Looking to Replace 37" Westinghouse

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Xaxius

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Mar 11, 2007
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Hey Everyone!

I purchased a Westinghouse 37" back during the craze 3 years ago and unfortunately it's starting to die. I use it as my main screen for my PC and primarily use it to play WoW. I've been looking around, but I haven't been able to find a great alternative. I was wondering if folks here have any suggestions for a comparable size screen and keep costs relatively low (sub $800).

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
LCD TV Input lag thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1131464

Plasma TV input lag thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1166196

When setup with the correct settings the Panasonic L37U22 has similar input lag to the Westy W3 (37 ms) and has an IPS-alpha panel. Note i'm not necessarily recommending it but the price is right, the graphics on it look great, and the input lag numbers are similar. Otherwise that thread should give you a few more ideas...Sharp makes a few models which have low input lag and perform well as monitors.

I'd focus on Sharp and Panasonic LCD's first then branch out to other brands from there.

Note: Sony has high lag numbers, Samsung has fairly high lag numbers but some models are a little bit better (can't remember which models though). LG is a very mixed bag with plenty of panel lotteries, and Toshiba is mostly decent with input lag especially their XV series.

Edit: If you can find a Panasonic L37S1 floating around anywhere, scoop it right up, it would make the great low-lag replacement (2009 model) Link 1 + Link 2. It does have an issue with smeared red and medium blue text so be aware of that.

And purchasing in-store or from a reputable merchant minimizes potential RMA hassles.
 
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I picked up an L32U22 from Best Buy last week to try out as a computer monitor (mostly gaming). I'm comparing it to an HP ZR24W.

Obviously the size is bigger. The picture on the L32U22 was awesome in games. The input lag was noticeable.

I'm taking it back because there was nothing I could do to get the text looking acceptable outside of games. The HP is so crispy, the L32U22 looked dreadful reading web pages compared to it.
 
The LH30 series now has a panel lottery of only VA panels (no more IPS), some better, others worse, all with higher input lag and varying degrees of smearing. Personally i would not consider it any longer unless you got a great price on it and weren't a serious multiplayer gamer. The panel you have to watch out for is the ChiMei panel, you don't want that one, and if you do get it be sure to return it. The AUO VA panel is supposed to be nice with just a slightly higher input lag hit than the old IPS ones. Some of these VA panels have trouble with certain colored fonts but i can't remember which panels specifically.

The S1 series panasonic will have better looking game graphics and motion than the Westy W3, but red and medium blue fonts will look smeared on webpages, great horizontal viewing angles but mediocre vertical viewing angles (still better than TN though) and famously low input lag. Red and blue fonts will look fine in games however. A television repairmen at AVS has said the S1 has high quality internals; capacitors, power supply etc etc and i've yet to hear of one failing on someone. The S1 TV's are disappearing quickly, now is pretty much your last chance.

Have you considered any Sharp models OP? Many of their 2009, and some of the 2010 models are supposedly really good for gaming.
 
 
I went through the same issue in replacing my old 37" westy. I played the pannel lottery about 5 times and lost each time. I ended up returning the tv and just saving up my cash for a HP Zr30W. Its a down grade in size but the picture and lag destroyed my old westy. I know its a huge price jump, but I do IT work so I spend too much time in front of the monitor anyway. The main issue you are going to find is that TV companies are putting too much crap in their tv now and it has drastically increased the input lag. Sure it makes the picture nice when watching cable, but it really hurts gaming. Some of the higher end tvs give you the ability to turn off alot of their post processing software or will have a gaming mode which does the same.

In the end, I would suggest checking out a 27" monitor as they are on sell often for a few hundred dollars. You will get a better picture and decent input lag. If you can save up, I highly suggest the 30" IPS monitors. Only other option is to repair you westy. I was able to fix mine and it works as well as the day I purchased it. My wife now uses it as her monitor.
 
too funny.. seeing this old thread refreshed..and right on time for me..

my 37w3 has had that "creeping crud" for ages..and at this point... becoming unusable for games..

and while I really love it for basic web reading etc.. i think my performance in games like wow..suffer for the massive size... too easy to get tunnel vision and not see stuff like debuffs on mobs etc..

so..think a little smaller is better anyway.. going to see if I can can squeeze out the funds for a 30".. which are best these days? Dell? Apple?

If I cant do it now..Ill go 27"

enjoyed the thrill factor of that Westy for a good long time.. peeps would come into my house and see the Westy on the old Ikea jerker and jaws dropped :p
 
Really the Dell and the HP are my 2 favorites. Down side of the Dell is the really thick anti glare coat. Some don't mind it, but others can't stand it. The Dell does have more connection options and built in video adjustments. The HP has no anti glare coat and has a faster refresh rate (due to all video adjustments being handled through GPU settings). The Apple needs a display port to use on a PC. I have not seen the Apple on it person so can't comment on the lag or screen type. From what I hear it is very nice as well.
Personally I was able to play with both the delll and hp before I made the plunge. The lag and anti glare coat was enough to push me to HP. I only have my computer hooked to it so all those extra hook ups on the dell would have been useless for me. Just make sure you have a Dual link dvi cable to carry the full hd signal (all the pin holes will be filled on it).
As far as the 27" monitors, I am not sure what is king at the moment. When I was looking, the market was full of TN pannels and I wasn't a fan. I am sure there has to be better ones now. Hopefully someone else can help on that part :)
 
Filter said:
why do people buy tv's for computer monitors??
Click to expand...

Here are two reasons:

The largest computer-specific monitor available is still too small for some people. And a computer-specific monitor of that size tends to be very expensive.
 
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