Westinghouse VM-42F140S 42" Widescreen LCD HD Monitor - 1080p $580 + ship

I jumped on this deal a few days ago and received the monitor today. I was upgrading from the Westinghouse LVM-37w3s, which I bought just a few months ago.

Whereas the 37-inch blew me away immediately, I'm having more difficulty feeling impressed with the 42. Text doesn't feel nearly as sharp to me, and no matter what fooling around I do with contrast/brightness/backlight, I haven't yet gotten it to my liking. I almost feel like I can see the separate R/G/B colors on some nominally black text ... my guess would be that quite simply, the panel itself is of a lower quality than the one used in the 37-inch (which would make sense as I've paid same price for both).

Definitely not giving up on it yet, but have to admit I'm kinda disappointed so far.
 
GregP said:
I jumped on this deal a few days ago and received the monitor today. I was upgrading from the Westinghouse LVM-37w3s, which I bought just a few months ago.

Whereas the 37-inch blew me away immediately, I'm having more difficulty feeling impressed with the 42. Text doesn't feel nearly as sharp to me, and no matter what fooling around I do with contrast/brightness/backlight, I haven't yet gotten it to my liking. I almost feel like I can see the separate R/G/B colors on some nominally black text ... my guess would be that quite simply, the panel itself is of a lower quality than the one used in the 37-inch (which would make sense as I've paid same price for both).

Definitely not giving up on it yet, but have to admit I'm kinda disappointed so far.
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thank you for the initial impressions and info
 
Having Ordered mine last Wednesday... i have yet to recieve. Tracking my order they sent it from a warehouse in IL to Cali.


I fucking live in New York... Calling them tonight. To bitch, alot.
 
Well for an Update. YRC is full of fucking idiots.

They put my package on a truck that went the complete opposite Direction of me. To California, Again, i live in New York. They shipped it out the 8th of this month, and expected Delivery to my house isnt till the 20th.


Im going to be calling them back, and requesting a manager for my TV to be expedited. Since it was suppose to be at my home on the 12th. Im pretty pissed right now.
 
I got my 37" WH 1080p 2 summers ago for $800 + ship.

My how prices have plummeted. Does this mean 50" LCDs for $500 in 2 years?
 
Got mine yesterday and ordered it 5/7.

Overall I not that happy picture quality is not as good as my phillips 47", but it cost $1000 less.

Text is jacked up just as Greg posted, and I am seeing ghosting everywhere. (three images in different colors of black text) 1080 video looks ok, but unless I can adjust it to fix things on the PC I will try to sell it locally.

I also can't get my serial number recognized on the westy site to check for new firmware, and there is no option to register it as well. (model number not present in the drop downs)
 
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man, that really sucks to hear. seems like a great price for the lcd, but if people are so unhappy with it, i guess it's better to stay away from the 42"s. i had a 37" westy and loved it so much. it was such an excellent display for my p.c., but i gave it to my sister and her bf as their xmas present last year. i'm too nice!

either way, i'd have to say that if you're using the display on top of a table just a few feet away for your home computer system, 37" is just about the perfect size. Any bigger and you may have some pixel pitch issues.

...man, how i miss gaming on that thing.
 
You guys expecting to use this as a primary computer monitor are stupid...it's a TV. The resolution would have to be a lot higher to use as a monitor.
 
sorry dude, you're wrong. the westy 37"s and 42"s are LCD MONITORs. they ARE NOT TV's. you can attach a tuner on them, but they come primarily as LCD MONITORs. get your info straight.

and as long as you are a few feet away, it works amazingly great. i know a a bunch of people that use 37" and bigger for computer monitors and couldn't be happier. i was one of them. you should really try it before calling bigger screen users stupid.
 
Paro said:
You guys expecting to use this as a primary computer monitor are stupid...it's a TV. The resolution would have to be a lot higher to use as a monitor.
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No, really, it does NOT need to be a lot higher to use as a monitor... in fact, it IS a monitor (no tuner)! Its not much bigger than my 37", but according to many, its still fine as a monitor.

Here's the 37" thread, for reference: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1088497
 
This is a monitor, not a TV. The resolution is 1920x1080, more than high enough to be used as a monitor on a PC.

I continued tweaking last night and then in frustration, went back to my 37-inch and did some comparisons. To my surprise, first thing I noticed was the backlight bleedthrough on the 37-inch: dark blacks get colored gray, especially in dark games. Then went back to the 42-inch: WOW, big difference, hardly any bleedthrough and blacks are much darker.

I also found that "sharpen" can be tweaked via the monitor's control panel as long as you're not in a game (not quite sure why). Playing with this I was able to get a slightly better text quality, but it's still clearly fuzzier (heh heh) than what I get on the 37-inch.

So, now I'm torn. I use my PC primarily for gaming, a lot of it in dark environments, so in that respect the 42-inch seems to win out hands-down. But for general usage, the somewhat fuzzy text takes some getting used to. Hmmm...
 
GregP said:
This is a monitor, not a TV. The resolution is 1920x1080, more than high enough to be used as a monitor on a PC.

I continued tweaking last night and then in frustration, went back to my 37-inch and did some comparisons. To my surprise, first thing I noticed was the backlight bleedthrough on the 37-inch: dark blacks get colored gray, especially in dark games. Then went back to the 42-inch: WOW, big difference, hardly any bleedthrough and blacks are much darker.

I also found that "sharpen" can be tweaked via the monitor's control panel as long as you're not in a game (not quite sure why). Playing with this I was able to get a slightly better text quality, but it's still clearly fuzzier (heh heh) than what I get on the 37-inch.

So, now I'm torn. I use my PC primarily for gaming, a lot of it in dark environments, so in that respect the 42-inch seems to win out hands-down. But for general usage, the somewhat fuzzy text takes some getting used to. Hmmm...
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how close are you sitting to the monitor? if the text-blur/pixel pitch is an issue, just sit back a couple more feet and that should solve the issues. also, if the 42" is showing better blacks, definitely stick with it.
 
I kinda really want to get this to replace my 2405 but I have yet to see someone say 'I LOVE THIS!' Someone sell me on it.
 
Its a good deal for the money, and with cash back the shipping is free. I did some more tweaking, and mounted it about 6 feet from my desk and text is looking much better.

I may keep it unless I find a really good deal, and a local buyer.
 
Well I just pulled the trigger. How bad could a 42" monitor really be? =[
 
Nzo said:
Well I just pulled the trigger. How bad could a 42" monitor really be? =[
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Stepping up from the 2405, you're going to absolutely love the massive increase in screen size. Especially in games, where small text clarity is generally not such a big issue, this monitor is worth every penny. Outside of games, I think it just takes some getting used to. At this point I'm pretty sure I'll keep it and sell off my 37-inch.
 
Paro said:
You guys expecting to use this as a primary computer monitor are stupid...it's a TV. The resolution would have to be a lot higher to use as a monitor.
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Wrong. Im typing on the 37" right now and its amazing. Get your facts straight before posting please.
 
I have a 37 inch Westinghouse model LVM-37W1 running strong for 3.5 years now. It's used nearly everyday. If this one is any bit as good, its a great deal.
 
Shawnasee said:
Color me clueless when I ask this question but I see 1920x1200 and then see 42" and I ask myself "shouldn't the resolution be higher?"
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1920x1080 not 1920x1200, and no TV does more...
37" is fine, 42 is pushing it, unless you put it farther back.

I still prefer the westy for reading, text on my 23's is too damn small and leaeds to eyestrain. I do like them rotated on their sides for viewing e-books but I usualy end up using my 37" even though it is slightly lower resolution (not 1920x1200 like the SIPS 23's)
 
For those who have received already, did the shipping co. call you to arrange delivery?
 
Wow.. Is this really a "shitty" TV?
I want to buy it to replace my 29" Tube TV...
 
Been using the 42 inch Westy for a year and a half now AND LOVE IT, it is my main monitor and works great for everything I do on it. Games Look great on it..
 
Nzo said:
For those who have received already, did the shipping co. call you to arrange delivery?
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Yes, they call a day ahead of the time that the truck is due to be in your area, and then the driver calls you 30-60 mins before he arrives.
 
almost $700 with shipping..

I was going to get it.. but no... Thanks
Even with 8% cashback.. 1.000 contrast
 
YRC came through and finally delivered.

Its a Great monitor. Havent hooked my PC up yet. But Xbox 360 looks amazing, from roughly... 6-8 foot away. Played Dead Space and couldnt see much Light Bleed. Going to try that again tonight.


For about $597, is what it cost me. /w Shipping and my 8% back. I would like to see anyone find another TV/monitor that is comparable to this Westy at this price point.
 
Moto450fyz said:
Been using the 42 inch Westy for a year and a half now AND LOVE IT, it is my main monitor and works great for everything I do on it. Games Look great on it..
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That's great and all, but is it the same Westy model number as this one?

Because if it isn't, then it won't help those trying to research this specific monitor ;)
 
Seemund said:
almost $700 with shipping..

I was going to get it.. but no... Thanks
Even with 8% cashback.. 1.000 contrast
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1000 contrast means nothing. There is no standard for contrast. Each company calculates it their own way. This TV is easily worth 700 after shipping. If you are looking for a new cheap TV, get it. You will not be disappointed.
 
Funny thing..
The title says 1000:1 Contrast.. but if you look down @ description = 1500:1
...
 
Got the call yesterday confirming a delivery time and a call today telling me that it had been damaged and asking for a verbal receipt declination. Sucks that I'll probably have to wait another week at least to get it but props to YRC shipping for not trying to give me a damaged item.
 
After using this monitor for two weeks now, I still just don't know what to make of it. I love the size, but although the backlight bleedthrough is much less than on my 37", blacks in general seem washed out compared to the 37". And text in some windows, with some contrasts - the FRAPS window being a good example - is almost unreadable. I want so badly to just be happy with it!
 
I'm happy with mine. Initially being able to see pixels kind of annoyed me and it took a day or 2 to adjust to the new posture/seating position I have to use for this to be comfortable, but now I sit down in front of it and it seems totally normal. Nice bonus is that I can now be in bed and watch movies. Sure theres a little bleed on all black screens from certain angles but come on, this isn't a $2,000 panel, you get what you pay for. Overall happy with the purchase.
 
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