Digital Trends

Syntax Olevia LT30HV

March 30th, 2005 | by Mike Bell

Sound

The LT30 comes with two side mount panel speakers that can be removed.  We found the bass response of these speakers to be very weak. The treble control was set at “Minus 2” and the bass was set at “Plus 12” in an attempt to compensate. The speaker wires were checked for proper phase, but this did not correct the bass deficit.

There is a line-level subwoofer output on the back of the panel. If the display is used often with the built-in audio, we suggest connecting one of your “spare” PC subwoofers to this output.

Remote and Controls

The front panel controls on the LT30 are placed beneath the panel, where they are not obtrusive. The labels are clear, so the controls are quite convenient (except for that headphone jack.)

In addition to Power, Volume, and Channel, there is a Menu button and a Source button. We applaud manufacturers who provide access to the full menu of features with or without using the remote control. The LT30 proves that it can be done without being obtrusive to the design.

The LT30's remote control is uncluttered and the Volume, Channel, Channel Return, Menu, and Power buttons are well-placed. Unfortunately, that is the only good news. The Mute and MTS buttons should be swapped to put the Mute button within easy range of the volume control. The MTS button, which is used much less frequently, should be placed at the top of the remote.

The Source button is well-positioned beneath the Vol/CH cluster; however, once a source is selected, the “Enter” button, which is poorly placed below “9” on the numeric keypad, must be pressed to accept the selected source.

The PIP controls and other less frequently used functions are hidden behind a sliding door at the bottom of the remote.

On-Screen Display (OSD)

When the menu button is depressed, an on-screen display box is overlaid on the video in the middle of the display. The main menu categories, Picture, Audio, Setup, and Screen, are displayed across the top of the box.

The OSD menu options are easy to adjust. Our only complaint is the fixed size of the menu box, which can be difficult to read from a distance. It would be more helpful if each menu item were magnified as the cursor is moved over the items. We understand there is a tradeoff between the size of the menu and ability to see the adjustment results on the picture behind the menu box overlay; however, there are better ways to address this conflict.  

When selecting an input source, the inputs displayed on the screen are the same as the labels on the back of the panel. There is no facility for re-labeling the input names. For example, the DVD input was “YPbPr,” not “DVD,” and the Satellite input is “S-Video,” not “SAT.” “YPbPr” may be accurate, but it's not intuitive when selecting the DVD.