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9 out of 9 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Strong visual performance with Xbox 360 and HD-DVD"
Pros: Looks great with all HiDef inputs and even does a good job with Standard Def
Cons: Menu system is weird and takes a bit to get used too, Only one coaxil input and can only be set to either Cable or Over The Air
Summary: I have had the Olevia 242T now for a few days and just wanted to leave a few impressions.
- This set looks amazing when using Xbox 360. I used both component and VGA outputs from the Xbox 360 and found that the VGA input looks slightly better. When using component output with the 360 I noticed some subtle blurriness when moving quickly in Halo 3. When I connected via VGA cables I did not get that effect. It feels like playing a PC game on a PC. I have the resolution set to 1366x768 from the 360. That is the native resolution of the monitor and is what should be used. Now I will say that either way it still looked great, but to my eyes there was a noticeable improvement with VGA. I got further improvement in image quality by selecting 1:1 Aspect (You can toggle Aspect by pressing the Aspect button on the Remote)
-I read somewhere that someone got 1080p input working. My experience with 1080p (1920 x 1080) signal from my Xbox 360 via VGA cable is that it is not recognized. When I tried 1080p via component cables the screen showed but it was split in half oddly mirroring parts of the display on both halves of the screen. Needless to say it was unusable at 1080p from either component or VGA.
-I have not properly calibrated the set yet as I am waiting for Digital Video Essentials HD-DVD to arrive. I will say that it appears that the Black levels look pretty darn good even before calibration...so I can't wait for the final results but I'm sure the Image will look great once properly calibrated. I can definitely see there is excessive red push with default settings (as in any new uncalibrated TV set). I look forward to fixing that with calibration.
-I have a personal preference to watch movies in 6500K setting for the VGA input from my xbox 360...but I leave the TV side on the Default color temp. I suggest you leave settings largely at defaults unless your using a calibration DVD to adjust appropriately. Minor adjustments to Brightness and contrast may be OK but don't over do it unless your using an appropriate calibration DVD.
-The built in speakers are OK but nothing spectacular and you should definitely use your dedicated Surround Sound system if you have one. TV speakers can be shut off via a menu option. I'm spoiled by my previous Sony Television that had amazing built in speakers so take this with a grain of salt.
-Menu's on the TV are very awkward at first. You get used to it after a while and I actually find that being able to adjust things while not completely obscuring the screen is actually pretty cool. But other times I wish it would give you a more traditional menu system to make changes.
-Adjusting display settings will apply only to the currently selected source. I mention this only because it's not readily apparent or at least it wasn't to me at the time.
-The 242T has an excellent ATSC tuner that does a great job at picking up over the air digital broadcast signals. My older Sony CRT HDTV was only able to receive 4 or 5 channels. The 242T had no problem receiving over 15 channels with the same rabbit ears antenna. I even have the antenna sloppily placed behind the TV and the reception is still excellent.
-The 242T only has 1 coaxil input which thus far has lead to my only major disappointment with the TV and for me this is a real doozy! It appears to me that the TV can only be set to receive only Cable TV or only Over the Air channels via the coaxil input. So not only do I have to swap cables in the back of the set to between my cable and the rabbit ears...but I also have to go into the settings and tell the TV to search for channels each and every time I want to switch between Cable and Over the Air channels. I sure hope that I'm missing something and that there's a way to simply switch between Cable and Over the Air. I really like to watch Discover Channel and CNN on cable but often watch ABC, CBS & NBC in HiDef via the ATSC Tuner. If anyone knows of a better way to go about this....please let me know!!!
-The 242T displays Analog Cable and Over the air signals pretty darn good. Albeit that standard def signals can only look so good on any HDTV. I think at this point I'm just getting sick of crappy standard def programming. I can't wait till All Standard Def broadcast are turned off in 2009.
-The remote control is not bad. It lets you do the basics as well as Aspect, Freeze, Lighting (Bright Room, Dark Room, Medium Room), Favorite, CC, Auto (This auto adjust the image), Sleep, Time, Source, Display, Audio and Menu. The remote is not back lit. Do yourself a favor and buy a Logitech Harmony remote.
-I checked on the Olevia.com website for a Firmware update. It requires you to register before attempting to search for firmware update for your television by Serial Number. It reported that there were no firmware updates available for my set. I did just purchase it from Target on Dec 30, 2007.
-No DVI port...but remember that HDMI = DVI once you get an adapter cable from monoprice.com for $5. That being said I'm happy to have VGA as you can use this monitor with any laptop quite easily.
-TV looks sharp. Aesthetically speaking it gets the job done and thank heavens it's Black and not Grey or Silver. Speakers can be removed but honestly why in the hell would you want to? Has VESA standard holes in the back for standard wall mounting kits.
-Read somewhere that this TV has a glass protective screen...but it is decidedly NOT glass. I would be careful cleaning this set and for the love of all that is Holy I would never let someone swing a Wii controller anywhere near my TV!
-I noticed the first few times of powering up the TV set that it took about about a minute to "warmup" and for the TV to reach it's full brightness. Now wheter or not you notice this happening or not on your other TV sets...pretty much all TV's need to warm up before you get full brightness and accurate colors. the Digital Video Essentials DVD actually advises you to wait 30 minutes after powering on TV set before proceeding with Calibration to get accurate results. The set takes about 14 seconds before you see an image from your input signal of choice on the screen from the time you press the power button.
