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  • Overall Rating
    4 stars 4 Star Review
    Reviewed by: jackazz002

    Updated:11-17-06

    Duration of ownership:10 Days

    Strengths: Built-in HD tuner, Multifunction remote, Firmware upgradeablePrice

    Weaknesses: Humming, Startup time

    Overall Evaluation: I generally rely pretty heavily on reviews before I buy so I will try to be thorough for your benefit.The good news:You get a built in HD tuner. Even though these are pretty much standard these days, there are still many units that do not have them. I am very pleased with the display of standard definition content. I have plain-Jane, basic, analog cable. The set handles this just about as well as anyone could hope.On this basic cable, I ran the digital and analog channel finder. I don't know how or why, but it found all of my local HD channels on the cable line, as well as TNT and Discover HD (which are OMG amazing).But you're not buying this for the SD content, are you?The high def from the tuner is beautiful. I have a few other sets that also do HD so it's not just a newb seeing HD for the first time. Some of the colors look a little flat, but I'm sure that once I get my copy of Digital Video Essentials that will clear right up. I also use this display for my gaming (Xbox 360). I pump the signal in via component and could not be any happier with the picture. The dashboard of the system looks a little washed out, but the games are absolutely gorgeous. Halo 2, Lego Star Wars II, and Gears of War never looked so good.DVD playback (via component, 480p, no up-converting) definitely show some pixelation. Please bear in mind that I have this in my bedroom and sit no further than 6 feet away, so you may not have this problem in your home.I have not tried an upconverting player yet, but perhaps soon. Will be trying HD-DVD's on there this weekend some time and will report back.I have already performed a firmware upgrade even though I didn't notice any issues. I was hoping it may help the humming backlight or the blue LED on the front. There is no cable supplied, but all you need is an A-to-B USB cable and their software from the website. It is a bit cryptic to use. Not sure I would recommend it for an exteme PC novice.The Bad news:When you power on the unit, it takes about 10 seconds before anything comes on the screen. Then you get a washed out olevia logo for a few seconds before you get any video. This is a minor inconvenience.When you set the backlight for a "Dark" or "Medium" room you can hear it buzzing. I generally hear this at night when I turn the volume down to go to sleep. It will disappear under normal audio, but may bother some people.The blue LED on the front is bright as all getout. I have actually blocked the LED with a stuffed penguin because it would light up the opposite corner of my room and actually keep me up at night. Nothing a little electrical tape can't fix!The manual doesn't come in paper format! You must print it out from the enclosed CD that comes in the package. That is just silly.Some strange things can happen with the tuner. I cannot tune directly to certain stations by punching them in on the remote (the higher numbered digital stations). Also, if you turn off the tv on an HD channel, it seems to turn back on at channel 2 no matter what. Could just be me, but this has happened several times.The sound has "popped" a few times unexpectedly. Not a problem in the audio signal as I was watching the same program as someone else down the hall who didn't get the "pop". Not sure what that is all about. I do have the unit hooked up to a Monster unit with Cleanpower so I doubt it was an uneven power input.Overall, I would recommend this tv. You get an excellent feature set with a very low price tag. I'm not sure that I would make this set the centerpiece in a home theater, but I love it for gaming and HDTV. Especially since you can find them for around $800 or so now, what are you waiting for?

  • Overall Rating
    4 stars 4 Star Review
    Reviewed by: sawmillshawn

    Updated:11-12-06

    Duration of ownership:15 Days

    Strengths: nice price for a HDTV!!

    Weaknesses: Wish it had a built in surround sound

    Overall Evaluation: if your looking for a good HDTV that won't reak the bank, this is it. I shopped all around and everything was at least 1500 or more. Found this beauty and with the rebates only cost 800. Great buy for the price.

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Olevia Olevia 537H 37" LCD TV
$689.99 • •Specs
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