OK, here's some pictures I took of my TX-42F430S screen. The picture is of the desktop of my PVR running WinXP. The computer is a Dell Optiplex GX260 with 1.5 GB of ram. The video card is the NVIDIA GeForce4 MX440 running at 1920 X 1080 (60 Hz).

http://members.cox.net/pat77/1080p.jpg

Next are 3 closeups of the test pattern with the backlight set at 100%. I adjusted the exposure on the camera for each shot:

http://members.cox.net/pat77/Backlight100.jpg

http://members.cox.net/pat77/Backlight100a.jpg

http://members.cox.net/pat77/Backlight100b.jpg

And finally this is with the backlight set at 50%:

http://members.cox.net/pat77/Backlight50a.jpg

That's not perfect, but it does look a lot better. And to see this "flaw", you have to get right up on the screen. From a couple of feet away you can't see it. I tried to get some extreme closeups of the pixel shape, but my little Kodak has a limited macro mode. To my eye, the pixels appear rectangular, but they are so tiny I can't be sure.

James

If anyone wants to see my pictures in full resolution, you'll find them here:

http://members.cox.net/james_a_jones/1080p.jpg
http://members.cox.net/james_a_jones/Backlight100.jpg
http://members.cox.net/james_a_jones/Backlight100a.jpg
http://members.cox.net/james_a_jones/Backlight100b.jpg
http://members.cox.net/james_a_jones/Backlight50a.jpg

James

since it does not look like we are going to get the fw updates..

what are my options to return to bb and get credit to put toward a new tv? i bought their extended warranty..

should i wait until they no longer carry this model in store?

I'm in the same boat. I'm sick and tired of waiting for the new firmware. My 42" TX-42 freezes upon bootup every other day. I bought this thing in August 2007.

All I want is store credit and purchase a different brand, or maybe pay a little extra for the 47" TX-47.

OK, here's some pictures I took of my TX-42F430S screen.

Thanks very much for your time and effort getting those pics, James. I guess it goes to show that what is acceptable to one person is not acceptable to another--Your photos look like the ones I took.. same problem, but two different opinions. Obviously for me, this blur problem is totally unacceptable, and I think it's also false advertising.

By the way, has anyone noticed that when you're displaying a straight white+black checkerboard background pattern (one pixel white, one pixel black, etc..) and then you switch to blue-black checkerboard, there's a split second where it actually displays the blue-black checkerboard correctly? If I still have the TX-47 when I'm allowed to get out of bed, I'll take some video or something to show this happening.

-Burgerleg

I cant seem to get the setting to stereo its stuck in mono.Its grayed out help!Also does anybody have any ideas where I can get a remote for this model tx42f430s westing house doesnt have any.

Then why do they even have a service port? :confused:

Westinghouse doesn't let user update firmware. That doesn't mean they can't do it themselves. Just like most if not all firmware driven electronics devices the TX is designed to have easy firmware update. Remember that firmware update can easily render the whole unit inoperable if not done properly. That's why WH doesn't want you do it. And that's a valid enough reason.

If you ask me about WH's decision regarding that, like I always say, electronics is so cheap these days why don't manufacturers go just a tiny step forward by adding a foolproof firmware download mechanism is beyond me. This can be as easy as having a backup piece of code ready when the firmware upgrade process fails.

I don't think people like me who found all these problems are nit-picking. I bought the TX because of the 1080p support; otherwise, I was happy with my older Westy 40" 720p. So naturally, if the TX can't even do as good as my older Westy, you bet that I'm not happy. Sure, people may think who can detect that 1 pixel gets bled onto the adjacent pixel, but saying that is just like saying "who can tell 1920x1080 resolution from half of it at 960x540 resolution". Hack, perhaps some people probably don't even notice the higher resolution picture quality difference between 720p and 1080i. But, I bought the TX to upgrade from 1366x768 to 1920x1080, I definite don't buy it to downgrade from 1366x768 to 960x540. People maybe upgrading from old tube TV with SD resolution and found the TX much much better, but they could've been same as happy or happier with a cheaper 1366x768 HDTV.

REALLY small, not noticeable unless your face is plastered up against the screen. It just doesn't fit the ENTIRE screen, but damn close to it.

I haven't gotten to moving my PC into the den yet but I will soon.

So your screen is filled completely on all sides?

My TX has pixels right up the edge so much so that I can see the edge pixels' reflection from the bezel right up against the real one.

If you're talking VGA input, it's analog and that's why the TX (like any other VGA device) needs to tweak timing parameters to get it right. Did you go to the PC menu and run the auto timing (or whatever it's called, sorry I'm 3000 miles from my TX right now)? When I did that, any PC I tried with VGA output was able to fit right up against the bezel.

Quick question, should I keep De interlacing off or on?

I don't know what deinterlace mechanism the TX uses, but with deinterlace turned off, picture looks blurred. I have deinterlace always on

but basically, I think deinterlacing is a dumb gimmick.. like that cutesy sepia tone feature on your camcorder or digital camera, only slightly more useful. If I have my info straight, all deinterlacing does is throw out the odd or even rows of an interlaced video, and then fills them back in with averages of the above+below pixels/rows.. or something similar to that.. so by deinterlacing, you probably sacrifice clarity and quality for *maybe* less flickery video (which could be construed as better quality) and a maybe-better-looking (but not as historically accurate) picture. The deinterlaced video might also appear less fluid / more choppy. Deinterlacing is great for displays that are stuck in progressive scan mode, though, because otherwise they display the video as progressive when it's interlaced, and that makes it look all jittery and crappy (since the fields are displayed a bit out of sequence).

Not exactly true. What you described about the deinterlace mechanism is because it's not done right. The key to do a good job in deinterlacing is reproducing the 60 "updates" per second. I notice that many people can't even tell 30fps from 60fps. It's sad that many of these people write deinterlace algorithms and result in horrible picture quality. With proper 60fps deinterlacing, there's no comparison in picture quality to direct display of non-processed interlaced source on a progressive display.

Thanks very much for your time and effort getting those pics, James. I guess it goes to show that what is acceptable to one person is not acceptable to another--Your photos look like the ones I took.. same problem, but two different opinions. Obviously for me, this blur problem is totally unacceptable, and I think it's also false advertising.

By the way, has anyone noticed that when you're displaying a straight white+black checkerboard background pattern (one pixel white, one pixel black, etc..) and then you switch to blue-black checkerboard, there's a split second where it actually displays the blue-black checkerboard correctly? If I still have the TX-47 when I'm allowed to get out of bed, I'll take some video or something to show this happening.

-Burgerleg

I have to agree with Burgerleg that, first, thank James for the pictures and, second, that particular picture is not quite acceptable to me although totally noticeable even sitting at 8ft away from the 42" (I'm well-known for able to see small text further than most other people not because of 20/20 vision with lens correction but because my coordination between brain and muscles, whether hand or eye, seem to be better than average. Note the difference between acceptable and noticeable. To me the problem being very noticeable but not entirely unacceptable is simply because of the price and the fact that I might be upgrading in a couple of years anyways.

On a side note, I see white ghosting on the gray background on those pictures, and THAT'S not acceptable. That happens because your sharpness setting is > 0. You may have already set it to zero, but I've probably mentioned before that the TX somehow doesn't reset the mode settings properly when switching inputs. Make sure you switch to PC (VGA) input (even if you don't have anything VGA input hooked up) for a second AND THEN switch to your HDMI input with PC. That's the best (if not the only) way to reset sharpness to zero; otherwise the TX could be in a state with sharpness setting showing zero but is indeed having something else which results in the ghosting.

Oh, and I found one easy-to-catch problem. Surprise! Luckily to me it's not as big a problem compare to the other ones already mentioned. What really surprised me is that nobody has mentioned this problem before. As you may know I've just got my shipment lately with my computer and AV equipment, etc. I finally hooked up my Panasonic DVD-recorder to the TX thru' component and found out that playing commercial DVD movies at 480p output (component) the TX doesn't even work! It's a total black screen! Sometimes it flickers a bit trying to display a picture for a fraction of a second but otherwise it's total black screen. When I switched to 480i output for the component on the Panny, the TX works OK. And if I play anything other than the actual content of the movie it plays fine at 480p. Even the main menu of the movie DVD plays fine. I'm 100% sure the Panny and the cables are NOT to blame. I'm just so surprised nobody has found out this one. Or is it really my particular unit that is defective?

By the way, has anyone noticed that when you're displaying a straight white+black checkerboard background pattern (one pixel white, one pixel black, etc..) and then you switch to blue-black checkerboard, there's a split second where it actually displays the blue-black checkerboard correctly? If I still have the TX-47 when I'm allowed to get out of bed, I'll take some video or something to show this happening.

-Burgerleg

I remember you or somebody else mentioned this particular situation before. I'll have to try it out when I get back (I'm 3000 miles away from my TX). From what you described, it sounds like the firmware is simply doing something it should not have... again. This fits perfectly with what I found that the blue text blurring is much worse with HDMI than VGA, which otherwise wouldn't make sense. I bet that's somewhat related to the "burnt-in" imagines after a sudden dark scene switch. And that's what make me steam. WH has a potentially good product that could be very capable, but just to have it ruined by their software engineers who write the crappy firmware (or who pass the tests with the firmware). The reason I use the word "ruined" is that it's not like there's some difficult algorithm that their firmware could not do, but is due to algorithm that should not have been applied.

Hey I posted a topic with this in it and now I'm thinking that was the wrong way to ask for help. Seeing as thisis a thread entirely dedicated to my tv (its the 42 not the 47) I thought I would post it here. I have skimmed through and used the thread search but not found anyone with an answer to my problem. With 130+ pages it may be in this already but I have yet to find it so here goes a paste job of my original post.

"Hello all, I'm brand new to these forums but after reading some of the posts i think this would be a great place to get an answer. I've had my Westy Tv for about 3 months now and love it. The Samsung HT-X70 is the first device I have bought that has an HDMI Out. I Have been using component connections to enjoy HD from my other devices. Well when I Got the system all set up and plugged in the HDMI cable nothing happened. The autosource took it to the right input and the detecting box went away but there was no picture on the screen. Obviously the sound was fine but i tried putting it into all the other HDMI slots and they all had the same problem. I turned the auto source off and manually selected them too with no luck. Right now I've unplugged everything as I have heard if you let it sit for a while sometimes the HDMI slots will magically work again. I'm hoping there is a better solution out there. I cant test it with any other device as I don't have anything else with HDMI out. The player has component out,which works fine, but sadly it cant upconvert via component cables and for some odd reason only can display in 480i according to the manual. Any help or ideas on how to get the hdmi ports working would be great. Thanks a lot."

And the cables I am using are from a website called buy extras, they were relatively cheap but all the users on the site said they worked fine for thier applications. So you can PM me or post a solution or idea here. Thanks a lot again for taking the time to read all this.

I'm in the same boat. I'm sick and tired of waiting for the new firmware. My 42" TX-42 freezes upon bootup every other day. I bought this thing in August 2007.

All I want is store credit and purchase a different brand, or maybe pay a little extra for the 47" TX-47.

Beefy,
I had the same problem with my TX47 - returned it after owning it for 28 days. Got a Tosh 47hl167 as a replacement, it had a dead pixel and a strange green push in any dark scenes, no calibration could fix it. I returned that one after 5 days. I finally ended up with a Samsung LNT4665F, paid about $400.00 more total including the service contact but the picture quality I am getting in my opinion was worth it. No more freezing up problems, No dead pixel and green push like the Tosh, Nice blacks. 1080P accepted over all video inputs. The Tosh only accepted 1080i via component and 1024x768 over vga.

Best of luck

:)

The Samsung HT-X70 is the first device I have bought that has an HDMI Out. I Have been using component connections to enjoy HD from my other devices. Well when I Got the system all set up and plugged in the HDMI cable nothing happened. The autosource took it to the right input and the detecting box went away but there was no picture on the screen. Obviously the sound was fine but i tried putting it into all the other HDMI slots and they all had the same problem. I turned the auto source off and manually selected them too with no luck.

My son and I both bought the TX-42 and we have had no problems. My son's girlfriend bought the TX-47 and she had been pleased with it also, until he bought her a Philips DVP-5982 upconvert DVD player with HDMI. He has tried to connect it to her 47 with a good quality cable and ran into the same problem you describe. He took the player and cable home and hooked it to his 42 and it works fine, so it looks like a problem with the HDMI hub on the TX-47. I'll ask him to try resetting using the power button and/or the menu factory reset, but I'm not optimistic. Please let me know if you get it working.

James

I also just purchased this set and I am pretty happy with it so far. Just wondering if anyone has calibration settings for the following...

TiVo Series 2 Dual Tuner(Standard Definition Component), Xbox 360(HDMI), and OTA HD

I don't think people like me who found all these problems are nit-picking. I bought the TX because of the 1080p support; otherwise, I was happy with my older Westy 40" 720p. So naturally, if the TX can't even do as good as my older Westy, you bet that I'm not happy. Sure, people may think who can detect that 1 pixel gets bled onto the adjacent pixel, but saying that is just like saying "who can tell 1920x1080 resolution from half of it at 960x540 resolution". Hack, perhaps some people probably don't even notice the higher resolution picture quality difference between 720p and 1080i. But, I bought the TX to upgrade from 1366x768 to 1920x1080, I definite don't buy it to downgrade from 1366x768 to 960x540. People maybe upgrading from old tube TV with SD resolution and found the TX much much better, but they could've been same as happy or happier with a cheaper 1366x768 HDTV.

My feelings exactly. I had narrowed my choices to the tx-47 (943.9 sq in viewable) and a 58" maxent plasma (1437.4 sq in viewable) at 1366x768. I picked the tx-47 because I decided that when I was going to use it as a monitor instead of a tv, or when watching 1080p blu-ray, I would care more about the higher res than the larger size. But the tx-47 ended up being lower practical res than 1366x768, invalidating my tiebreaker reason for choosing it, and leaving me even more disappointed because it has the "burn in" effect/problem.

-Burgerleg

My son and I both bought the TX-42 and we have had no problems. My son's girlfriend bought the TX-47 and she had been pleased with it also, until he bought her a Philips DVP-5982 upconvert DVD player with HDMI. He has tried to connect it to her 47 with a good quality cable and ran into the same problem you describe. He took the player and cable home and hooked it to his 42 and it works fine, so it looks like a problem with the HDMI hub on the TX-47. I'll ask him to try resetting using the power button and/or the menu factory reset, but I'm not optimistic. Please let me know if you get it working.

James

I got my TX-42 in Sept. No problems till now. I have a 360 hooked up via HDMI and it outputs 1080p beautiful and clear. I got a Phillips DVP-5982 upconvert DVD player with HDMI for chirstmas. I plugged it in and at first I got annoying flickering lines across the screen. Then it went to static, then half image-half static, then some sound for a second or 2, then back to static. I plan to take the DVD player back. Is there any point in getting a replacement since it is likely the TV and not the DVD player? Anyone got troubleshooting tips?

*edit*
By the way I have 2 brand new gold plated HDMI 1.3a cables from monoprice. 1 is with the 360. The 2nd was for this DVD player. I have used both cables in the dvd player so it is not likely a cable problems since the 1 works just fine with the 360. I have also tried all 4 HDMI ports including the one that the 360 is plugged into. So it's not just a specific port.

I got my TX-42 in Sept. No problems till now. I have a 360 hooked up via HDMI and it outputs 1080p beautiful and clear. I got a Phillips DVP-5982 upconvert DVD player with HDMI for chirstmas. I plugged it in and at first I got annoying flickering lines across the screen. Then it went to static, then half image-half static, then some sound for a second or 2, then back to static. I plan to take the DVD player back. Is there any point in getting a replacement since it is likely the TV and not the DVD player? Anyone got troubleshooting tips?

Yesterday we hooked up the new XBOX 360 Halo to HDMI 4. So now we have the PVR computer on HDMI 1, the Motorola HD cable box on 2, the Philips DVP-5982 on 3, and the XBOX on 4. I haven't seen any flickering or static, but early this morning I had a hard time going from the PVR to the cable box. I would choose HDMI 2, but it would keep going back to 1. I eventually got it to switch. As for cables, the DVI/HDMI cable is a Monster 400 I got from MCM Electronics for $12. The other HDMI cables were bought from Ebay--here's the item number-120202801625. I would take the DVD player back and get a replacement. That's the easiest thing to try first.

James

My TX has pixels right up the edge so much so that I can see the edge pixels' reflection from the bezel right up against the real one.

If you're talking VGA input, it's analog and that's why the TX (like any other VGA device) needs to tweak timing parameters to get it right. Did you go to the PC menu and run the auto timing (or whatever it's called, sorry I'm 3000 miles from my TX right now)? When I did that, any PC I tried with VGA output was able to fit right up against the bezel.

My picture is right up against the bezel on the top, right, and bottom.

The left side isn't and it's not that i'm missing pixels due to the fact that it's just pure black, it's REALLY small but still it's there. So it's just a bit of the screen where no pixels are present. Not really annoying but i'm a perfectionist.

Why is that? You gotta give some more information.

For all the reasons listed throughout this thread. I have grown to appreciate my LG and regret my Westinghouse:

The set would not display video from my Toshiba A20. Nobody has been able to get the set to work reliably with the A20 HD-DVD player.
The sound is really bad, due in large part to the speaker replacement.
When switching from an SD to an HD channel there is literally a 5 second delay on my Westinghouse. The LG has less than a 1 second delay.
The HDMI ports do not have discrete remote codes, which makes it impossible to use my Logitech remote in a wife friendly manner (short of spending another 100 - 300 for an HDMI switcher).
PC video via the RGB input is unacceptable.
The set will occasionally freeze, requiring a reboot.


These annoyances are not worth the $400 difference.

which model and firmware and when did you buy?

Sounds like caffeinated got an earlier version of the TX......mine has never locked up and I've had it for 2 months.

The sound is bad but that's why I have a surround system.

Sept firmware for me.

Sounds like caffeinated got an earlier version of the TX......mine has never locked up and I've had it for 2 months.

The sound is bad but that's why I have a surround system.

Sept firmware for me.


haven't had any lockups with a november buy september build

A user Xcaliber stated that this set is constantly on even when in standby mode. Meaning that he saw a moving picture while putting a flashlight to the screen while it is off.

I've experienced no such thing. Anyone else?

Also, how much does this thing cost to run? My electric bill went up nearly 20 bucks this month.

(I've done the flashlight thing with my xbox 360 connected while a game was playing and saw NO moving image....is this guy crazy?)

ALSO - - Anyone know the exact wattage for Standby mode and For Power On mode?

A user Xcaliber stated that this set is constantly on even when in standby mode. Meaning that he saw a moving picture while putting a flashlight to the screen while it is off.

Also, how much does this thing cost to run? My electric bill went up nearly 20 bucks this month.

ALSO - - Anyone know the exact wattage for Standby mode and For Power On mode?

Yeah, that info is in this thread somewhere. I saved it for future reference. If you've got the 47, it's consuming 45 watts when turned "off" in normal mode. If you put it into "e-saver" mode, less than 1 watt. If it's the 42 inch model, about 40 watts. So that's like leaving a 40 watt bulb burning 24/7. Now the backlight really uses the power. Here's a chart showing the backlight percentage and power usage:

* 100%=297 Watts
* 90%=270 Watts
* 80%=243 Watts
* 70%=216 Watts
* 60%=189 Watts
* 50%=162 Watts
* 40%=144 Watts
* 30%=117 Watts
* 20%=99 Watts
* 10%=81 Watts
* 0%=63 Watts
* NIS=45 Watts
* Amber=DNR on CyberPower 1500LCD UPS

The above list was compiled by using Windows RDP to monitor UPS while using
Remote to change backlight percentages.

James

Hmmm so does standby mode affect the life of the set? Or does it just burn up more power to allow quicker startups?

P.S. Thanks for the info man.

OK, first post. I bought the 42" for xmas, opened that morning, set it up with all defaults except for changing to e.saver mode, worked great for 8 hrs solid, then turned off for the day. Next day the power LED was blinking and it appears dead...any suggestions? Tried the power cord pull for minutes and hours. Tried the power button press for 10 secs for re-boot..no joy. Told by Westinghouse that it will be 7-10d just to register my issue...

Hey, anyone noticed the unusual pixel shape of this set? They seem like little circles ()()()(), like that. I've only seen squares on LCD's.

Is this a positive or a negative?

Based on owners experience can someone recommend a few, most compatable, DVD Players for the TX-47F430S?

I don't want to go through 135 pages again (LOL!) to see if this came up before so any assistance would be appreciated. Then I can go over to the DVD Players section of the forums and check them out.

Just looking for a starting point.

Thanks,

James

Based on owners experience can someone recommend a few, most compatable, DVD Players for the TX-47F430S?

I don't want to go through 135 pages again (LOL!) to see if this came up before so any assistance would be appreciated. Then I can go over to the DVD Players section of the forums and check them out.

Just looking for a starting point.

Thanks,

James

the pioneer dv-400k upconverter is a good one, but I am taking that one back to upgrade to the toshiba A30 hd dvd!

I bought a TX-42F430S from Best Buy and set it up with my Cablevision SA 4250 cable box. The HD channels look great - however some HD channels when showing 4 by 3 pictures displays a white / black line on top. I've seen this on my other Olevia HD TV however was able to adjust the vertical position to correct it. However, I noticed the Westinghouse does NOT allow you to change vertical or horizontal position in HDMI or Component mode - it only shows the option under the PC input.

Ive been told these adjustments can also be made thru Motorola cable boxes - unfortanetly Cablevision uses Scientific Atlantic which doesn't seem to have any convergence setting.

Anyone have similar issues? Anyone know how I can adjust the display veritcally (just a half an inch up)? Please help... :confused:

the pioneer dv-400k upconverter is a good one, but I am taking that one back to upgrade to the toshiba A30 hd dvd!

Thanks!

I will check out the DV-400V-K one.

I saw threads on the A30, A35, etc... but got the impression that firmware upgrades were needed to be completely compatable with the Westy. Maybe I am mistaken though. Anyway, I just want one that, out-of-the-box, will be compatable. Don't have any ability to upload firmware revisions.

Thanks again,

James :)

After reading posts - I've been told I should be able to make position adjustments on HDMI inputs via the advanced service menu - how I access that on the TX-42F430S model? All the codes I tried didn't seem to work with this model. Help?

Hey, anyone noticed the unusual pixel shape of this set? They seem like little circles ()()()(), like that. I've only seen squares on LCD's.

Is this a positive or a negative?

Are you talking about the chevron-shaped subpixels? See RandyT2's post in this same thread, here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12412245#post12412245

..here's a close-up photo from RandyT2's post:
http://www.idvtinc.com/images/myTX50percentonwhite.jpg

..The two sets that I tested (both Sept 2007 build) had two rows of square subpixels per "pixel", or six subpixels per pixel (rgb,rgb).. someone here mentioned that this means Westinghouse switched the type of panel used in these models after the original production run, which is a little shady... especially if the new panels happen to be lower quality.

-Burgerleg

My son and I both bought the TX-42 and we have had no problems. My son's girlfriend bought the TX-47 and she had been pleased with it also, until he bought her a Philips DVP-5982 upconvert DVD player with HDMI. He has tried to connect it to her 47 with a good quality cable and ran into the same problem you describe. He took the player and cable home and hooked it to his 42 and it works fine, so it looks like a problem with the HDMI hub on the TX-47. I'll ask him to try resetting using the power button and/or the menu factory reset, but I'm not optimistic. Please let me know if you get it working.

James

Still haven't got a solution. Westinghouse online customer support is a joke. Sent them a very detailed e-mail and got an auto response a week after I sent the e-mail. Heres what they sent me

"Hello Alec,

Thank you for your inquiry.

For basic troubleshooting on your unit we'd ask that you first turn off
the unit and unplug the power for 30 seconds to 1 full minute. When you
are plugging the unit in please try a different outlet or circuit in
your home. If you are using a surge protector you may also want to try
an alternate surge protector of bypassing the surge protector for now to
see if this helps or makes any type of difference. Once you have plugged
the unit in please power it on. If you are able to bring up the menu
we'd ask that you then try a factory reset, which is located under the
general settings in your Westinghouse on-screen menu.

If the issue persists we'd ask you to please contact our tech support
line toll-free at 1-866-287-5555 for further assistance. Upon calling in
please have your serial number (located on the back of the unit) and
your proof of purchase readily available.
If you have any further questions, you may contact us through email, or
by calling us toll-free at 1-866-287-5555, between 9am and 9pm Eastern
Standard Time, Monday through Saturday. One of our technicians will
assist you."

I maybe able to get enough time to call them today (Wednesday) but I'm not to optimistic that anyone will be able to help.

Exactly Burger! I've done some research and apparently it allows for better contrast......but IMO it doesn't produce as sharp a picture as there is some blobbing together of things at super small text levels.

Regarding the red and blue grid smear problem with PC (DVI-HDMI) input, I suddenly think of something... This artifact is awefully close to what a filter would do for some chroma subsampling (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chroma_subsampling) (I'm thinking 4:1:1). If I remember correctly, according to burgerleg the red or blue grid manages to be displayed properly for a fraction of a second at first and then the symptom kicks in. This probably means the possibility that the TX is somehow stuck running 4:1:1 or other non-4:4:4 subsampling mode is slim. Perhaps somehow the TX incorrectly applies the filter normally used for 4:1:1 or other non-4:4:4 subsampling mode. If that's the case, then again this shows that the TX is a capable unit, but just to get screwed over by the crappy firmware (or crappy QA for the firmware). I still wonder if the ghost-image-leftbehind-dark-scene problem is somewhat related...

Exactly Burger! I've done some research and apparently it allows for better contrast......but IMO it doesn't produce as sharp a picture as there is some blobbing together of things at super small text levels.

...but what you describe sounds like you have the newer panel with the split pixel layout like what I described earlier in this thread

rGb
RgB

which matches what you describe what you have -- September build. Sounds like you finally realize the problems I've been complaining about this newer split-pixel panel.

I just checked back thru' this thread and realize junebug1701, you, and I all bought our TX'es on the very same day!

However, I also went thru' your comments and find it funny that you first said:

LASTLY, are these issues just going to bother really technical AV people? I'm not one of these obviously since I see nothing wrong with this set. You guys have really freaked me out.

I bought my TV on the same day! I also am extremely satisfied with it.

but then all of a sudden you're a "perfectionist" on the pixel alignment to the bezel.
My picture is right up against the bezel on the top, right, and bottom.

The left side isn't and it's not that i'm missing pixels due to the fact that it's just pure black, it's REALLY small but still it's there. So it's just a bit of the screen where no pixels are present. Not really annoying but i'm a perfectionist.
Honestly, the pixel alignment to the bezel is definitely the very last thing I would mention as a problem with the TX. Actually, I think the pixel alignment is one of the very few things with the TX that has exceeded my expectation.

Yeah, that info is in this thread somewhere. I saved it for future reference. If you've got the 47, it's consuming 45 watts when turned "off" in normal mode. If you put it into "e-saver" mode, less than 1 watt. If it's the 42 inch model, about 40 watts. So that's like leaving a 40 watt bulb burning 24/7. Now the backlight really uses the power. Here's a chart showing the backlight percentage and power usage:

* 100%=297 Watts
* 90%=270 Watts
* 80%=243 Watts
* 70%=216 Watts
* 60%=189 Watts
* 50%=162 Watts
* 40%=144 Watts
* 30%=117 Watts
* 20%=99 Watts
* 10%=81 Watts
* 0%=63 Watts
* NIS=45 Watts
* Amber=DNR on CyberPower 1500LCD UPS

The above list was compiled by using Windows RDP to monitor UPS while using
Remote to change backlight percentages.

James

good info thanks !

LOL yea Chris after reading countless pages of negative comments regarding the set I decided to look into LCD's, pixel formations, screen fill, etc etc.

I have now become a perfectionist.

But concerning the screen fill issue I have it's not that the pixels aren't firing it's just that the screen seems to have been placed a bit to the right rather than dead on center. Meaning a TINY bit of extra pixels that actually go past the bezel on the right side(It's actually 1 vertical line of pixels) so i'm not missing out on much;).

(On a side note, my Westinghouse beats out all other HD's in the screen fill area, i've looked at Sony's, LG's, Panny's. Dynex's, Samsung's, and ALL of them have alittle bit of the screen that isn't firing or a lot of screen that is just panel and no pixel on ALL sides)

And Chris what do you mean by split pixel? Are earlier builds not chevron shaped or are you reffering to a different Chevron pixel shape style that's being used for Sept panels that wasn't used in earlier builds?

I'm a total newb, so I will do my best not to ask stupid questions that are already addressed in the thread. If I don't hold true to this, I won't hold what comes next against yall. I purchased the TX-42F430S about a month ago for our new house we were closing on in February. Long story short, we aren't getting the house but I get to keep the new TV. Yay. I have yet to plug it in, but will probably do so this weekend and hopefully I will have read through this thread enough that if I have questions, they won't be stupid questions.

Hmmm so does standby mode affect the life of the set? Or does it just burn up more power to allow quicker startups?

P.S. Thanks for the info man.

As an electronics technician, I can say there are 2 schools of thought on this. Some techs say that if you leave the equipment on, even in standby, it keeps the circuitry warmed up, therefore there is less thermal expansion from components cooling down and heating up. They also say that the initial power-up surge stresses the components and the pc boards. Others say that if you leave the equipment on, the constant heat has a cumulative effect and shortens the life of the components. Capacitors dry out, transistors and chips degrade, etc. Then there is the wasted energy and heat generated. Try this: put the TX in "normal" mode and check the heat coming off of it first thing in the morning. That 40-45 watts has to go somewhere. In E-saver mode, it stays cool when it's off. I'm in the first camp when it comes to computers--I leave my home computer on all the time. It doesn't use much power in sleep mode, ditto for the monitor. But with my Westy 42, I keep it in E-saver mode because in "normal" mode it wastes a lot of electricity and puts out a lot of heat. Normal mode isn't worth it to me--I can wait a few extra seconds for the picture to appear.

James

Based on owners experience can someone recommend a few, most compatable, DVD Players for the TX-47F430S?

Thanks,

James

I recommend the Philips DVP5982 upconverting DVD player with HDMI, USB port up front, and the ability to play DivX/Xvid avi files from CD, DVD-ROM, flashdrive, or external hard drive via the USB port. Me and my son both have one and they work perfectly with the TX-42 using HDMI.

If you want Blu-Ray or HD-DVD, I have no experience with them. I would wait for the format war to settle down and/or prices to drop. The picture quality of the DVP5982 upconverting to 1080p is excellent, and my family probably wouldn't notice the difference if I switched to an HD disc format.

James

Got my TX-47F430S just now.

Where is the Build Date, Firmware Number, etc... located?

Thanks,

James :)

LOL yea Chris after reading countless pages of negative comments regarding the set I decided to look into LCD's, pixel formations, screen fill, etc etc.

I have now become a perfectionist.
I see. Make sense now, but good luck perfectionist with the TX because you'll find a whole lot of things not perfect with the TX to make screen fill the very very bottom on the list. You don't want to miss out on the more significant problems by focusing on the smaller ones. So far, regarding display problems, the red/blue-smear and ghost-image-leftbehind-dark-scene are the 2 most significant to me.


And Chris what do you mean by split pixel? Are earlier builds not chevron shaped or are you reffering to a different Chevron pixel shape style that's being used for Sept panels that wasn't used in earlier builds?

Read my post (#3647 on page 122 of this thread) for details. Basically, I mean that instead of the layout

RGB

a split-pixel doubles it as

RGB
RGB

as a SINGLE pixel.

The chevron-shaped pixel panel is the earlier build (June 2007). The split-pixel panel is the later build (Sept 2007).

I mentioned a few pages earlier that I went to BB to specifically looked for any other LCD TV that uses a split-pixel panel like the sept build TX, mainly because of the rainbow-ish-white-text-edge annoyance I found with the split-pixel panel. I found exactly one panel -- the lowest-end Sharp 42". Then, yesterday I came across old post #69 on page 3 from Xcalibur_255 mentioning something about multi-pixel technology used by Sharp that seems to match what I found. At this point, I can't comment on whether Sharp and/or Westy uses the technology for wider viewing angle as Xcalibur_255 suggested, as I'm still 3000 miles away from my TX right now. Will post back when I find out more.

Hi, all. I found this forum today while researching the PS3 "dropped-signal aka flicker" problem, downloaded it and spent quite a while going through the whole thing.

First, I want to give a big THANKS to everyone who has put in the time and effort to test things, report results, find specs, etc. to make this thread pretty darn informative. I started out just looking for PS3 related info, but feel like I got quite a bit more.

I've had my TV for several months, replacing a smaller Sony that I thought very highly of and that someone else loved enough to steal from me. I use it 90+% of the time as a computer monitor, running at less than full resolution (and it still looks awesome) because I'm sitting 6 feet away from it. It's been a fabulous monitor, good for computer usage as well as watching DivX files of all flavors of ratios and quality. The PS3 problem is the first issue of dissatisfaction I've had with my Westy, and after my research I'm placing the majority of the blame on HDCP crap being forced down our throats, I mean cables.

For the following, the relevant parts of my setup are
TX-47F430S, Software 5110_1.1.0, Build: 2007 April 13
PS3 40G, software version 2.10
older PC with nVidia GEForce FX 5900XT, DVI->HDMI at 1280x800@60Hz
prog-scan Toshiba DivX DVD (SD-K860) through HDMI

I thought I'd share my experiences with the PS3 and my Westy. I had a bunch of people over and we spent all of New Year's Day playing Rock Band (Christmas present to myself) and grumbling at the sound and video consistently dropping out. Pulling/pinching/jiggling the cable always seemed to work to fix the long outages (which were about every 3rd or 4th time), so I'd written it off as bad cable. Fortunately I decided to research it a bit anyway and found all the discussions posted here.

So I had things to test when I got home today. I first verified that the PS3 was up to date and the problem was still occurring and still frequent (sometimes several times in a single song). This was all in HDMI 2, where I'd plugged the PS3 in when I got it b/c my PC was going into HDMI 1. I then tried it in each of the 4 HDMI ports. HDMI 3 gave very disturbing results, as the picture was very jumpy, the entire image flashing often at about a half-vertical-height offset and skewed diagonally. Even the PS3 menu screens were doing it. I haven't gone back to see if I could replicate it - I want to be blissfully ignorant until I feel like I've gotten a handle on the signal drop issue before facing whatever the HDMI 3 issue might be.

I was getting the signal drop on HDMI 1, 2 and 4 (not 3, but the glitch was so bad I didn't test it for long), so I decided to test movies. At the start of Spiderman 3 (BD), I was getting 1-second signal drops every 2 minutes at first. Just when I decided to actually start timing them precisely it stopped. Got about 10 minutes without a drop and went on to test other stuff. I had no problems with SD and DVD-R discs with DivX files played with either the PS3 or the Toshiba DVD player. Finally I went back to Rock Band and played 4 or 5 songs without a signal drop.

I'm not ready to call it fixed, but using HDMI 1 certainly seems to be a lot more "stable" than port 2 was. There will be more Rock Band played tomorrow night, so we'll see how well behaved it is through several hours of that. And running the PC into HDMI 2 works just as perfectly as it did in #1.

Lastly, several folks asked about the Westy and Harmony remotes. I am a HUGE fan of Harmony remotes from way back, and worked hard to get everything set just right. Harmony didn't have a way of cycling through inputs exactly like the Westy (and Samsung?) does, so it took some jury-rigging and programming wizardry to get it right. However they have since added this methodology and now the remote is smart enough to know which input it is on and properly cycle up or down the list when you change activities. Go Harmony!

If anyone has any questions about my Harmony programming settings or whatever, I'll be more than happy to help. Don't expect super-speedy response - site is blocked at work, so I'll have to remember to check in occasionally at home.

Thanks again for all the great and helpful info!

How long do they (Westinghouse) give you to register (on-line) your warranty and extended warranty info?

The reason I am asking is that they say they want your TV's Serial Number.
Let's say it's 12345. So you register that number and your warranty and extended warranty are assigned to it. In a few weeks your TV goes on the fritz and cannot be repaired. So they replace it. Now you have serial number 54321. Do they transfer your warranties to the new serial number.

Maybe I am missing something here but it's running through my mind that if it's not transfered then you would lose it. And have to pay for another extended warranty on the new TV.

That's why I asked if there is a time frame that you have to register it.
If there is then you could hold off regestering until you really check out your set to make sure it's working properly.

Thanks,

James

P.S. I searched this thread but at a 135 pages could not find anything on this.

I bought a TX-42F430S from Best Buy and set it up with my Cablevision SA 4250 cable box. The HD channels look great - however some HD channels when showing 4 by 3 pictures displays a white / black line on top. I've seen this on my other Olevia HD TV however was able to adjust the vertical position to correct it. However, I noticed the Westinghouse does NOT allow you to change vertical or horizontal position in HDMI or Component mode - it only shows the option under the PC input.

Ive been told these adjustments can also be made thru Motorola cable boxes - unfortanetly Cablevision uses Scientific Atlantic which doesn't seem to have any convergence setting.

Anyone have similar issues? Anyone know how I can adjust the display veritcally (just a half an inch up)? Please help... :confused:

I have this same issue with a Motorola box and it is extremely distracting. It is present on both 16:9 and 4:3 content for me on most HD channels.

I thought I would be able to get used to it, but I'm at a point now where I would be willing to pay good money for a solution other than physically blocking off that part of the screen.

Where did you hear that Motorola boxes have this adjustment?

I have this same issue with a Motorola box and it is extremely distracting. It is present on both 16:9 and 4:3 content for me on most HD channels.

I thought I would be able to get used to it, but I'm at a point now where I would be willing to pay good money for a solution other than physically blocking off that part of the screen.

Where did you hear that Motorola boxes have this adjustment?

not trying to be a dick, but this has been covered over and over in this thread.
as painful as it may go back and read it.

not trying to be a dick, but this has been covered over and over in this thread.
as painful as it may go back and read it.

I have searched through this thread. The conclusion I came to is that there is no way to solve this with the TV other than cutting off a large part of the picture in fill mode. If this is incorrect, then I apologize for overlooking something.

I was mainly interested in finding out where to find information about using the Motorola cable box to adjust the vertical alignment. I am familiar with the basic menu and have tried different setttings, but if there is another configuration menu I would like to know about it.

I have searched through this thread. The conclusion I came to is that there is no way to solve this with the TV other than cutting off a large part of the picture in fill mode. If this is incorrect, then I apologize for overlooking something.

I was mainly interested in finding out where to find information about using the Motorola cable box to adjust the vertical alignment. I am familiar with the basic menu and have tried different setttings, but if there is another configuration menu I would like to know about it.

Fill mode cuts off about 5% of the picture edges only. That is your only choice with this set. If you feel really strongly about this issue then take it up with Westinghouse as a suggestion for future changes. It does no good just complaining about it in web threads such as this.

fafner

Fill mode cuts off about 5% of the picture edges only. That is your only choice with this set. If you feel really strongly about this issue then take it up with Westinghouse as a suggestion for future changes. It does no good just complaining about it in web threads such as this.

fafner

My intent was not to complain, just agree that I am experiencing the same issue and would really like to find a solution.

5% is too much in my opinion and occasionally cuts off the bottom of text along the bottom of the picture.

I was just asking where I could find more information about the Motorola cable box adjustments he or she referred to.

I mentioned a few pages earlier that I went to BB to specifically looked for any other LCD TV that uses a split-pixel panel like the sept build TX, mainly because of the rainbow-ish-white-text-edge annoyance I found with the split-pixel panel. I found exactly one panel -- the lowest-end Sharp 42". Then, yesterday I came across old post #69 on page 3 from Xcalibur_255 mentioning something about multi-pixel technology used by Sharp that seems to match what I found. At this point, I can't comment on whether Sharp and/or Westy uses the technology for wider viewing angle as Xcalibur_255 suggested, as I'm still 3000 miles away from my TX right now. Will post back when I find out more.

I have 3 other LCDs in my house, and all of them are split-pixel. Two are ViewSonic: n2750w (720p native) and VA1912wb (16:10 aspect, 1440x900 native)
I don't know the brand of the other one, but it's whatever is used on my old Inspiron 8100 laptop, which is 1600x1200 native, 15" screen.

Is this the rainbow effect to which you're referring?
http://witt.tv/images/20071129_LCD_Comparison_Photos/2007-12-09_Ghosting/possible_blur.jpg

If it is, I don't see it on any of my other (split-pixel) LCDs.

-Burgerleg

I have searched through this thread. The conclusion I came to is that there is no way to solve this with the TV other than cutting off a large part of the picture in fill mode. If this is incorrect, then I apologize for overlooking something.

I was mainly interested in finding out where to find information about using the Motorola cable box to adjust the vertical alignment. I am familiar with the basic menu and have tried different setttings, but if there is another configuration menu I would like to know about it.

have you tried the manufacturer of STB's website. they generally have full documentation of the adjustments. and if i remeber correctly the that particular box allows you to move the screen

have you tried the manufacturer of STB's website. they generally have full documentation of the adjustments. and if i remeber correctly the that particular box allows you to move the screen

I have read through the user guide on Motorolas site but there is no mention of these settings. I have also been unable to find any information through google.

Ok Guys. I have a Sep 3rd build I bought at BB Sep26th.

It only locks up on the educational channels.

KET (Kentucky Educational TV) in Louisville is on digital 17.1,2,3 &4 and the Westy locks up anywhere between a few seconds to 10 min on each channel. All others digitals on NBC CBS ABC FOX etc. are fine.

As soon as I select any one of the KET channels it locks up. This started yesterday and continues today.

Currently I have only OTA and DVD on HDMI 2. I have booted with disconnecting AC plug and power button. Also, alternate power sources and factory resets. No change.

BB has a tech coming Jan 14th. I have deleted the KET channels for now.

Any one else having this problem?

Robert

im on the verge of buying the tx42 and i am too lazy to read through 136 pages to answer the two questions that i have... If playing xbox360 in 1080p via hdmi, will the entire sceen be filled up and not cut off any edges at all? And i have no clue what calibration dvd thingamagiger to buy to get hte best results out of my tx.

im on the verge of buying the tx42 and i am too lazy to read through 136 pages to answer the two questions that i have... If playing xbox360 in 1080p via hdmi, will the entire sceen be filled up and not cut off any edges at all? And i have no clue what calibration dvd thingamagiger to buy to get hte best results out of my tx.

You will love it for that, wait till you see Gears on this screen!

Later,

Alex

You will love it for that, wait till you see Gears on this screen!How can you stand using HDMI with this TV? It won't let you output 5.1 to a receiver! That said, I'm perfectly happy with component video out of my 360 to my TX-47.

Sorry for the mis-information - i thought under settings I saw a vertical / horizontal adjustment on my Comcast Motorola Box. After fooling around with it I realized its the adjustment for the GUIDE! Frickin sucks...

I guess since I got the Westinghouse for so cheap I'll have to deal with having it in "Fill" mode. I assume that there's nothing my cable provider can do to tweak the signal?

Lastly, I'm sorry if this was covered multiple times in this forum - I tried to search and read as many posts as I can. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't some firmware or service menu fix for it. Thanks!

As for me I'm pulling the trigger at BB on Friday with the help of my 12% off Rewards coupon. This is a no-brainer for me. I'll add the BB extended warranty & cross my fingers.

EdL

Exchanged the set today for a Toshiba HL167, cost me a buck and a half more, after the price match with Nebraska Furniture Mart. It was amazing to see how many of the BB store personnel kept telling what a better set the Toshiba was.

EdL

Don't know if you have a Motorola DVR, but try this. It has info on hidden settings:

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR

I just was starting to install the bracket for mounting my TV. I started to install the first screw into the outer mounting hole on the back of the TV, and the TV sparked on the inside :confused: :eek:. I was able to see it spark from the heat vents in the back . Unit won't turn on now. I have to wait for Westinghouse to determine if they will repair. It appears to me that a wire inside the TV was not in it's right place. They should not put wires in the back of mounting holes. :confused: Anyone else have this issue?

You had the TV plugged in while mounting?!?!?

I just was starting to install the bracket for mounting my TV. I started to install the first screw into the outer mounting hole on the back of the TV, and the TV sparked on the inside :confused: :eek:. I was able to see it spark from the heat vents in the back . Unit won't turn on now. I have to wait for Westinghouse to determine if they will repair. It appears to me that a wire inside the TV was not in it's right place. They should not put wires in the back of mounting holes. :confused: Anyone else have this issue?

Someone else in this tread had the same kind of problem, I think.. see this post (and others related to it):
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11517525#post11517525

..wish this forum had better search tools.

-Burgerleg

your right it appears to be the same issue...good call

If you choose to do that, make sure the TV is unpluged from the wall.

Even then I would not recommend doing that - I've used 30mm bolt to try that and I've short circuited my previous TX (which I think was bizzare, the screw hole should not be near any critical components and be able to touch them. It didn't actually seem to have touched anything, but it did get close enough to conduct electricity it seems).

If I remember correctly I've used M6-16mm bolts (for the VESA 200 holes). I would be careful using anything longer than 16mm. When I've talked to Westinghouse they've recommended 12mm bolts (which I think seem way too short).
I just shorted mine out while inserting mounting screws into the outer mounting holes on the back of the set. I was just screwing the screw in with my fingers (forcing nothing). The screw was about 5/8 inch long #M6. My set just ended up shorting out. What was the out come when you shorted yours out?
you can see my post on this board ; post # 4065

I just wanted to note that I have now had 2 "lock-ups" with my set. They seemed to coincide with the addition of new connections. The first was with the addition of a Dreamcast to the VGA port and the second was just shortly after adding an XBOX 360 on HDMI 3.

It should be noted that I run the set on normal mode, not e-saver. Both times I was able to recover by pulling the plug and holding the power button on until the LED extinguished. It's almost like the set really wants a re-boot in order to properly handle a new device being connected to it.

Just speculation. Take it for what it's worth.

Any one notice the really bad green push.? Everything kinda looks like a teal color when it should be like a gray or black or some other kinda blue.

How can you stand using HDMI with this TV? It won't let you output 5.1 to a receiver! That said, I'm perfectly happy with component video out of my 360 to my TX-47.

I use the optical out on the 360 for the audio, just plug it directly into my receiver.

Later,

Alex

I just wanted to note that I have now had 2 "lock-ups" with my set. They seemed to coincide with the addition of new connections. The first was with the addition of a Dreamcast to the VGA port and the second was just shortly after adding an XBOX 360 on HDMI 3.

It should be noted that I run the set on normal mode, not e-saver. Both times I was able to recover by pulling the plug and holding the power button on until the LED extinguished. It's almost like the set really wants a re-boot in order to properly handle a new device being connected to it.

Just speculation. Take it for what it's worth.

You're an April 2007 build, right?

I have the Sept. 2007 build (but not much longer.. I'm returning it as soon as I can). Running in e-saver mode.. I've added lots of various inputs (3 different PCs and three different PS3s) via all 4 hdmi ports, VGA, old xbox via component, and ATSC via RG-56 coax, and didn't lock up at all in any of those configurations.

I only had mine lock up once, when I turned it off via remote, then tried turning it right back on about 1/2 second later.. Even the buttons on the right side wouldn't work. I unplugged it from the wall for about 10 seconds, plugged it back in again, and all was back to normal. I haven't ever tried to duplicate the scenario.. just decided I'd avoid flipping it off and on that fast in the future.

-Burgerleg

Well, my set from June is now not powering up at all. No power indicator, nada, zilch, zip. I have switched out power cords and switch where it was plugged in. I guess it is time to call Best Buy. :(

what are you all using to test the pixels? I just purchased one of these today from best buy, its a sept 7 build, software 5112_1.2.0

I use the optical out on the 360 for the audio, just plug it directly into my receiver.So you have both HDMI and the component/optical dongle connected at the same time? When I tried to do that, the two plugs interfered with each other so badly that I could not connect them both.

So you have both HDMI and the component/optical dongle connected at the same time? When I tried to do that, the two plugs interfered with each other so badly that I could not connect them both.

I don't know if it makes a difference but I have an Elite. I made sure to change the appropriate settings in the system blade as well. I have the HDMI and audio dongle connected, found it needs a good push into the 360 and actually snaps in, otherwise a loose connection and garbled mess. I don't know what else to say.

Good Luck,

Alex

Hi delta1119,

I have a TX-47F430S and the Harmony 520. I would be interested in how you solved the HDMI input cycling. I currently have a PS3 60GB on HDMI 1 and SA 3250 cable box on HDMI 2. It would help with the WAF if the system was less complicated to use, as the system will change the HDMI inputs randomly(?) and then you have to go through help or manually cycle the inputs.

Today I picked up the TX 47 at best buy since it was on sale.

Can anyone give me some custom settings to get the best picture quality? I realize its mostly preference, but whats working for others?

Thanks

I also noticed that while watching HD programming through a comcast dct3412 box my tv says its in 1080i if it hit the info button on the remote. Shouldnt my TV upconvert to 1080p? I have and HDMI cable but on one end its DVI so i have an adapter to go from DVI to HDMI. Is that limiting my resolution? Or is there some settings in the cable box that needs to be set?

Thanks

Just noticed something odd, was browsing one of the forums I go to alot and someone had used blue text in the post with a black background, look how it looks.. whats wrong?

http://westmichiganmoms.net/files/bluepixel.jpg

This is what it looks like when I highlighted/selected it, looks fine once it had white background

http://westmichiganmoms.net/files/bluepixel2.jpg


I have a sept 7 build, just purchased the screen yesterday. It is used on my pc only.

You're an April 2007 build, right?


Yes. And honestly, I am far happier with the occasional recoverable lockup than I would be with the display issues of the new panels. I definitely feel fortunate to have gotten one of these.

I may feel differently if one day it locks and stays locked. I also believe that the set is more stable by not using the e-saver mode. It may just be superstition, but if it's working, shutting it down just gives it an opportunity to not start back up again.

But so far, I have connected this issue to the addition of a new connection to the set and then switching between them. No problems at all once the connection has been "established" through a re-boot.

Go figure.

what are you all using to test the pixels? I just purchased one of these today from best buy, its a sept 7 build, software 5112_1.2.0

Use TVBlink - google it it's free download


I found a dead dead pixel on my TV with this DVD

Hey guys, I've dug my way through parts of this thread, and used the search function in order to try and find an answer to my question, but so far no luck. If it has been addressed before and I missed it I apologize.

I got the TX-47F430S a week ago and have been enjoying, but I have noticed what may be a single issue, or two issues. I have backlight bleedthrough in all 4 corners and I am wondering if it could be causing a VERY irritating issue. During darker scenes in movies/shows and 360 games (Mass Effect is the best example for the 360) I get what appears to be darkened, rounded off corners, in effect creating a circular visible image on the screen where the corners are darkened/blacked out with rounded edges.

I have everything hooked up via HDMI if that makes a difference, using factory default settings/
I'll try to take some pictures later tonight but hopped on here first to see if anyone else has experienced similar issues?

I also noticed that while watching HD programming through a comcast dct3412 box my tv says its in 1080i if it hit the info button on the remote. Shouldnt my TV upconvert to 1080p? I have and HDMI cable but on one end its DVI so i have an adapter to go from DVI to HDMI. Is that limiting my resolution? Or is there some settings in the cable box that needs to be set?When you hit 'info', it tells you the signal it is _receiving_, not the picture it's displaying. The TV converts all signals to 1080p for display.

When you hit 'info', it tells you the signal it is _receiving_, not the picture it's displaying. The TV converts all signals to 1080p for display.

Thank you for that info uncleben.

Im going to return this TV. After watching it all day im disappointed. It was such a great deal too.:(

Hey guys, I've dug my way through parts of this thread, and used the search function in order to try and find an answer to my question, but so far no luck. If it has been addressed before and I missed it I apologize.

I got the TX-47F430S a week ago and have been enjoying, but I have noticed what may be a single issue, or two issues. I have backlight bleedthrough in all 4 corners and I am wondering if it could be causing a VERY irritating issue. During darker scenes in movies/shows and 360 games (Mass Effect is the best example for the 360) I get what appears to be darkened, rounded off corners, in effect creating a circular visible image on the screen where the corners are darkened/blacked out with rounded edges.

I have everything hooked up via HDMI if that makes a difference, using factory default settings/
I'll try to take some pictures later tonight but hopped on here first to see if anyone else has experienced similar issues?

Try adjusting the backlight in the settings and see if that cures your problem.

Thank you for that info uncleben.

Im going to return this TV. After watching it all day im disappointed. It was such a great deal too.:(


blackjer

Good for you - I returned my TX47 after owning it for 28 days. To many issues

FYI - I have two other Westinghouse monitors at home

LVM-37w1 - First used as my main TV, now being used as a PC monitor
LTV-27W2 - First used as a PC monitor, now being used as a TV in my bedroom

Never had any problems with these units

In my opinion the TX line is just plain horrible - Too many issues with this line

The TX47 was replaced with a Samsung LNT-4665F - I love this new unit, no complaints, got a very good deal over the holidays. The extra money paid for the unit was well worth it.

Best of Luck

blackjer

Good for you - I returned my TX47 after owning it for 28 days. To many issues

FYI - I have two other Westinghouse monitors at home

LVM-37w1 - First used as my main TV, now being used as a PC monitor
LTV-27W2 - First used as a PC monitor, now being used as a TV in my bedroom

Never had any problems with these units

In my opinion the TX line is just plain horrible - Too many issues with this line

The TX47 was replaced with a Samsung LNT-4665F - I love this new unit, no complaints, got a very good deal over the holidays. The extra money paid for the unit was well worth it.

Best of Luck

Today i adjusted some settings and the picture improved. However, the damn white line on the top of some of my channels is annoying. I also get it on the side on some channels. If anyone cares, my build is from sept.

On the plus side, this tv looks AMAZING while playing xbox 360 and watching HD DVDs.

So, i get 30 days to return it from Best Buy. Ill prolly just save a couple hundred extra dollars and get a samsung or something.

I got my TX47 last saturday. Sept. build as well. So far so good. Looks great. Even SD is 10 times better than my old set. No major problems. The only minor thing I noticed is a bit of frame freezing that other have mentioned. When you are watching TV the picture will, occassionaly, freeze for a second or two. But only when I have it on "fill" or "overscan". When it's on normal screen it doesn't happen at all (at least not yet anyway). I find it looks clearer and sharper on normal screen size anyway so that's how I leave it.

No lines that I read others are having. Maybe it's a transmission thing and not the TV. Not technical enough to know one way or the other though.

I will be hooking up a DVD player this weekend and will post if I have any issues.

James :)

I just purchased the 47F30S and I am very happy with it.

I am having 2 minor issues, and wonder if anyone knows about these. I did try to search, so if this has been answered already, a link would be appreciated.

1. When watching TV from my Dish 622 reveiver, channels 2 and 4 (CBS and NBC) have a line of "static" across the top of the screen. It only happens on those 2 channels. I don't know if it is the TV, the Dish box or the cable. Any ideas?

2. I use my PS2 to watch DVDs. I hooked up the PS2 through component cables, and set the PS2 DVD player to output in 16X9 and 480p. The TV won't "sync" with the progressive output. It will usually say "No Input SIgnal" but every once in a while I will get a somewhat scrambled picture with sound. When I go back to a non-progressive signal, everything works fine. ANy ideas?

Thanks in advance!

I just purchased the 47F30S and I am very happy with it.

I am having 2 minor issues, and wonder if anyone knows about these. I did try to search, so if this has been answered already, a link would be appreciated.

1. When watching TV from my Dish 622 reveiver, channels 2 and 4 (CBS and NBC) have a line of "static" across the top of the screen. It only happens on those 2 channels. I don't know if it is the TV, the Dish box or the cable. Any ideas?

2. I use my PS2 to watch DVDs. I hooked up the PS2 through component cables, and set the PS2 DVD player to output in 16X9 and 480p. The TV won't "sync" with the progressive output. It will usually say "No Input SIgnal" but every once in a while I will get a somewhat scrambled picture with sound. When I go back to a non-progressive signal, everything works fine. ANy ideas?

Thanks in advance!

I have comcast cable and i have the same issue you have in #1. However, it happens on several channels....and it seems to me that it does it mostly on an HD channel that is broadcasting something that isnt HD. IE, watching sportscenter on ESPNHD...then they show a clip from a game and its not in HD and it shows the line.

I have comcast cable and i have the same issue you have in #1. However, it happens on several channels....and it seems to me that it does it mostly on an HD channel that is broadcasting something that isnt HD. IE, watching sportscenter on ESPNHD...then they show a clip from a game and its not in HD and it shows the line.

Come to think of it, the 2 channels were HD channels, but the program was displayed in 4:3, so I assume it isn't true HD content.

Come to think of it, the 2 channels were HD channels, but the program was displayed in 4:3, so I assume it isn't true HD content.

Same thing here.

I had an interesting problem with mine: The HDMI ports suddenly stopped working. If I swapped out cables and used the component or other ports, things would work fine. The monitor would detect if I plugged something into one of the HDMI ports and would switch, but with no picture.

The BB tech came out today to have a look at it. He said that it would need a circuit board replacement, but there were none available, so instead I'm just getting a brand new TV!

No idea what caused it, though.

BTW... I just noticed that the Westinghouse support site now has a link to a firmware update. Has this already been discussed or is this something new? Anyone know what it actually changes?

You're right Cheeshead, the firmware must have come live just late this afternoon, because I've been on the site all morning while I was trying to engage Westinghouse Customer Support for a dead TV return...I'm hoping that if they're (Westinghouse) lurking here trying to see what the owners forum has to say, that they'll also pick up on the fact that their Canadian customers aren't happy that they have to pay 100s of dollars to ship a unit to CA for repair\replacement...but then that's because I bought my TX-42 online through Dell...and as soon as the deal is done, they punt you to Westinghouse for all aftercare. One of their agents also told me that by buying the W3 extended warranty that I could start using it day 1...but after talking to W3 today (they have agreat reputation when they do get involved), they confirmed they only start on day 366, after the mfr warranty expires...too bad

I'll be interested in hearing from the other members whether the firmware update is the saving grace everyone's been waiting for...please let us know.

Kirk - Ottawa, Canada

whats the link to the firmware btw, was not able to find it on their site.

thanks

Go to 'www.westinghousedigital.com' , 'support', 'firmware updates' and supply your serial number, model number, and part number (all available from the back of your set).

Kirk

I tried searching this thread, but there's a ton of replies that pop up, so hopefully someone will be able to answer my question:

When I connect my PC to the VGA input, I can't view any pictures in any of my other inputs - it doesn't detect anything else. I have to switch off the monitor from my display properties on my pc AND unplug the VGA connection from the TV in order for the TV to start detecting other inputs

Anyone have this problem and know a solution? I can't find anything in the settings for this.

Go to 'www.westinghousedigital.com' , 'support', 'firmware updates' and supply your serial number, model number, and part number (all available from the back of your set).

Kirk

thank you, was this firmware just released today then? anyone use it yet.. any noticable differences?

thanks again

So I DL'd the firmware update.(Is this a newer version than the sept build firmware?) How should I install this? It's in a zipped file.....should I unzip it into a thumb drive then do what it says on the website?

Or should I just transfer "SusanII_v1.2.0.rar" onto the thumb drive then put it into my service port?

Also.....this is the firmware update for the 42" model right? "SusanII_v1.2.0.rar" (Anyway.....my unit says the firmware is 5112_1.2.0.....so is this any good for me? It seems I already have it)

....I don't wanna mess up my T.V. as it's working perfectly as is.

Instructions are on the website...I just tried it, but doesn't work for me. I don't see the status after I press the power button. In fact, after pressing the power button, nothing happens
---------------

USB Firmware Update Procedure

The purpose of updating the firmware on your Westinghouse TV is to enhance your TV viewing experience with added features or minor bug fixes or both.

You will need:
1. A Westinghouse TV or monitor with a USB service port.
2. A 64MB or larger USB thumb drive.
3. A computer with either Microsoft Windows 2000 or Microsoft Windows XP as the operating system.


Step One: Format Your USB Thumb Drive

Your USB thumb drive must be formatted in FAT32 to be detected. Formatting it will overwrite all information stored on the drive, so be sure your files are backed up

1. Insert the USB thumb drive into your computer.
2. Right click on the Removable Disk icon.
3. From the menu, select Format.

4. Under File System, select FAT32.
5. Select Start to begin formatting.

6. Be sure all data on the thumb drive is backed up before you click OK.

Step Two: Download Your New Firmware


Once the firmware is downloaded, transfer the firmware onto your FAT32-formatted USB thumb drive.

Step Three: Install Your New Firmware onto Your TV

Remove the USB thumb drive from your computer and take it over to your Westinghouse TV.

1. With the power cord removed from the back of your Westinghouse TV, insert the USB thumb drive into the service port.

2. Plug the power cord into both the back of the TV and the wall outlet.

3. Press the Power/On button on the TV to begin your firmware update.

4. The status will be seen on your screen while the firmware is updating.
5. The Power LED indicator will turn to amber. After 30 seconds, it will begin to blink. After 3 minutes, it will turn blue.
6. Once the Power LED turns blue, your firmware upgrade is complete. Remove the USB flash drive.
7. Turn your TV off, then turn it back on to enjoy your new Westinghouse TV firmware.

Question, is this firmware newer than 5112_1.2.0?

no idea...that's what i'm running too, but apparently the new firmware was released today...westinghouse support seems to suck

I don't have an actual usb memory stick, anyone know if a usb reader with my 1gb compact flash card formatted work the same way as just a usb memory stick?

I had an interesting problem with mine: The HDMI ports suddenly stopped working. If I swapped out cables and used the component or other ports, things would work fine. The monitor would detect if I plugged something into one of the HDMI ports and would switch, but with no picture.

The BB tech came out today to have a look at it. He said that it would need a circuit board replacement, but there were none available, so instead I'm just getting a brand new TV!

No idea what caused it, though.

BTW... I just noticed that the Westinghouse support site now has a link to a firmware update. Has this already been discussed or is this something new? Anyone know what it actually changes?

I had this same issue with the HDMI ports. I pressed the power button for 10 seconds and then it worked. I will keep track of how often that happens and get with BB if there is an issue.

I just found another issue with my set. If i turn on my xbox 360 that is connected via component, it auto detects and goes right to it. Thats great, i love it.

The problem occurs when i want to switch back to HDMI to watch TV. It switches back to HDMI just fine, but when i try and switch back to the component source it does not detect my signal. I have to turn my xbox 360 off and back on for the TV to detect it.

Question, is this firmware newer than 5112_1.2.0?

I bought my tv two days ago. Its a sept. 7th build and it has 5121_1.20 installed.

I bought my tv two days ago. Its a sept. 7th build and it has 5121_1.20 installed.

my set it 3 or 4 days old now, sept 7 as well, but 5112_1.20

I went to westys site to check out the firmware. It said i had to register first. So i did. The i entered my serial number and it says that it doesnt match their records and to call them. They are closed however.

My serial number is 5121374300113

double check the 5th digit, make sure its not a letter instead of a number, I made the same mistake when I registered mine just a little bit ago. I thought it was a 1 and was actually a J

Question, is this firmware newer than 5112_1.2.0?

I installed the firmware and my tv is now at 5121_1.3.0, it was at 5121_1.2.0.

I installed the firmware and my tv is now at 5121_1.3.0, it was at 5121_1.2.0.

any noticable differences? does dynamic contrast actually turn off now? pip work? I can't seem to get it to work, maybe this tv does not have that option though.

any noticable differences? does dynamic contrast actually turn off now? pip work? I can't seem to get it to work, maybe this tv does not have that option though.

If i turn dynamic contrast off, the only difference i can see is that my screen gets slighter dimmer. What is dynamic contrast supposed to do?

Pressing PIP on my remote does absolutely nothing.

I use my screen as my computer monitor, what the dynamic contrast does for me is as I switch to different windows the whole screen will get slightly brighter or dimmer as I bring up different windows depending on if that window is darker in color or not. I want it off but as of now it will not turn off even though I have it set to off in the menu.

I use my screen as my computer monitor, what the dynamic contrast does for me is as I switch to different windows the whole screen will get slightly brighter or dimmer as I bring up different windows depending on if that window is darker in color or not. I want it off but as of now it will not turn off even though I have it set to off in the menu.

IC, i just use mine for TV and xbox360. I can definitely see my screen dim when i turn it off but i cant really tell if its working dynamically while watching tv.

It would be nice if Westinghouse told you what this firmware was fixing.

I'm curious to see if 1080p/24 (forced or autodetected) works now with the PS3 in the new firmware - i.e. doesn't constantly display the "no input signal detected" box over the picture during Blu-ray playback. If so or if there are any other major noticeable benefits, then I have a compelling reason to put on this FW. Otherwise, I'm reluctant to try to "fix what ain't broke" so to speak.

Eagerly awaiting reports from the more adventurous!

I'm curious to see if 1080p/24 (forced or autodetected) works now with the PS3 in the new firmware - i.e. doesn't constantly display the "no input signal detected" box over the picture during Blu-ray playback. If so or if there are any other major noticeable benefits, then I have a compelling reason to put on this FW. Otherwise, I'm reluctant to try to "fix what ain't broke" so to speak.

Eagerly awaiting reports from the more adventurous!

Im seeing nothing as an improvement so far. I was hoping it would fix that damn white static line on the top of some channels but it didnt. :mad:

I just did a search and it seems that people in this thread posted that they have June builds running the same firmware i just updated to. :confused: So, im not really sure what the deal is now. Youd think my build being a september build would have came with what a june build had?

I have Firmware Build on: 2007 June 26 Software Version: 5121_1.3.0

On the tutorial images posted on Westinghouse the file is susanii_v1.3.0 but the download link is definitely for susanii_v1.2.0. Westinghouse cant even get the right download link on their website.

EDIT:

Got a solution for the wrong link they posted. Right click the download firmware update button and copy the links location. Replace the filename with the correct one shown in the pictures on how to install it and you should be fine. I have the new firmware installed now but other than being able to turn dynamic contrast on and off I haven't noticed any difference. I havent really messed with it much yet either. I do know it hasn't fixed my HDMI problem. Still cant get the Samsung HT-X70 player to display on the TV via HDMI. :/

Oh yeah the link should be edited so the end looks something like ...SusanII_v1.3.0_20071026.rar

Im seeing nothing as an improvement so far. I was hoping it would fix that damn white static line on the top of some channels but it didnt. :mad:

This has been covered quite a few times in this thread. That is the closed captioning information sent by the broadcaster. It is an encoded stream that is at the very edge of the screen. The reason you can see this now is because you can see every single pixel of the transmission.

I think Westinghouse should have put a black mask around the edge, or over scanned by 1% to get rid of these complaints. Of course if they did that they would have people with a magnifying glass complaining it isn't truly 1080P.

Riiight so Westinghouse wants me to revert back to the lockup firmware?

Thanks but no thanks.

Are there any other fellow canadian owners who have successfully navigated the Westinghouse Warranty RMA? I was informed today (good news I guess) that Canadian owners of this particular model do not ship there defective units to the USA (Santa Fe CA)...but they stopped short of telling me what the RMA steps would be...They filled out a "Non Best Buy Issue Form", which would lead me to believe that I'm either going to be serviced by Best Buy here in Canada regardless, or some other Canadian repair facility.

Any experience would be appreciated.

Kirk - Ottawa

BTW... I just noticed that the Westinghouse support site now has a link to a firmware update. Has this already been discussed or is this something new? Anyone know what it actually changes?

Thanks for the update, Cheesehead Dave. I checked a few days ago, but it wasn't there, and now it is.. so of course I had to run the update...

I updated a set to the new firmware. System info now shows build on 2007 Oct 25, Software Version 5121_1.3.0. It was previously a Sept 2007 build.

I'm not sure what this update does exactly, since they didn't provide a list of changes/fixes.

As an aside, I did notice that the TX appears to run busybox linux based on the firmware contents, which I think is very cool.

Back to the problems I (still) have with the set.. The five issues that concerned me the most, in order of most-to-least annoyance, were apparently not addressed/fixed in this particular update. To recap, these are:

1. Blue-on-black and Red-on-black "smear" / "blur"
http://witt.tv/images/20071129_LCD_Comparison_Photos/WestingHouse_small.jpg

2. Simulated "Burn In" when going from normal scenes to black screen (or even partially black screen).. effect can be lessened by turning down backlight:
http://witt.tv/images/20071129_LCD_Comparison_Photos/2007-12-09_Ghosting/display_normal.jpg -> http://witt.tv/images/20071129_LCD_Comparison_Photos/2007-12-09_Ghosting/display_black_ghost.jpg

3. Halo brightening effect with dark text on a light background:
http://witt.tv/images/20071129_LCD_Comparison_Photos/2007-12-09_Ghosting/possible_blur.jpg

4. "Sparkle" up-down subpixel effect
http://witt.tv/images/20071129_LCD_Comparison_Photos/2007-12-02_test_for_randytx/cc_img_01.jpg

5. "Jittering" at the first of Harry Potter 5 Blu-Ray DVD, when they're doing the aerial pan over the park, particularly the road going horizontally across the top of the screen. I have no photo/video example of this, but it doesn't bug me nearly as much as the other stuff.

..others have mentioned lock ups.. I haven't really had this problem with the Sept firmware, but if I start noticing it with the new firmware, I'll let you all know. It's also not comforting to hear stories about the HDMI hub suddenly dying. That's crap even if you do have a warranty.

At the very least, I think it's encouraging to see that Westinghouse is now providing firmware to its users, and I'd love to see another update that actually lists the changes/fixes.. especially if they include any of the 5 I listed above.

-Burgerleg

For those who were able to update the firmware, can you explain how you did it?

Did your drive have the safe-kernel.img1 and the updateXXXX.rar?
Did you unzip what was in the .rar and have the board_root folder on the drive?

I've tried every combination and I see nothing happen when I insert the drive in the TV and then plug it in. The thumb drive blinks a few time like the TV is trying to access something, but nothing happens...I press the power button and nothing comes on the screen nor do I see the LED light blink or turn blue.
If I hold down the power button, the drive starts blinking again, but then stops and nothing happens.

What's the deal here? I have the September 07 firmware, and I tried both SusanII1.20.rar and SusanII1.30.rar

havin' some issues.

copy the shortcut for the download and replace the last part with susanii_v1.3.0.rar

so how exactly did u do the update? whatever it states on the website does not work for me

I noticed there were two files after they were extracted. One of which that was still zipped. So I unzipped that file and stuck it on the flash drive as well. They don't really explain that in the directions. Not sure if that's what did it but you could try it.

Yea....I can't get this update to work.

Tried using only the DL'd file.

Tried using the extracted files only.

Tried using the fully extracted folder only.

Nothing.

Is this because I have a 5112 system and not the 5121 the rest of you have?

Yea....I can't get this update to work.

Tried using only the DL'd file.

Tried using the extracted files only.

Tried using the fully extracted folder only.

Nothing.

Is this because I have a 5112 system and not the 5121 the rest of you have?

my system was a 5112 sept build and it worked fine updating. Had to go out and buy a usb memory stick but worked. I turned the power on plug option off. once I plugged the tv back in with the usb stick in I pressed and held the power button for 3 or so seconds.. amber light for 30 seconds or so, then flashed blue for a couple minutes.. then solid blue, nothing ever was on the screen during this. removed the usb stick, held the power button again for a few seconds and it turned off, held again and on it went with new firmware. I notice no difference with the tv though since the update.

So dooz what files did you have on the flash drive? Just the final unzipped? I mean didi you have any .rar files on the drive or just the folder.

So dooz what files did you have on the flash drive? Just the final unzipped? I mean didi you have any .rar files on the drive or just the folder.

Just the two files in the main rar, no further extracting after that. I put them in the root of the usb memory stick.


safe-kernel.img1
update_LCD1080CX.tgz

Doesn't work for me, the USB drive doesn't even light up.(Have the same files on my USB that you had doom)

:mad:

I must have a defective service port.

Just the two files in the main rar, no further extracting after that. I put them in the root of the usb memory stick.

safe-kernel.img1
update_LCD1080CX.tgz

Same here. Basically I followed their online instructions and it worked just fine, but here's more detail on what I did, in case you're still having problems:

It's probably not important, but my usb memory stick was a 512 meg Sandisk Cruzer Mini (looks very similar to the one in their photo), and I formatted it with FAT32 under winxp just prior to copying those two files to the root of the disk, per the online instructions. File I downloaded was SusanII_v1.3.0_20071026.rar, updated a Sept 2007 build. I also noticed that the instructions said that there would be status shown on-screen during the procedure, but my screen was black the entire time. I unplugged from the wall prior to plugging in the USB stick. After re-inserting the power cable to the back of the TX, I pressed the power button on the right side of the set itself for about 1 sec. LED was flashing purple while update took place, then turned solid blue when finished (they said it'd be 3 mins.. I didn't time it, but it was probably about that long). Once the LED on the front of the set had turned solid blue, I yanked the USB stick and pressed the power button.. a few seconds later, I had the W logo on the screen and new firmware installed.

-Burgerleg

[EDIT 1]: To confirm, if you have the 1.1.0 firmware, you must first do the 1.2.0 firmware upgrade. Then you can do the 1.3.0 upgrade. Be sure to write down your settings as the TV goes back to factory reset.

[EDIT 2]: My build date has now changed from September 7 to October 25. It had remained September 7 when I did the first upgrade. Let's hope I did not somehow screw myself. The set does work and is adding channels as I type, will let you know if anything strange or abnormal occurs.

[EDIT 3]: I had some issues with the PS3 during video playback, namely a flashing 1 or 2 pixel thick line at the bottom of the screen. This would happen every once in a while with the 1.1.0 firmware but could be fixed with a warm reboot/e.saver mode. With the 1.3.0 nothing would get rid of it. I am currently rolling back to the 1.2.0 firmware ... thank goodness it lets you!

[EDIT 4]: I am going back to the 1.3.0 firmware, gonna play with it for a day or two and see if I notice any major differences and maybe get rid of the flashing white line. Will report back soon. I hope to hear from the rest of you soon.

[EDIT 5]: Now that we have two different firmwares to play with, how about we start working on making some custom firmware? Maybe we can start tweaking the settings to see if we can eliminate certain issues the majority of us have been having. Seems like a fun project! I will not be available to do this until mid February so no rush.

Here is the link for the 1.3.0 --> Please go to the site to get firmware to prevent bricking.

Here is the link for the 1.2.0 --> Please go to the site to get firmware to prevent bricking.

Couple of things:

I had to use the 1.2.0 firmware as my original firmware was 1.1.0, don't know if I can use th 1.3.0 or not because every time I tried, nothing happened. Maybe you have to do 1.2.0 THEN 1.3.0??? I also had to go and rescan all my channels.

-- Alex

P.S. I had to use two different thumb drives before I found one that worked. The second one was a newer USB 2.0 compliant drive.

Do I need to disconnect EVERYTHING from my set or just the power cord?

Yup, that was it. About 5 hours of messing around and borrowing a few of my co-workers USB drives all I had to do was disconnect all inputs.

Do I need to disconnect EVERYTHING from my set or just the power cord?

Yup, that was it. About 5 hours of messing around and borrowing a few of my co-workers USB drives all I had to do was disconnect all inputs.

I just removed my power cord.

What firmware are you guys running after the update?

I have one of the earliest models of the TX-42 and Westinghouse's web site is offering me a different firmware download than the "SusanII" files others have discussed. Here's my TV info (pre firmware upgrade):

Software version: 5110_1.1.0
Build-on date: 2007 April 13
Part number: TW-51101-L042A

Here's the firmware link I see on Westinghouse's web site after I enter my serial number and reach the support page:

http://207.38.27.164/firmware/SW/42%20%20LPL%20LX%20%20v1.2.0.rar

Important: Do not download and install this firmware file on your TV! Use the Westinghouse web site to register your TV set and download the firmware for your particular model. This link is provided so others can examine the firmware files for comparison. Your set may need a different firmware download and may stop working if you install this one.

I haven't applied any firmware updates yet, but downloading the "SusanII" firmware from the links posted above and comparing to the "LX" firmware files gives some interesting information.

Older hardware ("LX"):

Firmware version as labeled: 1.2.0
Firmware update archive filename: update_WDE42.tgz
Contents of /board_root/model (inside tgz): LCD1080
File modification date of /board_root/images/mtd0: 6/24/2007 (1.2.0)

vs. Newer hardware ("CX" or "SusanII"):

Firmware version as labeled: 1.2.0 or 1.3.0
Firmware update archive filename: update_LCD1080CX.tgz
Contents of /board_root/model (inside tgz): LCD1080CX
File modification date of /board_root/images/mtd0: 9/11/2007 (1.2.0) / 10/31/2007 (1.3.0)

The fact that there are separate downloads (with apparently incompatible firmware) depending on when the TV was manufactured lends evidence to the theory that Westinghouse switched the type of panel/video processor used in the TV.

Trident and Westinghouse announced that the TX series was initially using the Trident HiDTV Pro LX video processor (press release (http://www.tridentmicro.com/ReadNews.asp?NewsID=283&BigClassName=Trident&SmallClassName=release&SpecialID=0)) but it now looks like they've switched to the lower-end Trident SVP-CX video processor. Trident's product page (http://www.tridentmicro.com/Product.asp) has some information about the CX but it only claims to support up to 720p, so either their web site is out of date or maybe there's a newer variation used by Westinghouse.

As others have mentioned, it's interesting that the firmware is Linux-based. Inside the TGZ are some plaintext shell scripts which carry out the upgrade and that opens up the possibility of adding custom commands to be run during a firmware upgrade. It might be possible to gather some information about the filesystem and hardware and save it back to the USB key.

I'm pretty sure that Imit hit the nail on the head.

What kind of a performance loss are we seeing because of this?

Too bad they don't give complete spec's on the CX series chip.

I wonder if the USB port has been set to read only, as in the case of the Xbox 360. I guess time will tell. Any ideas on how to get firmware dumps if the USB port can write?

[EDIT]: Shouldn't we be able to fix the PIP function now on the older sets?

Let the fun begin ...

-- Alex

P.S. So if the CX processor is what is in the newer sets and it supposedly only does WXGA resolution, what kind of tomfoolery is Westinghouse pulling to make it FHD? Or are there some other and less forthright manipulations going on???

I have TX-47F430S and with part number TW-51201-L047A. I have software version 5110_1.1.0 and build time April 13, 2007.
I try to download the firmware from the site. First I was asked to register the product. After I registered the product, I put my sn, model and part number. The response I got was "Sorry. Updated firmware is not available for this model at this time."

Any one got same as mine?

Thanks.

I finally managed to take a photo of the strange issue I am having with my TX-47F430S, September build. As you will see, in dark scenes of films, tv shows, and games (pictured is Mass Effect) the corners get extra dark, and "round off," creating a more or less circular visible image. All inputs coming in over HDMI.

Notes on the picture: Sorry for the blur and strange color, I took it in night mode in order to get the type of exposure I wanted (i.e. it's REALLY highlighting the light differential on the screen, i.e. normally isn't that extreme, but still obnoxious).

Has anyone experienced this issue, have any remedies, or is it return time?


http://www.stopbeingdumb.com/isssue.jpg

Weird, I never noticed screen brightness differences on my set. This seems a bit extreme though. I can see an ENTIRE circle around your set.

P.S. I played Mass Effect too and had complete screen uniformity. I don't know what this is.

.....I have the 42" version.

P.S. So if the CX processor is what is in the newer sets and it supposedly only does WXGA resolution, what kind of tomfoolery is Westinghouse pulling to make it FHD? Or are there some other and less forthright manipulations going on???

It's probably specially made for the set.

They may be running dual CX's(If the price is right) with modified architecture.

Quick question, dynamic contrast good or bad thing?

(it's much more noticeable since the update)

Quick question, dynamic contrast good or bad thing?

(it's much more noticeable since the update)

I read through the first 90 pages of this thread and the majority agree that running the DC off on this set is best.

I read through the first 90 pages of this thread and the majority agree that running the DC off on this set is best.

If only it actually turned it off, does nothing for me when I turn off dynamic contrast, it stays on :/

If only it actually turned it off, does nothing for me when I turn off dynamic contrast, it stays on :/

exactly.. it is the most annoying thing ever.. and really makes me regret buying the tv

I have 3 weeks to decide if I want to return this set, may look into the 42" sceptre costco deal, anyone have experience with this set? Going to be used as a pc monitor, may hook my xbox 360 up to it as well.

I finally managed to take a photo of the strange issue I am having with my TX-47F430S, September build. As you will see, in dark scenes of films, tv shows, and games (pictured is Mass Effect) the corners get extra dark, and "round off," creating a more or less circular visible image. All inputs coming in over HDMI.

Notes on the picture: Sorry for the blur and strange color, I took it in night mode in order to get the type of exposure I wanted (i.e. it's REALLY highlighting the light differential on the screen, i.e. normally isn't that extreme, but still obnoxious).

Has anyone experienced this issue, have any remedies, or is it return time?


http://www.stopbeingdumb.com/isssue.jpg

I would just take the set back and get an exchange. It should NOT be doing that and something is wrong with your panel.

Later,

Alex

whoa just read up and noticed we FINALLY got some fw updates....

is the contrast prob fixed?

exactly.. it is the most annoying thing ever.. and really makes me regret buying the tv

With the update you can shut it off completely.

With the update you can shut it off completely.

I did the update, it still won't turn off.

If only it actually turned it off, does nothing for me when I turn off dynamic contrast, it stays on :/

If i turn mine off my screen gets dimmer. Not sure if its still doing it while watching some programming...but i couldnt even tell you what its doing with it on.

I did the update, it still won't turn off.

That's weird, mine completely shuts off now. Not one bit of black/white level changes at all unless I do it from the menu.

I never really noticed it until the update, but it suddenly became REALLY apparent.(They must've messed with it in the firmware) I'd be playing Halo and see white level changes going on like crazy. Frigging ridiculous. Turned off dynamic and voila every thing's back to normal.

Do you have the 42" or the 47"?

If i turn mine off my screen gets dimmer. Not sure if its still doing it while watching some programming...but i couldnt even tell you what its doing with it on.

With it on it's adjusting the black and white levels to what it see's fit for the image being produced on screen.

I've done a bit of research and it seems this set's contrast ratio is 5000:1 with dynamic on and 1000:1 static.

To each his own I guess but I can't stand the changing right in front of my eyes.

I just did a search and it seems that people in this thread posted that they have June builds running the same firmware i just updated to. :confused: So, im not really sure what the deal is now. Youd think my build being a september build would have came with what a june build had?
I have Firmware Build on: 2007 June 26 Software Version: 5121_1.3.0
It looks like I might have the dubious honor of being the first one to brick their TV attempting to install the firmware update.

My 5121 set also had a June 26, 2007 firmware build with software version 5121_1.3.0. I followed the instructions for putting the susanii_1.30 update on a USB thumb drive, but upon replugging the TV it simply sat on a solid amber light with no activity on the screen. I let it sit like that for about 15 minutes, but with no change in status I unplugged the TV, removed the USB drive, and replugged the TV.

Now the TV simply sits there with a solid amber light and nothing on the screen. If anyone has some suggestions, let me know, but it looks like I will be contacting Westinghouse service and support.

It does look like the USB drive gets accessed when I first plug in the set and also when I push the power button, so there does at least appear to be something still "alive" inside the TV...

EDIT: When I downloaded the firmware, I selected TW-51213-C047A as my part number. However, upon double checking the back of my TV, the part number is actually listed as TW-51211-C047A. Going back to the firmware download page and selecting the correct part number, it tells me that no firmware updates are available so perhaps it is the case that the new firmware is not compatible with 51211 models and I screwed up big time attempting to apply it.

i dont know whats happening but my tv is not turning on now.. the orange led is on but the tv does not turn on

great i just had to try this.. now my set is probably dead.

i had the same june firmware as the user above.

ive tried everything and nothing...

Basically looks like i tried to use the fw that was posted on this thread a little higher up and that must of been what did it.

GUYS GO TO THE SITE , REGISTER, AND SELECT THE APPROPRIATE MODEL #'S ETC TO DL YOUR CORRECT FW. DO NOT USE THE ONES FROM HERE BEFORE VERIFYING ALL INFORMATION

My set is pretty much dead. Tried holding the power down while rebooting and nothing. I assume there is not other way to factory reset.

It looks like I might have the dubious honor of being the first one to brick their TV attempting to install the firmware update.

My 5121 set also had a June 26, 2007 firmware build with software version 5121_1.3.0. I followed the instructions for putting the susanii_1.30 update on a USB thumb drive, but upon replugging the TV it simply sat on a solid amber light with no activity on the screen. I let it sit like that for about 15 minutes, but with no change in status I unplugged the TV, removed the USB drive, and replugged the TV.

Now the TV simply sits there with a solid amber light and nothing on the screen. If anyone has some suggestions, let me know, but it looks like I will be contacting Westinghouse service and support.

It does look like the USB drive gets accessed when I first plug in the set and also when I push the power button, so there does at least appear to be something still "alive" inside the TV...

EDIT: When I downloaded the firmware, I selected TW-51213-C047A as my part number. However, upon double checking the back of my TV, the part number is actually listed as TW-51211-C047A. Going back to the firmware download page and selecting the correct part number, it tells me that no firmware updates are available so perhaps it is the case that the new firmware is not compatible with 51211 models and I screwed up big time attempting to apply it.

I had 5121_1.2.0 sept build and it updated to 5121_1.3.0 sept build.

well I just bought a philips 42" 1080p screen to replace the westinghouse, about to head to best buy now to return it. The philips is much better overal. I spent 2.5 hours at costco hooking up screens to a laptop to check each out, was between the philips I bought and a 40" bravia 1080p screen, both looked really nice, philips was 250 less so went philips route.

yea im now checking with best buy.. im pretty sure with their product service plan they will try to stick me with the same tv..

im done with westy and want a new set!

yea im now checking with best buy.. im pretty sure with their product service plan they will try to stick me with the same tv..

im done with westy and want a new set!
I had planned on buying a front projector sometime later this year...maybe I need to be moving the timetable for that plan up now. :)

I did contact Westinghouse earlier today and they will be sending out a tech to hopefully get things back to normal.

Is there a mode or display setting that reduces input lag? There's a very slight delay when using my 360 with HDMI.

I have TX-47F430S and with part number TW-51201-L047A. I have software version 5110_1.1.0 and build time April 13, 2007.
I try to download the firmware from the site. First I was asked to register the product. After I registered the product, I put my sn, model and part number. The response I got was "Sorry. Updated firmware is not available for this model at this time."

Any one got same as mine?

Thanks.

I get the same thing.. Got all excited for nothing :(
OTOH I'm glad I didn't run off to buy a flash drive before I found that out.

well I just bought a philips 42" 1080p screen to replace the westinghouse, about to head to best buy now to return it. The philips is much better overal. I spent 2.5 hours at costco hooking up screens to a laptop to check each out, was between the philips I bought and a 40" bravia 1080p screen, both looked really nice, philips was 250 less so went philips route.

Whats the part number on that philips? Is it the same one BB carries for $1299 for the 42 with the ambilight? That TV does look nice, i almost went with it when i got the TX. Im still debating on whether or not to return the westy. Ive got the picture looking pretty decent though.

I had planned on buying a front projector sometime later this year...maybe I need to be moving the timetable for that plan up now. :)

I did contact Westinghouse earlier today and they will be sending out a tech to hopefully get things back to normal.

wtf do they actually send someone out to look at your tv? what would they do differently?

im guessing you dont have an instore warranty?

wtf do they actually send someone out to look at your tv? what would they do differently?

im guessing you dont have an instore warranty?

Many times they send someone out because of the size and weight of these TVs.

wtf do they actually send someone out to look at your tv? what would they do differently?

im guessing you dont have an instore warranty?
Who knows, but perhaps it is possible to perform some on-the-spot surgery such as replacing or reflashing the memory chip that the firmware is stored on? As blackjer mentioned, they may also just confirm it's unfixable on-site and take it back with them. I'll find out soon enough.

To answer your second question, I purchased the set from Amazon, so I do not have an in-store return option.

Just picked up this tv today and tried hooking up our cable from the wall directly to the tuner on the tv. I run the autoscan and I can see the pictures of the channels it picks up during the scan. But once autoscan is done, all I see is static when I surf through the channels.

There's gotta be something I'm missing here. Any help?

Update: Issue resolved. I had to set the tv to HRC.

Hello, Proud owner here.
Just picked up an xbox 360 and the VGA Cable. I get the 1920*1080(1080p) but i have no sound when i plug in the red and white rca jacks.Is there a setting or something i am not doing. I am plugging in the red/white RCA right underneath the PC input. I tried other red/white inputs. No sound. Is a firmware issue.

Thanks for the help...

Hello, Proud owner here.
Just picked up an xbox 360 and the VGA Cable. I get the 1920*1080(1080p) but i have no sound when i plug in the red and white rca jacks.Is there a setting or something i am not doing. I am plugging in the red/white RCA right underneath the PC input. I tried other red/white inputs. No sound. Is a firmware issue.

Thanks for the help...

I am almost positive that you need to use the 3.5mm audio port if you are using the PC input. It is the little audio plug like you'd use for headphones. If you are using RCA out from your 360 you'd have to get a cable that converts RCA to 3.5mm audio. You can get this cable from pretty much anywhere like BestBuy or Circuit City, and probably even Walmart. If it were me, I'd just bypass the TV for sound and go to a receiver if you have one.

Good luck!

in the vga cable box there is a little 3.5mm adapter. use that and plug in the rca cables to it right and then the 3.5mm into the 3.5mm jack on the tv near the vga plug. works like a charm.

Hello, Proud owner here.
Just picked up an xbox 360 and the VGA Cable. I get the 1920*1080(1080p) but i have no sound when i plug in the red and white rca jacks.Is there a setting or something i am not doing. I am plugging in the red/white RCA right underneath the PC input. I tried other red/white inputs. No sound. Is a firmware issue.

Thanks for the help...

The xbox 360 will output 1080p through component and this tv accepts 1080p through component. Id use it over the vga cable.

The xbox 360 will output 1080p through component and this tv accepts 1080p through component. Id use it over the vga cable.

I've tried both. Component is definitely inferior. VGA is MUCH better.

I've tried both. Component is definitely inferior. VGA is MUCH better.

component doesn't look as crisp on 1080p mode!

so what happened with the new firmwares...anyone get anything cool on their menu?

can you notice any changes?

hasn't been a lot of talk about that, just curious.

component doesn't look as crisp on 1080p mode!

Component looks better to me?:confused:

so what happened with the new firmwares...anyone get anything cool on their menu?

can you notice any changes?

hasn't been a lot of talk about that, just curious.

From what ive gathered, the only thing the update did was allow you to turn off direct contrast.

From what ive gathered, the only thing the update did was allow you to turn off direct contrast.


weird, i had it turned off in the menu, but is it still on? i'm on the old firmware

weird, i had it turned off in the menu, but is it still on? i'm on the old firmware

Many people on this thread said that previously having it off did nothing. I just bought my TV last monday and i put the new firmware on it. When i turn my DC off i can visibly see the screen getting darker. I couldnt tell you if it did it with the default firmware since i never messed with it due to it being only a couple days old.

Many people on this thread said that previously having it off did nothing. I just bought my TV last monday and i put the new firmware on it. When i turn my DC off i can visibly see the screen getting darker. I couldnt tell you if it did it with the default firmware since i never messed with it due to it being only a couple days old.


That really is weird since mine shuts off completely now. There's absolutely no change at all in white/black levels with it off.

Many people on this thread said that previously having it off did nothing. I just bought my TV last monday and i put the new firmware on it. When i turn my DC off i can visibly see the screen getting darker. I couldnt tell you if it did it with the default firmware since i never messed with it due to it being only a couple days old.

hey what is your current firmware version blackjer?

b/c i when i toggle DC i can see the screen get darker, but i have not updated mine with the new firmware update


PS

beat call of duty 4 on the xbox 360 last night, took me about 4 hours on regular mode, what a great damn game, and it looks badasssss on this tv with vga hookup.

I have TX-47F430S and with part number TW-51201-L047A. I have software version 5110_1.1.0 and build time April 13, 2007.
I try to download the firmware from the site. First I was asked to register the product. After I registered the product, I put my sn, model and part number. The response I got was "Sorry. Updated firmware is not available for this model at this time."

Any one got same as mine?

Thanks.

Same here...I guess our TV firmware is OK :rolleyes:

hey what is your current firmware version blackjer?

b/c i when i toggle DC i can see the screen get darker, but i have not updated mine with the new firmware update


PS

beat call of duty 4 on the xbox 360 last night, took me about 4 hours on regular mode, what a great damn game, and it looks badasssss on this tv with vga hookup.

COD4 does looks amazing through VGA. Component just looks overly saturated and horribly unsharpened.(Anything slightly dark also has NO detail)

I'm a huge 360 player and have tried all three connections(HDMI, VGA, Component) and VGA works best on this set by far.

Does anyone have the following setup?

Westy 47inch + Xbox 360 VGA Cable + with a TOSlink audio cable to tv?

Does it/will it work?
Any significant sound improvement? I'll try to decide which one is better the RCA to minijack or toslink.

Roger

Does anyone have the following setup?

Westy 47inch + Xbox 360 VGA Cable + with a TOSlink audio cable to tv?

Does it/will it work?
Any significant sound improvement? I'll try to decide which one is better the RCA to minijack or toslink.

Roger

The TV doesn't have an optical audio in so I'm guessing your going to be hooking it up through your sound system then right?

You should definitely see an improvement in sound.

Hi Protocol and others... I just wanted to hook up straight from Xbox 360 to the Westy via the TOSLINK audio cable? why wont that work? I have no receiver or no sound system.. just want to hear the xbox 360 game through the television speakers via toslink.

Hi Protocol and others... I just wanted to hook up straight from Xbox 360 to the Westy via the TOSLINK audio cable? why wont that work? I have no receiver or no sound system.. just want to hear the xbox 360 game through the television speakers via toslink.


Westy's don't have a Digital Optical input. Just use a mini jack.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/images/howto/HMiniJackAdapterPluggedIn.jpg

Hi Protocol and others... I just wanted to hook up straight from Xbox 360 to the Westy via the TOSLINK audio cable? why wont that work? I have no receiver or no sound system.. just want to hear the xbox 360 game through the television speakers via toslink.

It won't work because the TV doesn't have a digital audio input, other than via HDMI. You can't send toslink audio to the TV. The toslink port on the TV is an output, not an input.

To send audio to the TV from the 360, if you're not using HDMI, you need to use analog audio. Using the TV's speakers, you probably wouldn't notice a quality difference between digital and analog anyway.

hey what is your current firmware version blackjer?

b/c i when i toggle DC i can see the screen get darker, but i have not updated mine with the new firmware update


PS

beat call of duty 4 on the xbox 360 last night, took me about 4 hours on regular mode, what a great damn game, and it looks badasssss on this tv with vga hookup.

5121_1.3.0

And yea, COD4 rocks, even on component!

Ok thanks for the explanation regarding the toslink...tv only has toslink output
what about this one...

Im trying to connect 2.1 PC speakers to the westy. I have a coupler and adapter to RCA, but no sound... maybe im plugging it in wrong spot?

Can this even work? Thanks,

R

is it possible to roll back firmware updates?

is it possible to roll back firmware updates?

Just load up 1.2.0

Why do you want to do that?

Does anyone know exactly what was fixed in the latest firmware (5121_1.3.0)? I have 5121_1.2.0 and everything seems to be working fine.

Does anyone know exactly what was fixed in the latest firmware (5121_1.3.0)? I have 5121_1.2.0 and everything seems to be working fine.

For me it was the ability to completely turn off dynamic contrast.

Also, it seems that with DC on now it's flawed completely. Dark scenes will have what I can only describe as little white lines which are the pixels altering their contrast constantly.

Pretty terrible.

So, it seems they completely destroyed the dynamic contrast option but gave you the option to turn it off. Other than that they haven't given out a list so it's anyone's guess.

For me it was the ability to completely turn off dynamic contrast.

Also, it seems that with DC on now it's flawed completely. Dark scenes will have what I can only describe as little white lines which are the pixels altering their contrast constantly.

Pretty terrible.

So, it seems they completely destroyed the dynamic contrast option but gave you the option to turn it off. Other than that they haven't given out a list so it's anyone's guess.
Fyi...I had called Westy Suppt the other day and have an official request in to them to find out exactly what they fixed in my case which is my TX42" S/W ver. 5110_1.1.0 Build 2007 Apr 13 going to the new firmware of v. 1.2.0

I am not going to attempt to install my new f/w until they give me an answer.

Thx, Steve from Va.

For me it was the ability to completely turn off dynamic contrast.

Also, it seems that with DC on now it's flawed completely. Dark scenes will have what I can only describe as little white lines which are the pixels altering their contrast constantly.

Pretty terrible.

So, it seems they completely destroyed the dynamic contrast option but gave you the option to turn it off. Other than that they haven't given out a list so it's anyone's guess.

what are you build and firmware specs? what did you upgrade from and to?

what are you build and firmware specs? what did you upgrade from and to?

5112_1.2.0--Sept 7

to

5112_1.3.0 -OCT 27

5112_1.2.0--Sept 7

to

5112_1.3.0 -OCT 27

i have 1.2.0 now. hmm, when i toggle dynamic contrast on, the screen does get brighter, but you are saying you are noticing it get much darker with it off, now that it turns off properly...i might try this upgrade tonight.

also, is the subwoofer on by default, even though the option is grayed out on 1.2.0?

i have 1.2.0 now. hmm, when i toggle dynamic contrast on, the screen does get brighter, but you are saying you are noticing it get much darker with it off, now that it turns off properly...i might try this upgrade tonight.

also, is the subwoofer on by default, even though the option is grayed out on 1.2.0?


Sub woofer is still off and grayed out.

With DC on the screen either gets brighter or darker depending on whether or not the image is largely bright or dark. What it does is just basically make anything black on screen loose detail and go fully black and anything white more bright. It's just a gimmick and works horribly and is reeaaaally annoying.

Update to 1.3.0 and turn that sucker off.

protocol,

when you went to the firmware update site, was the file you downloaded SusanII_v1.2.0.rar? That is what it is telling me to download to update you to 1.3.0

protocol,

when you went to the firmware update site, was the file you downloaded SusanII_v1.2.0.rar? That is what it is telling me to download to update you to 1.3.0

Look at the update guide. Copy the link from the guide and change the link when DL the update and you'll get 1.3.0.

Does anyone else have an issue where the Xbox 360 looks much softer on 1080P, than 720 or 1080i? This happens on component, VGA, and HDMI? I bought a new 360 for HDMI because I thought it would be better, but when I set it to 1080P, it still looked soft. HDMI does however look much more vibrant at any resolution than the other inputs though.

1080i seems to have the sharpest picture with 360.

This doesn't happen with PS3 HDMI, it looks great, and sharp.

Does anyone else have an issue where the Xbox 360 looks much softer on 1080P, than 720 or 1080i? This happens on component, VGA, and HDMI? I bought a new 360 for HDMI because I thought it would be better, but when I set it to 1080P, it still looked soft. HDMI does however look much more vibrant at any resolution than the other inputs though.

1080i seems to have the sharpest picture with 360.

This doesn't happen with PS3 HDMI, it looks great, and sharp.

Component is the worst way to connect any 1080p to the 360. Go VGA with this set.

I bought the TX-42F430S on November 11 from BB. As of Sunday, it's on sale for $40 less. So I went down there yesterday and showed them my receipt, and they refunded me $40 plus tax, no questions asked. If you paid more than nine-forty-nine for the 42, and you bought it after November 1, you qualify for the price match refund. I'm pretty sure the 47 is on sale as well, check the circular in the store--it should be on the 2nd page.

James

I just noticed that I have one dead pixel and a couple of stuck pixel. It has already been mounted on my wall and would be a hassle to take it down. However, do you guys think it is worth it to take it down and return it to the store since it is still within my first thirty day or are the chances just as good that any new set I get will have some dead or stuck pixel.

Component is the worst way to connect any 1080p to the 360. Go VGA with this set.

Im NOT using component, im using HDMI. However, 1080P over HDMI looks soft compared to 1080i, or 720p. 1080P over HDMI still looks better than VGA 1080P because of better bandwidth for color. Im just wondering if anyone else notices this....

I just noticed that I have one dead pixel and a couple of stuck pixel. It has already been mounted on my wall and would be a hassle to take it down. However, do you guys think it is worth it to take it down and return it to the store since it is still within my first thirty day or are the chances just as good that any new set I get will have some dead or stuck pixel.

My set only has one stuck pixel. Exactly how many do you have and can you notice them from the distance your sitting?

If you don't have HDMI on your xbox, try this: Switch to component and try 720P. If its like mine, it will be a lot sharper than 1080P on VGA(or HDMI for that matter), but the colors will be washed out a little, especially compared to VGA. For some reason, I don't think the 360 supports true 1080P, I think it might be scaling 720P. That might be why it looks softer.....

Im NOT using component, im using HDMI. However, 1080P over HDMI looks soft compared to 1080i, or 720p. 1080P over HDMI still looks better than VGA 1080P because of better bandwidth for color. Im just wondering if anyone else notices this....


Yea I really don't think bandwidth is an issue for either VGA or HDMI connections to the 360. We're not talking about gigabytes being transferred every second.

I've tried both HDMI and VGA and VGA far outperforms HDMI. HDMI appears washed out even when reference levels are expanded. Don't know what else to tell you but to get VGA.

Perhaps your using a cheap cable.

My set only has one stuck pixel. Exactly how many do you have and can you notice them from the distance your sitting?

It look like I have one dead pixel and maybe two stuck pixel. If I paid extra attention to the dead pixel then I can occasionally see it from where I sit (7 feet away). The two pixels that are stuck I can't see without running the pixel test.

Yea I really don't think bandwidth is an issue for either VGA or HDMI connections to the 360. We're not talking about gigabytes being transferred every second.

I've tried both HDMI and VGA and VGA far outperforms HDMI. HDMI appears washed out even when reference levels are expanded. Don't know what else to tell you but to get VGA.

Perhaps your using a cheap cable.

I have all three, and HDMI looks the best to me, but not on 1080P, which is what im asking in the first place. On my TV, (the 42in model june 07 build) 1080P from the 360 looks darker and soft, no matter what connection im using. Im not trying to compare input sources, simply asking if others have noticed that 720p and 1080i looks sharper than 1080P on this set when using the 360.

I don't have this problem on the PS3.

So, if you have component or HDMI, try hooking it up and comparing 720p to 1080p, and tell me which is sharper for you.

Note: Im using the standard M$ VGA cable, not a cheap one....

You should update your firmware man. I started on a September build(Now Oct 25th build 1.3.0) and didn't find 720 or 1080i to be sharper at all.(1080i looked the same as 1080p) You might have some bugged out firmware when it comes to the 360.

I would if I had a USB port on my TV to update the firmware with. My 360 firmware is the latest.

Funny thing is, the 1080i looks like what I would think the 1080P should be.....

Maybe I'll be giving Best Buy a call....

It look like I have one dead pixel and maybe two stuck pixel. If I paid extra attention to the dead pixel then I can occasionally see it from where I sit (7 feet away). The two pixels that are stuck I can't see without running the pixel test.


I wouldn't return it. The industry standard is 8 dead/stuck pixels for an LCD over it's lifetime. Heck you might return the set and get one with 3 dead pixels and 5 stuck ones.

I would if I had a USB port on my TV to update the firmware with. My 360 firmware is the latest.

Funny thing is, the 1080i looks like what I would think the 1080P should be.....

Maybe I'll be giving Best Buy a call....

You don't have a service port?


That sucks man. Since it's only the 360 that your experiencing this with i'd say your set is completely fine but that your old firmware has a bug when it comes to 360 support.

If 1080i looks better then go with it man. There's basically no visible difference with progressive because this set deinterlaces perfectly.

That is true, 1080i looks great. I might just do that, since they probably wouldn't let me get a new one via warranty from that....

I just bought the 47" from BB and so far I love the picture quality. I also own the 42" 1080p monitor from the LVM series. So far I've noticed 3 problems that are really bothering me. These have been mentioned by a few other people here, but I didn't see a resolution to them. The problems being:

- Can't turn off dynamic contrast. I have this hooked up to my HTPC and the dynamic contrast is annoying as hell. Turning it off from the menu does nothing. I haven't been able to confirm if the firmware upgrade fixes it because:
- Can't upgrade firmware. I have the firmware from September. I have been trying to upgrade to the 1.3.0 firmware, but I can't get it to work. I've tried it using 2 different USB thumbdrives following their instructions to no avail. I unplugged the power from the back, stuck the USB drive in the port, plugged the power cord back. As soon as I plug the cord back in, the orange light turns on in in the front (I have the option turned OFF for turning on power on plugin). When I press the power button on the right side, it does nothing. The orange light stays on and on and on and nothing happens. I have left it on for nearly half an hour and it does nothing.
- Weird ghosting/simulated burn-in. This is really the most annoying thing on this TV. I don't know what's causing it but when you switch from an image to another that has a large black area, you see the ghost of the previous image in the black areas. That's just bizarre and annoying. I've never had that happen on my 42" LVM monitor or any other monitor for that matter. Is this a refresh problem? Slow response time or what?

Has anyone been able to turn off the dynamic contrast? Does the firmware upgrade fix it? Any specific USB memory sticks that work best for the upgrade? I'll be calling Westy about these today as well. Thanks guys.

BTW, someone else had mentioned that they were unable to get their Logitech Harmony remote to work correctly with this. I have the Xbox 360 version of the Harmony remote and have had no problems with it. As long as you ONLY use the activities features and don't change inputs after selecting an activity, the remote will work correctly when you switch activities. So if you change inputs after selecting an activity, change it back to the original input it was on and then select your next activity. It should work fine. Although the TV doesn't have specific remote codes for each input, the Harmony remote does remember its position and will correctly keep switching inputs till it gets to the correct one for your activity.

So, has any fix been discovered for the scrawl judder yet? We recently got my mom the 42" Westy, and this problem keeps cropping up. She has an HD-DVR from Cox - and it does it both via component and HDMI. Unplugging the unit seems to eliminate the problem, but only temporarily. It is highly annoying for fast action, like football.

My mom called Westinghouse, and the Best Buy technicians looked at the TV. The technician said he had heard of this issue, and that it meant the TV was bad, so she should return it and get it replaced (She is w/i her 30 days)

Will this help? If all 42" Westys have this problem and there is no fix.. is it just a matter of living with power cycling it when it happens vs. going to a different brand?

Well, I enjoyed the six months of viewing that my 47 gave me before giving up the ghost. Because BB does not have an Westinghouse authorized service center for my area I have decided to switch brands.

Well, I enjoyed the six months of viewing that my 47 gave me before giving up the ghost. Because BB does not have an Westinghouse authorized service center for my area I have decided to switch brands.

What happened to your set?

Tmpaninime - The new firmware update will fix your inability to turn off DC. You must disconnect ALL things plugged into the set before starting the update. You need to make sure your DL the 1.3.0 version of the firmware too. Once DL double click the file the click extract to and put your thumbdrive as the destination. Then, with the power cord unplugged from the TV plug in the thumbdrive then the power cord and press the power on button. It was then begin the update.

As for your "burn in" what are your picture settings at?

Jahatch - I've never experienced what your talking about. The judder thing means that when text is running across the screen it appears as though it drops a frame right? Mine doesn't do this and I just put on the news to check. Update your firmware.

Im NOT using component, im using HDMI. However, 1080P over HDMI looks soft compared to 1080i, or 720p. 1080P over HDMI still looks better than VGA 1080P because of better bandwidth for color. Im just wondering if anyone else notices this....

I've got an Xbox 360 Halo Edition plugged into HDMI 4 and it looks fantastic at 1080p. It's sharp, crisp, and clear. I've never had any reason to try the VGA or component inputs for the 360.

So, has any fix been discovered for the scrawl judder yet? We recently got my mom the 42" Westy, and this problem keeps cropping up. She has an HD-DVR from Cox - and it does it both via component and HDMI. Unplugging the unit seems to eliminate the problem, but only temporarily. It is highly annoying for fast action, like football.

I've had my TX42 for over 2 months now and I've never seen this. It's hooked up to a Motorola HD-DVR from Cox through HDMI port 2. My set is the September build.

My 360 Elite looks PERFECT over HDMI. However, my PS3 has a screen shake at 1080p. I have all of the firmware updates for both systems and the TV. With the PS3, I also now have an occasionally flickering white line appear at the bottom edge of the screen. To fix it I have to turn the TV off and on again. I wish they would fix the weird screen shake and white line issue. It does not occur during 1080p Blu-Ray playback or games. Just the XMB. By the way, I did not have the white line issue with the original firmware.

Grrr,

Alex

I was wrong, I do have the service port, it was covered up. I will try the firmware. I have to call, because the site says my serial doesn't match the record....grrrr..

Well, I called and the guy told me I should wait 2 weeks, because they just found out that the file on the website is corrupt. Ofcourse, I found this out after I saw earlier in the thread that a 1 was a J, and was able to download the firmware. Fortunately, it just didn't do anything when I tried to run the upgrade, it just sat at an amber light.

When I plugged it back in, it still sat at an amber light, until I held down the power button to force it to reboot. Then it came back on.

I checked the firmware, and aparently I already have the 1.3 firmware (june 07 model), so I don't know if it will help either way...

My dad has the burn in issue too. He has a Sept. build of the TV. The burn in effect is only over HDMI so I assumed it was just a bad cable, he is using component for the time being and it is not visible. He has not tried another HDMI cable. I own a April 2007 build and have never had any burn in issues over HDMI or component. In fact I think my picture looks much better then his. I heard they changed the panel they use in this set, if that is true maybe that has something to do with it. I think it may just be a defective set. I've told him he should have it checked out.

My dad has the burn in issue too. He has a Sept. build of the TV. The burn in effect is only over HDMI so I assumed it was just a bad cable, he is using component for the time being and it is not visible. He has not tried another HDMI cable. I own a April 2007 build and have never had any burn in issues over HDMI or component. In fact I think my picture looks much better then his. I heard they changed the panel they use in this set, if that is true maybe that has something to do with it. I think it may just be a defective set. I've told him he should have it checked out.

They changed the video processor not the panel.

I bought the TX-42F430S on November 11 from BB. As of Sunday, it's on sale for $40 less. So I went down there yesterday and showed them my receipt, and they refunded me $40 plus tax, no questions asked. If you paid more than nine-forty-nine for the 42, and you bought it after November 1, you qualify for the price match refund. I'm pretty sure the 47 is on sale as well, check the circular in the store--it should be on the 2nd page.

James

same here! it went right to my credit card balance for this tv

i am holding off on my upgrade to 1.3.0

my tv is working fine, and dynamic contrast appears to turn off for me on a sept build 1.2.0 firmware. when i toggle it i can see the screen brighten, and with it off, i don't notice any signs that it is still on.

I just bought the 47" from BB and so far I love the picture quality. I also own the 42" 1080p monitor from the LVM series. So far I've noticed 3 problems that are really bothering me. These have been mentioned by a few other people here, but I didn't see a resolution to them. The problems being:


- Weird ghosting/simulated burn-in. This is really the most annoying thing on this TV. I don't know what's causing it but when you switch from an image to another that has a large black area, you see the ghost of the previous image in the black areas. That's just bizarre and annoying. I've never had that happen on my 42" LVM monitor or any other monitor for that matter. Is this a refresh problem? Slow response time or what?



what is your connection when you get this burn in? dvi to hdmi?

i am holding off on my upgrade to 1.3.0

my tv is working fine, and dynamic contrast appears to turn off for me on a sept build 1.2.0 firmware. when i toggle it i can see the screen brighten, and with it off, i don't notice any signs that it is still on.

Nothing changes except in my opinion they messed up the dynamic contrast. It's horrible now. But you can shut it off completely thank god.

Well, I called and the guy told me I should wait 2 weeks, because they just found out that the file on the website is corrupt. Ofcourse, I found this out after I saw earlier in the thread that a 1 was a J, and was able to download the firmware. Fortunately, it just didn't do anything when I tried to run the upgrade, it just sat at an amber light.

When I plugged it back in, it still sat at an amber light, until I held down the power button to force it to reboot. Then it came back on.

I checked the firmware, and aparently I already have the 1.3 firmware (june 07 model), so I don't know if it will help either way...

Sounds like you may have dodged the bullet that killed my set (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12792178#post12792178) and guyver2077's set (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12792290#post12792290), since we also had June 26 2007 5121_1.3.0 firmwares.

Is your part number TW-51211-C047A?

After talking to Westinghouse again, they didn't think a tech would be able to do anything onsite, so they sent me an RMA label instead. UPS Ground will be picking the set tomorrow and, in theory, I will have a refurbished or new unit sent to me in a few weeks.

Now I must resist the temptation to buy another HDTV while I'm waiting for the replacement...

They changed the video processor not the panel.

Oh okay thanks for the clarification.

BTW, do you know if the older video processor supports 1080p/24hz? Do I have to update the firmware? (this is from June with April firmware)

Oh okay thanks for the clarification.

BTW, do you know if the older video processor supports 1080p/24hz? Do I have to update the firmware? (this is from June with April firmware)

I have to make a correction. They most definitely HAVE changed the panel since the original builds. If you go back in the thread you'll see numerous screenshots of the pixels of the original builds that are chevron shaped and then later builds that are more squarish.

They likely have also changed out video processors as well as has been pointed out that some firmwares are compatible with some sets but not others.

Sounds like you may have dodged the bullet that killed my set (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12792178#post12792178) and guyver2077's set (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12792290#post12792290), since we also had June 26 2007 5121_1.3.0 firmwares.

Is your part number TW-51211-C047A?

After talking to Westinghouse again, they didn't think a tech would be able to do anything onsite, so they sent me an RMA label instead. UPS Ground will be picking the set tomorrow and, in theory, I will have a refurbished or new unit sent to me in a few weeks.

Now I must resist the temptation to buy another HDTV while I'm waiting for the replacement...

Yep, thats the one I have.

Now I know why the 360 doesn't look as sharp in 1080P. The dashboard on 360 is 1280 X 720, and the XMB on the PS3 is in 1080p natively. So i've decided to play everything in 720 unless the game is natively 1080P. The PS3 does that automatically.

I have to make a correction. They most definitely HAVE changed the panel since the original builds. If you go back in the thread you'll see numerous screenshots of the pixels of the original builds that are chevron shaped and then later builds that are more squarish.

They likely have also changed out video processors as well as has been pointed out that some firmwares are compatible with some sets but not others.


Alright, well do you or anyone else, know if the April build supports 1080p/24hz? And if it doesn't is this something that can be updated via firmware?

What happened to your set?

It failed completely and would not show any signs of power. The unit was plugged into an UPS so along with all my other gear so I know it was not a power spike. So, I have gone for a Samsung LNT-5271 as replacement. It should be here Saturday.

Is there a game mode that improves the input delay?

Two days ago my TX-42F430S died before my very eyes. I was watching tv, the picture blurred/froze for a second and the TV shut itself off. Pretty disturbing. Now all I can get is the amber light under the W logo.

I've tried everything I could think of... unplugged it for 24, disconnected everything and reconnected everything, used different inputs. Out of ideas.

The only thing I can get the set to do is display the Westinghouse logo after I plug it back in. So I know the set is getting power and that the TV is physically able to display a picture. I just can't get the damn thing to power on.

I suppose there is a chance that the cable is out, I have no way to check it. But its working fine for everyone else in the building, so its got to be the tv (**AFAIK there's a firmware bug that prevents the TV from powering back on if a line-in that was displaying a picture is disconnected/turned off, that's why I mention this).

I have the PSP from best buy and they are sending a tech in on Monday. Does anyone know how to work best buy PSP so I can get either a refund or a different TV? After reading through posts on this board, I think I want to spend a little more and change brands.

Is there a game mode that improves the input delay?

No, but there is no (noticeable) input delay so it doesn't matter.

I have to make a correction. They most definitely HAVE changed the panel since the original builds. If you go back in the thread you'll see numerous screenshots of the pixels of the original builds that are chevron shaped and then later builds that are more squarish.

They likely have also changed out video processors as well as has been pointed out that some firmwares are compatible with some sets but not others.

I got a sept. build with chevron pixels but my DL was for CX(video processor). I guess I'm one of the lucky ones who's panel wasn't downgraded but the VP was changed.

No, but there is no (noticeable) input delay so it doesn't matter.Maybe not to you, but there is a slight delay.

I got a sept. build with chevron pixels but my DL was for CX(video processor). I guess I'm one of the lucky ones who's panel wasn't downgraded but the VP was changed.


what kind of differences can you notice between the different panels and processors?

Maybe not to you, but there is a slight delay.

I'm able to play guitar hero with absolutely no delay. I have the old panel and processor maybe the delay is only present on the new one.

what kind of differences can you notice between the different panels and processors?

Well to me the new panel doesn't look as good as the old one. The viewing angle seems worse (more washed out), the simulated burn-in effect and it looks a little grainy at times.

They changed the video processor not the panel.

Actually they changed both, though not necessarily at the same time. Panel types, even though they can be visibly different performance-wise, are often considered interchangeable to a manufacturer. They're probably building sets with both panel types, depending upon who they can get shipments from and for what price.

Well to me the new panel doesn't look as good as the old one. The viewing angle seems worse (more washed out), the simulated burn-in effect and it looks a little grainy at times.

That viewing angle performance is consistent with MVA, so somewhere down the line Westy got some panels from Chi Mei Opto for panels in place of LG-Philips's IPS panel. Each has it's pros and cons. Do you find the overall black levels and shadow detail to be slightly better with the MVA panel?

Alright, well do you or anyone else, know if the April build supports 1080p/24hz? And if it doesn't is this something that can be updated via firmware?

Unofficially yes. Try it and see, but results have been varied. The Trident video processor supports the mode, but it is unsupported in the set's operating firmware so it's technically an unofficial feature. That didn't stop Westinghouse from beginning to claim 1080p/24 capability on their website though. :rolleyes:

That viewing angle performance is consistent with MVA, so somewhere down the line Westy got some panels from Chi Mei Opto for panels in place of LG-Philips's IPS panel. Each has it's pros and cons. Do you find the overall black levels and shadow detail to be slightly better with the MVA panel?

I find the black level and shadow details to be better on the older panel.