Olevia 542i Reviews

Great for the price!
by D. Fantasia , 2009-03-20

Bought this for 799 on a day after Thanksgiving Day sale. The price was right and it was 2006 when we bought it so it has been 2.5 years. Last year the TV went out and we didn't know what to do. I think we found some board games under a pile of dust. Anyways, it was simple to take the TV down and replace the fuse that's in there although the only place that has one is radio shack as it's an odd size. Since then no problems as we have hooked it up though a battery backup box that conditions the line. For the price it was great, but the contrast has improved and 1080i was the only thing available back then. 1080i is outdated and and 1000:1 contrast is old school with 1,000,000:1 ratios out and about. Amazing for it's day with no regrets here.

Great Value
by B. Meyer from Minneapolis, MN, 2009-03-10

I've had this set for almost 3 years now. In that amount of time I've never had a single problem that wasn't my own fault, and even those were easy fixes. For an entry level LCD this set will have most all of the features anyone would want, mainly IT LOOKS GREAT! Having said that, it stops looking great after a couple of years and learning more about the limitations of the entry level LCD market. Once you really look at the thing, all you're getting is a simple HD display without many bells and whistles.

Pros:
- Great display for the price
- Easy to use
- Remote is simple
- Built in tuner makes it ready for TV out of the box
- Plenty of input options
- Firmware upgradeable
- In house support (as long as the company is still around at least)

Cons:
- Lack of options in settings
- Very slow to turn on
- Simply ugly
- lots of spotlighting
- Bad contrast ratio
- take forever to scroll through inputs
- does not pass 5.1 or better audio through optical
- speakers are pretty bad

All in all, if this is going to be your first HDTV you'll be happy. If you're very finicky about your display you won't be very pleased. As I said, I've had this set for almost three years and I've been nothing but happy with it, it's just time for an upgrade to a fancier set.

BEST TV EVER!!!
by MusicGod from USA, 2009-02-10

Well let me begin stating that I have owned several TV's, Im quite the Sony costumer...UNTIL I FOUND OLEVIA!!!!!!!!!!
Been a Sony owner, sometimes is difficult to find a better standard in TV's, but my Bravia 42" went to the toillet, last year. I thought to wait a little to see how technology developed in the HD field. I did not came to Olevia as a choice, but rather than TRY. A short Story:
After my Sony Bravia TV went to the trash(this was my bedroom TV) I did not had a tv for my Bedroom, so the same day it died, I headed to the store to purchase a new TV. I was ready for another Sony, but I went to Walmart for some ciggys, and decided to see what they have to offer in the TV market. Im a Sony Store customer, so buying from Walmart to me was kind of risky, but hey, a look don't kill. While checking the Tv's I saw sharp, panasonic, and some brands I have never heard of, and I came across this Olevia TV. At first I did not have heard of this brand before, but as reading on the product description on the box, well I thought, can't be that bad, and since I was looking for a transition TV, the price was tempting. I went and bought it, without any extended guarantee, or anything. Ok, TV was heavy, unlike any other Sony TV's I have ever own including a Trinitron 36'' I had a long time ago. Well to make a long story short, this TV' has lasted more than a year with FLAWLESS performace, using HDMI and SVIDIEO inputs. Picture STUNNING... even on S-Video connection, but I was bown away with the HDMI connection. I am very picky when it comes to picture display even thou this TV is not 1080p, the 1080i performance is incredible, picture quality and sound will get you blown! If you can find this model at a good price... you'll not regret it!!!!!

worst company ever
by A. Hart from harlem n.y, 2008-08-09

if you like having a tv that breaks down all the time.this the tv for you. and when you call costumer service and have a ghetto person say to you..wha cha want..this the company for you.

if you like buying a tv that breaks down in 6 months..have it replaced and the replacement tv breaks in 6 months too..this is the tv for you.

get the word out..syntex olivia is the worst company in america

Good value for the money
by P. Iannicari from Philadelphia, Pa. USA, 2008-07-21

This product lived up to its hype. Very good picture and sound. Am very pleased with it. The company was very good to deal with. Fed Ex was terrible. They should be ashamed for their lack of service. I would definitely buy from this company again. Make sure you buy the HDMI Digital Video Cable. It doesn't come with the the tv but is available through Amazon at a very good price.