase one but I am a little worried regarding the quality thus far of the 5 series...

How do standard definition channels look of the 537h? Can you fill the ENTIRE screen when watching an SD channel, and if so, how is the picture?

I know HD Channels look great on Olevia products, so I am not too worried about that.

I would love to hear from owners of this television. I will be using it with a Time Warner Digital Cable Box with HD and DVR added...

Jeff

No problems with the 537H here. I am very happy.

No HD in my area. I have it hooked up via HDMI to my digital cable box with DVR. The SD chanels look very good in "Full Screen" mode that eliminates the side bars. There is also a "Zoom 1" mode that eliminates the top and bottom bars for SD letterbox movies and programs on HBO etc.

I have a 26" Olevia from the previous generation and you can always tell that images are "stretched". I couldn't be happier with the SD picture on the 537H while I wait for my stupid cable company to enter the 21st century and upgrade to HD.

Does any know when the 747 will be available?
Thanks.

They are saying September. It will likely be on display at CEDIA.

O.k., making my final purchasing decision this weekend - it'll be either the Syntax 537H or Samsung LNS-4041D. I'm going to go look at both TVs at J&R. I'll report back on what I can see regarding PQ.

I just got my 532H and am very pleased with the HD picture quality. I can see some issues with SD, but I'm currently planning on keeping the set.

Datavision shipped the same day I ordered and I received the set in excellent condition in Phoenix in 4 working days.

Pricegrabber has the 537H as having a built in DVD and VCR- I did honestly laugh out loud at that. Oh well, if it does great! okay, not really I would rather the money go toward more engineering into the tv than accessories.

can someone who has either a 27v or 32h confirm issues using video games systems at 480i? (ps2, xbox, gamecube, etc.)

Datavision now lists the 537h as "DISCONTINUED"......should we read into this as a problem with Olevia's new line..or just a retailer no longer offering the product?

At this point I would read it as a problem with datavis site. I haven't been able to get it to display properly all day, the only way I can see it's discontinued is by clicking on "cart" and then clicking the link to 547H from there. I have tried in multiple browsers and all have the same result.

I just checked some of the other products on their site (specifically the ones listed on the right) and they all come up as discontinued as well.

Hrm anyone see this link to buy a Syntax Olevia 747i?

It's on sale at bright and sleek for 3.5k

nothing has been discontinued...

no 7 series yet, but it's coming along.

website is supposed to be updated on 9/01.

J and R doesn't have the Syntax in stock in their retail store, but they did have the Samsung. It's a nice TV, but the screen is way too big for my apartment, so I'm going with the 537H based on comments by those who already purchased one

I have not posted before and I am not permitted to post a URAL but would like to know if the information on the product advertisement for the 747i posted at the stearin site is accurate.

starin.info/Product%20Info/Olevia/747i.pdf#search=%22747i%20signature%22

Can someone go to this address and see if this is the 747i product brochure?

Does anyone have a 542i yet?

I would just like to confirm that the 480i issue is NOT present on the 427 version as it is with the 527v. I would assume the same goes for the 532H, but obviously that's only a guess. I'm not sure how different the 4 and 5 series are (I heard not much at all) so anyone interested may want to check out officedepot.com, they have both the 27 and 32 (. The image quality is fantastic.

Just received a 537H today. Inputs are from a Comcast HD cable box and a Toshie HD-A1. The TV is set up for 1:1. Watched HD-DVD Laura Croft, Tomb Raider, SD A Clockwork Orange, and some home made DVD's originally in Mini DV tape. All were outstanding. I can see the loss of deep black but it doesn't bother me a bit. Right now I'm watching NASCAR on HD and the PQ is phenominal. Purchased form J&R for a very good price. The set was back ordered for about three weeks before they shipped but well worth the wait. So far, so good.

were you able to fill the screen with SD stations? If so, how is the PQ? I am going to order this set in the next few days...

Jeff

Did anyone buy an extended warranty with there syntax TV - looking at getting the 37"..

yeah, I too would like to know about the extended warranty. their shipping and warranty prices kill the deal...I wouldn't feel comfortable buying this tv without at least a 3 year warranty...

Jeff

yeah, I too would like to know about the extended warranty. J&R has great prices, but their shipping and warranty prices kill the deal...I wouldn't feel comfortable buying this tv without at least a 3 year warranty...

Jeff
Call your CC and see what they offer. :)

Did anyone buy an extended warranty with there syntax TV - looking at getting the 37"..
I did. :)
For just buying it with my CC that makes it 2 years and I can buy a 5 year from them for $112(within 6 months). But so far I don't think I'm going to.

you can buy a warranty through your credit card company? What card did you purchase the TV with? Do you actually get a document that proves you have a warranty on the television? Who would come out and fix the TV if there was a problem?

Jeff

you can buy a warranty through your credit card company? What card did you purchase the TV with? Do you actually get a document that proves you have a warranty on the television? Who would come out and fix the TV if there was a problem?

Jeff
My CC is chase. But call yours, I believe you can call them 24hrs a day.

I added it to my cart at J&R and got the following:
Important Messages
• The following products are restricted and cannot be purchased on our website at this time:
( STX 532H. ) SYNTAX 532H 32 inch HDTV LCD TV
( STX 537H. ) SYNTAX OLEVIA 37" Flat Panel LCD TV with HDTV
You may call 800-806-1115 for more information or to place your order.


Maybe because it is the weekend?

For those of you who own the 537

How is the SD, and how is HD?
Basically I'm looking to buy a samsung, and was going to until I heard of the zoom1 problem reported by a fellow member. Does the syntax 5 series compare?

were you able to fill the screen with SD stations? If so, how is the PQ? I am going to order this set in the next few days...

Jeff


I was able to fill the screen via the menu system through the Comcast box.

I added it to my cart at J&R and got the following:
Important Messages
• The following products are restricted and cannot be purchased on our website at this time:
( STX 532H. ) SYNTAX 532H 32 inch HDTV LCD TV
( STX 537H. ) SYNTAX OLEVIA 37" Flat Panel LCD TV with HDTV
You may call 800-806-1115 for more information or to place your order.


Maybe because it is the weekend?


I'd give J&R a call. Perhaps, because of their excellent price, the order book is filled relative to expected deliveries from Syntax.

I just ordered the 537H from J&R (12:15 p.m. central) and it went through w/o a hitch. I had it in my cart since yesterday but had not checked out.

As I stated in the other thread the my new Office Depot model 427V has 480i/p tearing or ghosting problem as well as the larger 32 inch version in their store display. I noticed this when I purchased it but I attributed this to poor DVD player being used in the store. All syptoms are the same and they do not show up or are noticable for HD or upconverted HD sources.

Here's a newbie question: My 532H seems like a peach, but unfortunately I'm only feeding it a signal from a series 1 DirecTV Tivo. Those Philips units only have RCA and S-Video out. Obviously the Tivo is converting the satellite signal to analog.
My question is: if I get a series 2 unit, such as the seemingly wildly popular Hughes HR10-250, will I then see a better picture, without the ghosting and aliasing that I'm seeing now? If the signal the TV is getting is all digital then surely I can get a better PQ than I'm seeing now - I hope.

And what's the deal with those HR10-250's anyway? That's a unit that came out 2 years ago. Isn't it getting a bit long in the tooth now?

There was a question about the 532H and gaming systems - I did a quick test on the original Xbox and PQ seemed fine (using composite inputs, so I'm sure component will be even better). I haven't played video games in a long time, but it seemed there was some lag (Halo 2 and Ninja Gaiden Black). It could be my reflexes are slow from not playing or I'm not remembering the response time correctly. But there weren't any ghosting issues. Not an expert, thorough response, but hopefully it's somewhat helpful.

On another note, for those with the set, do you have any preferred picture settings? HD channels seem to require different adjustments than SD ones, and while there are presets for HDTV and SDTV, it would be nice to find a happy medium so I'm not switching for each channel. The great thing with the set is that it does have a lot of control over the picture and after seeing the gorgeous HD content, you'll realize what a difference a few adjustments can make. But the out-of-the-box settings are good - it sounds like they took time to calibrate it to real life settings (they have a "home" and "showroom" setting, and that inclusion shows they at least realize how drastically different a set can look in a store). I am usually not a big nature show watcher, but the HD content available is vivid and immersive (like a mini-Imax). HD sports is a new experience - football games show all the players, which makes it easier to follow certain players and aspects without having the camera choose them for you.

After reading the posts on the previous generation, it does seem most, if not all issues raised by the forum were addressed. And that itself is impressive - I don't think many other companies would care what we think and immediately make changes to the next generation. And the apparent ease of firmware updates is huge and should prove to be very useful in extending the life of the unit (and save us the trouble of having a tech come and do updates). Besides the ATI chip issues (which I've been able to get around by using my cable box and upconverting DVD player), the only other comment I have I wished it had 2 HDMI inputs (I'm using a manual HDMI switch from Monoprice - a little inconvenient but perfectly functional). But for the very, very good price it is at right now, I am very pleased and am giving them the benefit of the doubt they will address the ATI issue, which I think they earned given their response to the previous generation. But those of you relying on the set to do the processing may want to hold back for a bit.

So, those of you with both good and bad experiences, please continue to post to this thread - since Syntax seems be listening, it will ultimately help us get closer to the product we want, and will help those still deciding make an informed decison.

Here's a newbie question: My 532H seems like a peach, but unfortunately I'm only feeding it a signal from a series 1 DirecTV Tivo. Those Philips units only have RCA and S-Video out. Obviously the Tivo is converting the satellite signal to analog.
My question is: if I get a series 2 unit, such as the seemingly wildly popular Hughes HR10-250, will I then see a better picture, without the ghosting and aliasing that I'm seeing now? If the signal the TV is getting is all digital then surely I can get a better PQ than I'm seeing now - I hope.

And what's the deal with those HR10-250's anyway? That's a unit that came out 2 years ago. Isn't it getting a bit long in the tooth now?


I've always been a cable user, so I don't know much about satellite setups, but I do think it will depend on how good your set top box/DVR does scaling. The Series 3 Tivos are apparently around the corner, but I'm not sure if they work with DirecTV (they do have cable cards if DirecTV supports them). The Series 3 have 6 tuners and are specifically designed for HD (they are also a reportedly $799 at Best Buy when they come out).

And while component and HDMI/DVI are way better than S-video, I think other 532H owners are saying the ghosting issues are still there with any input, and especially noticable from 480i sources. So again, if you are able to convert the source to 720p or above, the 532H seems to be without much or any ghosting (none in my experience).

Hi guys, I dont know if this is the place to post this but i really need your help here. I purchased the 532H on 8/1/06 and it arrived with the screen broken about 10 days later. I called them and they said they'll talk to UPS and schedule a pick up. The UPS people call me to to come pick up the T.V. but they never came. I called Datavis so many times but they kept transfered me to a voice machine. So what should I do to either have them send me a new T.V. or just cancel this purchase ? They already charged the money on my account. I also paid $99 for a 3 years warrantee.
thx for any help, guys. :mad: :(

Hi guys, I dont know if this is the place to post this but i really need your help here. I purchased the 532H on 8/1/06 and it arrived with the screen broken about 10 days later. I called them and they said they'll talk to UPS and schedule a pick up. The UPS people call me to to come pick up the T.V. but they never came. I called Datavis so many times but they kept transfered me to a voice machine. So what should I do to either have them send me a new T.V. or just cancel this purchase ? They already charged the money on my account. I also paid $99 for a 3 years warrantee.
thx for any help, guys. :mad: :(


Wow - that sucks. I used Datavis and had no problem. I would definitely stay on them - you shouldn't have to pay a cent - so I would have them send you a new one and then at THEIR cost, have you ship the broken one back. Even if it's UPS' fault, that has nothing to do with you, so I would keep talking to Datavis - maybe escalate it, threaten to go the Better Business Bureau, etc. It also seems they owe you a discount or something for length of time it's taken to get resolved. If they don't satisfactorily resolve it for you, even though they didn't mess up my order, I won't recommend them to anyone. As a last resort, I would take it up with your credit card company to do a chargeback - sometimes losing a sale and bad PR will motivate them to move.

Maybe someone knows a direct line or extension that will get the right person at Datavis?

tulong - may I ask where you got a 3 year warantee from for $99?

Keep on Datavis...most people have expressed their quick shipping times and ease of use. I have heard they arn't the best with posting order numbers and shipping confirmation emails, but they should set you up with a new set. If UPS broke the screen during shipping, the insurance will certainly cover a replacement television. If all else fails, get a chargeback from your CC and take your business elsewhere..

Jeff

Hi guys, I dont know if this is the place to post this but i really need your help here. I purchased the 532H on 8/1/06 and it arrived with the screen broken about 10 days later. I called them and they said they'll talk to UPS and schedule a pick up. The UPS people call me to to come pick up the T.V. but they never came. I called Datavis so many times but they kept transfered me to a voice machine. So what should I do to either have them send me a new T.V. or just cancel this purchase ? They already charged the money on my account. I also paid $99 for a 3 years warrantee.
thx for any help, guys. :mad: :(

Try and stay calm, datavis is a wharehouse shop and they are not known for their customer support. Try and be patient and at this point I would follow up with UPS rather than Datavis since they are likely to be more receptive.

As soon as you have a tracking # bug the crap out of datavis ( calling every day ) and let us know how you make out. Make sure to state clearly that if you do not receive a response from them you will reverse the transaction with your credit card company. Give datavis at least a few business days and then cancel the transaction.

For those of you who have 532H or 537H, have you tested to see whether the two models can receive digital cable channels w/o problem using the QAM tuner?

For those of you who have 532H or 537H, have you tested to see whether the two models can receive digital cable channels w/o problem using the QAM tuner?

The 532H certainly can.

For those of you who have 532H or 537H, have you tested to see whether the two models can receive digital cable channels w/o problem using the QAM tuner?

Well, yes and no. My 537H tunes eight HD channels but none are of the local (Naples, FL) channels, ESPN, etc. The channels found were of no interest to me. perhaps ComCast scrambles nearly everything down here.

The cable companies are not allowed to encrypt the local HD channels. The channels can be very hard to find, however. My TV detected over 300 digital channels on Cox cable. Almost all of them had no picture when tuned. I had to search through them in order to find my local HD channels. It was a pain. I'm now receiving all of my local channels OTA, which is much easier to deal with, and better quality.

Wow - that sucks. I used Datavis and had no problem. I would definitely stay on them - you shouldn't have to pay a cent - so I would have them send you a new one and then at THEIR cost, have you ship the broken one back. Even if it's UPS' fault, that has nothing to do with you, so I would keep talking to Datavis - maybe escalate it, threaten to go the Better Business Bureau, etc. It also seems they owe you a discount or something for length of time it's taken to get resolved. If they don't satisfactorily resolve it for you, even though they didn't mess up my order, I won't recommend them to anyone. As a last resort, I would take it up with your credit card company to do a chargeback - sometimes losing a sale and bad PR will motivate them to move.

Maybe someone knows a direct line or extension that will get the right person at Datavis?
thx for the replies, guys.
It's been almost a month since the order already and calling them seem to be useless as they kept telling me they can't do anything about it and transfer me to a voice machine. So i used my wellsfargo checkcard to pay for it. How do I go about reversing this charge ? It's been almost a month since they transfered the money from my bank account.

@between the pipes, I bought the 3 year warrantee for $99 at datavis.com with the T.V.

Wow - that sucks. I used Datavis and had no problem. I would definitely stay on them - you shouldn't have to pay a cent - so I would have them send you a new one and then at THEIR cost, have you ship the broken one back. Even if it's UPS' fault, that has nothing to do with you, so I would keep talking to Datavis - maybe escalate it, threaten to go the Better Business Bureau, etc. It also seems they owe you a discount or something for length of time it's taken to get resolved. If they don't satisfactorily resolve it for you, even though they didn't mess up my order, I won't recommend them to anyone. As a last resort, I would take it up with your credit card company to do a chargeback - sometimes losing a sale and bad PR will motivate them to move.

Maybe someone knows a direct line or extension that will get the right person at Datavis?

I'd bring the credit card company into it, immediately. Datavision may be big, but all the bad ratings are not just incidental.

The big question for me is, with the increase in prices of the new models, how exactly does the 537h compare to the westinghouse 37w3. With the older lt37hvs being available for around [EDIT] shipped, and the Westinghouse periodically being seen for [EDIT] [EDIT], there was a clear reason for me to go with the Syntax. Looking at the 537h, the price now seems to be closer to the [EDIT] mark. Now, the Westinghouse doesn't have a built in tuner, but it does have something much more important: full 1080p support. Without a 737 model or a price difference, what are your guys thoughts on the matter??? The biggest question for me is, which will do better with 1080i material. Now,obviously that will be lossless on the westinghouse. How much information will be lost deinterlacing and converting that to 768p. Does the 537h have superior processing or image quality???

The only peice of info I can provide is that I was at first in the market for a 37" LCD screen and almost bought the l37 syntax for 1k sight unseen. I spent a lot of time at Best Buy looking at all the various brands in this size and the Westinghouse did not even make my top three list. The Picture off axis is horrible with subtle colors such as flesh tones changeing dramatically compared to LG, Panasonic and Sony. Black levels were also poor. I ended up going down in size to the 532H Syntax again sight unseen just based on what I read here. Now, I don't know how the 532H and the 537 compare against each other but I can say that this 532H has much better color depth and accuracy than the Westinghouse by miles, just as good in my opin to the Panasonic, LG and Sony. The only area which is not as good as these three OR at least the Panasonic/Sony is in the black level. But I'm very impressed with what I got for my money. There is a lot more to picture quality than raw resolution and I bet you would be hard pressed to see even the resoloution difference with most material you would be watching.

Yes, no comparison Syntax beats Westinghouse hands down on color reporduction.

Now if they would just fix the damn problem with the 532H I could be a very happy camper.

Yes, no comparison Syntax beats Westinghouse hands down on color reporduction.

Now if they would just fix the damn problem with the 532H I could be a very happy camper.


Yep! I agree of course. It would be great if BroChaos could give us an update on this issue.

About the Westinghouse....

Same here as Snowmoon and Flatliner - when I decided on the Syntax, the research I did made it clear the PQ quality was decidedly better than the Westinghouse and the price was even better. Also, there is much debate about whether there is any real-world difference between a 1080i screen and a 1080p screen. At any rate, I would not make the 1080i/p a big criteria. I think in reading through the Westinghouse threads there seemed to be more talk about that feature and very little positive said about the PQ, and PQ is the biggest factor, along with price and usability. There might be 1080p panels out there that are better than the Syntax's 1080is, but the Westinghouse certainly isn't one of them. As far the Syntax lt37 vs the 537, the newer generation is much more polished in menu operation, basic functionality, etc. But you'll have to decide whether the price break on the lt37 is worth it (BroChaos thinks the new generation is recommended over the previous).

I'm very much a HDTV newbie looking to buy a first HDTV set for the family around the Xmas timeframe and so I'm currently doing my homework. The New Syntax models have made my short list. Thing is I would like to buy from Canada. I know
"tigerdirect(dot)ca" hold the older models. I found the newer models at
"gamepowersys(dot)com" from Ottawa. Any other known seller in Canada? Thanks,

Yes, no comparison Syntax beats Westinghouse hands down on color reporduction.

Now if they would just fix the damn problem with the 532H I could be a very happy camper.

Yeah, that problem needs to be fixed. Back to the Syntax vs. Westinghouse. How do these Syntax tvs deal with 1080i. Do they reverse telecine to 1080p and then scale to 768p, which I would assume provides a picture pretty close to 768p in quality OR do they convert to 540p and then scale up the 768. Some data is lost in either case, but in the first, the tv is showing the highest quality image it can. A lot of the content I watch is going to be 1080i off high def cable box or satelitte. THat is the main reason I was interested in 1080p: to see incoming HD programming at full lossless quality.

About the Westinghouse....

Same here as Snowmoon and Flatliner - when I decided on the Syntax, the research I did made it clear the PQ quality was decidedly better than the Westinghouse and the price was even better. Also, there is much debate about whether there is any real-world difference between a 1080i screen and a 1080p screen. At any rate, I would not make the 1080i/p a big criteria. I think in reading through the Westinghouse threads there seemed to be more talk about that feature and very little positive said about the PQ, and PQ is the biggest factor, along with price and usability. There might be 1080p panels out there that are better than the Syntax's 1080is, but the Westinghouse certainly isn't one of them. As far the Syntax lt37 vs the 537, the newer generation is much more polished in menu operation, basic functionality, etc. But you'll have to decide whether the price break on the lt37 is worth it (BroChaos thinks the new generation is recommended over the previous).

Obviously, the difference between a 1080i and 1080p screen depends on whether you have 1080p source material. In general though, all flat panel tvs are progressive, so the difference is that some 1080p screens don't accept 1080p input, which means that data is lost.

My TV detected over 300 digital channels on Cox cable. Almost all of them had no picture when tuned. I had to search through them in order to find my local HD channels. It was a pain.

Hi, Induna

what do you mean by "search through them in order to find my local HD channels" ? Please tell me how can I get these HD channels that have no picture when tuned. I don't have an antena now, so can do it OTA.

p.s. my 532H actually does have a built-in antena, I think, but I only picked up a handful of channels using it. Also channels tuned through cable and by antena can't be seen at the same time, right? it's either cable tuning only or antena tuning only, am I right? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Yeah, that problem needs to be fixed. Back to the Syntax vs. Westinghouse. How do these Syntax tvs deal with 1080i. Do they reverse telecine to 1080p and then scale to 768p, which I would assume provides a picture pretty close to 768p in quality OR do they convert to 540p and then scale up the 768. Some data is lost in either case, but in the first, the tv is showing the highest quality image it can. A lot of the content I watch is going to be 1080i off high def cable box or satelitte. THat is the main reason I was interested in 1080p: to see incoming HD programming at full lossless quality.

I don't know exactly how the Syntax scales but of the handfull of true HD programing available over Cable or Satellite, perhaps 5-10 channels max, the only two channels which look really impressive are HBO HD and sometimes Showtime HD. Depends on how new the movie is. Something like I robot, A Series of Unfortunate Events, or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory look really amazing on the Syntax. Older movies on these channels, even from only the mid-late 90's just look so so, about as good as DVD. So, content/channel quality will be the limiting/deciding factor on the quality you see much more than how the set is converting. Its down conversion is definately capable of getting everything out of the HD content its fed from Satellite or Cable. The rest of the HD channels are really not that impressive in my opinion(I don't watch sports so I can't speak to that), except for Discovery HD on occasion. Keep in mind that both Cable and Satellite HD content is highly compressed and will never look as good as say HD DVD. No such thing as Full lossless quality over these sources and in fact, all HD stuff is compressed(but not as much as what the cable and satellite companys do)

For those of you who own the 537

How is the SD, and how is HD?
Basically I'm looking to buy a samsung, and was going to until I heard of the zoom1 problem reported by a fellow member. Does the syntax 5 series compare?

The HD is great, looked wonderfull OTA and it picked up all of the stations even those broadcasting at a very low wattage. The SD picture has been improved over the LT37HVS. It picked up all my local NTSC broascasts no problem and the looked good except for a couple which have never looked good on any TV due to the poor signal to noise. I cannot fault the 537H on SD. :)

I don't know exactly how the Syntax scales but of the handfull of true HD programing available over Cable or Satellite, perhaps 5-10 channels max, the only two channels which look really impressive are HBO HD and sometimes Showtime HD. Depends on how new the movie is. Something like I robot, A Series of Unfortunate Events, or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory look really amazing on the Syntax. Older movies on these channels, even from only the mid-late 90's just look so so, about as good as DVD. So, content/channel quality will be the limiting/deciding factor on the quality you see much more than how the set is converting. Its down conversion is definately capable of getting everything out of the HD content its fed from Satellite or Cable. The rest of the HD channels are really not that impressive in my opinion(I don't watch sports so I can't speak to that), except for Discovery HD on occasion. Keep in mind that both Cable and Satellite HD content is highly compressed and will never look as good as say HD DVD. No such thing as Full lossless quality over these sources and in fact, all HD stuff is compressed(but not as much as what the cable and satellite companys do)

Interesting that you say that. I generally think of HBO and Showtime as the lower end of the Full HD Channels, mainly because a lot of the movies are not recorded in HD but upconverted. I receive about 25HD Channels through Dish Network and I think a good number of them are of relatively good quality. Discovery and Natural geographic HD do look very good, as do Network Broadcast channels (very limited off air available where I live) and HDNet/HDNetMovies. The RaveHD pack looks quite decent too, though I know those are more seriously compressed.

If anyone does know how the Syntaxs handle 1080i, it would be much appreciated. In general, it looks like about 40-50% of tvs use the method where image quality is drastically reduced by just dropping half the information.

Interesting that you say that. I generally think of HBO and Showtime as the lower end of the Full HD Channels, mainly because a lot of the movies are not recorded in HD but upconverted. I receive about 25HD Channels through Dish Network and I think a good number of them are of relatively good quality. Discovery and Natural geographic HD do look very good, as do Network Broadcast channels (very limited off air available where I live) and HDNet/HDNetMovies. The RaveHD pack looks quite decent too, though I know those are more seriously compressed.

If anyone does know how the Syntaxs handle 1080i, it would be much appreciated. In general, it looks like about 40-50% of tvs use the method where image quality is drastically reduced by just dropping half the information.

That was with BrightHouse HD Cable through a Scientific Atlanta 8300 HD box in Central Florida. A while back, I had Direct TV, normal Satellite, not HD but with that, HBO always looked like it had the least compression of all channels. I have not figured out quite how to pick up OTA local channels in HD but the HD Cable versions of the three networks did not impress me with most programming. With my local cable, there are plenty of Digital channels but only a handful of true HD channels with HD content. Perhaps Dish offers more HD stuff.

Even if the Syntax deals with 1080i correctly, its still a massive drop in information. 1080i/60 to 1080p/30 to 768p/30. Loss of about half the information. One thing I don't understand is, how most people say 1080i looks better thn 720p on 1366x768p tvs. 720p/60 should look better than 768p/30 in a lot of situations. The resolution difference shouldn't be noticeable, but double the image speed should. Is there something here that I don't understand?

It would seem to me that setting outputs to 720p would be better. For 720p source material, you get 720p/60 and for 1080i material, you would get 720p/30. If you set the output to 1080i on your cable box or whatever, you get 768p/30 for 1080i source and probably something akin to 720p/30 (half your information is lost) for 720p source material. Help me out. Is this how this stuff works? Can tvs such as the syntax do better than 768p/30 with 1080i material by somehow using the extra information to give 768p/60? Any help is appreciated.

ank,

1080i or 540p is not a masive drop in information to 768p. It would be 1080i -> p -> 768p@60. And despite the common wisdom 1080i does look sharper even on a 768 system like the 532H and other 1366x768 systems. This is especially true if the display uses subpixel technology to improve "perceived" resolution.

Hi, Induna

what do you mean by "search through them in order to find my local HD channels" ? Please tell me how can I get these HD channels that have no picture when tuned. I don't have an antena now, so can do it OTA.

p.s. my 532H actually does have a built-in antena, I think, but I only picked up a handful of channels using it. Also channels tuned through cable and by antena can't be seen at the same time, right? it's either cable tuning only or antena tuning only, am I right? Correct me if I'm wrong.

It means pretty much what I said. If I connect the cable directly to the 532H and have the TV search for channels, it finds about 300, most of which have no picture. In order to find the ones that do have a picture and that are of interest, you have to tune the 300 channels one at a time.

There is no built in antenna. You may be able to tune in strong OTA signals without an antenna, however.

The 532H can have either cable or an antenna connected to the RF input. Not both.

It means pretty much what I said. If I connect the cable directly to the 532H and have the TV search for channels, it finds about 300, most of which have no picture. In order to find the ones that do have a picture and that are of interest, you have to tune the 300 channels one at a time.

There is no built in antenna. You may be able to tune in strong OTA signals without an antenna, however.

The 532H can have either cable or an antenna connected to the RF input. Not both.

And you then can program the channels which actually display a picture into your "Favorites" so that once done, you just cycle through the channels by hitting the Favorites button on the remote. Thats how I did it anyway. You would only have to reprogram if you lost power.

ank,

1080i or 540p is not a masive drop in information to 768p. It would be 1080i -> p -> 768p@60. And despite the common wisdom 1080i does look sharper even on a 768 system like the 532H and other 1366x768 systems. This is especially true if the display uses subpixel technology to improve "perceived" resolution.


It cannot result in 768p/60. When the 1080i/60 is deinterlaced, it becomes 1080p/30. From there, it is simply resized as I understand it to 768p/30. That is actually a loss of half the information. You started at 1920x1080 and ended up with 1366x768 with no gain is refresh rate. What you described (1080i -> p -> 768p/30) is what some tvs do. Some tvs also go from 1080i -> 540p by dropping half the information right off the bat, then resizing that up to 768p (where more information is lost due to this being 1920x540p -> 1366x768p).

I know that 1080i seems to look sharper, my question is why. One explanation is that tvs have better software and chips built to convert 1080i and that the 720p signal isn't treated properly. Or maybe I just don't understand what's going on here and need help.

It cannot result in 768p/60. When the 1080i/60 is deinterlaced, it becomes 1080p/30. From there, it is simply resized as I understand it to 768p/30. That is actually a loss of half the information. You started at 1920x1080 and ended up with 1366x768 with no gain is refresh rate. What you described (1080i -> p -> 768p/30) is what some tvs do. Some tvs also go from 1080i -> 540p by dropping half the information right off the bat, then resizing that up to 768p (where more information is lost due to this being 1920x540p -> 1366x768p).

To paraphrase Michael Keaton in "Mr Mom": 1080p, 1081p, whatever it takes :)

Just got a call from home: my 537H has arrived! Pushed the buy button at J&R late Saturday.
Probably won't get to set this up till the weekend, will post impressions as soon as I can.

Now back to Tech Talk.... :)
barry

To paraphrase Michael Keaton in "Mr Mom": 1080p, 1081p, whatever it takes :)

Just got a call from home: my 537H has arrived! Pushed the buy button at J&R late Saturday.
Probably won't get to set this up till the weekend, will post impressions as soon as I can.

Now back to Tech Talk.... :)
barry

That will likely be my place to buy it too in about two weeks unless a great deal comes along. I am considering the westinghouse 37w3 or the 42w2 (1550 shipped at crutchfield) as well, but eabing towards the 537h.

It cannot result in 768p/60. When the 1080i/60 is deinterlaced, it becomes 1080p/30. From there, it is simply resized as I understand it to 768p/30. That is actually a loss of half the information. You started at 1920x1080 and ended up with 1366x768 with no gain is refresh rate. What you described (1080i -> p -> 768p/30) is what some tvs do. Some tvs also go from 1080i -> 540p by dropping half the information right off the bat, then resizing that up to 768p (where more information is lost due to this being 1920x540p -> 1366x768p).

I know that 1080i seems to look sharper, my question is why. One explanation is that tvs have better software and chips built to convert 1080i and that the 720p signal isn't treated properly. Or maybe I just don't understand what's going on here and need help.

Several misconceptions...

1080i = 540p there is no loss of information, no throwing away half the signal. Converting 1080i -> 1080p doubles the data rate by using interpolation in either the spatial or time domain.

1080i/60 is deinterlaced to 1080p/60 just as progressive DVD players take 480i/60 and convert it to 480p/60. This is true, I de-interlaced material all the time before I encode it.

MPEG-2 HD only encodes color at half the resolution of B&W data. 720p is only 640x360/60 worth of color information while 1080i provides 960x540/30 worth of color information.

1080i will look better for most video, 720p will shine on sports or where a higher value is placed on temporal resolution rather than spatial resolution.

Also LCD has the advantage of subpixel rendering allowing for higher perceived resolution ( because brightness information can be modulated on the separate RGB pixels ). Assuming a moderate sqrt(2) advantage over comparable non-subpixel displays that leads to a perceptible resolution of 1366*sqrt(2)=1932. This is the same technology of "Clear type" font rendering and is basic to all LCD displays ( plasma might support something similar ).

And last but not least it's always better to scale an image down than to scale it up.

Take one or more of these reasons and you can understand why 1080i will look great on a 768p display.

Several misconceptions...

1080i = 540p there is no loss of information, no throwing away half the signal. Converting 1080i -> 1080p doubles the data rate by using interpolation in either the spatial or time domain.

1080i/60 is deinterlaced to 1080p/60 just as progressive DVD players take 480i/60 and convert it to 480p/60. This is true, I de-interlaced material all the time before I encode it.

MPEG-2 HD only encodes color at half the resolution of B&W data. 720p is only 640x360/60 worth of color information while 1080i provides 960x540/30 worth of color information.

1080i will look better for most video, 720p will shine on sports or where a higher value is placed on temporal resolution rather than spatial resolution.

Also LCD has the advantage of subpixel rendering allowing for higher perceived resolution ( because brightness information can be modulated on the separate RGB pixels ). Assuming a moderate sqrt(2) advantage over comparable non-subpixel displays that leads to a perceptible resolution of 1366*sqrt(2)=1932. This is the same technology of "Clear type" font rendering and is basic to all LCD displays ( plasma might support something similar ).

And last but not least it's always better to scale an image down than to scale it up.

Take one or more of these reasons and you can understand why 1080i will look great on a 768p display.

Well, you seem to know what you're talking about, so help me understand. 1080i/60 is 540 odd/even lines every 1/60th of a second. Once every 1/30 of a second, you get a full image with 1080 lines. How from this, can you get 540p/60 without interpolating? Every 1/60th of a second, you have only half the image.

Secondly, in the 1080i -> 1080p deinterlacing, are you sure that each frame full frame is not just shown twice, but that the middle frames are actually being interpolated.

Thirdly, does the mpeg2 codec's half resolution color thingie scale with overall resolution? Your statement above obviously only makes sense if it does not.

My statement about not getting true 768p/60 out of the conversion is in fact true, even taking into account your statements since what you're left with is 768p/30 with the other half interpolated. I'm just trying to learn here. 768p/60 where every other frame is interpolated, compared to 720p/60 without interpolation, still seems to me to point to the 720 as the better image (this image contains nearly twice the amount of information from the source without interpolation, it would seem). However, if the color information does not scale with resolution and the subpixel effect you described applies, then 1080i looking better than 720p makes some sense. Help me out with any info you can provide.

Anybody have a review of the 323 model by chance? Seeing a lot about the 5 series in the forum but trying to see how the 3 series stacks up.

I just want to throw in some qualitative information here, and I am leaving the algebra at the door, because the math analysis is at the mercy of the computer chips doing the processing at every stage along the way. You can hopefully draw some conclusions.

I have a 1080P capable 42 plasma- which is actually 1280X 1024. I would not trade it for any other 42 plasma I have seen because the others are not quite true 720P (1024X 768), and that part really makes a difference.

That said, I cannot see a noticeable difference between my plasma and 720P LCDs as far as resolution goes (I had the 42 Syntax and it was every bit as good from a resolution viewing standpoint). Once you get enough resolution for true 720P, you can't see a difference from 6 feet away. THis includes from a 720P channel like ESPN, and from a 1080i channel like HDNET (which imo is the best)
My point is, I am sure some will disagree but I don't believe your eye can distinguish 1080P from a reasonable viewing distance from what I have seen so far.

Likewise I saw the Westy 1080P hooked up to Blueray and it looked like garbage to me compared to every other panel in the store. Maybe the color was not adjusted properly, but it looked washed out. After looking at hundreds of panels and having a couple in my home, I am here to tell you, the color and vividness of the panel is far more important than any number attached to it. (Remember too that one input can look right while another doesnt.)

I f you don't understand this, go to a Wholesale club and notice how many sets have the inability to get the proper color, or are too washed out at what should be a good brightness and contrast setting despite having the right specs. (Don't blame problems on the signal when the set next to it looks right.) You will care about the perceived quality of the picture a lot more than the spec sheet. The Syntax 42LVHS looked great, though it didn't work perfectly. I am just waiting to hear about the new model.

The following linky provides pdf to the 747i....

http://starin.info/Product%20Info/Olevia/747i.pdf

BTW, this set weighs some 50 lbs. more than the Sony kdl46v2500, presumably due to the panel glass, the dual tuners, and the HQV processor. At 132 lbs with the stand, that approaches the mass of some crt's.

This distributor site (Starin) also gives information on other new Syntax models (including input diagrams)....

http://starin.info/Product%20Info/Olevia/

Got the 537 set up today -- required moving furniture and recabling, always fun.
It's my first HDTV, and a step up from a 27" Mitsu CRT. I don't have HD service yet from Charter cable, and I've ordered an antenna for OTA HD.
That said ... WOW!
This thing passed the wife test; I put in the DVD (via Panny upconvert DVD recorder on HDMI) of "Pirates of the Carib" and called her in, and she was blown away. And this is a woman who, when I met her, was watching an old TV that turned blue if there was too much blue in a scene ... and didn't care!
Later we watched the "Stargate" movie on DVD, just fantastic. I haven't tweaked any HDMI input settings.
SDTV thru a Motorola Moxi box connected via component is excellent as well; it's digital cable. I did play a bit with the component input settings, but just a bit as I don't know yet what I'm doing, what all the settings do. But I was impressed. I feared that SDTV would be unacceptably worse that my old CRT, but it's good.
I have not hooked up a computer.
The GUI is a bit strange; my cable run is split, so I also set up the tuner straight from the wall. Took a bit of aggravation to figure out the wheel interface and find "cable" in the auto channel setup. It found 50-some digital channels, none HD. First time I did it it found a raft of movie channels, unscrambled, but they vanished suddenly and a re-scan didn't get them back.
The zooms are OK. Full screen does what it says, with a bit of distortion; I don't find it distracting. Panorama is useless; center of picture is OK, edges are wildly distorted. Zoom 1 crops a bit, but the picture is not distorted.
Can't really comment on sound via TV speakers, didn't spend much time on "tuner" source, and my Moxi and DVD audio run thru a receiver via optical.
BTW, uncrating and phsyically setting this TV up was absolutely painless.
What else: don't see any dead or stuck pixels.
Any questions, I'll do my best to answer them.
barry

The movie channels are probably other people's PPV or VOD in your neighborhod.

Office depot has a "Olevia 432v" 3s inch LCD. never heard of this model and thought it might be one of the new series, but there isnt either a 532v or 332v from what i can tell.

anyone know about this model?

for reference only, heres the link:

http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=940651&x=0&Ntt=olevia%2032&y=0&uniqueSearchFlag=true&An=text

Does anyone know what the approximate street prices of the 7-series models will be?

The 537h tv is on sale for 999 at j&r + shipping. Now,shipping came out to about 105 bucks for me, but 1100 for the 537 is actually pretty hot. Lowest total price I've seen so far. I'm ordering in about a week. Maybe it'll come down a bit more.

Has anybody else purchased the 432V (on sale right now at Office Depot for a great price) ?

There is a thread link below where I gave some feedback but curious if anybody else has picked one up and their impressions .

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=717724

- Thanks ,
-- Jason

The 537h tv is on sale for 999 at j&r + shipping. Now,shipping came out to about 105 bucks for me, but 1100 for the 537 is actually pretty hot. Lowest total price I've seen so far. I'm ordering in about a week. Maybe it'll come down a bit more.

That's an incredible price, 100 bucks less than I paid, and I thought that was probably the lowest it would go, at least till the end of the model year. Amazing value.

The 537h tv is on sale for 999 at j&r + shipping. Now,shipping came out to about 105 bucks for me, but 1100 for the 537 is actually pretty hot. Lowest total price I've seen so far. I'm ordering in about a week. Maybe it'll come down a bit more.

Incredible. I paid 200 more plus 110 shipping less than a month ago. I love the display. It's mounted on an outside wall (lanai) and performs well in all sorts of lighting conditions.

Any prices on ther 542 besides Page and Datavision.
At $500 over the 537 price it is too expensive

Well, I went ahead and called and put in an order for the 537h. I just don't see that price getting too much lower. I'm moving into my new place in two weeks, so I told jr to hold the monitor for a week before shipping, so if anything lower comes along, I can cancel, but I doubt it. Target has the old HVS for 1199+tax+shipping (and that's the sale price) and they have a price of 1499 on the 537h when the get it in. ComputerHQ and Acortech both have it for 1175-1200shiped. Compusa told me they will be replacing their HVS stock with 537h in approximately two weeks, but get this, their price is 1729.99. I'm pretty excited about this tv and at 999+shipping, I have no regrets.

Well, I went ahead and called and put in an order for the 537h. I just don't see that price getting too much lower. I'm moving into my new place in two weeks, so I told jr to hold the monitor for a week before shipping, so if anything lower comes along, I can cancel, but I doubt it. Target has the old HVS for 1199+tax+shipping (and that's the sale price) and they have a price of 1499 on the 537h when the get it in. ComputerHQ and Acortech both have it for 1175-1200shiped. Compusa told me they will be replacing their HVS stock with 537h in approximately two weeks, but get this, their price is 1729.99. I'm pretty excited about this tv and at 999+shipping, I have no regrets.

You won't have any regrets! I watched a DVD of Farscape in true 16:9 last night, blew me away. I was going to try to be aware of black levels in the space/ship scenes and got so immersed in it I forgot.
barry

You won't have any regrets! I watched a DVD of Farscape in true 16:9 last night, blew me away. I was going to try to be aware of black levels in the space/ship scenes and got so immersed in it I forgot.
barry

Thanks. More people I talk to who aleady have this tv, the better I'm feeling about it.

You should check out BattleStar Galactica. friend of mine lent me the first season DVD last week and I fell in love with the show. I downloaded the 2nd season and watched all of that too. There are a few bad episodes here and there, but the series is very strong. Third season starts in a month, so there's time to catch up.

I am debating between the 537h and the 542i...I don't have a ton of money to spend, but my conflict is that when I see a 37" in a store it just doesn't look that big...does anyone know if the 542i is going to come down in price at all? I would love to pick up the 542i for $1,200-$1,300...is this being unrealistic?

I have not seen either the 537h or the 542i in person, I would be purchasing a set based on the recommendations and reviews of everyone here, so thanks in advance for all the information in this thread...

Could someone post some pics of the 537 with hd/sd content i am not sure i want this or the sharp 37 40du from costco

Can someone with the 537H help me test the QAM tuner for recieving unscambled digital cable TV?

I bought 532H a couple weeks ago. The 532H can detect all my local digital cable channels (SD and HD) from Comcast. But the pictures from the all the digital channels are corrupted. To compare whether the corruption was caused by poor cable signal or the 532H itself, I got a Sharp Aquous 32 inch LCD TV. The Sharp TV can receive most of the digital channels correctly. People on this forum suggested to call Comcast, but as you know dealing with the cable company is always a hussle. I figured if the Sharp TV can receive the digital channels correctly, the signal should not be that bad. So I returned the 532H and hope the 537H and other models are problem free.

So if you have 537H and cable service, can you search and turn to the digital channels to see whether the pictures are corrupted. Please feed the cable directly to the 537H without going through a settop box.

To answer Jesh's question, when I tested, the 532H has a better PQ than the Sharp one. It appears the Sharp TV has a much stronger low pass filter which makes its edges blured. Or it is also possible the Sharp TV does not have an edge sharpening circuit.

Although the comparison it between 532H and Sharp 32 in, 37 in one should be no difference.

For BroChaos (or other knowledgeable insider)....

Are the 742i and 747i still in line for a September release?

Are these sets still undergoing engineering tweaks vis-a-vis the HQV and color calibration?

I'm hoping these sets materialize into the "great white hope" the specs paint them to be.

Will they support 1:1 over hdmi and vga at full resolution?

Will the anti-reflective glass coating be adequately effective?

Will street price out-the-gate be justifiable?

Interesting to see which high-end dealers will be awarded the 7-series. I assume Datavision will be a major player.

Any prices on ther 542 besides Page and Datavision.
At $500 over the 537 price it is too expensive

A $100 premium per diagonal inch does not seem unreasonable to me.

By comparison, the difference in price from 40 to 46 1080p Sony (or Samsung) seems to cluster around $600. Please correct me if my logic (or sense of value) is off.

A $100 premium per diagonal inch does not seem unreasonable to me.

By comparison, the difference in price from 40 to 46 1080p Sony (or Samsung) seems to cluster around $600. Please correct me if my logic (or sense of value) is off.


I think, much more than the 500 dollars is that it is a 50% increase for 15% increase in diagonal. Now, obviously, the areas increase is more substantial.

In the case of the sony, I would assume that the percentage increase is much lower.

Now into my third week living with a 532 fed by a Motorola HD box from RCN @720p. Overall PQ is clearly better than the first gen 30" Syntax I had (no surprise), and I don't noticed the image problems associated with 480i/p since I do not use those inputs. However, I have noticed a few quirks. 1) The volume seems to fluctuate up and down for no apparent reason, unrelated to changing channels, commercials, etc. All of a sudden, I realize I can't hear what the characters are saying and have to increase the volume. A few minutes later, the sound is too loud and I have to turn it down. 2) After changing channels, the image dims after a few seconds. 3) Also after changing channels, the source sometimes is displayed needlessly on the OSD. 4) The manual states there is an option for the display to turn off if it doesn't receive any input--potentially a nice feature. Unfortunately, the option is not available through the OSD--at least I can't find it. Can anyone confirm these issues, or is my set "unique"?

buyersremorse:

Try the Motorola at 1080i for a day or so, you should see an improvement in detail. It's a little weird that an interlaced mode produces the best picture, but you have to see it to believe it.

Now if they could just fix the damn 480i/p issues.

Something pretty funny. After hearing about these models and doing some research. And also finding out that office depot and target are going to start carrying them, I not only purchased a 537, but I also bought some company stock. Syntax Brillian is moving towards tier 2 and are building a brand. I figure its a good investment.

Something pretty funny. After hearing about these models and doing some research. And also finding out that office depot and target are going to start carrying them, I not only purchased a 537, but I also bought some company stock. Syntax Brillian is moving towards tier 2 and are building a brand. I figure its a good investment.

I hope so. There seems to be a noticeable decrease in the number of stores carrying them since last year. They have had trouble bringing their 2006 models to market - the 3, 4, 5, and 7 series are just now appearing, and the web site isn't even updated yet. Supply or reliability issues with the new sets could cause a major financial problem, since they are such a small company. I don't know of any major vendor carrying their Brillian line.

They have lost a lot since their 52-week high (7.21) but have rebounded from their low of 2.02. The company has experienced significant losses in the last quarter.

Does anyone know what the approximate street prices of the 7-series models will be?

742i - 3499
747i - 4499

It is unlikely that these will be widely available. The company has stated repeatedly that they are flagship models aimed at Tier 1 market. Don't look for them at mass merchants, mailorder houses, or blow-out internet sights. They already have those bases covered with 3,4, and 5 series.

Snowmoon:
Thanks for the tip--I'll give 1080i a try. Best wishes on your crusade for 480i/p justice. Where art thou BroChaos?

The Syntax models look good spec-wise, but those prices are ludicrious no matter how good they think they LCDs are. No one will choose a Syntax over a Sony 1080p given such prices. In reality I assume that Syntax LCDs will less for much less than that, more on par with Westinghouse. Either way come October there will be a flood of 1080p LCDs, just have to hang in for 40-50 days.

For BroChaos (or other knowledgeable insider)....

Are the 742i and 747i still in line for a September release?

Are these sets still undergoing engineering tweaks vis-a-vis the HQV and color calibration?

I'm hoping these sets materialize into the "great white hope" the specs paint them to be.

Will they support 1:1 over hdmi and vga at full resolution?

Will the anti-reflective glass coating be adequately effective?

Will street price out-the-gate be justifiable?

Interesting to see which high-end dealers will be awarded the 7-series. I assume Datavision will be a major player.

i would guess no. but they are getting there.

yes.

yes.

yes.

no idea...i don't get involved with pricing.

Looks like a few more online stores are getting ready for the 342 and 542s. I sure would like to hear from somebody who has seen one of these. The 342 will come in under 1300 at a few places.

It is unlikely that these will be widely available. The company has stated repeatedly that they are flagship models aimed at Tier 1 market. Don't look for them at mass merchants, mailorder houses, or blow-out internet sights. They already have those bases covered with 3,4, and 5 series.

So, where exactly will these sets be sold?

The Syntax models look good spec-wise, but those prices are ludicrious no matter how good they think they LCDs are. No one will choose a Syntax over a Sony 1080p given such prices. In reality I assume that Syntax LCDs will less for much less than that, more on par with Westinghouse. Either way come October there will be a flood of 1080p LCDs, just have to hang in for 40-50 days.

I just picked up the 537h for a good price, but I have about two weeks to change my mind on it. Are you saying that prices will come down with this deluge of 1080p tvs? should I hold off and catch a tv with 1080p for about a grand within a month and a half?

I e-mailed Syntax CS using their web site and am waiting for an answer:

Dear Sirs:

Can you please advise if there is some problem in supply or shipping your 532H LCD TVs to customers who ordered from Datavision, NY. I purchased one on Aug 26th and as of moments ago they could suppy NO shipping info. It's Sept 5!

They told me it would ship Aug 29th as a "drop ship" from your CA warehouse. Then said it would be shipped from their warehouse as you were shipping a truck load out to them.

I feel very nervous about what is going on.
I did read on AVS Forum that service had been good, but this sounds bad and I'll be posting my experience once I hear from you.

Regards,

Jim

742i - 3499
747i - 4499

It is unlikely that these will be widely available. The company has stated repeatedly that they are flagship models aimed at Tier 1 market. Don't look for them at mass merchants, mailorder houses, or blow-out internet sights. They already have those bases covered with 3,4, and 5 series.Thanks for the info.

I just picked up the 537h for a good price, but I have about two weeks to change my mind on it. Are you saying that prices will come down with this deluge of 1080p tvs? should I hold off and catch a tv with 1080p for about a grand within a month and a half?


My understanding is there isn't much 1080p content out, which is one reason I am waiting on that kind of resolution. I read that it will be 4+ years before there is really a justifiably amount of 1080p available. I don't think 1080p tv's will come close to the prices of the 5 (and 3 & 4 series) for many years to come. The only Olevias that should be compared to the sony 1080p tvs are the 7 series which will be in the same price range as the 'tier 1' brands.
When do you think you will get your next tv?

Personally, I am gonna get the 537h in the next couple weeks/months then plan on getting a larger 1080p in a few years. The 537 will then become a bedroom or secondary room for viewed entertainment.

Also Brochaos you missed one of that guys questions- there were 6 questions and 5 answers. Not a big deal, but does make me wonder if there was a silent 'no' there.

Any more info on the 480i/p & 1080i componet input problems on the 432?

Brochaos?

I'm planning on buying soon and have a couple of questions. Does anyone know if the panels are still LG's on the the new models? Also is there a street date for the 332h yet? :confused:

I'm I right to assume that since the 332h has a different chipset than the 532h it will not have the same PQ issues?

donrussell,

The new website is up...

put "olevia" in place of "syntax groups" in the URL. Less than 5 posts and can't post full URLs.

http://www.olevia.com/

I was looking at the 37" but am rethinking of what I want. I have a 36" Tube tv in my family room and so I think I want 42" or 46" TV. Not to get off topic alot but my other considerations are the Sony 46" TV or Samsung 46" DLP. I wish the Syntax 542i was a little cheaper as that is pushing my budget as of right now after shipping/extended warranty .

The only other TV I am looking at besides the 747i is the LVM-47w1 by Westinghouse. Both seem similar in features, and I'm curious to see what the street price is going to be for the 747i. Right now the Westy 47" is less than $2500 shipped. Can't wait for the 747i to become available.

My understanding is there isn't much 1080p content out, which is one reason I am waiting on that kind of resolution. I read that it will be 4+ years before there is really a justifiably amount of 1080p available. I don't think 1080p tv's will come close to the prices of the 5 (and 3 & 4 series) for many years to come. The only Olevias that should be compared to the sony 1080p tvs are the 7 series which will be in the same price range as the 'tier 1' brands.
When do you think you will get your next tv?

Personally, I am gonna get the 537h in the next couple weeks/months then plan on getting a larger 1080p in a few years. The 537 will then become a bedroom or secondary room for viewed entertainment.

Also Brochaos you missed one of that guys questions- there were 6 questions and 5 answers. Not a big deal, but does make me wonder if there was a silent 'no' there.

The point of a 1080p tv is to show BluRau/HDDVD at 1080p/24 and HD off cablebox or Offair antenna at 1080i/60 or 1080p/30 . On a 1080p tv youd be able to watch both of these without loss of information at full quality. The content isn't four years away, it is already out now. There aren't any 1080i lcd tvs anyway. If you want o see the full two million pixels, 1080p is the only option.

Actually with basic sub-pixel technology a 1366x768 LCD display can easily resolve 90%+ of the detail in a 1080i signal and 80%+ in a 1080p signal. I think people would be very surprised how much detail can be eek-ed out. Once you also take into account normal "Living Room" seating distance it becomes very difficult, if possible, to see the additional resolution. That does not even take into account the detail limiting compression issues in all current delivery mediums.

Or to sum up: Look for yourselves and decide if 1080p is really worth the extra money right now.

Actually with basic sub-pixel technology a 1366x768 LCD display can easily resolve 90%+ of the detail in a 1080i signal and 80%+ in a 1080p signal. I think people would be very surprised how much detail can be eek-ed out. Once you also take into account normal "Living Room" seating distance it becomes very difficult, if possible, to see the additional resolution. That does not even take into account the detail limiting compression issues in all current delivery mediums.

Or to sum up: Look for yourselves and decide if 1080p is really worth the extra money right now.

Fair enough. I was simply talking about his point that 1080p material won't be available for 4+ years. Earlier you had indicated that some tvs convert 1080i to 1080p before scaling and others convert to 540p before scaling. This much I knew, but you also stated that both conversions were lossless. I don't understand how 1080i -> 540p without loss of information. You have 540 odd or even lines coming in every 1/60th of a second, producing en entire image once of 30th of a second. You would need to get 540p/60 without interpolated data to have the same amount of information. I don't see how that works, so help me understand. Thanks for your help. Your earlier post helped me understand this stuff a lot better.

Actually with basic sub-pixel technology a 1366x768 LCD display can easily resolve 90%+ of the detail in a 1080i signal and 80%+ in a 1080p signal. I think people would be very surprised how much detail can be eek-ed out. Once you also take into account normal "Living Room" seating distance it becomes very difficult, if possible, to see the additional resolution. That does not even take into account the detail limiting compression issues in all current delivery mediums.

Or to sum up: Look for yourselves and decide if 1080p is really worth the extra money right now.
I see it as people are making way too much about too little!!
For me its a wast of $500 more, nevermind it's just a monitor and Westinghouse (LVM-37w3) at that. :eek:

I'm also very interested in the 432V, mainly for TV and Xbox360. I'm a bit of a n00b.

Fair enough. I was simply talking about his point that 1080p material won't be available for 4+ years. Earlier you had indicated that some tvs convert 1080i to 1080p before scaling and others convert to 540p before scaling. This much I knew, but you also stated that both conversions were lossless. I don't understand how 1080i -> 540p without loss of information. You have 540 odd or even lines coming in every 1/60th of a second, producing en entire image once of 30th of a second. You would need to get 540p/60 without interpolated data to have the same amount of information. I don't see how that works, so help me understand. Thanks for your help. Your earlier post helped me understand this stuff a lot better.

1080i is 30 frames per second where the odd and even lines represent two separate time indexes.

1080i is also 60 progressive 540p fields per second

CRT's display each field for 1/60th of a second offset and our brains so the rest.

Unfortunately with a progressive panel you can't just display the 1920x1080@30 frames since you would see horrible combing artifacts. For progressive fixed panel displays you can use several methods to approximate this same result.

Just taking the 540p fields ( 1920x540@60 ) and scaling them to 768p will produce a decent result. The biggest complaint with this method is a small amount of flicker on high frequency vertical data ( like a 1 pixel horizontal line )

A more difficult solution is to take the 1920x1080@30 frames a second and extrapolate 2 separate 1920x1080@60 frames by either motion adaptive or 2:3 pulldown reconstruction.

Neither of these two above solutions results in a loss of information. Both try to approximate the result that you might see on a CRT. The latter, if done properly, can be far superior ( but can be easily screwed up as well ).

The only other TV I am looking at besides the 747i is the LVM-47w1 by Westinghouse. Both seem similar in features, and I'm curious to see what the street price is going to be for the 747i. Right now the Westy 47" is less than $2500 shipped. Can't wait for the 747i to become available.


you might in for a sticker shock when the 747i comes out in a few days...

I'm having trouble figuring out if this TV just will not change the aspect ratio of a hi-def signal or if I'm missing a setting.
I'm feeding the TV standard-def programming via a Charter Motorola/Moxi box over component, and a Panny DVD recorder over HDMI.
The TV will not change the aspect ratio of the Panny 10801 HDMI source.
It will change the Moxi if fed 480i/480p, but once I send 720/1080, it will not control aspect ratio (except for Zoom 2).
So is this normal? Am I missing a setting?

Also, it seems to my eyes that the Motorola/Moxi picture sent at 480i is better than any other setting. Does this make sense (becasue it's SD)?
thx
barry

I'm having trouble figuring out if this TV just will not change the aspect ratio of a hi-def signal or if I'm missing a setting.
I'm feeding the TV standard-def programming via a Charter Motorola/Moxi box over component, and a Panny DVD recorder over HDMI.
The TV will not change the aspect ratio of the Panny 10801 HDMI source.
It will change the Moxi if fed 480i/480p, but once I send 720/1080, it will not control aspect ratio (except for Zoom 2).
So is this normal? Am I missing a setting?

Also, it seems to my eyes that the Motorola/Moxi picture sent at 480i is better than any other setting. Does this make sense (becasue it's SD)?
thx
barry

I can't speak for your 537, but my 532 can change the aspect ratio of 1080i and 720p OTA signals. However, full screen, aspect and 1:1 are all exactly the same for 1080i signals, which makes sense, but zoom1 and zoom2 are decidedly different. For a 720p signal, there is a difference between 1:1 and aspect/full screen, as well as the zoom settings. For example, I have a broadcast station that transmitts 4:3 letterboxed content over a 1080i signal, zoom1 will fill the screen with no distortion. I have not tried it with HDMI, but it shouldn't be any different.

Hope that helps.

BroChaos;

Regarding the 4 series, I understand that there is a 427, and a 432; But will there also be a 437 model available ?

Also, regarding the 432, does this model have the same chipset in it that the 532 has ? Do you think that this model might be susceptable to the same problems that Snowmoon and others have experienced with the 532, regarding 480i and 480P sources ?

Thanks

In reviewingf the updated Syntax website, images of the 747i clearly show that all inputs are located on the right side (not rear) of the set. Am I the only one who sees a problem with that?

The only other TV I am looking at besides the 747i is the LVM-47w1 by Westinghouse. Both seem similar in features, and I'm curious to see what the street price is going to be for the 747i. Right now the Westy 47" is less than $2500 shipped. Can't wait for the 747i to become available.

Seems to me like you're looking at a Chevy and a Ferrari at the same time, price difference and all!

Add nearly $2K to the Westinghouse, and you'll have your 747i.

1080i is 30 frames per second where the odd and even lines represent two separate time indexes.

1080i is also 60 progressive 540p fields per second

CRT's display each field for 1/60th of a second offset and our brains so the rest.

Unfortunately with a progressive panel you can't just display the 1920x1080@30 frames since you would see horrible combing artifacts. For progressive fixed panel displays you can use several methods to approximate this same result.

Just taking the 540p fields ( 1920x540@60 ) and scaling them to 768p will produce a decent result. The biggest complaint with this method is a small amount of flicker on high frequency vertical data ( like a 1 pixel horizontal line )

A more difficult solution is to take the 1920x1080@30 frames a second and extrapolate 2 separate 1920x1080@60 frames by either motion adaptive or 2:3 pulldown reconstruction.

Neither of these two above solutions results in a loss of information. Both try to approximate the result that you might see on a CRT. The latter, if done properly, can be far superior ( but can be easily screwed up as well ).

This is exactly what I thought regarding the two methods.. But I still don't understand your explanation of the first. 1080i/60 is 540 lines every 1/60th of a second, however, Every 60th of a second, you don't have entire image. Only every other line. This is not the same as normal 540p. You can't just crunch what you have there together and make a coherent image. At least I don't see how you can.

Looks like the 747i is earning "product of the year" recogniton even prior its release:

http://www.electronichouse.com/poty/14726.html

What are some of the key differences between the Syntax 342i and the 542i?
Are they huge differences to cover the price difference -

I e-mailed Syntax CS using their web site and am waiting for an answer:

Dear Sirs:

Can you please advise if there is some problem in supply or shipping your 532H LCD TVs to customers who ordered from Datavision, NY. I purchased one on Aug 26th and as of moments ago they could suppy NO shipping info. It's Sept 5!

They told me it would ship Aug 29th as a "drop ship" from your CA warehouse. Then said it would be shipped from their warehouse as you were shipping a truck load out to them.

I feel very nervous about what is going on.
I did read on AVS Forum that service had been good, but this sounds bad and I'll be posting my experience once I hear from you.

Regards,

Jim

Today Datavision says the 532H models are on back order from Syntax and they have 30 units coming into NY. He said they have no word at all about the shipment. I haven't had a reply from Syntax yet.

Brochaos;
Can you help verify what's up with supply of 532H models?

Anyone have any info on the 4 series?

From olevia's webpage, specs looks ldentical to the 5 (432V vs 532H).

Only difference is in color and speaker location.

Any insight on this? As OD has the 432V on sale right now.

I saw Jason's coments on this unit and was very helpful, i would like to get mor input if at all possible before purchase.

thanks,

-D

bcud:

I would not recommend the 26" or the 32" 4 or 5 series ( 426, 432, 526, 532 ) because of the outstanding firmware bug. You can look at my posts to find the thread related to this problem. It affects all sources at 480i/p resolutions including progressive scan DVD players and many gaming systems.

I have had limited contact with Syntax, but from my understanding they are working on the problem.

The 4 and 5 series use different chipsets (I was wrong , corrected below) so I doubt there will be the exact same issues with both (although the 480p image over component was not too hot on the 432v either) . The 4 series using the ATi single chip solution has its fair share of issues and the most drastic is the 1080i jitter over Component (HDMI is fine) . Then there is the issue of the 4 series not mapping over the digital HDMI connection when fed from a PC using DVI-D (the odd thing is that the analog VGA maps just fine with both PC & Xbox 360) . I think the 4 series is a great deal if you basically want a large PC/Gaming monitor and not an HDTV (just watch out for those stuck pixels) .


Has anybody compared the new 4 or 5 series Olevia's image to the newer Vizio's ( all I have seen is the older model 32" Vizio and not the newer 32" and 37" ) ?


---------- Jason

The 4 and 5 series use different chipsets so I doubt there will be the exact same issues with both (although the 480p image over component was not too hot on the 432v either) .

According to the manuals, both series use the Xilleon 220.

Anyone have any info on the 4 series?

From olevia's webpage, specs looks ldentical to the 5 (432V vs 532H).

Only difference is in color and speaker location.

One difference I noticed from looking through the user manuals is that the 432V has fewer color temp adjustments.

no clue whats going on with datavision. i do know that we drop ship for them, but as far as i know, we have no outstanding orders with them. the 532 is in stock.

4 and 5 use the same chipsets. the 3 series has different chipsets.

According to the manuals, both series use the Xilleon 220.

Right you are , very strange , when I looked at the website a few days ago I would have sworn it listed a different chip for the 5 series ( I think they just updated the information ) .

So then it would seem that the 4 and 5 series sets are very close and only have subtle differences . I guess this makes the 4 series an even better value ( depending upon how you look at it ;) ) .

So then does the 5 series also have the 1080i jitter over Component ?

--------- Jason

One other difference between the 4 and 5 series is the warranty. The 4 series has an "express exchange" warranty, while the 5 series has an on-site service warranty.

I have not seen any jitter on 1080i OTA sources on my 532H. The HD content looks great.

Are 1080p only for the 7 series, also is there going to be a 547?

I have not seen any jitter on 1080i OTA sources on my 532H. The HD content looks great.

As I stated previously the 1080i jitter is not when using the internal ATSC tuner (not QAM or OTA) . The jitter happens when you send a 1080i signal through the Component input (HDMI is fine with 1080i) .

-------- Jason

What are the short falls of the 540I - would 537 be better to buy. Do you think the 540I will be deeply discounted & how much is the new tech worth?

Because of a delay of product at one place, and a price break at another (J&R). I decided to up my order from a 532H to a 537H as it was less than two hundred to upgrade to the other model. I am glad it happened because I did not want to deal with the issues the 532H is having now. Also, it will be nice to have digital audio out as that is not an option on the 532H.

I could not find another LCD in the 37 inch size that could compete with the 537H. Good price, good reviews, good enough for me. Should have it in 5 business days.

Anyway, been following this board for sometime and appreciate all the input you guys have given as it helped me with my decision on what to buy.

post some pics when you get it in, im thinking of buying the same lcd pretty soon

Computer Brain just dropped their price on the 542i. It's backordered right now, but I called them and they said there's no problem placing an order on their site to get on the back-order list. They won't charge your cc until they get it in stock. Sadly, they didn't have a est date for when they would get the set in stock. But I was happy to place the order now and lock in that price. The site itself appears very reputable, above a 9.0 rating for the last 6 months at resellerratings.

I'll be going to CEDIA next week. The 747i is on my list of must-see items. It's the first display I've heard of that incorporates HQV processing. The new Olevia web site also indicates that it will be D6500 calibrated.

Thanks Brochaos, I ordered and paid on Aug 26th. They claim to have 30 units on order with you.

I just talked to Datavision who claims Syntax was out of stock on the 532H and had them backordered until today. They will have my order drop shipped with 3 day delivery upgrade. I'll know tonight or Sat when I call them back to get shipping details. I guess at this point another day isn't that big a deal if they're telling the truth.

I placed an order today for the 747i, just know it will be good ;) anyway i'm on the list and I figure this set will ship early Oct, so that gives me planty of time to back out, God forbid it doen't perform as expected.

So, is the 42 inch Olvevia TV any good? I ordered 2 total...

Just browsing other boards about other LCD TVs and noticed that some report lip sync problems (HYUNDAI Q321 being one of them) if connected to HDMI or Componet.

Any current owners have any problems with this? Just curious.

Thanks!

So does anybody know anything about this MTK chipset yet? I can't find anything about it. The company's website doesn't even mention it. I know the Pixelworks on the 342i is decent, but has trouble with Jaggies sometimes. I am thinking that is why the old model had the glass cover.

I also think the better warranty, PIP etc justify the bump up to the 542i. However, I was not a big fan of the Vizio with the same panel as this. I can't seem to tell what kind of chipset the Vizio is using, so maybe it is not worth advertising. I guess we have to assume the MTK is better than the Pixelworks since it is in the more expensive model, which would be great.

I wish those who review professionally would give more information about the chipsets being used, because when it comes down to it, they are all using LG or Samsung panels.

I ordered a 532H earlier this week and it is supposed to deliver tomorrow (FedEx Home Delivery). Now I am beginning to get a bit concerned. I went with the 32" simply because that is what will fit in my cabinet. I would prefer the 37 but it is not an option. I read about the 480i/p conversion issues but I will be feeding the unit with 1080i component so I wasn't too concerned. Now I read about the jitters through component and I am second guessing my decision. Do you think that this can be fixed with a firmware upgrade? If not the unit will be useless to me.

Thanks!

where did you order the 7 series from?

I ordered a 532H earlier this week and it is supposed to deliver tomorrow (FedEx Home Delivery). Now I am beginning to get a bit concerned. I went with the 32" simply because that is what will fit in my cabinet. I would prefer the 37 but it is not an option. I read about the 480i/p conversion issues but I will be feeding the unit with 1080i component so I wasn't too concerned. Now I read about the jitters through component and I am second guessing my decision. Do you think that this can be fixed with a firmware upgrade? If not the unit will be useless to me.

Thanks!

When I first received my 532, I fed it 1080i and 720P for a month through a Scientific Atlanta 8300HD cable box and never saw any jitter(letting the box do all the work, not the ATI chip in the 532. I tried both component and HDMI and watched many HD movies on both with no jitter. Now, I'm not sure if I had the box set to output 720P or 1080i so there is a question there. I do definately see Jitter though with 480i material(without the use of an external scaler) in addition to the persistant image/ghosting problem.

where did you order the 7 series from?

Bright and Sleek, they are taking phoned in pre-orders. Plus they don't hit your card until it ships.

To other 537 and 5-series owners:
Are any of you guys getting your local HD channels with cable running straight to the set? Supposedly these sets have QAM. I'm getting a bunch of digital channels, but none in HD (for St Louis local broadcast nets).

A true Noob here. This is my first time venturing into HDTV. I've done a fair amount of research, and I keep coming back to the 537H or the 542i. Other than the occasional DVD, tv watching is primarily regular stuff on DirecTV (ESPN, Discovery, and the big three (four if you count Fox). Given that information, are my choices the best, or should I be looking at something else? There seem to be really good deals out there on both of these, and I'm not looking to drop $2000+ for a TV. I plan to get HD package from DirecTV.

To other 537 and 5-series owners:
Are any of you guys getting your local HD channels with cable running straight to the set? Supposedly these sets have QAM. I'm getting a bunch of digital channels, but none in HD (for St Louis local broadcast nets).

No HD channels with a direct connection. Only a few digital channels now. Interestingly, just after I turned in my cable box and discontinued my paid cable service, I received a lot of both digital and analog channels for about a week or so. Then all the analog channels went snowy and some of the tuned digital channels had no picture. So, I'm guessing that my cable company actually disconnected something. I also get cable internet(paid) from them. I had to re-tune in IRC mode to get what I'm getting now.

To other 537 and 5-series owners:
Are any of you guys getting your local HD channels with cable running straight to the set? Supposedly these sets have QAM. I'm getting a bunch of digital channels, but none in HD (for St Louis local broadcast nets).

I have a 537H. It picks up a total of eight digital channels, no HD. I'm in Naples, FL with a ComCast subscription and assume they scramble all of the HD content.

What do you suppose will happen on 2-17-2009 when DTV broadcasting will be required by law. Will ComCast try and charge extra for it?

brochaos:
did we misinterpret what you said about QAM in the new models being unsupported or unadvertised or ?? Should we be getting local HD over a straight cable run in the 5 series?
barry

I am pretty sure the Comcast in some locations is blocking the free HD channels so you will be forced to buy their package- one of our local affiliates is actually running commercials to protest this practice by Comcast.