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Date: 2005-12-14 Great features for a budget-priced LCD HDTV. I did almost a half a year of research on many high-definition ready televisions, and noticed that an LCD flat-panel display would be best for my needs, since I have a computer to hook into a TV, and that would NOT work on a plasma or CRT HDTV. Plus, I love that this features more than any other HD-Ready set that I've seen. I looked at Sharps, Samsungs, JVCs, Sonys, and Panasonics, and thought that those were a little pricey, yet, I was looking for a TV that had that same quality, and for a better price. For the same price that those big brands want for a small TV, Westinghouse had this 32" for under $1K. This is one TV that is worth more than the price tag, and really seems to pay off big time. Just wish that the remote would be a little more responsive, and have more features for the PIP, using the menu all the time can be a pain in the neck for bringing that split-screen into play. Also, there's no way to fill the whole TV with the split-screen, either, it's all letterboxed. Other than that, the quality and responsiveness is just as good as those big name TVs, if not better. Date: 2005-12-13 Excellent and Cheap! I've had this TV for a few weeks now... It's my first HDTV so I have little to compare it to, but regardless, I'm happy! I wanted a solid HDTV to use for a TV (standard cable) as well as for my three computers. The LTV-32W1 has inputs for VGA and DVI and viewing the output from my Mac is excellent! The resolution is 1360x768 or something like that... I can now relax on the couch while browsing the web or checking email! One note: the remote for this device is really bad -- the range is awful and it's really cheap. I use a Universal Remote so I simply programmed it off the original remote and dumped it back in the box. That seems to work well. On another review, someone mentioned that there's no "switch input to DVI" button on the remote that would allow you to select the DVI input without wading through the on-screen menus. However, hitting the "PC" button on the remote will first select the "VGA" input and a second press will select "DVI". The quality is great on this TV... The case itself is solid, very pretty, and the built-in speakers are surprisingly good! There is some slight "white lines" with fast-moving video (this is pretty typical for any LCD I believe) and the unit I bought had a single dead pixel (near the bottom and not visible from a normal viewing distance). It's a tad pricey currently, but when the price drops below the $1000 mark, this TV is a great buy! Date: 2005-12-05 Great LCD for teh price I couldnt be more happy with the purchase that I have made. Although I am not AV expert, the TV looks beaurtiful, especially when playing DVD's through component as well as my computer through the VGA. Cable looks just about the same as when you watch it on a regular CRT (I do not yet have an HD cable boxed hooked up to this TV). My only two complaints are these. Although there is PIP functionality, but not with the TV in both because there is only one tuner. Also, I had a problem with my power imput, which was very loose so that if the power cord would jiggle the TV would power down. I paid about $850 through [...]. For me it was a great buy, and I think this tv looks better than the Olevias that i looked at. Additionally, crutchfield customer support is teh best. Buy through them. Date: 2005-12-02 The best TV no matter the price! I have it connected to my Comcast HD receiver. The picture quality is nothing less than STUNNING! The remote is very logical and easy to use, the menu is wonderful, even the sound quality is great. WOW! Date: 2005-11-29 [Was] A super TV, Well priced, But you'll need the right signal -- UPDATE (Feb 2008) -- Time tells another story ... 2 problems have developed now. First, it's been a little over 2 years, and 3 months ago a vertical line appeared on the right side (where non-HD signals make a black line). It was not horrible to live with, but it was disappointing to see this apparent burn-in occur on a technology that is not supposed to get burn in. Second, the picture and sound are cutting off at random -- sometimes after 5 minutes sometimes after 5 hours. Either way, it's annoying because we have to use the remote or power button to turn it off, then back on again. But the the problem will occur again -- blue power light stays on, but the picture and sound go off. Sometimes, it needs to be turned off for some time before it will show a picture again ... almost like it's overheating. I read about this problem on another site -- other buyers are having the exact same problem after the exact same period of time. Boo, hoo. I don't know if we can get it fixed. Two years is not enough for what we paid. -- Original Review (Dec 2005) -- The 32" Westinghouse LCD HDTV is marvelous. The TV does have a built-in TV tuner, but not an HDTV tuner, so the quality of the picture will be quite low unless you buy some sort of signal conversion box to go with it. It's more like a monitor than an actual HDTV. The necessary receiver can either be a cable box rental for $5 or $10 per month or a broadcast receiver that costs about $200 to purchase at this time. I also understand that you must have a clear line to the source of your signal. When I tried the old rabbit ears, I got next to nothing that would be considered watchable. Even with extended cable, the current choices of HD channels is limited. Without an Hi-Definition signal coming in the picture is pretty crappy, average at best. There are a number of picture/sound inputs and sound outputs on the back and side. There's an RCA video input, an S-Video input, a VGA computer input, 2 RGB component inputs, and a DVI input (worst to best quality in that order). There are stereo inputs for each one, too, either RCA or mini-jack. So far, the VGA input has produced a rather ghosty picture that I couldn't use for reading. The drop-down menus give numerous options for adjusting the picture quality. The picture itself can be stunning. The darks tend to be dark gray but the whites are white hot. The color saturation ranges from none to painful, however you like it. The only concern I have is that the lower-middle tones tend to be a bit dark and just slightly gray. Still, the picture is quite brilliant and a major improvement over traditional cable or broadcast TV. There are speakers attached to the bottom of the screen, so it is not a perfect rectangle, somewhat like an upside-down house shape. The sound is good, but not enough bass for me. There is a stand attached, too, which we're using now. It does have screw holes that would allow it to be wall-mounted. You'd need to buy a separate device to attach it to the wall. The TV is only a few inches thick and gets warm, but not hot, and it's rather heavy. I don't know what the picture-in-picture option would be good for. A fairly small remote is included that allows us to switch between the various audio/video imputs. There are RCA sound outputs and a heaphone jack, too. I patch that through our surround-sound stereo receiver system. It works okay but there's a ton of wires involved that way. I would totally buy this TV again, and if you must have one today, a decent sale price can't be beat. (Best Buy's website lists it for $300 more today than what I bought it for last week on sale.) I wish it would've cost less, but impending curiosity got the better of us. Prices for all the equipment involved will surely drop fairly quickly. 2006 is the mandated switch over to the new signals, and now I can at least explain to friends and family what they can expect and how they can get the most of their money. Westinghouse's "old-brand" reputation be damned. It's a damned good picture -- I love it. I give it an 4-1/2 stars, an A, or 9 out of 10. * Price is subject to change. |
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