Sub $2k 1080p set reviewed by PC Mag
By Kevin C. Tofel 
posted November 10th 2005 9:10PM
posted November 10th 2005 9:10PM
Any
long-time readers can probably guess that this is the Westinghouse
37-inch LCD set based on this price. Several folks have commented that
they have this set and absolutely love it for the digital picture
quality and the value. The LVM-37w1 from Westinghouse
can be had for as little as $1,650 based on a recent advertisement I
saw in my local Sunday paper. So what do you get for under two-grand?- Native resolution of 1920 x 1080
- 1000 : 1 contrast ratio
- 12 ms response time (could be an issue for gaming)
- VGA input for computer use
- 2 DVI inputs and an S-Video input
PC Mag tended to agree with our readers that own this set; except for a few issues, the set got a solid 3.5 out of 5 rating. Some of the issues may not concern you; it all depends on how you plan to use the set.
Like many digital sets, the analog quality was less than stellar. I don't see this as huge issue personally, as I watch most of my television OTA via a digital signal anyway. My satellite signal is digital also, but gets very fuzzy on a digital set. The other big negative (and this one surprised me) was the quality of DVD playback on this screen. DVDs are 480p resolution, so perhaps this doesn't translate well to the 1080p display. The other possibility is a poor quality DVD player or cabling.
I know there's a few of you out there that own the "Westy" as you affectionately call it. Read the review and let us know if you think PC Magazine is off-base if you own this set. It's always great to get review feedback from folks that actually use the product on a daily basis!
I have one of these hooked up to my laptop. I don't own an actual TV, so I use my laptop as a media center and I hook it up to an external hard drive, USB Audigy2NX sound card and 5.1 surround sound system for a home media center that still allows me to unplug my laptop easily and take it with me where ever I go.
I run the Westy off a DVI cable and it works perfectly. Black levels are decent, but I'm an LCD guy and not used to CRT type black levels. Color is very good, as is the 12ms refresh rate. I watch DVDs, HDTV movies and shows and game on this screen and all are perfect, but keep in mind all the input is from DVI through my PC, so the monitor never has to upscale content itself.
That is my TV - and yes the 75% color gamut takes getting used to as screen 2 on my system - but this is my HD video editing monitor and used as such it is perfect. and it is sweet. a bargain. oh yah . its my TV also with HD cable on a scientific atlanta explorer HD 8300 digital tuner / dvr.
Plug your PS2 into this puppy and you will have to bribe your kids to unplug the thing and get back to work.
DVD? if your DVD player is making any attempt to be progressive play then it will feed the faroudja DCDi junky garbage - turn off progressive play on the player and BAM - stunning image. Let the monitor do it.