Which Westinghouse...37 inch 1080p or the 42 inch 1080p???

E

ericwidor

n00b
Joined
Nov 27, 2005
Messages
4
Alright guys...im buying another tv...and its gotta be 1080p.

dont have the cash for the bravia....well dont wanna spend it so i heard the new westy's are great...

so which one has a better picture the 42 or the 37???? how is it gonna compare to my dell 2405 fpw???

also if anyone has any 360 or pc pics id love to see them:)

thanks alot guys
eric

also if anyone else has the best deal figured out let me know!! :)
 
I'm going for the 42" LVM-42w2. It has exactly the same specs as the 37" (except dot pitch of course), so I expect they are comparable. But the extra size just fills my field of vision. Less than that and I'm still looking at a monitor instead of feeling like I'm in it. I think the 47" LVM-47-w1, although it has a faster frame rate (6.5 vs 8 on the 37" & 42") is probably too large for desktop usage...although it's tempting.

Here is a good listing of stores that sell it. You can plug in your zip code and get actual price to your door, including shipping and tax. Best prices ATM seem to be around $1560.

http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Westinghouse_LVM_42W2_42_LCD,__16643153
 
The only bad thing is that the 42in supposedly has lockup issues. My 37in westy is flawless
 
The lockup problem should be fixed in any new set you buy, and it is easily fixed in an older set with a firmware update:

*update: Good news guys, Westy now has a method for you to get a new firmware (v1.19) if you don't have it already. To check your firmware goto the menu and on the rightmost option check info. It should say 1.11, 1.16 or 1.19 depending on what firmware you have. If you have 1.11 or 1.16 it's highly recommended you get the new firmware to fix the lockup problems. Further Explanation in the User Discussions topic.
 
i have a 42 westy with 1.16 firmware and i havent experienced any lock ups. when i do ill upgrade my FW, but i have to say that the 42 is simply amazing. totally recommend it over the 37. the 5 extra inches really makes a difference.
 
42" works great for me. Scary to say but it's almost two big. A lot of times I find myself having to sit back a bit.
 
ericwidor said:
Alright guys...im buying another tv...and its gotta be 1080p.

dont have the cash for the bravia....well dont wanna spend it so i heard the new westy's are great...

so which one has a better picture the 42 or the 37???? how is it gonna compare to my dell 2405 fpw???

also if anyone has any 360 or pc pics id love to see them:)

thanks alot guys
eric

also if anyone else has the best deal figured out let me know!! :)
Click to expand...

Thats easy to answer - how far from the TV will you be sitting?

GO on cnet.com they have a guide that shows the distance from the TV and your sitting area and which TV is best for which distance.
 
At conn's and bestbuy the 42" versions they had playing didn't look very good IMO but they said it was because the cable was split half a million times. I picked up the 46" from Sam's, it also looked like crap at the store, but looks amazing irl.

Hooked a DVD player into the 42" and it didn't look that good, but the sales guy said it was the DVD.
 
Well I went for the 42" Westy, LVM-42W2. Ordered if from Crutchfield even though it's about $165 over the lowest online price. This because they are rated so well, and when I asked (via a pretty cool and responsive website chat feature) if I could exchange it at no shipping cost if there were 1 or more dead pixels, the support person said I could. They email the chat transcript to you, so you get the promises in writing. I just know that if alfter all the research I've done on this, if it arrived with a few dead pixels, given the fairly large pixel size of these displays, I'd go crazy. Also the shipping is white glove (deliver inside, unpack and place on stand) rather than curbside that the others offer. Not a big deal, but nice. Classy.

I'll post a report in a week or so when I get it.
 
Does anyone here know if there is any real difference in the 42 vs. the 37? I asked this in another thread on the 37 but the response was really just a westinghouse comparison. I know according to their information they are the same, yet I read that the 42 had faster response, more connections and on the Chi Mei site the panel technology said it was VA extreme vs Super MVA.
I just want to know if one is better than the other for any of those reasons if anyone had details, and what is the pixel difference on the two? Does the 37 look better due to more pixels overal all maybe, are there less on the 42, or do they look the same regardless of their pixel count?
Any info will help me in my decison between the two.
Thanks
 
same amount of pixels, 1920x1080 each but as the 42" is physically bigger so the pixiel pitch will be bigger as well. i would go with the 37 if you are using it as a pc monitor aswell, much tighter package if you are 2-3 foot away
 
Thanks
Yes I am sort of buying it more for the pc, but will use it as a tv also since it works so well for both.
I was wondering if that would be the case with the picture, smaller tighter, like when I normally run mine at 16x12 it seems so good.
I was not sure about the different technology though and if the 42 somehow would be just as good with what it is using, and if the pixels psi were less if it would look bigger.
I guess I will go with the 37 then before the price goes up more.
thanks again
 
I've only seen store demo units at this point, but for me the big difference was that with the 37 incher I could focus on a large portion of the screen without hurting my eyes at three feet. With the 42 I had to focus on smaller areas or my eyes would start bugging me really fast. 42 fills the vision better, though.

I'm not really sure whether having to focus on such small portions of the screen with something like the 42 is a disadvantage in gaming, regular web use, etc. I imagine it would be but I've gotten zero feedback on this one both times I've asked.
 
i dont see how people use the 37" as a computer monitor being that your usually within 3 feet of the screen, and the 42" i cant even imagine being that close to that huge of a screen....i mean when you step back and picture yourself 2-3 feet away from 42" tv you've gotta look like the biggest nerd....just my opinion tho...i would reccomend the 37" i have it, dont use it as my pc montior tho just my tv, and since your going to be using it as both a tv and a monitor the size works....the 42" i would reccomend to people using it strictly as a tv for their living room or something...
 
i also heard that the westy lvm37w3 does HD video great but not SD, maybe people had just seen HD on this screen and switched to SD straight away then make their judgement off that, i dunno.
 
xbeemer said:
The lockup problem should be fixed in any new set you buy, and it is easily fixed in an older set with a firmware update:

*update: Good news guys, Westy now has a method for you to get a new firmware (v1.19) if you don't have it already. To check your firmware goto the menu and on the rightmost option check info. It should say 1.11, 1.16 or 1.19 depending on what firmware you have. If you have 1.11 or 1.16 it's highly recommended you get the new firmware to fix the lockup problems. Further Explanation in the User Discussions topic.
Click to expand...

how can i upgrade the firmware to the my 37w3 by myself???

i called westinghouse, they said it do not have firmware on it :(
do you beleive it?
 
Well the problem is with the 42" Westy, not the 37." As far as I know the 37" w3 has been stable and does not need an upgrade.

I ran "Update Westinghouse TV firmware" as a Google search, and got pretty consistent info that 1. It's a free fix if you have the earlier firmware; and 2. you can't do it yourself, you have to do it through through Westinghouse customer service via a Westinghouse service provider, or in the case of BestBuy (and probably others like Circuit City), from the local seller.

Taken from a post by Peter S, that is bouncing around several forums: "Alright, in order to get the latest FW for your LVM-42w2 you need to call: (866) 287-5555 - Westinghouse Technical Support. You need to inform them that you are having a "Power Lock-up" issue with your set and that your current Firmware is X.XX. You have been informed that the latest Firmware 1.19 corrects this issue and that you would like to be updated to the latest Firmware. They SHOULD take your information and have someone contact you from one of their Third-Party support organizations (such as IAI) to arrange a time to COME TO YOU to check out the set and perform the upgrade. Again, there are two important points here: 1) Customer Service is aware of the issue as a Power Lock-Up issue. 2) Someone will be sent to your location to update your set on-site. Please pass along this information to everyone. I am sure that once Tech Support begins to hear from everyone on the site, that they will get better and better ... "
 
I got my 42" Westy LVM-42-W2 yesterday, and now have it all set up and adjusted. It took a bit of fussing to get it to work properly with my PC - it displayed correctly right away but minor details such as powering off when Windows told it to (DPMS), and starting up properly when the computer re booted took some fooling around. Probably because it is, after all, a TV, and it has a lot more adjustment parameters than it would need if it were simply a monitor - which is how I am using it. And of course I had to go and experiment with just about all of them. Anyway, eventually I did get it set up properly, and it now works fine as a monitor.

No bad pixels, none at all.

No hint of the previously reported power lock up issue. Firmware says v1.00, June 27, 2006. I think this is the latest rev. In any event it seems to all work OK.

The built in speakers suck. It has a tinny TV sound. If you have a good set of speakers for your PC, continue to use them; it not, then the built in speakers will work about as well as any under $40 computer speakers, but no better.

I got the 42" instead of the 36" Westy because I found that while I originally was delighted with the Dell 2405FPW Widescreen it would replace, I was unable to use it at the full 1920 x 1200 resolution because of my eyesight - I'm of an age where the eye doc talks about bifocals and trifocals. I figured that I should go for the largest size that would work as a desktop monitor. The 47" while tempting seemed perhaps overkill, especially as the weight jumped from about 50 pounds to about 70; and it was not available except at one or two places, selling at premium prices.

My tape rule indicated the 36" would be within my field of vision at roughly 2 foot distance from my eyes, the 47" overran my field and would cause me to have to move my head around to see it all. But the 42" seemed to just about fill it without overlapping. This has turned out to be the case, and I can see the full screen without moving my head, but it completely fills my forward vision field. I justified the expense of this monitor for programming and web work, but I gotta tell you: WoW really rocks on it.

There is some screen door if you look for it. It's just on the edge of noticibility for me, and it doesn't bother me at all. But if you have younger, sharper eyes, it may be an issue for you. I would guess the 37" would have much less of that. There is no motion artifact, no tearing or blurring that I could see in WoW or playing streams.

Bottom line, I'm very pleased with the 42" Westy. However if you have younger and sharper eyes, you probably will be just as happy - maybe more so - with the 37" because the larger dot pitch of the 42". Other than the dot pitch (and I have not personally viewed the 37" so I don't know for sure how much different it is - they are both considerably lower resolution than most LCD monitors) there is no issue using the 42" Westy, at least at this time. I'm glad I got it over the 37.
 
Awesome review. I, as well, am torn between the 42" and 37" Westy monitor. I saw the 42" at best buy and it looked like there was too much pixelation/ghosting standing right infront of it (not 4 feet away), that was through the HDMI input as well. I am one of those younger people and have sharper eyes :p Irreguardless, I am still debating the 42" or 37". You should take a heap of pictures for us xbeemer. :D
 
I've read about the 42" and I've seen that there are alot of problems you can run into. Is the 37 like this too? Is it flawless? If it is that will be the deciding factor for me. :cool:
 
Ecca said:
I've read about the 42" and I've seen that there are alot of problems you can run into. Is the 37 like this too? Is it flawless? If it is that will be the deciding factor for me. :cool:
Click to expand...

Dude, chill you're posting all over here and avs worried about any issue that gets brought up.

1. not every panel is 99.99999% identical
2. until you see a specific problem with the same exact configuration on the same firmware version there really isn't too much to get excited about
3. the majority of people who have these sets aren't running into any issues

I would recommend talking the guys at your local best buy into letting you hook a laptop or a 360 into the display model and play around a bit to see how you like it. (especially since the demos they run look like ass) I can say that at my local best buy the lighting was awful, but I got a pretty good idea of how sharp and impressive the image actually is on this set. I was originally going for the 37 and ended up with the 42.
 
Kherozene said:
i also heard that the westy lvm37w3 does HD video great but not SD, maybe people had just seen HD on this screen and switched to SD straight away then make their judgement off that, i dunno.
Click to expand...

The scaler in the 42 is superior to the one in the 37.
 
hamm3rhead said:
Dude, chill you're posting all over here and avs worried about any issue that gets brought up.

1. not every panel is 99.99999% identical
2. until you see a specific problem with the same exact configuration on the same firmware version there really isn't too much to get excited about
3. the majority of people who have these sets aren't running into any issues

I would recommend talking the guys at your local best buy into letting you hook a laptop or a 360 into the display model and play around a bit to see how you like it. (especially since the demos they run look like ass) I can say that at my local best buy the lighting was awful, but I got a pretty good idea of how sharp and impressive the image actually is on this set. I was originally going for the 37 and ended up with the 42.
Click to expand...

I want to purchase this asap, my local bestbuy does not have this monitor or else I would have already bought it. I am a 18 year old kid going to school and working 40 hours a week, I am trying to research this thing but I have such little time. Seriously, I am not one to ask others for help but I am extremely desperate and I don't want to spend my money on something that I cannot rely on. Thanks for the input though, I hope you understand my situation.
 
the bigger deal between the 37 and 42 is going to be viewing distance, are you right in front of it at a desk or back a few feet on a couch or chair?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top