I need a decent LCD for under 500 dollars.

Vizio has a 26" unit that meets all your requirements except it's a bit short in the contrast ratio (700:1).

It can be had for about $450 at Walmart I know...I'm sure there are others. You can check www.vizio.com for other sources if you're interested.

Just picked up a Westinghouse 32H240S for that price with a 12% off BB Reward Zone coupon.

32"

1200:1 Contrast
2 HDMI
1 RGB


Picture is amazing for the price. Mine is used strictly for PC, 360, and PS3 when I'm upstairs.

it's a little low, and vizio is known for rating their CR pretty high, so a typical 1000 or 1200:1 CR is actually probably closer to 700/800:1.

so that 700:1 is probably closer to 500:1 realistically, but the monitors typically dont look that bad, a lot of praise with the owners of them... never seen the 26" myself.

always good deals with the 32" westinghouse, great monitor and probably the best you can get for the size/price range.

Contrast ratio means nothing. Its just a number. Each manufacturer run tests in there own enviorments. You could literally go to a store and see a tv that has a high contrast ratio and the next one to it is lower. The one with the lower contrast ratio might look better than the one with the higher contrast ratio.

Look for an Olevia , they use better quality panels than either Westinghouse or Vizio .

-- Jason

I am looking for the same thing. By the last two comments I guess you disagree with Jason's statement about Oleiva?

Not necessarily disagree; but panels alone do not a good TV make.
Vizio has very good user support and Westinghouse has good electronics and excellent support for VGA which makes them a good match for a 360.
1- You may want to check the appropriate threads in the LCD forum round these parts and see what buyers of those three have to say.
2- Of all the specs to focus on, contrast ratio should probably be way down on your list.
3- Since you're looking at a B&M purchase anyway, why not choose a source with a good 30-day no-questions-asked return policy and just take one home; adjust it and see it is does the job or not?

In the end, its your money; your call.
Different strokes for different folks and all that, you know?
YMMV, naturally.

Here is the one OP. I have been looking for the exact same thing as you, and this is where my research has lead me.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/OLEVI...oductDetail.do

Well everyone has a right to their opinion but the Olevia's use LG panels which are considered to be some of the most reliable LCD panels on the market . The other entry level brands certainly offer comparable products but if you look and compare for yourself I think you will end up seeing why the Olevia's are usually the better choice .

The above posted deal on the 27" Olevia will be near impossible to beat from the other brands ( well maybe until black friday ) .

Best of Luck with whatever your choice may be ,
-- Jason

Listen to this guy. I argued with him last year that my westy was better until i saw a olevia at a friends house. Now i own two olevias the black levels and DVD playback are much better than the westy or vizio. Hell upscaled DVD's are damn near HD quality. I just picked up a 32 inch on sale for under 500.

I'm actually surprised you're not looking at computer monitors rather than strictly TVs.

Why so small a display, if you don't mind me asking?

Do any of the Olevia's have VGA?

All of the ones that I looked at do have VGA. They typically have 1-2 HDMI, 2 component, and a VGA, plus the normal composite and s-video.

Almost all of the Olevia's offer VGA and the newer models with ATi and DNX will pixel map (they have a 1:1 mode) so you will get a sharper image than many other displays out there that still do not pixel map . Use 1360x768 on the 360 via VGA and you will only lose a few pixel rows with 1:1 mode .

--- Jason

I just bought the Olevia 227v today at CC. This set seems to be custom made for a 360 running a VGA cable with the 1:1 mapping, and even the pc audio in is red/white RCA's, so no adapter needed. Mine looks fantastic with all the games I have tried so far (1360*768), and I got a $10 HDTV antenna so I can catch the local news and TV shows in HD for free.

One more thing, I bought one of those 10% coupons on ebay for $1.75 and that took the price down to $359.99, I just printed it out and took it in, no problems. Out the door price was $383.75

good deal, but LESS BORDER PLEASE. kinda ruins it.

Regarding borders: IMO, TVs shouldn't even have speakers at all, save for maybe anything under 19". Pretty insulting, putting up a $400-$4000 TV and including some POS 2-watt paper cone speakers in a giant housing that simply adds to the TV's dimensions.

I disagree. Who is going to use a 27" set as their main home theater display? TV's in this range are in bedrooms and offices mainly for watching TV and the occasional game or movie. If you want tiny frames, get a PC monitor. Not everybody is going to have or want a 5.1 system in their kitchen....

At least make them detachable. Then you can pick whether to look at the ugly speakers or not.

Another Utahn speaks! I agree that a 27" set would never make it into my HT (let alone my home) but for $400+, there should be at least decent speakers inside...and if they absolutely must be installed, those should be well hidden/placed, not a giant part of the outer frame, taking up enormous amounts of space and looking ridiculous.

FWIW, our bedroom has a 90" screen.

I figured as much. Still, why not look into computer monitors that size? They're certainly cheaper and offer far more possibilities than a TV would in that range.

Back at ya Utahn! I disagree 100%, respectfully of course. PC monitors are not only more expensive, but offer fewer features. a 27" PC monitor is going to be at least $600, and the nice ones are $1000. They offer high res, but its not really usable except in a PC application, plus the lack of a tuner makes them somewhat limited in their TV viewing applications, and the less expensive ones lack HDCP support making it tough to view HD content sometimes.

27" can be pricey, but 21" models are less than $200. From the OP's statements about space, I assumed, perhaps wrongly, that the monitor in question is intended for some sort of office or desk application. I also forgot about the fact that he wanted a tuner for OTA channels. What with this being in the Xbox area, I again assumed (absolutely wrongly this time ) that the TV was for the 360 only. I went back and read the original post. My bad.