Official Westinghouse TX Series ( TX-42F430S, TX-47F430S ) Owner's Thread

[huggybear]

NOTE: We are currently compiling a list of known bugs/problems with the TX line to send off to Westinghouse. Below you will find what we have so far. Please feel free to provide your feedback by posting to the thread.

CONFIRMED ISSUES WITH THE TX SERIES

1) 5.1 DD Via Internal Tuner (Both QAM and OTA)

This must be fixed!! The hardware is clearly capable of passing through 5.1 via the SPDIF out. As I posted earlier, Westinghouse told me to try cycling through the digital audio options (English, Spanish, French) to see if any of those would bring up the 5.1 audio stream. They simply need to add something to the firmware to allow 5.1 to be selected from the digital audio menu if it is present in the broadcast.

2) Lockup Problems

The problem occurs after a boot sequence (such as after a power outage or if you are using energy saver mode). The set simply won't come out of standby (amber light does not go blue). Some have been able to recover by doing the 10 second reboot and ensuring that the input which was last used has a source signal. This happened to my first set and I was not able to recover from it - I had to get a replacement.

3) Frame/Scrawl Judder

From xnappo:

if you tune to a channel with a scrawl running you will see that once every two seconds it appears to drop a frame. Once you see it on the scrawl, you will probably notice the missing frame watching normal TV - especially when the camera pans across the screen... For me, my set always did this with component hooked up from my SA8300HD. With HDMI, it would be fine for a while and then start to drop frames. When I would power off/on the set, it would go away for a while.

From bhazard:

I have seen this through VGA and HDMI. It is easily noticeable in Guitar Hero with the scrolling bar. The bar would skip frames every 2 seconds....It is fixable with the 10 sec power reboot. I have no idea how to re-create it, but when it does happen I just do the reboot and it goes away. It is not very often though.

4) HDMI Flickering/Dropouts

There are numerous reports of flickering and dropouts when using an HDMI source, particularly the PS3 but problems with the SA 8300 HD cable box and Sony upscaling DVD player have also been reported. The assumption is that there is a problem with the HDCP authentication.


5) HDMI Hub (all HDMI inputs sharing the same setting)

All 4 HDMI inputs share the same user settings. Westinghouse has indicated that this is due to the 4 HDMI inputs being on a hub, hence it is really only 1 input. There is a possibility that each HDMI input can still have its own settings if the firmware is updated.

6) EPG

The EPG could use some work. First, it doesn't appear to have a cache so it does not hold very much data. I personally don't receive any data except from NBC while using QAM - not sure if this is an issue with the set or if all the other stations simply aren't transmitting guide data. Here are some more problems as reported by meltdown100:

To add what I have seen with the EPG issue, for me it is working for all of my OTA channels, but in a somewhat crippled fashion. I can only see the program schedule for any given channel when I am tuned in to that particular channel, everything else comes up blank. Another minor annoyance with this is that the EPG does not come up for the channel you are currently viewing, which would make sense, rather it comes up for whatever the last channel was that you looked up on the EPG.

7) Dynamic Contrast Cannot Be Disabled

Even though you can turn off the Dynamic Contrast Feature via the menu, it appears that it is never truly disabled. I have the setting off myself and I do still notice automatic contrast shifts when going from bright to dark scenes.

8) Audio Dynamic Range Compression Cannot Be Disabled

From superh:

The audio dynamic range compression feature cannot be disabled. It is always on. What it does essentially is normalize audio so that there aren't large volume differences between commercials/programs and channels. I would like to be able to disable that sometimes. It would be nice for those times where the TV content is musical.

You'll hear it sometimes when a station starts off really quiet and gets louder in volume (or vice versa - when you tune to a "loud" station and the TV drops in volume). It's within the television for sure, since I've ran PC audio through it while playing a game and can confirm that when the audio plays, the sound effects in the game disappear. When the audio goes silent between songs, the game audio gets louder.

--------------------------

This thread is for discussion directly related to the new Westinghouse TX Series, specifically the TX-42F430S and TX-47F430S. I did not include the TX-52F480S as it is not due out until the fall, and it differs from its smaller cousins in more than just panel size. For discussion not directly related to the TX-42 and TX-47, such as anticipation of the TX-52, please see the original Westinghouse TX Series (TX-42F430s, TX-47F430s, TX-52F480s) Anticipation Thread. This thread contains a wealth of information about Westinghouse, the upcoming TX-52, and LCD displays in general.

Please - no price talk as it is against forum rules. Also, be aware that not everyone who comes to this forum wears a propellerhead cap. All Westinghouse owners are encouraged to post their opinions and there are no stupid questions. Of course, it is always a good idea to use search to see if your particular question has already been addressed elsewhere.

Enjoy the thread !!

Important Links

Westinghouse TX-42F430S Product Page
Westinghouse TX-42F430S Manual
Westinghouse TX-47F430S Product Page
Westinghouse TX-47F430S Manual

Useful Warranty Information from sharkcohen

For those sending in their set for warranty service/replacement: do not bother with tech support after you have sent in your set. Tech support cannot directly answer questions regarding status updates on RMAs, and they have to put in a status request to 'corporate', and then call you back in 3-5 days with an answer. Good luck with that, they usually never call back. Instead, directly call the center you sent your set to. If you send to Santa Fe Springs, CA, the number for their facility is 562-236-9800. Just tell the operator that you want to get a status on your RMA, the person will direct you to their RMA department, who I have found to be VERY friendly and helpful.

ALSO OF NOTE: Westinghouse tech support/customer service is NOT Westinghouse, it is a large outsource company called microdyne, www.microdyne.com Considering they are just a call center, I would NOT bother trying to get them to answer questions regarding firmware updates or known issues. These people know nothing more than what Westinghouse tells them.

Review from Cnet:

http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-a...-32429415.html

Specifications (copied from the Westinghouse site):

TX-42F430S Specifications

Display Specifications

Viewable Screen Size 42" Diagonal
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Native/Optimum Resolution 1920 x 1080
Color Capability 16.7 Million colors

Connectors

QTY TYPE

1 Antenna In (RF)

1 Video/S-Video In

2 YPbPr In

4 HDMI + 1 L/R

1 D-Sub (VGA) In

1 PC Audio In (mini)

4 Audio In (dual RCA)

1 Audio Out (dual RCA)

1 SPDIF Optical Out

1 AC Power In

EDIT: They forgot to mention a very important input - there is a USB port for firmware updates !!

Compatible Modes

NTSC 480i

HDTV 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p

PC SVGA, XGA, SXGA, HD 720, HD 1080

Clear QAM

Picture

Contrast Ratio 1000:1

Color Gamut 75% NTSC

Lamp Life 50,000 Hrs

Viewing Angle 176° Horizontal 176° Vertical

Response Time 8 ms

Video Features

Preset Video Modes - Enhanced/Movie/Game/Sports

Screen Fit Modes - Standard/Fill/Overscan

Progressive Scan

3D Noise Reduction

Inverse 3:2 Pulldown

De-Interlacing

3D Adaptive Comb Filter

2D OSD Graphics Engine

Selectable Color Temperature - 3 User Adjustable

Advanced Calibration Menu

Dynamic Contrast

Convenience Features

Autosource™

SpineDesign™

DayBright™ - High contrast LCD for both day and night

Parental Control

Sleep Timer

Dimensions and Weight

42.2" x 29.0 " x 10.5 " (with Base)
68.1 lbs (with Base)
42.2" x 27.0 " x 5.5 " (w/o Base)
61.1 lbs (w/o Base)
46.1" x 33.3 " x 11.5 " (carton dimensions)
79.1 lbs (carton weight)

Audio

2-10 watt speakers

10 watt Subwoofer

Down Firing

User Adjustable 5 Band Equalizer

Cabinet Color

Black/Dark Silver

Installation Options

8 Hole Pattern

75mm x 75mm VESA® Pattern

100mm x 100mm VESA® Pattern wall mounts

Warranty

Westinghouse Digital Electronics warrants their LCD TVs against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one (1) year from the original date of purchase.


TX-47F430S Specifications:

Same as above, except for:

Display Specifications

Viewable Screen Size 47" Diagonal

Dimensions and Weight

48.2" x 31.5" x 10.5" (with Base)
71.6 lbs (with Base)
48.2" x 29.5" x 5.5" (w/o Base)
64.6 lbs (w/o Base)
50.5" x 36.1" x 11.5" (carton dimensions)
83.6 lbs (carton weight)

[huggybear]

As of yesterday 5/23/07, the TX-47 has started appearing at Best Buy. A few of us were fortunate enough to snag what appears to be the only units that were sent to the stores to be used as display models!

I am calling this "initial impressions" as opposed to a review as unfortunately I do not have the time right now to do more extensive tests. Figures that I wait 2 months for this set, with plenty of free time on my hands, and then it manages to show up right when I am swamped with work and preparing for a long weekend! So I apologize in advance and promise to post more results next week.

On to the impressions...

1) The box/packaging. I thought it would be bigger. It almost completely fit in the trunk of my Honda Civic with the rear seat down (would have gone in all the way if it wasn't for about 2" of plastic mouldings on each side). I guess this is due to the way it was packaged. When I opened her up I was shocked - I was expecting the unit to be enclosed in a styrafoam coffin... instead, all that was protecting this gem was 4 pieces of plastic moulding, one for each corner. There is absolutely nothing in between the screen and the box, except space. Now granted, the mouldings did a fine job of protecting it, but anything could pierce the box and directly hit the screen. I would be scared silly if UPS were delivering this package.

2) First look at the TV. Jaw-dropping. Absolutely beautiful. I wouldn't change a thing. In the pictures the bottom stripe appeared more "silvery". This thing is one black beauty. I can guarantee that anyone who sees it wil complement it. The WAF (Wife Approval Factor) is through the roof.

I totally underestimated the size - this TV is BIG!! Here I was thinking I was eventually going to get the TX-52 when it came out and move the 47 to the bedroom. Not going to happen. I realize now that the 52 would be too big for me. This 47 completely covers my stand (the edges of the TV go right to the edge of the stand).

As far as weight, I found the TV very easy to manhandle. I do lift weights regularly but I don't think any man would have a problem moving this thing around. Definitely not a 2 person required task.

3) Setup. I pluged in a cable delivering QAM into the RF input and then the power cord. WARNING - the TV turns on instantly and the volume is loud - have your remote ready! I was so relieved when this thing powered up and automatically tuned to a cable channel!!! So far so good.

By now it was about ten to nine and the season finale of Lost was coming on... I quickly inititiated the channel auto-scan. This took a while - it finished around 5 after nine so I missed the beginning of Lost. The annoyance quickly disappeared as I entered the QAM channel code for ABC in my area and Lost in glorious high defnition filled the screen. It was at that moment my permagrin set in and it hasn't gone away since.

4) First impression of the picture. To summarize in 1 word - stunning! It was absolutely beautiful - the quality will drop anyone's jaw. Keep in mind this is NOT my first HD set. I started in the world of HD around 5 years ago with a 400lb Toshiba rear projection set. After that I ran a Sanzyo Z2 720p front projector. I have also seen various units at friend's houses and my parents have a 720p Samsung LNS4692. I can honestly say that the picture surpassed any other set I have ever seen. Granted, I have never seen a high end Samsung/Sony/Mits/Sharp in person, but I do not believe the improvement in quality (IF ANY!) on those sets could justify the hundreds if not thousands of dollars more in price.

I flipped between Lost (broadcast in 720p) and American Idol (broadcast in 1080i). American Idol definitely looked better, but I don't think this is due to 720p vs 1080i content - I believe it is the actual cameras that they use. I can't wait to see 1080p on this baby!!

I did not see any flaws in the picture - no dead pixels, clouds, bands, ghosts, sceptres, ghouls whatever other weird flaws people have named. I don't plan on running and test patterns though - if I don't see it during normal viweing, I don't want to know about it!

I did notice some red push in the factory default settings, but I am 100% confident that I will be able to tweak this set using AVIA and my THX optimizer disc to my complete satisfaction.

5) Sound. I thought the sound from the set was quite good. The subwoofer is turned on by default so it was quite basey. I have a THX certified Logitech surround sound system so I hooked up an optical cable via the SPDIF output....

POTENTIAL PROBLEM - I am almost certain that Lost is broadcast in 5.1 in my area. My audio receiver only detected 2 channels being passed from the Westy. I was under the impression that the Westy would pass through the digital bitstream untouched. I am scared that it only passes 2 channels. I looked at the audio settings but there was nothing that addressed this.

PLEASE someone prove me wrong! If you can only obtain 2 channels via the SPDIF output that would be a bummer!

6) Last thoughts. Again, I apologize for not being able to do a more thorough review. I have a Nintendo Wii here and a PS3 and can't wait to test 1080p on this thing. I promise I will provide more details and pictures next week. All I can say is that this TV was well worth the wait. If I had to use a car analogy, I would compare this TV to a Corvette. Sure, it might not be as fancy and expensive as a European sports car, but you simply cannot get more bang for your buck - AND, it will turn heads everytime!!

huggybear

[Mikeoz]

One strange discrepancy I've noticed between the manual and westy web page is that the 47" according to the manual says it's 80 lbs w/ the base, and the webpage says 71lbs.. I know this isn't a big deal to most people, but I'm using a smallish audio stand to hold the tv w/ the components underneath..

I wonder which one is correct. It's certainly not easy for anyone to simply measure it, but if anyone knows which one is correct I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

[DynStatic]

My Mini review.

I was able to pick up this TV last night thanks to the BB item number. I also got 12% off.

The first thing I did after unpacking was to hook up my MacBook Pro to it via VGA. It instantly picked up full 1920x1080@60 resolution with no fuss. It supports many other resolutions also. Output was from DVI with VGA adapter and a sub par VGA cable. Text on web pages was very clear and readable. However, due to the sub par vga cable I had, I did notice lots of phase jitters. I have a high quality VGA cable (Belkin F3H982-06, double shielded) and a DVI-HDMI cable that I'm going to test with tonight.

I did play xbox 360 at full 1080p via component, I have the VGA cable. I will test that and Wii at 480p via component also tonight.

I did pick up 22 QAM HD channels over Comcast. 1080i and 720p.


I'm going to look into Dynamic contrast and custom picture modes per input tonight if someone doesn't beat me to it.

[jbradg]

Huggybear... I agree, if the digital audio from the Westy isn't at least 5.1 (for my setup) I'm not going to be happy. I was planning to use the TV as my A/V switcher with all those inputs and just leave my receiver on one setting to play the audio from the TV.

[flabioh]

Originally Posted by jbradg

Huggybear... I agree, if the digital audio from the Westy isn't at least 5.1 (for my setup) I'm not going to be happy. I was planning to use the TV as my A/V switcher with all those inputs and just leave my receiver on one setting to play the audio from the TV.

I can't imagine the output is not 5.1. What would be the use of the digital output? You can just as easily run 2 channel analog to the reciever. Seems like it would be a waste of space.

[TLJester]

I just tried my Xbox 360 with VGA, and the Westinghouse displayed 1080p with that.
Though my cable is a 3rd party one, and the image ghosts a bit. Component was much better (due to cable).

[huggybear]

Originally Posted by flabioh

I can't imagine the output is not 5.1. What would be the use of the digital output? You can just as easily run 2 channel analog to the reciever. Seems like it would be a waste of space.

I have a feeling that Lost was not broadcast in 5.1 last night (at least not by my ABC affiliate).

I will test tonight when a rerun of CSI comes on - I know for a fact that is broadcast in 5.1.

[jbradg]

Originally Posted by huggybear

I have a feeling that Lost was not broadcast in 5.1 last night (at least not by my ABC affiliate).

I will test tonight when a rerun of CSI comes on - I know for a fact that is broadcast in 5.1.

I'll also try it from my new DVD player connected via HDMI tonight.

[aindik]

Originally Posted by huggybear

I flipped between Lost (broadcast in 720p) and American Idol (broadcast in 1080i). American Idol definitely looked better, but I don't think this is due to 720p vs 1080i content - I believe it is the actual cameras that they use. I can't wait to see 1080p on this baby!!

American Idol should be in 720p. That is Fox's resolution of choice. Your affiliate might be broadcasting in 1080i, but that wouldn't really make sense, as the network is a 720p network.

Originally Posted by huggybear

POTENTIAL PROBLEM - I am almost certain that Lost is broadcast in 5.1 in my area. My audio receiver only detected 2 channels being passed from the Westy. I was under the impression that the Westy would pass through the digital bitstream untouched. I am scared that it only passes 2 channels. I looked at the audio settings but there was nothing that addressed this.

PLEASE someone prove me wrong! If you can only obtain 2 channels via the SPDIF output that would be a bummer!

Are you sure there wasn't a setting to choose between PCM and AC-3 sound? My Westinghouse 32w6 had one, and I didn't get 5.1 until I chose AC-3.

[aindik]

Originally Posted by jbradg

I'll also try it from my new DVD player connected via HDMI tonight.

That probably won't work. I don't think these TVs pass 5.1 audio that they receive from HDMI. I think they only pass 5.1 audio from their own tuners.

[LynxFX]

Shouldn't it be TX-42F430S and TX-47F430S? It might confuse people who copy and paste for searching purposes.

[flabioh]

Originally Posted by aindik

American Idol should be in 720p. That is Fox's resolution of choice. Your affiliate might be broadcasting in 1080i, but that wouldn't really make sense, as the network is a 720p network.



Are you sure there wasn't a setting to choose between PCM and AC-3 sound? My Westinghouse 32w6 had one, and I didn't get 5.1 until I chose AC-3.

Hmm... looking through the online manual there isn't any setting like this. However, there is three audio options:

• Mono
• Stereo
• SAP

This would be very depressing if that was all there was. The only glimpse of hope from the user manual is that it has a section in the audio menu listed as "Digital Audio - Enables language selection for digital channels" which leads me to believe that it would be picking up the digital audio and (one would assume) pass this on to the receiver.

I think this would be a deal breaker for me if it doesn't pass 5.1 audio.

[Emonroe]

Can someone confirm HDMI 1.2 on these sets?

[Ohgami]

I have 2 Questions. I'm really curious how good the Trident Chip in these.
1. Hows the Deinterlacing of 1080i input (compared to the DCDi used in the LVM-W series)?
2. How's the Upscaling of 480i/480p to 1080p (compared to the DCDi used in the LVM-W series)?

[Xcalibur_255]

That's the question of the hour. When Audioholics or Cnet tests one we'll know for sure.

[g stylin]

Does anyone know if PIP is/ isn't available on this set?

[jbradg]

Well, when I first connected up my receiver to the digital audio port on the TV, I put a DVD (Matrix) into my Samsung 1080p upconvert DVD player, and I could only get L and R audio. However, when I changed the audio out on the DVD player from PCM to Bitstream, it worked. I have a Sony receiver that's about 6 years old.

I get my TWC HD DVR on Sunday. Hopefully the audio works correctly with it.

[stoked]

Originally Posted by jbradg

Well, when I first connected up my receiver to the digital audio port on the TV, I put a DVD (Matrix) into my Samsung 1080p upconvert DVD player, and I could only get L and R audio. However, when I changed the audio out on the DVD player from PCM to Bitstream, it worked. I have a Sony receiver that's about 6 years old.

I get my TWC HD DVR on Sunday. Hopefully the audio works correctly with it.

That makes sense. PCM would be decoded in the TV into seperate PCM channels. The TV would need to have a DD5.1 decoder built-in. Bitstream would pass the DD5.1 bitstream undecoded to the AVR. Looks like you won't be able to pass DD+ or TrueHD but I guess that's expected.

[jbradg]

Originally Posted by stoked

That makes sense. PCM would be decoded in the TV into seperate PCM channels. The TV would need to have a DD5.1 decoder built-in. Bitstream would pass the DD5.1 bitstream undecoded to the AVR. Looks like you won't be able to pass DD+ or TrueHD but I guess that's expected.

What I found odd is the same thing happened when I directly connected the optical out from the DVD player to my receiver. Could it be the age of my receiver and not being able to decode the PCM signal from this newer DVD player?

[stoked]

Originally Posted by jbradg

What I found odd is the same thing happened when I directly connected the optical out from the DVD player to my receiver. Could it be the age of my receiver and not being able to decode the PCM signal from this newer DVD player?

I think it's more to do with what the output/input devices can handle. For example, when I was shopping for a AVR, I made sure it supported 5.1 PCM input up to 24-bit/192khz for TrueHD. I think most AVR's do anyhow. On the other end, if you're going to decode and pass PCM to your AVR, then your output device needs to have a DD5.1 decoder. Some DVD players don't, but I assume most current ones do. So in short, if you want to pass PCM to your receiver, your output device needs to have a DD5.1 decoder and your receiver needs to accept multi-channel PCM.

[BENZONATE]

LEFT SIDE: TX-47F430s (VGA input) ~ / ~ RIGHT SIDE: LVM-47w1 (DVI input)



DVI INPUT ON THE LVM-47w1 is BRILLIANT and completely CRYSTAL CLEAR(true 1:1 pixel mapping). The TX line is without any DVI inputs.



VGA on both (LVM & TX series)~(see the left panel as it is set at 100% backlight and still not as bright as the DVI output.)
They are both producing exact results via VGA input(text blur(red smear), slight ghosting, smudged look in comparison



TX REMOTE: The TX line remote functions(most of them), work on the LVM series:

[BENZONATE]

THE MENU:


VIDEO:





DISPLAY:

"PIP" = This "may" be enabled by adding multiple inputs.
The LVM-47w1 series will allow "CERTAIN" inputs as the PIP option.

For example:
If you are using a DVI input, you may select: PIP/PBP/POP with any input except: Another YPbBR1/2, DVI or HDMI input as your PIP or P?P.
You may select A/V, S-Video, Composite, etc for your P?P alternatives.





TV:





AUDIO:

"MIXED" = USE OF INTERNAL & EXTERNAL SPEAKERS TOGETHER. The LVM-47w1 series will either "INTERNAL" or "EXTERNAL", but not the use of both at the same time.





POWER:





SETTINGS:





"USER CALIBRATION = YES", you receive this calibration menu

Originally Posted by Xcalibur_255

Two questions immediately on my mind are: dynamic contrast feature going to be user

defeatable?

YES IT IS: AS WELL AS:

~Deinterlace (on/off)
~3D Comb Filter (on/off)
~Dynamic Contrast (on/off)
~Color Temp for presets (Warm / Neutral / Cool ) - These have individual R.G.B. settings for each setting, that are stored in memory.



"USER CALIBRATION = YES" and you receive this screen for all

the adjustments you would find in the service menu(LVM-47w1) and more:

[BENZONATE]

Originally Posted by Xcalibur_255

The contrast number itself is worthless, but it helps me place whether

these are CMO's latest panels or continuing runs from last year with the newer backlight.

Hello Xcalibur_255,
I can verify, by having these next to each other, that they are in fact two different panels.

SPECS(VISUAL):



LVM-47w1:

USING A BLACK SCREEN on both(LVM & TX) and looking towards the center of the panel from one side of each panel:

The LVM carries what looks to be a slightly tighter pixel with a slight RED / PINK 'ish tint, or red washout to the panel.
This tint is definately noticable in comparison to the TX Panel, while looking at it from an extreme viewing angle
(i.e. either end of the panel, looking towards the center).

~LVM PANEL (TIGHT PIXELS HERE WITH A SLIGHT TINT)



~TX PANEL
~YOU CAN SEE THE SLIGHT SCREEN DOOR WHEN YOUR NOSE IS UP AGAINST THE PANEL.
TX PANEL: (not necessarily LARGER PIXELS, but pixels with a slightly different shape. These pixels look like tightly packed layers of "CCCCCC". Where the LVM panel has a more square pixel shape.




STATS ON BOTH (TX & LVM) & MY IMPRESSIONS:

LVM-47w1 COMPARED TO THE TX-47F430s:

PANEL FINISH (observed with both units powered off):

LVM PANEL: Dull Matte finish that looks more grey next to the TX-47F430s. When powered on, a very soft pinkish tint is noticable(but only when compared to the "whiter/cleaner" black TX panel.
TX PANEL: Slight gloss on a matte finish that produce a slightly blacker darker(a good black) panel. When powered on, this panel looks more neutral(white) showing the backlight(not bleeding, mura, sparkles, etc).



PIXELS:

LVM PANEL: TIGHTER PIXELS. (the LVM panel has a more square pixel shape.)
TX PANEL: (not necessarily LARGER PIXELS, but pixels with a slightly different shape. These pixels look like tightly packed layers of "CCCCCC". Where the LVM panel has a more square pixel shape.



COLOR DEPTH via Component input(HD CABLE/SD DVD) :

LVM PANEL: Color depth looks a bit washed out in comparison to the TX, which also produces better blacks(with and without the Dynamic Contrast turned on).
TX PANEL: Better blacks , starting with the panel powered off. Also, Excellent Color Depth & richness. The TX menu is equipped with a fully adjustable R.G.B. for each preset & User settings. Very nice indeed!

*NOTE*: LVM-47w1: Colors via DVI-DVI/DVI-HDMI look amazing and vibrant.
I cannot check DVI on the TX(the TX is not equipped with DVI input)



*(SEE UPDATE BELOW)* MOTION BLUR VIA COMPONENT INPUT ON BOTH (LVM & TX):

LVM PANEL: Excellent response time, minimal if any motion blur or tearing in DVD, HD Cable or Gaming. The LVM *SHINES* in this area.
TX PANEL: Strangely, I do see motion blur, as if steam rising off the road in the distance, in some instances. Slightly garbled, distorted, mabye slower response times(twist), hmmm..this needs more attention. HD does not look the same on the TX as it does on the LVM Panel(which looks stunning). The source is the same as the LVM. I will follow up on this.

**UPDATE**

THE HD SOURCE PROBLEM & MOTION BLUR:
~COX EXPLORER 3250HD was set to "ZOOM" in the settings and I had to adjust the "SCREEN SIZE" to "WIDESCREEN" as well. Still tweaking but the TX "FILL" & "OVERSCAN" options just made SD Cable look much better.


DEFECTS: (MURA/FLASHLIGHTING/SPARKLES/BANDING/ETC)


LVM PANEL: ZERO DEFECTS(NONE AT ALL)
TX PANEL:

~TX LINE DEFECTS~

~ There are 4 stuck pixels on the TX that you cannot see unless you are nose to panel(seriously). I attempted to even capture them on camera..without success..I'll try to post pictures when I have them.


~These pixels sparkle(red/green) as I swoop across the panel, looking for others. At 2 feet away, I strain to find them again. Not an issue, but the LVM has 0 stuck, dead pixels.

~Possible backlight BLEEDING from the bottom left corner/FLASHLIGHTING/ MURA? I am not sure as it may have been pressure while in transport.

**NOTE** THIS IS IN NO WAY A PROBLEM. IT IS *ONLY* VISABLE WITH A COMPLETELY BLACK SCREEN(and you have to look for it).

TX DEFECTS(left monitor)?






MY PIXEL EXPERIENCE:

LVM-47w1:

~0 DEAD/STUCK PIXELS
~INCREDIBLE DVI-DVI/DVI-HDMI 1:1 PIXEL MAPPING & COLORS VIA COMPUTER TO LVM. (SEE PICTURE BELOW)
~ VGA-VGA(LVM) = SLIGHT BLUR IN TEXT and GENERAL COMPUTER USE.
~ WHITES are not as BRILLIANT via VGA, but it is bright and easy to use/game.
~VGA does not compare to the quality and brilliance(whites) of DVI...IT JUST DOESN'T in my experiences with both (TX & LVM).

1:1 PIXEL MAPPING VIA DVI-DVI(MOST EXCELLENT & I HOPE THE TX-47F430s CAN MATCH THE COMPUTER MONITOR PERFORMANCE OF THE LVM-47w1)

**UPDATE**

~IT DOES & ADDS DEEPER/RICHER COLORS & EXCELLENT EXTREME ANGLE VIEWING WITHOUT THE COLOR/RED WASHOUT OF THE LVM-47w1. NOTE: The LVM is an excellent monitor that only exhibits this red washout when you stand at one end while viewing the center. It is a truly excellent monitor!

Originally Posted by Xcalibur_255

If the case is the latter we can expect very similar PQ to the existing

LVM-47w1 with better color reproduction being the only notable improvement.

~Better picture quality is certain. The TX line motion blur(dynamic contrast either on or off = same) & HD comparison with the LVM series is a concern, as the LVM holds its own and looks beautiful(yet, without the color depth and the various upgrades of the TX).

Also, I need to access HDMI-DVI input to the TX. A PROBLEM, as VGA carries the TEXT BLUR(see picture below) on both (TX & LVM). HDMI HDCP? The video cards have HDCP on chip. Hmmm..The GO 7800 GTX would not port via DVI to the LVM, but both of my GO 7800 did so very well. Now the TX won't accept any input via DVI-HDMI without creating an NVIDIA profile based on the LVM-47w1(i have to plug in the LVM, create the profile, unplug LVM & plug in the DVI-HDMI on the TX and finally...1:1 pixel mapping, deeper colors & beautiful. On any of the 4 HDMI(note: HDMI 1 is the only one with RCA audio input, the other 3 are just HDMI connectors, so I thought HDMI 1 would accept PC input).

VGA(TX & LVM) TEXT BLUR(RED SHIFT):



There are many new TX features and tweaking has begun. Collaboration is the key to success, as everyone on this forum (and the LVM-47w1 & TX anticipation thread) have provided excellent information. Educated and informed decisions = permagrin. And permagrin for all.

~b3nz0n8

[BENZONATE]

TX-47F430s ~ LVM-47w1 SIDE BY SIDE:

SLIDE SHOW OF PICTURES FROM LAST NIGHT(MORE TO COME):

CLICK THIS LINK:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8555668@N08/show/

[flabioh]

Wow! Thank you very much for the menu pictures. Can you clarify the PIP? Does it actually work on the TX? Can you select any other input to be the PIP or only certain ones?

[darkninja67]

Thanks for the pics and the write up BENZONATE. The TX looks to have some screen uniformity issues, judging by the TX defects shot. I am hoping it can be adjusted out through the settings.

[jbradg]

Thanks for the detailed post Benzonate. I look forward to any adjustments to the defaults you find work best. I too have noticed some motion blur, but I'm not sure it's significant enough for me to return the unit. I do find our local news produced and broadcast in 1080i to look outstanding... flesh tone colors, etc. I get my TWC HD DVR on Sunday so I'll have 2 HDMI sources connected. I want to try the autosource feature to see if I'm happy with it as having to press the input select button multiple times to cycle through all the inputs is a pain.

[huggybear]

Originally Posted by LynxFX

Shouldn't it be TX-42F430S and TX-47F430S? It might confuse people who copy and paste for searching purposes.

Thanks for pointing this out - I completely gapped the "F" !! I guess my head's still in a haze from the excitement

I will change what I can but I don't believe users can change a thread's title after it is posted so I will ask a mod to do so.

[huggybear]

Ok, last night a rerun of CSI was on... I know for a fact that CSI is delivered with 5.1 DD over QAM in my area.

I have an optical cable going from the SPDIF out on the TX-47 feeding a Logitech audio receiver... the logitech displays the technical details of the signal it is receiving....

Once again, the SPDIF passthrough is only sending 2 channels.

There are absolutely no audio settings in the menu that can address this.

I was under the impression that the TX would simply pass through the raw audio bitstream (leaving the decoding to your audio receiver).

It appears that it downsamples it to 2 channel stereo and then passes that through.

Someone else with QAM or OTA please test this and either confirm (or hopefully discredit) my findings.

If this is the case, it is a real bummer. But is this something that can be changed with a firmware update??