[thenut]

Hey there, just joined the forums. Long time reader, first time poster.


I may get a new TV anyway and my budget would be in the ballpark of $1100. Many people are excited about the 37" 1080p Westinghouse. I have yet to make a decision. Is there any reason not to consider this TV? The new 42" and 47" will likely be too far out of my budget to consider but I will think about it if someone can give me a reason to.


I know price seems to be the main reason people are attracted to Westinghouse products. I hear conflicting stories about them as well. Some people say they are terrible quality while some people think they look great. I don't know if it comes down to product quality variation or if some people simply don't know much while others do. I'll drive down to Best Buy soon and see them in the store. There's another store around here that sells them so I'll compare them there as well.


As for the size I am eying for, I am realistic. With only ~ $1100 to spend I know my choices are limited. I'm not expecting a giant screen unless I go with DLP or projection. So if anyone can recommend a TV that is bigger than my current one, good quality and affordable, by all means tell me about it.


I don't have to spend all my money on a new TV. Here's a hypothetical, if someone wants to recommend a $700 30" then I'm willing to listen. Anything that is better than what I currently have and worth my money.


Also, the reason I want 1080p in a TV is because it may double as a monitor for my new computer build this summer. That's the other reason I am considering the 37" Westinghouse. The new build will be used for movie streaming, games, etc. so I was thinking the 37" Westinghouse would pair well with the new computer. Someone I know on a forum I frequent did a review on the 37" Westinghouse and it looked nice but camera shots seem to always make things look better than in real life.

 

[wmcclain]



Quote:
Originally Posted by thenut /forum/post/0


Hey there, just joined the forums. Long time reader, first time poster.


I may get a new TV anyway and my budget would be in the ballpark of $1100. Many people are excited about the 37" 1080p Westinghouse. I have yet to make a decision. Is there any reason not to consider this TV? The new 42" and 47" will likely be too far out of my budget to consider but I will think about it if someone can give me a reason to.

I've been pleased with my LVM-37w3. It's chief failing is there is no way to calibrate the internal RGB grayscale, something other displays often do through the "do not touch this" service menu. But some displays have user controls for this, as I think will the new TX series. But, as you say, this will start at 42" and be more expensive.


Grayscale adjustment is important if you are a film buff and want to get the colors just right. For games, computer monitor, general TV viewing, it may not be so important.


-Bill

 

[thenut]

Thanks for the opinion.


I see people saying they are pleased with their 37" Westinghouse but I still find people that complain that the blacks are virtually nonexistent and that there is backlight bleeding.


I've seen a 27" and 32" Westinghouse in real life and they look nice. I can only imagine that the 37" is at least as good as they are but I would like to get as many opinions as possible before committing to buying something I haven't seen with my own eyes.

 

[wmcclain]



Quote:
Originally Posted by thenut /forum/post/0


I see people saying they are pleased with their 37" Westinghouse but I still find people that complain that the blacks are virtually nonexistent

It's an LCD so blacks are not as nice as with CRT or plasma. Careful calibration helps.

Quote:
Originally Posted by thenut /forum/post/0


and that there is backlight bleeding.

I've never seen that.


-Bill

 

[thenut]

Then I'm definitely keeping this TV in my list of potential buys.


Thanks

 

[zeuspaul]

I have a Westinghouse 42 inch TV that is about three years old. I picked it up at Costco for about $600.


I don't have any issues with the picture quality at all. There may be minor differences between this and others but I wouldn't base my buying choice based on subtle differences in PQ.


My only issue with my Westinghouse is it doesn't communicate with my Marantz SR6005 receiver when using HDMI. I don't know if it is the Westinghouse or the Marantz or me.


The Westinghouse has 4 HDMI inputs and it wants to *detect* the HDMI signal before locking on. It never locks onto the signal so I can't feed the HDMI through the Marantz. I have to feed the HDMI video direct to the TV and it then locks on and works fine.


The Marantz works fine when I hook it up to my Vizio. It may be that the Vizio is newer than the Westinghouse with better HDMI compatibility.


Bottom line for me when buying a TV is return policy.


Zeuspaul