1080P Panel Wars Ep. III: Westinghouse LVM-37w3 37" LCD

A new 37" Westinghouse 1080p LCD monitor is coming:

The Westinghouse LVM-37W3 37" LCD Video Monitor is a state-of-the-art 1920 x 1080 progressive scan LCD display brings you the ultimate in Digital video. It's been optimized for use with the latest High Definition sources; enjoy HD digital cable, HD satellite and a digital game console -- all with the very highest in digital picture quality. PC and notebooks users can also enjoy the same fat pipe and the industry best Genesis Display Perfection technology. Multiple connection choices, including 2 DVI with HDCP connectors, lets you connect to a PC and the latest multimedia video sources. Amazingly thin for its size, you get 37 inches at only 4.5 inches deep (without the base), allowing you to mount this stylish monitor on your wall.

Displays up to 16.7 million colors
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
Viewing Angles: 176° Horizontal, 176° Vertical
Compatible Modes: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
Native/Optimum Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Supported Resolutions: 1920 x 1080, 640 x 480, 800 x 600, 1024 x 768
Twin 20 Watt speakers
Picture-in-Picture display
Freezing Picture
3D Noise Reduction
Inverse 3:2 pulldown
3D Video Processing, 3D Comb Filter
CCS (Cross Color Suppressor)
Response Time: 12 ms
Brightness: 550 cd/m2
Input connectors:
Outputs:
Lamp Life: 50,000 hrs.
Color Gamut: 75% NTSC
Color: Silver
Dimensions(HxWxD): 36.6" x 23.0" x 4.5" without base
Dimensions With Base: 36.6" x 28.5" x 8.4"
Weight: 44 lbs. without base
Weight With Base: 56 lbs.

I think this new one looks better than the old 37" LVM-37w1.

New LVM-37w3:



Old LVM-37w1:



I just hope it doesn't suffer from the lockup problems plaguing the 42" LVM-42w2. (I may have bought the 42" Westy had it not been for this problem.)

P.S. Thx to the post in the other 37" Westy thread that alerted us to this new model.

Another retailer confirms the existence of a new model Westy 37".

Does your store have the new one in stock (or in a warehouse nearby)? Is your TV purchase 100% refundable? If so, I'd return it.

I'm also wondering about corner bleeding on the new Westys (37" and 42"), but just as importantly, I wonder if the new 37" corrects the lockup issues. My guess is no on the lockup issue, since the 42" also suffers from this problem. The good news is that people so far are not complaining about corner bleeding with the 42". The other issue I'd like to see eliminated is the uneven illumination seen on some of the old LVM-37w1 sets. ie. Some people have a brighter left side of the screen compared to the right side. That's just bad QA in my opinion, and unacceptable.

As for inputs on the new Westy, we still don't have all the details yet. I hope it's like the 42".

By the way, the old 37" 37w1 seems to be unavailable now at some etailers even though it was available last week IIRC. I guess they've finished draining off inventory of the old model and are gearing up for the new 37w3 too.

I'd be surprised if it didn't have a 1080p capable digital input, given the previous models, and the new 42". However, no confirmation yet.

However, in your shoes, I'd probably return it anyway. If I had noticeable corner bleed, it would drive me insane. If it's very mild that's a different story though.

Personally, I'm no longer considering buying a Westy until they release a firmware to fix that lockup issue some of the LVM-37w1 and LVM-42w2 LCDs have.

Wow, that's less than a week from now, and it's still not on Westinghouse's LCD site.


No idea.

However, with no evidence to support my belief, I'm guessing that the 37w3 will break the $2000 barrier for MSRP. (The 37w1 had a MSRP of US$2299.)

P.S. It seems the new 37" 37w3 shares the same aesthetics as the 42" 42w2:

Well, 1 of 3 units suffering lockups would be terrible if it were representative of the overall numbers. 33% is bad. I suspect the number is much lower though as you suggest, but still, it's very worrisome, as are the other issues you mentioned.

I wonder if there is some way of finding out which firmware revision one has. If not, perhaps the manufacture date may be of interest. Anyways, it's no big deal for me to wait. Part of the reason for me to upgrade is for Blu-ray and for a home theatre Mac mini, but since I don't even have either of those yet, I can continue to use my 34" widescreen HD CRT for now.

EDIT:

Sweet!

Another reason for me to wait... I'm in Canada, and there is no Westinghouse LCD availability in Canada. If I bought a Westy, it would be through mail order from the US. However, it seems Westinghouse is trying to work out a deal with Best Buy Canada and Future Shop to carry their LCDs. I'd feel a lot more comfortable buying a Westy if I could get it locally, with a local service centre.

Adding an external Blu-ray drive on the current Mac mini probably will not help, considering it still wouldn't support HDCP. Yeah, you might have to wait >6 months to a year for a Mac with both a slimline Blu-ray laptop drive and a HDCP support from the GPU via DVI. (It's unlikely Apple will include an HD-DVD-only drive, since they've already come out in support of Blu-ray.) It's a bit of a moot point for me though, since I was planning on buying a Playstation 3, which will already include Blu-ray support.

P.S. Has anyone seen the 1200:1 contrast ratio Sonys/Sharps compared to the 1000:1 Westys? Is it a noticeable difference?

P.P.S. How does the Xbox 360 look through component on LCD screens?

Hmmm... The 37w3 is still not showing up on Best Buy's public website, despite the fact that several have already posted that Best Buy now has this unit in their system, with one poster stating availability this Sunday, March 19.

I wonder why it's not listed. Is it because the still have significant stock of the 37w1 left? Or does Best Buy just never list future products?

P.S. At least one person is complaining about red push with his 42" 42w2. I wonder if this is a function more of the channels and the set-top boxes than the TV itself.

Someone in the 42" LVM-42w2 thread mentioned that you need some sort of device attached to the TV to get into the 42" Westy's service menu. If true, I suspect the same would be true for the 37".

Also, this may not be applicable, but on my CRT, tweaking the service menu settings can help with red push, but it can't be eliminated. (My TV was ISF calibrated.) But like I said, it's a different TV (CRT), and that's via the component outputs.

Then why are they calling it the LVM-37w3?


J&R

Except that according to several forum posters here, Best Buy already says it exists, as the LVM-37w3.

LTV-37w2 is a very different name than the LVM-37w3

Perhaps those LVM-37w3 specs at JR.com are all bull, but it's also quite possible that that particular Best Buy manager that claims that LTV-37w2 = LVM-37w3 just doesn't know what he's talking about.