SVA VR30 30" Flat Panel LCD TV

Rating:
Summary: This LCD TV *Does* Do HD
Review: Amazon's product description is inaccurate. According to both manufacturer specs and my in-store testing, the SVA VR-30 LCD TV is HDTV-ready, meaning it will natively display 720p and seamlessly downscale 1080i. (Side note: no LCD TV today can display native 1080i.) Of course, you'll need an external HDTV tuner in order to receive HDTV programming, but yes, you can do it.

The best thing about the SVA TV is its price point. If you search on the web, you can find this 30" LCD TV for as low as $1250! That's just an incredible price. SVA, a major electronics company based in China but not a namebrand here in the U.S., recently launched a fifth-generation LCD panel plant with NEC, but this TV appears to use an older-generation panel: its brightness, contrast and response time specs are lower than those on the best panels in the industry (Sharp, Panasonic, Toshiba, Syntax Olevia). In real-world terms, its picture quality is acceptable if viewed on its own, but next to a Sharp or Toshiba, the image does look "flatter". The LCD panel does have respectable viewing angles; just keep in mind that as you move away from the center, you lose a lot of dark-area details. This is true of all LCD screens, but top-notch panels from Sharp and Hitachi deal with this better than others.

Luckily, "cheap" doesn't mean "ugly" here, as the TV sports a stylish exterior. But "cheap" does mean the lack of DVI and VGA inputs, a disappointment for those of us obsessed with total digitalness or those who wish to use this as a PC monitor. On the other hand, the SVA is progress scan-capable, meaning if you have a PS DVD player (like my favorite CyberHome CH-DVD300) and use component video connections, you get as good picture quality as you can get out of analog.

Recommendation:

If budget is tight, the SVA gives you an impressive flat-panel LCD TV for a good price. If you have an extra $500, I still recommend the Sharp 30" Aquos LCD sold through Amazon. Another good choice is the Syntax Olevia 30" set for about $250 more. But if you want a real inexpensive set without sacrificing HDTV capability, this SVA is a decent bet. Just keep in mind that it's durability is rather unknown at this time -- another reason to go with an established brand like Sharp or Toshiba... esp. given how cheap the Sharp 30" TV is these days.

Rating:
Summary: Great picture at a great price
Review: I bought this TV a couple of months ago for about $1300 Dollars from Ebuy. Picture quality from all sources is excellent. The sound is OK. I connected a set of decent amplified external speakers to the earphone jack and the difference is unbelievable.

Also, keep in mind that the RCA color stream (non-DTV) input is 480i, not 480p. So your progressive scan DVD player may not show its full potential. Nevertheless, the picture quality from that source is excellent.

However, the DTV input, which I use for high definition cable reception is 1080i.

Highly recommended.



Rating:
Summary: Great bargain
Review: I bought this TV form Tiger ( the best rate on shipping) via Amazon.Great picture great sound. Everything included, all cables, stand and wall mount...Surprisingly good picture from TV broadcast, even better from DVD or S-video. I would strongly recommend this product, it is a perfect choice for a smaller living room and general home use in this($1600) price range.

Rating:
Summary: Good product even better priced!
Review: I just got the TV 3 days ago. I am surprised at how good the quality is. I was a bit aprehensive since I had never heard of SVA and the price $1,303 at www.newegg.com was unbeliable for a 30" LCD TV. All the audio/video ports you may require are present. I got the comcast HD receiver for $5 extra a month and it feels as if I have a private theater at home. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: I finally shelled out some money for a decent tv.
Review: I researched flat panel TV's for about two weeks before I finally went for this one. It sounded too good to be true and I could only find one vague review for it. I just received my new SVA VR-30 yesterday. It boasts much for the price and it's worth it. About an hour after getting it set up I was a bit dissapointed. But after fooling around with the setup on my PS2 I finally got a great picture. I can see things in movies and games I never knew were there before. I was worried a 30 inch screen wouldn't be big enough but when everything is playing in widescreen, it's like I have 37 inch TV. I'm still running off of RCA's. I hear S-video or component video is even better. It has all the input's in the back you could possibly need. The sound is good. The menu's are simple to navigate. I've seen better contrast ratios but if you're that worried about contrast you better have some money. The remote is kinda funny looking and it has a cover you have to open to use half of it, but it works. I've seen a lot of flat panel's now and I am so glad I didn't shell out all that money for another tv.

Rating:
Summary: Great HD Picture, Great price
Review: I was hesitant at first to purchase the SVA as I could not see it firsthand in a store near me. However, i decided to go with it online after reading some good reviews. For the price, it is an unbelievable picture. Some may say that the Sharp or Sony is better, but you also pay about 2000 more for those brands. Honestly, I cannot see much fo a difference. It comes with all of the cables, wall mount, and is packaged well. The picture is crystal clear on the HD channels and supports 720p and 1080i. I feel like I am right at an NFL game or in a movie theater. I would definetely recommend this TV for someone who wants a good quality HD TV but does not want to spend a fortune for it. The screen size is good for a small living room or a bedroom. Obviously a 37 inch is significantly bigger but also much more expensive. The TV is very sleak looking and makes my living room look 3X better. Very ligh weight. The only negative thing was that SVA forgot to put a remote in my box so i had to call them up and get one delivered.

Rating:
Summary: Not Recommended
Review: This monitor does not have an audio out jack. It does not have a code so that you can use another remote control. Enough said.