New Syntax Olevia TV models

[951]

Just wondering if any of the new models have audio hiss like some of last year's models?

[degaffman]

I'd like to purchase a 537h but currently receive my HD programming over the air (using a large antenna in attic) and standard cable (no box, just an out of the wall coaxial connection). How do I watch bring them both into the 537h with only one coaxial input? Is there some way to combine the signals?

I don't anything about QAM, but from reading this post it seems to allow you to receive HD programming through a standard cable connection? Is this correct? Is it available from comcast in Mobile, AL? Thanks!

[redgtconv]

I'd like to purchase a 537h but currently receive my HD programming over the air (using a large antenna in attic) and standard cable (no box, just an out of the wall coaxial connection). How do I watch bring them both into the 537h with only one coaxial input? Is there some way to combine the signals?

I don't anything about QAM, but from reading this post it seems to allow you to receive HD programming through a standard cable connection? Is this correct? Is it available from comcast in Mobile, AL? Thanks!

If your lucky and your cable company sends all of the network hd signals unencrypted, as most are doing now, then you will have no need for the antenna. However, if they don't, then you could get a splitter and feed both cable and antenna into the rf. However, you would probably have to re-scan for channels every time you switch sources. Yes, 2 separate tuners with 2 rf connectors would be better.

[redgtconv]

just want to add my 2 cents on the discussion about the video processor of the 237v model.... my guess is that it uses MTK. i say that based on a few factors:

1. the specifications shown on [EDIT].

2. the product's page (http://www.olevia.com/jsp/products/specs.jsp?pid=237v) on Olevia's site states that.

3. the word "MTK" appears on the filename of the online PDF manual (http://www.olevia.com/jsp/products/pdf/UM-En_MTK_237_240_242_060824.pdf).

4. this page (http://www.olevia.com/jsp/support/downloads.jsp) at Olevia's site suggests that all TVs with 37, 40 and 42 inches use the MTK processor. all TVs smaller than 37 inches seem to use ATI.... well, at least for series 3 and above.

If you go to the products page and click on features it says that the 237v has an ATI video processor. One of these is obviously wrong. What I think may have happened is that the product pages of these 2 models are so similar, that when they posted the page they simply forgot to change the video processor. But, when it came to the features page the change was made. (Just a guess).
I ordered the 537H because I thought I was getting a better video processor. Now, a universal remote is ok, but it is probably not a great one, the in-home warranty is worth something, but the better video processor is the deal maker. If that is not the case then I might change my order. Can someone please get to the bottom of this and get the real info.

[mojo_lo]

any thoughts on the Olevias vs. the Samsung 32" LN-S3241D LCD HDTV ? size is not really an issue for me as i'd be perfectly happy with either a good 32" or a good 37". i just want a solid performing TV.

i think this Samsung is an old model.

is the vid processor (ATI Xileon or MDK) better on the Olevia?

[redgtconv]

I just canceled my order for the 537h from Target.com. and placed the order with tigerdirect.com. Much better deal even with the 10% off at Target. Lower price and no shipping or sales tax. If you live in one of the states in which they want to charge you sales tax, then go to their sister site globalcomputer.com and they won't charge the sales tax. That's what I had to do because I live in Florida and Tiger Direct has 2 stores here. Part of the savings is a rebate, however they have a new program that allows you to receive your rebate in 3 days.

[nordloewelabs]

i'm posting this msg here because it's related to Olevia, but if the Mods believe my msg would fit better in some other section of the forum, pls feel free to move it.

i plan to ocassionally play videos in my computer and watch them on my Olevia 37" 237v (once i receive it), but i dont know which connection would give me the best picture quality. between the "VGA" and "S-Video" connections, which one would output videos better?

but my guess is that VGA is better, but i'd like to know for sure before buying the 15-ft cable i need. what you guys think?

thnx in advance!

[hitssquad]

between the "VGA" and "S-Video" connections, which one would output videos better?Wouldn't the DVI connection be the best? I think "VGA" would be analog.

[Klinsek]

between the "VGA" and "S-Video" connections, which one would output videos better?

but my guess is that VGA is better, but i'd like to know for sure before buying the 15-ft cable i need. what you guys think?

thnx in advance!

You are correct sir. :)

[psykohog]

I also cancelled my Target order. Check out J&R for a price drop
on the 537H.

[Klinsek]

I also cancelled my Target order. Check out J&R for a price drop
on the 537H.

Ooh nice. Thanks, I was about to get the 237v from Newegg. It's totally worth the few extra bucks (after shipping) for the In-Home warranty on the 537h.

[redgtconv]

Go through GlobalComputer.com or TigerDirect.com and you don't even pay for shipping. I ordered it around 5 am and they said it will ship out today.
This tv keeps dropping like this and it will be free by Christmas!

[Klinsek]

Go through GlobalComputer.com or TigerDirect.com and you don't even pay for shipping. I ordered it around 5 am and they said it will ship out today.
This tv keeps dropping like this and it will be free by Christmas!

Where do you see free shipping on Global? (Cant use Tiger, as I am in FL)

Im getting $60+ for shipping on checkout. :(

[phipp01]

Where do you see free shipping on Global? (Cant use Tiger, as I am in FL)

Im getting $60+ for shipping on checkout. :(

Ditto

was gonna buy another one even with shipping its still 360 dollars less than what i paid for mine 2 months ago :mad:

[redgtconv]

I just wrote a long explanation of how I placed my order, but I deleted it because I just went back to their site and I see that they are now charging for shipping.
Either free shipping was just for yesterday, and I lucked out by ordering really early before they opened today and made the change, or there was never supposed to be free shipping and after I placed my order they realized their mistake and made the change. Either way I guess I lucked out, sorry guys!
Just keep checking every day, I'm sure it will change again or someone else will have at a lower price. Good luck!
I also used a mastercard that doubles the manufacturers warranty, so I have 2 years in-home warranty service.

[KMacBlue]

below

[KMacBlue]

I just purchased the Olevia 337H from Microcenter... GREAT BUY. This is a perfect size for my smaller living room. I have run into one problem that i am sure is fixable but i do not know what to do yet. The screen has a green tint/hue over it. Everything is greenish. For instance the HD in ESPNHD, in the lower right corer, is brown (not red). Anyone else experiencing this problem? Im sure its just a color/tint adjustment, but havent been able to get it just right yet. Ive already tried switching to Native, didnt do much.

[redgtconv]

I just purchased the Olevia 337H from Microcenter... GREAT BUY. This is a perfect size for my smaller living room. I have run into one problem that i am sure is fixable but i do not know what to do yet. The screen has a green tint/hue over it. Everything is greenish. For instance the HD in ESPNHD, in the lower right corer, is brown (not red). Anyone else experiencing this problem? Im sure its just a color/tint adjustment, but havent been able to get it just right yet. Ive already tried switching to Native, didnt do much.

How are you connected to the tv. If you are using component cables, then it may be bad cables or they are just not pushed in all the way. If it's cable to rf or hdmi, I can't help you.

[badself]

Well, before the moderator gets around to reviewing this thread again, here's my two cents:

My wiife and I drove 63 miles from Baltimore to Fairfax and waited in line five hours (and survived a near-stampede) to get a 542i at Microcenter for $750 out the door with the additional hundred off for using their credit card.

People were picking up one-each of the 32, 37, and 42 at the doorbuster prices.

At this point, I'll wait and see how the 747i pans out for other forum members before I take delivery of it.

Obviously, the two sets are apples and oranges, but my wife and I had a good time, and I'm grateful for what I got. The store had 340 units of 542i, and there were about 1,200 people in the line behind us at 6:00 am when the store opened, so I'm certain many folks were turned away.

The ten people who got a $200 laptop were there from 3:00 pm Thanksgiving day.

[KMacBlue]

How are you connected to the tv. If you are using component cables, then it may be bad cables or they are just not pushed in all the way. If it's cable to rf or hdmi, I can't help you.

I had the Red component video cable plugged into one of the red audio inputs, rookie mistake. It looks GREAT now.

My next question is... i have a comcast motorola cable box and i am wondering if i should set it to output 720p or 1080i with this TV?

[mojo_lo]

for those of you who purchased through tigerdirect, are you getting the 4 yr warranty direct from Olevia warranty for $219?

if you order from target, you can purchase a 3yr Target warranty for $79.

anyone have experience with the Target warranty?

[mojo_lo]

i am reposting this question as i am in dire need of opinions:

any thoughts on the Olevias vs. the Samsung 32" LN-S3241D LCD HDTV ? size is not really an issue for me as i'd be perfectly happy with either a good 32" or a good 37". i just want a solid performing TV.

i think this Samsung is an old model.

is the vid processor (ATI Xileon or MDK) better on the Olevia?

[rantanamo]

Just got back from Black Friday at Microcenter. I don't think I've ever seen that many TVs move in my life. 99% of these were 542i, 537H, 337H and 532H. Literally multiple boxes in every checkout line. I counted 15 people with at least 1 large Olevia box waiting for cars or trucks to drive by as I was walking in AND when I was walking out. Many buying 3 or 4(Ebay or multiple rooms?). Safe to say, Olevia had a really good day. And I've been to plenty of stores today. Nothing like that anywhere else.

[nordloewelabs]

Wouldn't the DVI connection be the best? I think "VGA" would be analog.

for the graphic card i currently have, DVI is not an option. :(

[Pete]

I too braved the early wake-up and long line at Micro Center to grab a 532i at three hundred and sixty-nine and a 542i at seven hundred and ninety-nine. I'm waiting to get a 747i for myself, but at these prices, I couldn't resist....figured I could give them as gifts or sell them off at a profit. It's interesting that news of this Black Friday promotion was not part of any newspaper add or insert. Can you imagine what the scene would have looked like had they run this in the papers? Circuit City's Black Friday promo on the 532i was one hundred and thirty more than at Micro Center. If I was the merch. manager at CC, I would have kicked some buyer's butt.

[nordloewelabs]

i just canceled my order from Newegg (237v) and ordered the 537h from J&R. i dont know if there are big differences between the 2 models (besides the speakers and the home service), but since the latter is 3 generations ahead, i think it's better not to take any chances....the price difference is minimum, after all.

[indolent]

Just got back from Black Friday at Microcenter. I don't think I've ever seen that many TVs move in my life. 99% of these were 542i, 537H, 337H and 532H. Literally multiple boxes in every checkout line. I counted 15 people with at least 1 large Olevia box waiting for cars or trucks to drive by as I was walking in AND when I was walking out. Many buying 3 or 4(Ebay or multiple rooms?). Safe to say, Olevia had a really good day. And I've been to plenty of stores today. Nothing like that anywhere else.

they made you carry it through the checkout line? At the Minneapolis store, they handed vouchers out at 6am, you went inside and paid, and then drove around back and picked up the tv. It was very organized. Quite impressive.


I picked up the 542I and it looks great.

[biker19]

I guess the question is - did Microcenter lose any money on of these TVs? My assumption would be no, meaning that's about the wholesale price of these things - meaning at regular or even discounted prices there's still lots of profit in them.

[chager00]

Not a problem. Enjoy

Thanks for the pics, now I have a good size reference in a normal room. I ordered mine from mwave a couple of days ago (just over $1100 shipped!) and can't wait for it to arrive. I looked all over for the vertical dimensions without the speakers attached. Looks like it should be about 27.8" if I'm right based on the WxH ratio I'm seeing in your pics. :)

[chager00]

Just got back from Black Friday at Microcenter. I don't think I've ever seen that many TVs move in my life. 99% of these were 542i, 537H, 337H and 532H. Literally multiple boxes in every checkout line. I counted 15 people with at least 1 large Olevia box waiting for cars or trucks to drive by as I was walking in AND when I was walking out. Many buying 3 or 4(Ebay or multiple rooms?). Safe to say, Olevia had a really good day. And I've been to plenty of stores today. Nothing like that anywhere else.

Man a 542i for $799?! I wish there was a Microcenter near me. I just paid $1166 to have one delivered from MWave and according to Pricegrabber that was pretty good. Then again, I don't venture out on Black Friday. :-P

[dengland]

I just canceled my order for the 537h from Target.com. and placed the order with tigerdirect.com. Much better deal even with the 10% off at Target. Lower price and no shipping or sales tax. If you live in one of the states in which they want to charge you sales tax, then go to their sister site globalcomputer.com and they won't charge the sales tax. That's what I had to do because I live in Florida and Tiger Direct has 2 stores here. Part of the savings is a rebate, however they have a new program that allows you to receive your rebate in 3 days.
Thanks for the reminder about globalcomputer.com. Shipping charges to Florida double though. :(

[Porsche576]

Anyone get the 532H from microcenter today? How is everyone liking it? Thanks

[BFord]

542i is anyone else seeig uneven black in areas of the screen when it's dark? Looks like there is light (maybe it's called pixel bleed?) in some spots. As if it's eminating from the edges of the screen? Is this about normal for this set? Thanks guys.

[BFord]

The light spots are REALLY noticiable when watching a movie in 2.35:1 widescreen. It's bad enough that the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen in spaces seem to nearly blend into the movie. This is most prominent in the top right and bottom left of the screen. Should I take it back to microcenter and get another one?

[Pete]

I guess the question is - did Microcenter lose any money on of these TVs? My assumption would be no, meaning that's about the wholesale price of these things - meaning at regular or even discounted prices there's still lots of profit in them.

There's no question they lost money...about $130 on each 32"... more on the 42". Circuit City was selling the 32" at their net cost and only had about 24 units per store. Micro Center had hundreds of each model at each store and was selling them for $130 less than CC. They may cut their losses somewhat if not everyone files for the rebates. But I suspect it was a cooly calculated move on the part of Micro Center management to get bodies...particularly the tech heads...into the store, and to make loyal customers of them.

[GOLDEN SIX]

i order the 537h at tigerdirect for 749.99 plus $50 rebate can`t beat that i had ordered from mwave and canceled after i saw $699. at tiger

[KMacBlue]

Those that have comcast cable, i purchased the 337H and i am wondering if i should set the cable box to output 1080i or 720p with this set? Same goes for the 332H or 542i.

[rantanamo]

I actually went to Microcenter to pick up some HDDs and DVD Burners(mucho cheapo at the Microcenter). Am already a 537H owner. I don't know what system they used. I'm guessing 32" and lower would be carry yourself on some rolling carts. Bigger sets seemed to be outside. Can't confirm that, but it was still amazing to see all of these sets of one brand out there. DFW has a ton of Olevia owners now. Perhaps a few will show up here.

As for the uneven blacks, I get at with some settings(especially set to bright room). After doing some setup in MCE, the blacks became much better. I think the section where you're matching the guys black shirt, tie and coat.

I have comcast as well. I'd go 720p. Closer to native and sharper picture in general. 1080i gives slight squigglies and slightly jagged lines. Hate that a cable box has to do that, while OTA will just show whatever the source is.

[Smashingblue]

The light spots are REALLY noticiable when watching a movie in 2.35:1 widescreen. It's bad enough that the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen in spaces seem to nearly blend into the movie. This is most prominent in the top right and bottom left of the screen. Should I take it back to microcenter and get another one?

I have light spots on my screen too and I'm not sure if that's a normal thing for LCD HDTV's. If they are not, is there any way to lessen them?

[rantanamo]

I have light spots on my screen too and I'm not sure if that's a normal thing for LCD HDTV's. If they are not, is there any way to lessen them?

Its normal, but can be minimized with darker settings. I'd look for somekind of setup disk or program to help normalize blacks and contrast.

[BFord]

Its normal, but can be minimized with darker settings. I'd look for somekind of setup disk or program to help normalize blacks and contrast.

Mine is pretty bad. It definitely didn't look that way in the store. It is especially annoying when watching movies with black bars top and bottom. Sometimes it's hard to even see where the black bars end and the movies beings because they sort or wash into one. I'm thinking about exchanging it for the same model. I hope microcenter doesn't try to charge a restocking fee for an exchange.

Adjusting the lights and darks just seem to result in both the dark and light portions getting equally darker, resulting in the same effect.

[redgtconv]

If you are talking about light bleeding from the corners or sides onto a black screen, that is very typical of most lcd screens. It usually isn't severe enough to affect the picture, and believe it or not, it actually gets better over time. After a couple of months you will see it much less. Even Sony has this, if you read the Sony forums, you will see that mentioned.

[DAC21]

Mine is pretty bad. It definitely didn't look that way in the store. It is especially annoying when watching movies with black bars top and bottom. Sometimes it's hard to even see where the black bars end and the movies beings because they sort or wash into one. I'm thinking about exchanging it for the same model. I hope microcenter doesn't try to charge a restocking fee for an exchange.

Adjusting the lights and darks just seem to result in both the dark and light portions getting equally darker, resulting in the same effect.

Sorry if you mentioned it before, but did you switch from "Showroom" to "Home" mode? I heard that on the 542i model and possibly others that out of the box by default this set is in "Showroom" Supposedly it makes a big difference in the black level. My 542i is still in the box from my VERY early MC purchase, still recovering from sleep deprivation

[PaulNEPats]

Hmm... 537H or 237V? Which would you choose at the same price? I hear everyone talking about the 537H, when the 237V seems to have the same specs, and (imo) a nicer design.

[blastmotor]

Hmm... 537H or 237V? Which would you choose at the same price? I hear everyone talking about the 537H, when the 237V seems to have the same specs, and (imo) a nicer design.

I had the same dilemma. I chose the 537 due to the warranty. 1 Year in home is nice to have...

[Samgotit]

Hmm... 537H or 237V? Which would you choose at the same price? I hear everyone talking about the 537H, when the 237V seems to have the same specs, and (imo) a nicer design.

I just bought the 237V for the looks. I took a little gamble, because with the 237V's warranty you ship it back at your own expense. The 537H is "on site".

The 237V remote is not universal.

Olevia says there's less menu "settings". I wonder if that can be cured with firmware?

I also would rather deal with Newegg. ;)

[BFord]

Sorry if you mentioned it before, but did you switch from "Showroom" to "Home" mode? I heard that on the 542i model and possibly others that out of the box by default this set is in "Showroom" Supposedly it makes a big difference in the black level. My 542i is still in the box from my VERY early MC purchase, still recovering from sleep deprivation

So far I have it set to Home, 6500 color and medium light. It's still there. If it goes
away overtime great, if not I'd be screwed for waiting aroud. Tom at Audioholics
suggested I use either Avia or Digital Video Essentials. Does anyone know where I can pick up a copy of either of these instore?

It looks like clouds eminating from the bottom left and top right of the screen. Thanks for your input gentlemen. I'm going to do what I can as far as calibration to eliminate it. If not, it's going back. Note: Tom who reviewed this set didn't experience any of this at all so I'm thinking it might be going back by sunday.

[supernoman]

Anyone have some color settings for 542i?

I know each setting will be different, but I'm just looking for a quick set up to get GF approval.

Thanks.

[hc2]

So far I have it set to Home, 6500 color and medium light. It's still there. If it goes
away overtime great, if not I'd be screwed for waiting aroud. Tom at Audioholics
suggested I use either Avia or Digital Video Essentials. Does anyone know where I can pick up a copy of either of these instore?

It looks like clouds eminating from the bottom left and top right of the screen. Thanks for your input gentlemen. I'm going to do what I can as far as calibration to eliminate it. If not, it's going back. Note: Tom who reviewed this set didn't experience any of this at all so I'm thinking it might be going back by sunday.
Circuit City used to have Video Essentials in stock.
Looks like on the web only now.

[Zappcatt]

It's interesting that news of this Black Friday promotion was not part of any newspaper add or insert.


Really? Out here they were advertised out the wazoo.

Last Sunday, there was a teaser ad in the Mercury News which stated the prices. The store had the 3 sale TV's on disply out by themselves and were talking up the sale, and the ad ran in the Merc yesterday.

Fatwallet.com has a 46 page thread about these TV's which was a child thread off the overall MicroCenter Black Friday ad.

[Zappcatt]

There's no question they lost money...about $130 on each 32"... more on the 42". Circuit City was selling the 32" at their net cost and only had about 24 units per store. Micro Center had hundreds of each model at each store and was selling them for $130 less than CC. They may cut their losses somewhat if not everyone files for the rebates. But I suspect it was a cooly calculated move on the part of Micro Center management to get bodies...particularly the tech heads...into the store, and to make loyal customers of them.

I am afraid that they did not make any new customers at their Santa Clara store today, and probably lost some "regulars".

Instead of handing out the vouchers along the line(at least 600+ people) they just had 3 employees walk out directly in front of the store to the edge of the sidewalk and start giving the vouchers out to anyone who asked...they got MOBBED, and at the end, they were just holding the vouchers up and letting people grab them out of their hands.

It was an absolute zoo...

[DAC21]

"Does anyone know where I can pick up a copy of either of these instore?"


I know you don't have the time to wait to rent this, but as mentined in other threads, this can be rented from Netflix and Hollywood . I had to wait for 2-3 weeks for AVE, and I'm at 4 weeks and waiting for Avia....

[Zappcatt]

Avia or Digital Video Essentials. Does anyone know where I can pick up a copy of either of these instore?.

I bought the original Digital Video Essentials at Frys.
Maybe check out the AVS, Monster, ISF disk?
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/announcement.php?f=138&announcementid=98

[Zappcatt]

Anyone have some color settings for 542i?

I know each setting will be different, but I'm just looking for a quick set up to get GF approval.

Thanks.
Since they dont use numbers, it is tough to relate the settings.

Going to try to find a contact and BEG that they show us the values when we make changes. Every other TV that I have heard of does..this is nutty!!!!

Another option I would like is to be able to "disable" inputs...I do not, and hope to never have anything connected to composite, S-video or VGA, I would love to be able to "lock out" those inputs so I can cycle between the ones I actually use much quicker.

Any other requests? Does anyone have a good contact to try to get these implemented?

Overall I am pretty happy with the set..but since I can't do drastic changes at once, I am not sure how good it can get.

[supernoman]

Didn't know the setting don't use numbers until I played with it a little. Very odd indeed.
I too would like the ability to skip inputs since this unit does not appear to have shortcut options to inputs.

Since they dont use numbers, it is tough to relate the settings.

Going to try to find a contact and BEG that they show us the values when we make changes. Every other TV that I have heard of does..this is nutty!!!!

Another option I would like is to be able to "disable" inputs...I do not, and hope to never have anything connected to composite, S-video or VGA, I would love to be able to "lock out" those inputs so I can cycle between the ones I actually use much quicker.

Any other requests? Does anyone have a good contact to try to get these implemented?

Overall I am pretty happy with the set..but since I can't do drastic changes at once, I am not sure how good it can get.

[BFord]

"Does anyone know where I can pick up a copy of either of these instore?"


I know you don't have the time to wait to rent this, but as mentined in other threads, this can be rented from Netflix and Hollywood . I had to wait for 2-3 weeks for AVE, and I'm at 4 weeks and waiting for Avia....

Thanks Zappcat, HC2 and DAC21. I'll check out my local CC just incase, otherwise
I'll get on the wait list for netflicks. I went back to MC to talk to the sales people about the etreme pixel bleed/clouding issue I have with the 542i I just purchased. Sales was generally clueless and sent me to the tech support dept. Thech guy was smart and knew his stuff, he said it was probably a bad panel or something wrong with the power regulation of the backlight and there was nothing I could do. It was the only one they had heard of all day so far. No hassel, no trying to convince me that it's normal, he told me to just bring it in and swap it. Easy as that. :)

I got me my local Microcenter aroung 1:30am. I dozed off in a lawn chair while bundled in my parka until around 4:00am, that's when crazyness happened. The whole line that wrapped around the store just took off running towards the door. Full out sprint with people jockeying for position, even a rumor of a woman getting knocked down and run over. We ended up in a "line" that was 10 people wide. I'm surprised no one was injured with hundreds of people running at full speed carrying blankets and folding chairs. They totaly screwed up on the vouchers, they didn't hand them out before the store opened as advertised. We had to choose between one of the 3 tv offers when we got inside, they wouldn't let us buy more than one (of any size). Wasn't a total disaster as they claim to have had more than 500 541i's!

[BFord]

I have light spots on my screen too and I'm not sure if that's a normal thing for LCD HDTV's. If they are not, is there any way to lessen them?

Microcenter told me it was likely a defect and to bring it in to swap for another. You may want to go that route as well.

[jp2005]

i heard debate about this a few posts back, regarding if the 237 had the ati or mtk chipset. someone on another forum contacted sytax-brillian about the chipset in the 237 and the 537 and he confirmed they both have the MTK MDDI chipset. the rep promised the other forum member this would be changed on their website, and this is amazing i took a look at the specs a minute ago, and the change has taken place the correct video processor is shown, go take a look!

Also, the people who think olevia is a no name company, or that their tv's ARENT worth a crap do they recall, that they have a supply agreement with lg.phillipns, here is an exerpt from syntax-brillian's site from march.

"Under the terms of the agreement, LG.Philips LCD will significantly expand its supply of large and wide LCD TV panels to Syntax-Brillian. This agreement is a win-win proposition for the two companies, as LG.Philips LCD will acquire a steady demand base in the fast-growing LCD TV panel market, while Syntax-Brillian will secure a stable supply of high-quality LCD TV panels. This deal is expected to help LG.Philips LCD and Syntax-Brillian solidify their leadership roles in the LCD TV panel and overall TV set markets, respectively.

The agreement includes the full line of LG.Philips panels: 20-inch, 23-inch, 32-inch, 37-inch, 42-inch and 47-inch, with the majority of panels in the high-demand 37-inch and 42-inch form factor."

i think people often forget they are getting lg.phillips tv's with any purchase of olevia's products, generally at half the cost

[GenoG]

I am interested in the 537H, but can't seem to find it in store. Anyone have a suggestion where I could look at this display?

[BFord]

I am interested in the 537H, but can't seem to find it in store. Anyone have a suggestion where I could look at this display?

I know my local microcenter has them on display. Not sure if there are any Microcenters where you live, not that many stores nationwide.

[mulox]

I got to my store around 3:30am and was not happy to be 130th in line, with only 80 of each TV in stock I didn't think I had a chance. The guy at spot #1 got there 7pm the nigh before, and 80th in line got there around 2am. Around 5am there was a similar stampede for the front door, but it wasn't as bad as another poster mentioned... this was more "line consolidation" as some folks got impatient and just left, while others packed up their tents, grills, chairs, etc. creating gaps. At about 5:50 some people that had just pulled into the parking lot had the balls to just walk up to the front door and stand there, cutting in front of about 600 angry/cold BF campers. After a lot of angry yelling, I was happy to see MC mgmt push them to the back of the line and keep things in order by handing out vouchers in a orderly fashion. I came to get one of each TV (for personal use, not resale) and was disappointed the last 32" was given to the 110th person, but I did get a 37" and the 542i, so I can't complain. I was going to use the 32" as my PC monitor, but now that I think about it I am probably better off going with the Dell 3007 anyway (once the prices drop to a reasonable level).

Unfortunately the way they handled the delivery of TVs after we paid was horrible. They were so unorganized with their inventory that some people waited over 3 hours just to get their TV pulled from the back... it was crazy. I ran over to Best Buy to get some things, came back and they still had not brought mine down. Hope they learned their lesson for next year. Overall it was not as bad of an experience as it could have been, compared to others around the country anyway. And the funny thing is that around 1pm they still had a few 542i's left!

Now that I have caught up on some of my sleep... the fun begins with playing with the sets... :)

[04rob]

Microcenter told me it was likely a defect and to bring it in to swap for another. You may want to go that route as well.

Keep us up to date with your new unit. My 542i has a slightly uneven backlight (kind of spotty in places). Its really only noticable on dark scenes and on the black bars a little. I'm wondering if swapping units solves your problem.

[GenoG]

I know my local microcenter has them on display. Not sure if there are any Microcenters where you live, not that many stores nationwide.
ok, i'll check out microcenter tomorrow. I went to their website and the only olevia i find is a 42" monitor.

[BFord]

Keep us up to date with your new unit. My 542i has a slightly uneven backlight (kind of spotty in places). Its really only noticable on dark scenes and on the black bars a little. I'm wondering if swapping units solves your problem.

Will do. I'll be swapping it tomorrow and will let you know once I've got it home and have had chance to look at it. The one on display in the store is pretty much dead even all over as far as backlight goes. Mine isn't even close.

[mulox]

I just added Avia and Digital Video Essentials to the top of by Blockbuster queue and will also see if my local store(s) have them. Also have set the mode to home, not demo/show and playing around with the settings. Pic is ok for animated cartoons, but any other channel looks soft and increasing sharpness does not help. Granted I am working with cable straight from the wall (using ReplayTV and then component cables to the TV), so I know I don't have the best signal.

In the meantime, I have a few questions...

1. Unrelatd, but what is the purpose of having the RS-232 feature... what practical use does that have?

2. I registered my TV on Olevia's site, and clicked on FutureProof my TV to download the latest firmware, but keep getting a "your serial # is invalid" message... does it take a few hours for my registration to go through first maybe??

3. As mentioned, I am currently using straight cable from the wall to Replay TV, then component cable to the TV, but will eventually get a regular (non-HD) cable box from Comcast. Since I have 10 TVs in the house, I have had to very carefully manage all of my splitters. All of the "important" TVs are on the first splitter line, and all of the "others" like kids, kitchen, etc. are on the 2nd/3rd splitter the end of the line where I really don't care about signal degredation. I just ordered the Motorola DBA-100S1 Broadband Drop Amplifier Signal Booster, as was told this would help better the picture throughout the house, with or without the cable box. Is this the case?

Any other tips on what I can do to increase PQ would be greatly appreciated, such as whether it's worth using S-video cables from Replay to the TV. TIA

[jpb1978]

I had a similar problem getting the firware update. I think considering thousands of us just picked up Olevia TVs it may be the biggest demand their servers have ever seen. They were not prepared for this or there was no quick/economic fix to the problem. It took about 1.5 hours but i am currently downloading the 5.12mb firmware download. There are about 50 problems it fixes. I don't want to list them all here but I have experienced about 5 of them already.

Having said that I am very happy with my 542H especially at the end price of $799 + tax (well once I get my $200 rebate). I probably would have prefered the 537H or 532H because I alreday have a great Samsung DLP 50" for the living room. This is going in the bedroom - but I did not feel like waiting in line at 2am like others at MicroCenter. I came back at 9am and there was no line. I walked back to the TV aread and someone just got the last 537H voucher.

I have not had a problem with picture. I have DTV but through my apatment and AT&T so I can not get HD. I plugged my XBOX360 and played a few rounds of Gears of War and it looked very good. Except for a few items ... and wouldn't you know it they are listed in the firmware update.

The firmware update feature is why I decided on this lower end product. I normally stick with Samsung or Sony but I was pissed when Samsung came out with 5 versions of my DLP TV and if they had a firware port a few problems I have would go away. No problem... my BestBuy warrenty has 3 more years and I already have two repairs done.. (light balast was bad 2 weeks in and then 8 months in the main board shorted out - they were fixed at my house and within days of my call). One more repair and I get the latest Samsung 50" DLP.

[Infotiger]

I think I need some input on my new 232v from CC. :confused:
In the store the TV shows in heavy greenish, and my set does the same when the source is 1080i from Dishnetwork 6000 in HD mode. I adjust color and tint and it still looks green on the screen. But it shows the right color when source is 480i from 6000 in SD mode. Any one knows what need to set to correct the color?


Thanks in advance.

[Smashingblue]

Microcenter told me it was likely a defect and to bring it in to swap for another. You may want to go that route as well.

Does your panel look like the picture I've attached? For those familiar with LCD HDTV's, is this odd lighting when the screen is completely black normal? I've fooled around with various settings, but have not been able to reduce it at all.

Note: The picture turned out a bluish color, but it's actually all black, but just wanted to show what the light blotches look like.

[Fluxcapacitor]

I'm having the same problem using my Xbox 360 through component. There is a green tint covering the entire screen and gets much worse if I turn up the color. I tried adjusting all the settings for a good 30min and couldn't get it to look right.

I just registered the TV at Olevea's website and it said there isn't a firmware upgrade for my model (232v) so I'm going to take it back to CC tomorrow and hopefully try to get a new one.

[misterfridge2005]

I set up the 542i and made sure I'm in "Home Mode" (not showroom). I only have standard cable (comcast), with the cable from wall outlet directly hooked into the RF input of the LCDTV. I can see the 542i scanning for cable TV channels (about 159 channels); strangle enough, the scan is followed by a "No signal" message. If I switch to "Air", I get something like 22 channels and the tuner can tune to these. However, if I switch to "cable" (standard or auto), I receive the "No Signal" message inspite of the fact that during scanning, both digital and analog register a total of 159 channels.

Anyone else ecnountered this problem ? Or if anyone has some suggestions, they will be really helpful. THanks in advance.

misterfridge2005

[hc2]

Thanks Zappcat, HC2 and DAC21. I'll check out my local CC just incase, otherwise
I'll get on the wait list for netflicks. I went back to MC to talk to the sales people about the etreme pixel bleed/clouding issue I have with the 542i I just purchased. Sales was generally clueless and sent me to the tech support dept. Thech guy was smart and knew his stuff, he said it was probably a bad panel or something wrong with the power regulation of the backlight and there was nothing I could do. It was the only one they had heard of all day so far. No hassel, no trying to convince me that it's normal, he told me to just bring it in and swap it. Easy as that. :)

I got me my local Microcenter aroung 1:30am. I dozed off in a lawn chair while bundled in my parka until around 4:00am, that's when crazyness happened. The whole line that wrapped around the store just took off running towards the door. Full out sprint with people jockeying for position, even a rumor of a woman getting knocked down and run over. We ended up in a "line" that was 10 people wide. I'm surprised no one was injured with hundreds of people running at full speed carrying blankets and folding chairs. They totaly screwed up on the vouchers, they didn't hand them out before the store opened as advertised. We had to choose between one of the 3 tv offers when we got inside, they wouldn't let us buy more than one (of any size). Wasn't a total disaster as they claim to have had more than 500 541i's!
I just remembered something, some of the Lucas Arts dvd's have calibration chapters and I think some of the bigger movies have calibration chapters-try some of the Pixar,maybe some of the newer movies like King Kong, Lord of the Rings...?

[KMacBlue]

I'm having the same problem using my Xbox 360 through component. There is a green tint covering the entire screen and gets much worse if I turn up the color. I tried adjusting all the settings for a good 30min and couldn't get it to look right.

I just registered the TV at Olevea's website and it said there isn't a firmware upgrade for my model (232v) so I'm going to take it back to CC tomorrow and hopefully try to get a new one.

It's not the TV, its more than likely the way you hooked up the Component cables. I have the 337H and it is a little confusing on the back, read the manual carefully and make sure you have the Red component cable plugged into the Red component input and not a red AUDIO input. I did this when i first set the tv up as there were 2 red inputs right next to each other. I fixed it, and the picture is beautiful for $500.

[phipp01]

"Does anyone know where I can pick up a copy of either of these instore?"


I know you don't have the time to wait to rent this, but as mentined in other threads, this can be rented from Netflix and Hollywood . I had to wait for 2-3 weeks for AVE, and I'm at 4 weeks and waiting for Avia....

These sets come calibrated to both Avia and DVE standards....waste of money IMO.....

[netstroller]

These sets come calibrated to both Avia and DVE standards....waste of money IMO.....
Where did you hear that? If that's true, it would explain why the reviewer on Audiohalics said he only got slight improvements after spending hours in calibration. I can't post the URL here because I have less than five posts, but google should find it.

Quote:
"Calibrating the Television
We used the Sencore Color Pro 5000 (CP5000) to calibrate the display. As I stated, I used the 6500_User menu to adjust the color of the unit. With the 6500 auto setting, the unit came nearly dead on with a slight blue bias. I spent hours calibrating the set and I only really managed to get it a bit closer to the target with a bit of a red emphasis. The blacks were the hardest to get right for me but that was probably more a function of reviewing back to back plasmas before this LCD. With a bit of tweaking (and really, it didn’t take all that much) this unit looked fantastic. Even out of the box, just adjusting the Power Up to Home, Lighting setting to Medium, and the Color Temp to 6500 will ensure you’ll be looking at a very well calibrated image with nearly no work on your part."

I wanted a 542i at the Cambridge MC but I was told by sales reps they got no more after the morning rush, despite rumor of an afternoon shipment. I'll have to settle for one coming in from mwave at $1162 shipped.

[phipp01]

Had this discussion with someone b4 search the posts. Was going to link Olevias website with the info but their site has been down for a few hours now

[phipp01]

Ok I was bored and did the search for you....go to post #104......Brochaos works for Olevia in sales IIRC. :)

[pghrob]

Hmm... 537H or 237V? Which would you choose at the same price? I hear everyone talking about the 537H, when the 237V seems to have the same specs, and (imo) a nicer design.


I ended up first going with the 237V at newegg as it was the cheaper of the two. I could not appreciate a 33% increase in the features of the 537H over the 237V for the 33% increase in its cost ($699 v. $999).

Then I found the 537H at tigerdirect for $749 and a $50 rebate and so I ended up going with the 537H.

I admit that I like the side speaker styling of the 237V over the 537H, but I could not pass on more features and saving $10.00 after the rebate. Both TV's will be great either way.

[adixyz]

I used the Tuner to get the HD/ local channels of the air . Mine also said 'No signal' BUT when i actually changed the channel nos thru the remote I could see the channel. Make sure your Remote has the TV selection.

[pghrob]

i just canceled my order from Newegg (237v) and ordered the 537h from J&R. i dont know if there are big differences between the 2 models (besides the speakers and the home service), but since the latter is 3 generations ahead, i think it's better not to take any chances....the price difference is minimum, after all.


I did the same thing with the 237V and 537H from Newegg and Tigerdirect for the same reasons.

[Doeymeister]

Thanks to everyone who has posted updates on the price drops for the 537H. I ordered one from Target on Thanksgiving, so I was able to spend BF picking up other items and not having to worry about an HDTV. Then, when I had some free time Friday, I checked back on this site and discovered that TigerDirect and others had undercut Target's price. So, instead of waiting a month for delivery from Target, I cancelled that order and bought one from Tiger for $100 less. The best part is that they've already shipped the unit!

[Squidgy]

I picked up a 337H from the Cambridge MA Microcenter on Friday. From what I've read here the Cambridge store took a fairly organized approach... I got there at about 4:30 AM, got in line with about 250 people in front of me, at about 5 AM they started handing out the vouchers and then at 6 started letting customers in 50 at a time. They had quickly run out of vouchers for the 532H but still had plenty of the 37" and 42" vouchers by the time they got to where I was in line. I did the credit card thing which required me to wait until about 8:30 to actually purchase the TV, and then waited in my car in line for about 2 hours to pick it up and got back home about 11 AM. The set is great! I was looking at it next to the 537H in the store and thought the 537 had a slightly better picture, but at home I think the picture is about as good as can be. I curently have my comcast box upconverting everything to 1080i. Tried 720p and could not tell the difference. When I had the 480i bypass set to either 480i or 480p (to allow the TV to do the upconverting for SD signals), the picture was slightly stretched horizontally, so I turned the 480i bypass off and have the cable box doing all the upconverting.

What would be useful would be the 4-digit remote code so I could control the TV's power and volume with my comcast universal remote. I tried every code listed under Goldstar, Phillips, RCA and Yamaha but none of them worked. I did manage to get my Harmony 659 to work the TV by telling the remote that it is a 332H, but not all the functions are implemented. I have not tried the JP1 hack with the comcast remote - at brief glance noone has done a device profile for any of the newer Olevia TVs. Any help with the remote issues would be appreciated. Thanks, Ken A.

[MilChad]

I think I read somewhere where the LG remote code works for the Olevia as well.

[redgtconv]

I set up the 542i and made sure I'm in "Home Mode" (not showroom). I only have standard cable (comcast), with the cable from wall outlet directly hooked into the RF input of the LCDTV. I can see the 542i scanning for cable TV channels (about 159 channels); strangle enough, the scan is followed by a "No signal" message. If I switch to "Air", I get something like 22 channels and the tuner can tune to these. However, if I switch to "cable" (standard or auto), I receive the "No Signal" message inspite of the fact that during scanning, both digital and analog register a total of 159 channels.

Anyone else ecnountered this problem ? Or if anyone has some suggestions, they will be really helpful. THanks in advance.

misterfridge2005

That is not a problem with the tv, it is a problem with the signal strength of that particular channel from your cable company. When you scan digital channels your tv will initially pick-up all of them, including many you are not supposed to get. Some of those channels are strong enough to initially be picked-up, but the signal strengh wavers and your tv can no longer find the channel it just memorized, so it says no signal or updating channel database. Try to get off that particular channel by scanning up or down. If that doesn't work, then directly enter a specific channel number into the remote and it should change stations and pick up that channel.

[portnoyd]

So I picked up the Olevia 232V from CC yesterday. I was wondering if anyone has experienced any gaming lag with it? I didn't know this concept existed before today, and now I'm worried when I set my TV up later that my N64/DC and earlier will be unplayable. :(

Edit: Now also paranoid about ghosting. *sob* Anyone get any of that?

[biker19]

There's no question they lost money...about $130 on each 32"... more on the 42". Circuit City was selling the 32" at their net cost and only had about 24 units per store. Micro Center had hundreds of each model at each store and was selling them for $130 less than CC. They may cut their losses somewhat if not everyone files for the rebates. But I suspect it was a cooly calculated move on the part of Micro Center management to get bodies...particularly the tech heads...into the store, and to make loyal customers of them.
Somehow I can't see MC "investing" $130+/customer - that's a lot of money for such a small chain. They could have gotten a better deal from Olevia than CC did. It will be interesting to see if they deliver on the rebates.

[abjcrawford]

Hi there

I got my Olevia 542i from the Microcenter. The rep insisted that i take the $150 (silver protection from MC) to cover anything wrong for 3 years. is it worh to take it? they even offer a Gold protection for $350 which would also cover the damage to monitor(physical).Any thoughts on this?

Thanks

Joe :)

[weberman]

Waited too long to pull the trigger on the 537H. J&R is out of stock until ??? Target.com won't have stock until after Christmas. TigerDirect has raised the price back to a much higher price. Don't remember the other TigerDirect related company,but they have probably raised the price also.

Anyone seeing a good deal, a heads up would be appreciated.

I made up my mind after reading a good PCMag review. They rated the VIZIO slightly higher but the price on the VIZIO is much higher at Costco and Sams.

I have ordered from both J&R and Target. Keep my fingers crossed that I will get lucky from one of them and then I can cancel the other one.

:)

[NickCzar]

I picked the 542i from the Fairfax, VA Microcenter. That was truly a ridiculous line but they were somewhat organized (at 4 am when I got there the line mobbed the door for some reason and then 5 cop cars showed up--cops were telling people to go the the end of the line. Overall the crowd was okay, talked HDTV with everyone for the from 4 am to the 7:45 when I actually made it into the store). They had a huge stock (around 400 maybe) of the 542i's as the line in front of me was easily 600 to 800 people.

Anyway, picture is great, but I'm having a problem saving the screen position change setting after I turn the set off. I have some noise on some digital channels at the top of the screen and have moved the picture up vertically to get rid of it but when the set is turned off, the setting for the vertical adjustment goes back to the default. I've verified I'm in "Home" mode and in "Full Screen". I was in 1:1 on the screen mode but changed it to Full Screen as the manual states that is what the vertical/horizontal settings should adjust.

Changes to settings such as Brightness do save but the vertical adjustment does not when the set is powered off then on again. I'm using the component 1 input with a Comcast digital HDTV box.

The SyntaxGroups site is down now and the Olevia site is crashing when I try to register the set so I haven't been able to see if I have the latest firmware or if a firmware update will fix this.

My firmware is 542-B11-060608B

Any help is appreciated.

I got the 30 inch Olevia 2 years ago on Black Friday for 999 AR from Microcenter in LA and I can't believe I got the 42 inch for even cheaper at 799 AR yesterday from the one in Fairfax, VA (like I said, the line was freaking ridiculous).

[supernoman]

Anyone know how to tone down that blue light on the unit.
It's like a spot light in a dark room.

Thanks.

[tonychris]

The SyntaxGroups site is down now and the Olevia site is crashing when I try to register the set so I haven't been able to see if I have the latest firmware or if a firmware update will fix this.

My firmware is 542-B11-060608B

Any help is appreciated.

I got the 30 inch Olevia 2 years ago on Black Friday for 999 AR from Microcenter in LA and I can't believe I got the 42 inch for even cheaper at 799 AR yesterday from the one in Fairfax, VA (like I said, the line was freaking ridiculous).

You have the original firmware. I'm downloading the latest now, yes the site is flaky, they have a bad "path" through the site (I do ecommerce for a living). Here's how you get in:

1. Don't go through "Register Product" on the left hand side.
2. Click on "FutureProof your TV"
3. Enter your serial #. It will fail and say not registered. Click on the link it displays to register your TV.
4. Enter all your info including your serial # on the page that comes up.
5. Once you submit the page you'll get a firmware download page. It'll ask for your email and password. It will fail. Click on the link it displays to "Create Account".
6. Enter your email and a password on the create account page. Once you submit you'll be on the firmware page.
7. Be forewarned, the download will be slow, it'll take 20 to 30 minutes.

The site is VERY badly designed, I do this for a living and it's obvious they didn't QA all the site code.

Hope this helps,

TC

[tonychris]

Anyone know how to tone down that blue light on the unit.
It's like a spot light in a dark room.

Thanks.

Most folks put a piece of black electrical tape over it. Really.

[Polypro]

Another new 542i owner here. Thanks to the information in this thread, and the MC deal, I picked one up yesterday. The MC in Troy, MI was on the ball...I was about 300th in line at 4AM. At about 5AM they had two managers start at the front of the line and ask each person what they were there for, then handed out a voucher. You could only get one item per person. The number at the top of my 542i voucher was 0039, so they had plenty of 42's. They let people in, about 25 at a time, at 5AM. After you paid, you drove to the pickup line that went by the loading dock. There were two lines, side by side, so they loaded two vehicles at a time...that took about 20 minutes. Overall, they did an awesome job.

I replaced a Sceptre 1080p set, 37", with the 542i. I run an HTPC, so all scaling is by a 6600GT & PureVideo decoders. The bigger size is nice, but 1360x768 will take some time to get used to. HD looks as good to me, but SD looks a little worse (bigger screen size, bigger pixel size). I've calibrated it with the "GetGray" calibration disk (from AVS, do a search) @6500_User, "Dark Room" for the backlight. The desktop is at 0-255, and Video via SageTV, VMR9 is at 16-235. Calibrating color on the desktop with a color bars bitmap translates well over to video...only a couple taps on the decoder were needed to tweak it. The set doesn't crush R,G,B, the ramps looked good. I do see the "cloudy" backlighting on a solid black or grey background, but I can't detect it when viewing content at all. I'm happy with the set.

Olevia's servers are crushed...can someone point me to the procedure for updating the firmware? I read one where it stated not to use the display as primary, as you couldn't finish the procedure once the set turns off...but there weren't step by step instructions.

Thanks,

P

[tonychris]

Olevia's servers are crushed...can someone point me to the procedure for updating the firmware? I read one where it stated not to use the display as primary, as you couldn't finish the procedure once the set turns off...but there weren't step by step instructions.

Thanks,

P

Here ya go: 542i Firmware update instructions (http://www.olevia.com/jsp/firmware/files/MTK_FirmwareDownloadInstructions.doc)

Right click on the link and choose "Save As" to save it as file to your PC (rather than opening it right away). It will take a while to download.

Hope this helps,
TC

[phipp01]

Olevia's servers are crushed...can someone point me to the procedure for updating the firmware? I read one where it stated not to use the display as primary, as you couldn't finish the procedure once the set turns off...but there weren't step by step instructions.

Thanks,

P

Polypro dont use the tv as your PC monitor to do the firmware update. D/L the update install the USB driver then you turn the TV on then it will tell you to choose the right comport. I had 1 choice com3. press step 1 the you disconnect the power cord for 10 seconds reconnect it power tv on then go to step 2 disconnect the powercord again for 10 seconds then your finished. Not a complete step by step but close. I just updated my 537h after owning it for 2 months and it was pretty easy. took half hour to D/L the update at a whopping 4k speed then 40 minutes to D/L the instructions.

[Klinsek]

Anyone know how to tone down that blue light on the unit.
It's like a spot light in a dark room.

Thanks.

Heh, my media room/office used to look like the bridge of an Imperial Star Destroyer, so I feel your pain.

I used black nail polish to carefully put a small dab over annoying led's. It lets some of the light still shine through, but dims them appropriately. You can always use some acetone on a qtip to remove it as well, so it's not a permanent thing. Way more appealing to the eye than a strip of black tape, imo. :)

[04rob]

Does your panel look like the picture I've attached? For those familiar with LCD HDTV's, is this odd lighting when the screen is completely black normal? I've fooled around with various settings, but have not been able to reduce it at all.

Note: The picture turned out a bluish color, but it's actually all black, but just wanted to show what the light blotches look like.

That looks similar to what I'm getting, although yours looks a bit more severe. A few others have complained about it now, I wonder if its something that affects all of these sets.

[NickCzar]

You have the original firmware. I'm downloading the latest now, yes the site is flaky, they have a bad "path" through the site (I do ecommerce for a living). Here's how you get in:

1. Don't go through "Register Product" on the left hand side.
2. Click on "FutureProof your TV"
3. Enter your serial #. It will fail and say not registered. Click on the link it displays to register your TV.
4. Enter all your info including your serial # on the page that comes up.
5. Once you submit the page you'll get a firmware download page. It'll ask for your email and password. It will fail. Click on the link it displays to "Create Account".
6. Enter your email and a password on the create account page. Once you submit you'll be on the firmware page.
7. Be forewarned, the download will be slow, it'll take 20 to 30 minutes.

The site is VERY badly designed, I do this for a living and it's obvious they didn't QA all the site code.

Hope this helps,

TC

Thanks. I share your opinion on their site. Guess what, I was able to register the product successfully and it created an account for me but the firmware download page isn't recognizing email and my password. I'll just keep trying.

I'm going through www.olevia.com for anyone that is trying to get through to their site as I usually access it through www.syntaxgroups.com but that seems down right now.

[Polypro]

Tony, phipp...thanks! I got everything I need. I'm thinking of installing the USB driver on a laptop and running the USB cord to the TV from that. My HTPC will still be hooked up with the TV displaying the desktop over HDMI. *I'll be doing the upgrade from the laptop*. Does that sound like a plan?

P

[tonychris]

Thanks. I share your opinion on their site. Guess what, I was able to register the product successfully and it created an account for me but the firmware download page isn't recognizing email and my password. I'll just keep trying.

I'm going through www.olevia.com for anyone that is trying to get through to their site as I usually access it through www.syntaxgroups.com but that seems down right now.

I'll save you the trouble ;)

542i Latest firmware download (http://www.olevia.com/jsp/firmware/files/542_060831C-083106.zip)

Again, right-click on it and "Save Target As"...

[tonychris]

Tony, phipp...thanks! I got everything I need. I'm thinking of installing the USB driver on a laptop and running the USB cord to the TV from that. My HTPC will still be hooked up with the TV displaying the desktop over HDMI. *I'll be doing the upgrade from the laptop*. Does that sound like a plan?

P

Using the laptop is the way to go :cool:

[phipp01]

Tony, phipp...thanks! I got everything I need. I'm thinking of installing the USB driver on a laptop and running the USB cord to the TV from that. My HTPC will still be hooked up with the TV displaying the desktop over HDMI. *I'll be doing the upgrade from the laptop*. Does that sound like a plan?

P
as long as the update is D/L'ed to the laptop I see NP with doing it that way

[phipp01]

Also this firmware update did not fix the day of the week issue on my tv. It still reads 2 days ahead unless you set the month to December then its the right day of the week :(

[chadtower]

Just picked up the 332H myself... I'm new to HDTVs, LCDs, etc... so I'm reading up here intently.

[Polypro]

Got it, thanks! I'll be back in a few....:)

P

[trap6days]

Just wanted to let you guys know that the "wrong day of the month bug" on the 537h has been fixed with a new firmware release. Juan from Olevia tech support just sent me an e-mail about that.
What firmware version fixes this and how do I get it? I've upgraded to 537-B11-060831C, That's the most recent one (released 10/10/06) that shows up for me on their website, but I still have this bug....November and December are switched when I try and set the date.

thanks!

[04rob]

Two questions about the 542i:

1) The setting for Syntax TVs on my TiVo Series 2 remote doesn't work. Anyone find one that does?

2) What kind of stands are you guys using/buying?

[Klinsek]

Ack! I just got notice that my 537h order was CANCELLED from J&R due to over selling the unit! It is now unavailable on their site, and everyone else has hiked the price back up! I can't believe my luck. :(

I phoned their sales dept and the guy tells me they only had about 30 units in stock, but sold 100+ on the web. Boo...

So, if anyone sees any good pricing on it equivalent to yesterdays deals, please give a shout. I would go for the 237v, but I think I really want that in home warranty.

[tonychris]

Two questions about the 542i:

1) The setting for Syntax TVs on my TiVo Series 2 remote doesn't work. Anyone find one that does?

2) What kind of stands are you guys using/buying?

I just picked up this one. (https://www.consumerswarehouse.com/shop/default.aspx?store=furnakit&catcode=FCG&prodID=OS-20222)

This is the only one that fit my criteria:

1. Cheap, I didn't want to spend more than $150 since eventually I'd be getting a whole wall entertainment unit once I remodeled my living room.
2. Had to be less than 50" wide to fit in the space I had in mind at the present.
3. had to fit all my A/V components (Cable box, A/V Receiver, HTPC, VCR, PS2)
4. Same width as the 542i, didn't plan for that, but it worked out that way.

Hope this helps,
TC

[phipp01]

What firmware version fixes this and how do I get it? I've upgraded to 537-B11-060831C, That's the most recent one (released 10/10/06) that shows up for me on their website, but I still have this bug....November and December are switched when I try and set the date.

thanks!
Ditto :(

[chadtower]

The site is telling me there is no firmware available for the 332H.

[rdhamm]

Olevia 532H - I am looking (like a lot of other people) for the remote code for comcast remote. I have tried all the RCA, LG, Goldstar codes and nothing works in the comcast remote.

Comcast does not have one either.

Ideas? Thanks

BTW, Minneapolis Micro Center was organized and all the people in line behaved well. Vouchers handed out and people could get more than 1 tv, but they had to be different sizes.

At 4pm they opened the vouchers for everyone that did not pick up their tv by 3 or so. The hotest item was the 32".

I actually bought a voucher off of craigslist because they were out of the 32 when they got to me in line.

[Primestar31]

Thanks to everyone who has posted updates on the price drops for the 537H. I ordered one from Target on Thanksgiving, so I was able to spend BF picking up other items and not having to worry about an HDTV. Then, when I had some free time Friday, I checked back on this site and discovered that TigerDirect and others had undercut Target's price. So, instead of waiting a month for delivery from Target, I cancelled that order and bought one from Tiger for $100 less. The best part is that they've already shipped the unit!


I ordered my 537H from Amazon on Monday, for the $7**.00 price, :p and they got it from Target. They claim they don't price match which is stated in their policies, but when I was checking shipping on Friday, I noticed Amazon then had it for $6**.00. from TigerDirect

CRAP! :mad:

I took a chance and emailed Amazon explaining that it's now $1**.00 cheaper on their own site, just a few days later, and asking for a price match back to my credit card. They GRANTED it! WOOHOO! :D :D :D

So, I got the 537H for $6**.00 and it's already being shipped by UPS, and is scheduled to be at my house on Tuesday.

Amazon just made my Thanksgiving, and I didn't have to wait in any lines to get it!

:p :p :p

[Smashingblue]

I'm currently using a Inspiron 700m with the latest Intel Extreme Graphics 2 driver to output a signal to the 542i, via VGA. Everything worked great prior to my updating the firmware on the HDTV. Before the firmware I could get any resolution I wanted that the laptop could output, now after adding the firmware I am limited to 640x480, which doesn't meet my needs in the least.

I'm hoping someone who owns this HDTV or not has any idea what is going on. I appreciate any help that is given.

[GenoG]

For the life of me, I can't seem to find the $6** price you say on TigerDirect for the 537H. I am very interested in this unit. Could someone help me out?

[trap6days]

I believe it was a yesterday-only deal.

[phipp01]

For the life of me, I can't seem to find the $6** price you say on TigerDirect for the 537H. I am very interested in this unit. Could someone help me out?

forget it BF pricing all prices are right back up there please no more price talk or the Mods with lock this thread

[Polypro]

Got it, thanks! I'll be back in a few....:)

P

Completed...with a little drama:) Step 1 went well, unplugged and turned back on. On step 2, the MTK Tool hung at "waiting"... I let it sit for 5- 10 minutes, no joy. Since I knew step 2 hadn't erased or written, I re-booted the laptop and went back into step 2...it wrote the .bin fine. Unplugged and turned back on, checked thr firmware revision, and all is well. Thanks again.

P

[SephCast]

I'm looking to pick the 537H up as an upgrade to my LT26HVX. Would you say the performance is similar to this TV? If I was happy with this earlier Olevia, will I be happy with the 537H?

Also, does anyone have any calibration data for this?

[PaulNEPats]

For the 537H users out there, do you use this TV in 720p or 1080i?

[indolent]

The Minneapolis Microcenter was way more organized than some of the other stores. They even hired two city police officers to monitor the employees handing out vouchers and regulated the number of people entering the store. Once you paid inside, you just drove around back and waited in another line to get your tv loaded up. It was a little slow but at least it was organized.

[phipp01]

For the 537H users out there, do you use this TV in 720p or 1080i?

both I set the Sa8300 HD-DVR to let both pass thru :)

[weberman]

Ack! I just got notice that my 537h order was CANCELLED from J&R due to over selling the unit! It is now unavailable on their site, and everyone else has hiked the price back up! I can't believe my luck. :(

I phoned their sales dept and the guy tells me they only had about 30 units in stock, but sold 100+ on the web. Boo...

So, if anyone sees any good pricing on it equivalent to yesterdays deals, please give a shout. I would go for the 237v, but I think I really want that in home warranty.


When did you order? When I ordered it was accepted as "Temporarily Out of Stock".

No cancellation notice yet.

[VvNeo2000vV]

Ack! I just got notice that my 537h order was CANCELLED from J&R due to over selling the unit! It is now unavailable on their site, and everyone else has hiked the price back up! I can't believe my luck. :(

I phoned their sales dept and the guy tells me they only had about 30 units in stock, but sold 100+ on the web. Boo...

So, if anyone sees any good pricing on it equivalent to yesterdays deals, please give a shout. I would go for the 237v, but I think I really want that in home warranty.


What time did you order yours i order mine earlier in the morning about 8am or so and my order has not be cancelled yet *Knock on Wood* i also ardered from Target they have it for seven ninety nine and seventy nine for a 3 year warranty its only 30 more than J&R you have to wait for Target but hey better order now and wait than have to pay 1000+ when the price goes back up. I hope my J&R order ships and ill cancel me Target order.

I noticed im my email it says all orders are reviewed carefully maybe they wont cancel an order with an extended warranty plan. I work in retail and i know those things are pure profit. Its unlikely they would cancel and order with one than without one.

Mine was in stock when i ordered it said ships 1 - 2 buisness days

[Fluxcapacitor]

It's not the TV, its more than likely the way you hooked up the Component cables. I have the 337H and it is a little confusing on the back, read the manual carefully and make sure you have the Red component cable plugged into the Red component input and not a red AUDIO input. I did this when i first set the tv up as there were 2 red inputs right next to each other. I fixed it, and the picture is beautiful for $500.

Unfortunatly this is not the problem and I have everything connected correctly.

[VvNeo2000vV]

I did that hooking up my friends dvd player to component those damn things arent labeled and i was like why is it green like that. LOL

[GenoG]

Sorry if I am changing the subject on this thread. I am considering purchasing the 537H model. I see that it has VGA, and HDMI. I currently have my powerbook plugged into a DVI monitor using mac mini dvi>DVI adapter. I just wanted to make sure that I could plug my powerbook into this TV. I would just need to get a DVI>HDMI cable correct?

[Smashingblue]

Since no one seems to be able to help me regarding the limited resolution when output from my laptop, does anyone know how I can download old firmware for the 542i?

[Zappcatt]

Since no one seems to be able to help me regarding the limited resolution when output from my laptop, does anyone know how I can download old firmware for the 542i?

What did their tech support say when you contacted them about the issue?
What suggestions did they give you to download older firmware?

I have not contacted them yet, so do not know the answers....

EDIT: When I just connected my laptop, initially it only showed 640x480. SO, I went into the advanced tab and then MONITOR, and UNCHECKED "do not display resolutions this monitor does not support" I then had several more options. 1024x768 looks pretty good on my monitor

[tonychris]

I'm currently using a Inspiron 700m with the latest Intel Extreme Graphics 2 driver to output a signal to the 542i, via VGA. Everything worked great prior to my updating the firmware on the HDTV. Before the firmware I could get any resolution I wanted that the laptop could output, now after adding the firmware I am limited to 640x480, which doesn't meet my needs in the least.

I'm hoping someone who owns this HDTV or not has any idea what is going on. I appreciate any help that is given.

Check the graphic driver settings on your laptop and make sure the 542i is recognized as an LCD display and not a TV. Make sure the refresh rate is set correctly (ie, one that will not exceed the display).

[Fluxcapacitor]

Well I decided to mess around with the TV (232v) a little more before I take it back. I hooked up my dvd player through component and everything worked fine and the green tint went away. So I thought well maybe its bad wires on my 360. So I plugged the 360 back in and on comes back the green tint. But then I switched settings in the dashboard to 480p and it went away. As soon as I switch back to 720p or 1080i the green tint came back. So looks like I'll be taking it back and hope for a new one that doesn't have the same issue.

[BFord]

Does your panel look like the picture I've attached? For those familiar with LCD HDTV's, is this odd lighting when the screen is completely black normal? I've fooled around with various settings, but have not been able to reduce it at all.

Note: The picture turned out a bluish color, but it's actually all black, but just wanted to show what the light blotches look like.

Hey I'm not sure mine looked as bad as that. I can't really tell from the pic if it's actually as light as it appears. Mine was really only in the bottom left and top right. I took it back to MC today, hassle free. I've got a new one hooked up to my 360 right now and it looks great. There is just a bit of the lightness in the top right corner but it's hardly noticable compared to the one I returned. I can only see it if the screen is totaly black. If the screen has black bars at the top and bottom I don't notice it at all. Over all there are some light spots here and there but this new set is much more uniform. At the great BF price of july-sept-sept I can live with subtle light spots, I'm happy with it. Now I have to see what HD cable looks like when I pick up a box on Monday.

[jpb1978]

I would like to repost the TIVO code question. Does anyone have a good code to put into the TIVO remote to control a 542?

In regards to Flux's post above. My XBOX 360 looks great in 720p and 1080i (I prefer 720p). Good luck on your return. I might suggest one thing. Ask a friend to borrow their 360 cables and see if that resolves the issue. You may need to buy new cables. My friend had a similar problem with his high priced Sharp (I do admit it has a better picture but at 3 times what I paid for mine). My cords worked fine. When he first called me I had to remind him to set the switch on the cord to HD. He had it on regular TV still. It got better but still had a problem. It is easier to go pick up a new cord than exchange the TV.

[Smashingblue]

What did their tech support say when you contacted them about the issue?
What suggestions did they give you to download older firmware?

I have not contacted them yet, so do not know the answers....

EDIT: When I just connected my laptop, initially it only showed 640x480. SO, I went into the advanced tab and then MONITOR, and UNCHECKED "do not display resolutions this monitor does not support" I then had several more options. 1024x768 looks pretty good on my monitor

I never thought to even try that, being I figured it was referring to refresh rates alone. Sure enough that did the trick, although I'm not sure why the firmware upgrade would show that the LCD could only display 640x480. Thanks for the help and I'm sure many will have that question after a firmware upgrade, probably end up a sticky if there ever is a dedicated thread with tips and tricks etc.

[Smashingblue]

Hey I'm not sure mine looked as bad as that. I can't really tell from the pic if it's actually as light as it appears. Mine was really only in the bottom left and top right. I took it back to MC today, hassle free. I've got a new one hooked up to my 360 right now and it looks great. There is just a bit of the lightness in the top right corner but it's hardly noticable compared to the one I returned. I can only see it if the screen is totaly black. If the screen has black bars at the top and bottom I don't notice it at all. Over all there are some light spots here and there but this new set is much more uniform. At the great BF price of july-sept-sept I can live with subtle light spots, I'm happy with it. Now I have to see what HD cable looks like when I pick up a box on Monday.

My local MC is out of stock currently, but I checked out the display and it doesn't feature the problems my set has. So he said for me to send off the rebate and that it would be no problem to do an exchange when they get more in next week. He even said this is the first time they didn't keep some from being sold for returns, but with the popularity of this set, can't blame them for selling every last one.

[daveWVU]

Hi, I just set up the 542i that I bought at Microcenter yesterday. The back lighting has some issues. Its really bad at the lower left corner, very concentrated bright area leading up from the bottom of the display and then spreading out. The lower right has another concentrated bright area and the top right has a large, difused area. Here's a pic of the screen I uploaded.

Anyone find any fixes yet? I already emailed tech support.

[Smashingblue]

Hi, I just set up the 542i that I bought at Microcenter yesterday. The back lighting has some issues. Its really bad at the lower left corner, very concentrated bright area leading up from the bottom of the display and then spreading out. The lower right has another concentrated bright area and the top right has a large, difused area. Here's a pic of the screen I uploaded.

Anyone find any fixes yet? I already emailed tech support.

Pretty much the same as my screen, minus the circle of light I have. I'm exchanging mine for a new one.

[aiwnow]

I am one of the many who got a MicroCenter 532H. It took about 13 hours from when I starting waiting inline to getting home. If I had known it would take that long I would have brought the 232V from Circuit City.com I had it in my cart all ready to check out before deciding to brave the BF madness.

The TV picture looks great on both the internal tuner and via the HDTV Wonder in my computer. The big minus is that there is no digital audio out from the internal tuner but I would at least like to have sound come from something better than the internal speakers. However, I'm having trouble with the line level audio out to my receiver. It is very low and only works while the internal speakers are enabled which defeats the point. Whenever I turn off the internal speakers via the audio menu, the outputs are silent as well.
Is there a setting I missed somewhere?

[daveWVU]

Hi, I just set up the 542i that I bought at Microcenter yesterday. The back lighting has some issues. Its really bad at the lower left corner, very concentrated bright area leading up from the bottom of the display and then spreading out. The lower right has another concentrated bright area and the top right has a large, difused area. Here's a pic of the screen I uploaded.

Anyone find any fixes yet? I already emailed tech support.

Well, I called Microcenter and they have a few more in stock. I'm packing up the TV and going to exchange it right now.

[BFord]

Well, I called Microcenter and they have a few more in stock. I'm packing up the TV and going to exchange it right now.


Hey daveEVU. Be sure to tell us how that new set turns out. Like I said my exchanged set still exhibits a bit of the issue but it is so minor I'm not going to return it again. Just curious how your 2nd one turns out. Good luck!

[daveWVU]

Well I have the new one but I'm waiting for a friend to come over and help me get it out of the car and set up. When I was there I asked if they had many other returns. One was returned for the same issue with the back light and another was returned for problems with the remote - they actually had them bring the whole unit back for an issue with the remote...........

I wonder if this is a wide spread issue considering that this is only the 2nd day after the sale and there's already so many of us with problems. I mean, you have to figure that a lot of people will just say screw it, thats what I get for $800. By the way the price in the store was back up to over $1500

Are any of you having issues with the 337h? I have one of those that I bought yesterday too that I'm in the process of selling

[tonychris]

Just hooked up the 542i and I can see some minor backlighting in the upper right and lower left hand corners, of course only when there's no signal input/black background. Wife says she sees nothing. I really think it's just the nature of these sets/LCDs in general. If I stare hard enough I can see the backligthing on my 24" Dell LCD PC monitor when there's no input.

LCDs will not give you true blacks, especially at this price point.

I'll hold onto the set and if I don't like the way it looks within the next year I'll just have Syntax send someone out. More than likely they can turn done the intensity on the backlight... I wouldn't be surprised if one could actually do it via software/service menu.

Has anyone ever found out how to access the service menus on these sets?

[chadtower]

Well, just set up my Xbox with 480p on the 332H... the screen is all garbled. It doesn't work at all with 480p and that's the only HD source I have.

[dave4100]

Just hooked up the 542i and I can see some minor backlighting in the upper right and lower left hand corners, of course only when there's no signal input/black background. Wife says she sees nothing. I really think it's just the nature of these sets/LCDs in general. If I stare hard enough I can see the backligthing on my 24" Dell LCD PC monitor when there's no input.

LCDs will not give you true blacks, especially at this price point.

I'll hold onto the set and if I don't like the way it looks within the next year I'll just have Syntax send someone out. More than likely they can turn done the intensity on the backlight... I wouldn't be surprised if one could actually do it via software/service menu.

Has anyone ever found out how to access the service menus on these sets?

We must have gotten the same batch cause I see the backlight in the exact same places. For the price, I'm going to use this as a practice set. Good set for learning tweaking, calibrating, and testing input devices. I'll wait until next summer to buy a hopefully top of the line set. Although there probably is no such thing. HD on the set is pretty good, but SD really is bad. At least with my Comcast setup.

[General Public]

I just picked up the 337 from MC yesterday and am quite happy with the picture. Im going to be primarily using it for gaming with my 360 and believe I have set my picture up pretty well. Can anyone offer me their settings since I am a first time HDTV owner? Also can anyone tell me what the blacklighting issues people are having looks like, or somehow send me a picture? Thanks and any help provided would be much appreciated.

[initialb]

Well, just set up my Xbox with 480p on the 332H... the screen is all garbled. It doesn't work at all with 480p and that's the only HD source I have.

480P is not HD.
did you hook up a Xbox or xbox 360?

[chadtower]

Not HD... okay. It's an Xbox, not 360. Either way, the TV should support 480p, according to the manual. Yet it doesn't actually seem to work.

[tonychris]

We must have gotten the same batch cause I see the backlight in the exact same places. For the price, I'm going to use this as a practice set. Good set for learning tweaking, calibrating, and testing input devices. I'll wait until next summer to buy a hopefully top of the line set. Although there probably is no such thing. HD on the set is pretty good, but SD really is bad. At least with my Comcast setup.

That was my plan also. This is not my "dream" set, I simply bought it to get HD until I remodel my livingroom (by moving a doorway I'll be able to fit a >56" display against a wall). Watching HD college football tonight on ABC I can see banding/contouring on high contrast scenes and pixelation on fast motion scenes. Wife thinks it's fine, then again, her vision isn't perfect :rolleyes:

Ran the THX calibrator on the "Monsters Inc" DVD and the grayscale test was horrendous... this display can't show the drop shadow behind the THX logo (any CRT display can). Also, you could see "tinted grays on some of the grayscale boxes. Those two issues alone indicate this set needs to be calibrated badly. Just trying to decide whether I should try to do it myself with one of the calibration discs or hire a pro.

[badself]

You have the original firmware. I'm downloading the latest now, yes the site is flaky, they have a bad "path" through the site (I do ecommerce for a living). Here's how you get in:

1. Don't go through "Register Product" on the left hand side.
2. Click on "FutureProof your TV"
3. Enter your serial #. It will fail and say not registered. Click on the link it displays to register your TV.
4. Enter all your info including your serial # on the page that comes up.
5. Once you submit the page you'll get a firmware download page. It'll ask for your email and password. It will fail. Click on the link it displays to "Create Account".
6. Enter your email and a password on the create account page. Once you submit you'll be on the firmware page.
7. Be forewarned, the download will be slow, it'll take 20 to 30 minutes.

The site is VERY badly designed, I do this for a living and it's obvious they didn't QA all the site code.

Hope this helps,

TC

Can I use a Mac to perform the 542i firmware upgrade, or does it have to be a pc?

[initialb]

Not HD... okay. It's an Xbox, not 360. Either way, the TV should support 480p, according to the manual. Yet it doesn't actually seem to work.

Its stage that it doesnt work, must be defective. one more thing hdtv usally works better in in hd resolutions. 420P is ED, a Hdtv's will never really look good on 420p output.

[tonychris]

Can I use a Mac to perform the 542i firmware upgrade, or does it have to be a pc?

I believe the software that does the upgrade is only available for Windows. If you have a newer Intel based Mac you could run Bootcamp and load Windows on it.

[chadtower]

Its stage that it doesnt work, must be defective. one more thing hdtv usally works better in in hd resolutions. 420P is ED, a Hdtv's will never really look good on 420p output.


Don't really care if it's perfect... it's better than standard, which is what I've always been using.

Put an email in to tech support. Any idea of their turnaround time?


EDIT:

Tried it with Knights of the Old Republic... it works and is better than standard component. Does not work at all with Fable, which supposedly supports 480p as well. Has anyone else ever experienced this? I'm new to (real or not) HD.

[initialb]

Don't really care if it's perfect... it's better than standard, which is what I've always been using.

Put an email in to tech support. Any idea of their turnaround time?


EDIT:

Tried it with Knights of the Old Republic... it works and is better than standard component. Does not work at all with Fable, which supposedly supports 480p as well. Has anyone else ever experienced this? I'm new to (real or not) HD.


are you running fable from the dvd or the harddrive, because i heard that there are some problems running fable in 420p from the harddrive.

[Rgb]

Watching HD college football tonight on ABC I can see banding/contouring on high contrast scenes and pixelation on fast motion scenes. Wife thinks it's fine, then again, her vision isn't perfect :rolleyes:

.

The banding and pixelation could be in the source- I see this on my AE700 from OTA HD sports at times, depending on the bitrate from my OTA locals.

If you are using a sat or cable box for your HD channels, these providers often reduce the bitrate even lower than OTA, causing these artifacts.

[tonychris]

The banding and pixelation could be in the source- I see this on my AE700 from OTA HD sports at times, depending on the bitrate from my OTA locals.

If you are using a sat or cable box for your HD channels, these providers often reduce the bitrate even lower than OTA, causing these artifacts.

That's a good point. Right now feeding the cable line straight into the set (will pick up a HD box tomorrow), but like you said, cable operator could be compressing the bitrate to save some bandwidth.

Once I hook up my HTPC and play some true HD video files I guess I'll see the "true" capabilities of this set with regard to fast moving scenes and false contouring.

[chadtower]

are you running fable from the dvd or the harddrive, because i heard that there are some problems running fable in 420p from the harddrive.

Stock Xbox... running from the disc. No network connectivity, probably has never been on Live.

[dave4100]

I've got Comcast now, but when I had satellite, sometimes the signal would go in and out. I now see this with this new 542. I'm going to call them and see if there is a signal booster they can apply to my line. It's worth a shot.

[vfrjim]

Anyone know how to tone down that blue light on the unit.
It's like a spot light in a dark room.

Thanks.

I peeled the "advertising sticker" off of the front of the set and stuck a piece of electrical tape to the backside of it so that the sticky side was attached to the sticker and not the TV and reapplied the advertising sticker over the BLUE led, allowing just a itsy bitsy amount of light to show.


Also, am I the only one that wants to use a universal remote and select directly between HDMI and the ATSC tuner without cycling thru all the other inputs? Anyone have a solution? Remote codes available ANYWHERE?

[fdisker]

Chadtower -- how are you hooking the xbox up to the tv? You need the high def pack if you want it to do 480P. You also need to go into the xbox dashboard and tell it you have a widescreen that supports 720p and 480p. You games should then play widescreen.

[951]

Heh, my media room/office used to look like the bridge of an Imperial Star Destroyer, so I feel your pain.

I used black nail polish to carefully put a small dab over annoying led's. It lets some of the light still shine through, but dims them appropriately. You can always use some acetone on a qtip to remove it as well, so it's not a permanent thing. Way more appealing to the eye than a strip of black tape, imo. :)

I use black electrical tape. Only 2 mm wide. very discrete.

[04rob]

It's interesting, it looks like people with way more expensive tvs (sony xbr) have the same uneven backlighting issue. Some of the pictures in that thread are absolutely horrendous:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=748779&page=1

[mojo_lo]

I posted this in the 542i thread as well. just lookin for as much insight as possible. I ordered the 537H TV online yesterday. It has not shipped yet so I at least until Monday to decide if I really want the TV.

i ordered based on positive impressions in this thread and the review on audioholics.com

today i went to CC and CUSA to check out the Olevias, and I don't think I was very impressed. compared to Samsung, Sharp and JVC the black levels seemed poor, colors weren't as vibrant and the picture wasn't as sharp. overall, the picture seemed washed out, and just didn't have that "pop" to it. granted, neither CC or CUSA carry the 5 series or any model with the MDK chip. i saw several models with the ATI and Pixelworks chips. to me, the 337H with the Pixelworks chip looked the best.

knowing that Olevia uses LG panels, i also checked out some LG LCDs. i wasn't impressed with these either as they also seemed to share some of the same problems. is this what LG panels are like? is it possible that the stores just didn't have them set up right? will the 5 series with the MDK chip look better than anything I saw today?

i bought this TV because it seemed like it offered great quality for the price. however, if i'm not happy watching it, the purchase doesn't make much sense at all. i'm really hoping that you guys will say the TV is better than my impressions at the stores, but either way, your honest opinion would be appreciated.

[foilingfool]

I was able to get my 542i (BF Microcenter purchase) set up yesterday, and had some time today to play with the unit. Everything looks good, but I do have one problem that I have not seen mentioned in the threads here at AVS.

This issue occurred the very first time that I powered up the unit. It also occurs anytime I leave the set turned off (standby mode) for more than a few hours, and then turn the set on. When this issue occurs, the set powers up, and after the Olevia startup screen is displayed, the currently selected video source is displayed, BUT, there is no sound, and there is a huge amount of video distortion. The distortion appears as large blocks, usually covering about 1/4 of the screen, or sometimes as large noise bars covering 1/4 to 1/2 of the screen. On some occurrences, the speakers will emit a sharp crackling sound as well.

If I power the set down, then back up, the problem goes away.

I currently have 3 video sources plugged in to the set, one OTA hd antenna feed, one component DVD feed, and one S-VHS standard def Tivo feed.

Any thoughts? Should I try to go back to Microcenter to see about an exchange (assuming they have any more in stock since BF)?

Thanks,
Tom

[mojo_lo]

i've also found a couple more reviews of the 542i if anyone's interested:

http://peripherals.about.com/od/displaysmonitors/fr/olevia542i.htm

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/home-theater-audio-video-blogs/2120-engadget-hd-review-olevia-542i-42-inch-lcd.html

and for the sake of completeness, here's the previous audioholics review that we've all read:

http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/olevia-542i-LCD-TVp1.php

[tonychris]

Rob, my 542i is NOT as bad as some of those Sonys! These folks even claim they can see the lighting variations during regular viewing, which I definitely do not.

This guy in the thread reiterated what I said before:

All LCD's have non-uniform backlighting to some degree. It's just a question of how large the brightness difference is and whether it is noticable to the human eye. My 46XBR2 for example, is very slightly brighter in a couple of the corners but this is only visible (barely) with no input, the lights out, and brightness and backlight cranked. At normal settings, even in the dark, it is not visible. I don't consider this a defect in my case. In the case of someone who had more severe backlighting issues, it might be different. My point is, a lot of people have unrealistic expectations about what this technology is capable of. Lumping all backlight uniformity issues together is ridiculous, since it is present everywhere and the more minor issues are expected and are NOT defects.

After seeing those Sony backlighting pics though, i consider my set to be near perfect :)

[redgtconv]

Hey! Everyone calm down about this backlighting leakage nonsense. I am an lcd veteran. I have 4 lcd's, my sister has 2, my son has 2, my daughter has 2. All different makes from cheap to best, and ALL of them had some backlight leakage on a black screen when new. This does minimize or goes away completely over time. I don't know the technical reasons for it, but maybe it's as simple as the lights are too bright when brand new. After a couple of months use, you will see a vast improvement. This should not be a cause for anxiety and certainly not a reason to retun it. It is simply the state of lcd technology at this time.

Now, as the sets the Mojo_lo saw at CC AND CompUsa. I also was at CompUsa today and thought the Olevias wer unimpressive, however the ones on display were the old models and I do expect the 537H that I have ordered to perform better. But, that being said, the plain fact of the matter is that LG does not make the best panels. If you direct compare LG to any other major brand in a side by side test, the LG will lose almost everytime. Their blacks are not as black and on off angle viewing their blacks tend to look blue. However, if you got a BF deal like most of did then these sets are a steal. I bought this for my bedroom, I think I have a resonalbe expectation for what the picture and performance will be like. I am still i