Westinghouse LVM-37w1 37" LCD Display

Westinghouse LVM-37w1 37" LCD TV

Strengths: Great bang for the buck

Weakness: Skimpy manual

This is not a 2-tuner PIP.
you cannot watch 2 TV progams at the same time with this PIP. The picture quality is very good.
The styleing is good

By anonymous; - Sep 6, 2005

Great Buy for the Money

Strengths: Cost, ease of use, picture quality. Especially for an "off brand"

Weakness: None, really

Was a bit concerned about paying 2000.00 for an unreviewed monitor, but the choices in this screen size are very limited. The display quality is suprisingly excellent; I am very pleased with the purchase both as a TV and a computer monitor

By anonymous; - Aug 10, 2005

A perfect match for MCE

Strengths: 1920x1080 resolution Decent-sounding (removable) speakers Power Management PIP Attractive design Easy access to cable connections Plethora of inputs PRICE!

Weakness: Backlight issues (chirping, reverse-vignetting) Glaring blue LED that cannot be turned off Remote sensor not very responsive Some ghosting/smearing (depending on resolution, content)

Over the past year I've been searching for the "ideal" display to connect to my Windows MCE 2005 HTPC box. I had been using S-Video out to a 32" Tube TV, so I was definitely ready for a digital connection. I was also itching to start watching high-def content so I knew I wanted a widescreen display. I had read enough to know that I wanted to find a TV set that used one of the standard high...
Read Full Review

Over the past year I've been searching for the "ideal" display to connect to my Windows MCE 2005 HTPC box. I had been using S-Video out to a 32" Tube TV, so I was definitely ready for a digital connection. I was also itching to start watching high-def content so I knew I wanted a widescreen display.

I had read enough to know that I wanted to find a TV set that used one of the standard high definition resolutions--namely 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080. Obviously the second would be preferable, as it would mean that no video content would ever need to be downscaled. In addition, for computer use, the higher resolution allows for more screen area to keep windows open, etc.

My dilemma came in looking at the available options. I needed a flat panel for the location I was using in my living room, so that left plasma and LCD. I was looking in the range of 37" to 42", and all plasmas in that range seemed to be either ED-resolution (rougly 852 x 480) or use a 4:3 resolution (1024 x 768) with rectangular pixels. neither of which is ideal for HTPC use.

So that took plasma off the list. Thus I began to concentrate on LCDs. Unfortunately, the vast majority of 32" and 37" inch LCDs use a non-standard resolution of 1366 x 768. Not only does this not correspond with one of the accepted HD resolutions, it is also nearly impossible to achieve that resolution with most video cards since 1366 is not divisible by 8. You end up getting stuck with 1360 x 768 or 1368 x 768 (and both of these are custom resolutions which require tweaking to obtain).

The LCDs I found with 1280 x 720 resolution were all under 30", which was too small for what I was looking for.

Enter the new era of 1920 x 1080 LCDs. Now this was exactly what I needed. Medium-sized, yet with the full complement of pixels needed to display every iteration of the HD spec (in addition to the 1080p format which may some day be the standard). In addition, its native resolution (which you should always strive to run LCDs in) is a standard resolution on a PC video card.

Because I am a Costco member, I first checked out the Sceptre XV37NAGA back in Summer of 05. I quickly grew tired of its quirks (loud buzzing in the speakers, cheap plastic construction, no power saving mode, poor menu system, and tuners I didn't use and had no need for). I returned it and decided to go for the Westinghouse 37". I ordered it from etronics.com for about $1600 back in November of 05.

I could not be happier. This monitor feels like the perfect complement to a Windows PC. Connected via DVI, Windows immediately recognized it and all of its available resolution settings. The quality of the picture at 1920 x 1080 will knock your socks off (because the display is running in its 1:1 pixel-mapped native resolution). Those who have used Windows Media Center Edition know how beautiful its interface is. Suffice it to say that it doesn't disappoint when viewing it on a screen this large.

One very small feature which was important to me is the presence of a power savings mode. I was extremely surprised that this feature is missing or flakey in a lot of big name TV sets/monitors. I give major kudos to Westinghouse for including it. Basically, it means I never have to power the display off. I just set my PC to turn it off after 20 minutes of inactivity. To wake it up, all I do is press a button on the MCE remote (or move the mouse or hit a key on the keyboard). Easy!

There are plenty of inputs to hook everything up, though as I'm sure others have noted you can only get the native resolution though VGA and the first DVI input. The second DVI can only do 1080i (which is perfect for a cable or satellite box). At this point I only use the two DVI connections. The first goes to my HTPC and the second goes to my cable box.

The Westinghouse does a great job of scaling and deinterlacing content (though this circuitry only gets used if you're feeding it a lower resolution than 1920 x 1080). I have not used the component, VGA, or S-Video/composite inputs at all (and neither will you once you see how good everything looks via DVI).

The biggest downside is the uneven backlighting, but I only notice it on scenes that are pitch-black or in fade-outs. With enough ambient lighting, it's not a problem. It also chirps a bit when the backlight is set to certain settings, but it's easily adjustable.

The blue power light (like most blue LEDs) is glaring and way too bright. There's no option to turn it off so you're left to cover it with something.

The remote leaves something to be desired, but like I said, I don't really need to use it much (like most monitors).

Finally, the price is astonishingly good. I would buy this set over and over again. In fact, I'm tempted to get one to use as the monitor for my desktop PC too!

As long as you're not overly picky I think you'll find the LVM-37W1 to be a supeb display and a bargain.

Sorry this site removed all my spacing.

By d_esmond - Feb 8, 2006

Westinghouse LVM-37w1

Strengths: Picture quality, price, size (foot print), detachable speakers, weight

Weakness: Remote is generic. Speakers are just ok.

I have had this monitor for a couple of months now and can do nothing but rave about it. The picture quality is nothing short of awesome. For some reason the market has ignored the monitor sizes between 32 inch 42 inch. When you do find a 37” the price is nearly 1k more than the LVM-37w1. Dollar for dollar I doubt if you will be able to even come close to the picture quality this monitor...
Read Full Review

I have had this monitor for a couple of months now and can do nothing but rave about it. The picture quality is nothing short of awesome.

For some reason the market has ignored the monitor sizes between 32 inch 42 inch. When you do find a 37” the price is nearly 1k more than the LVM-37w1. Dollar for dollar I doubt if you will be able to even come close to the picture quality this monitor offers. 1920x1080 resolution in HD Rocks!

The remote is functional and that is the only praise you can give it. Very few multi use after market remotes support the LVM-37w1. However, basic functionality can be obtained via the Sony codes (direct tv).

Bottom line... I would purchase this tv again – that says it all.

By jvongray - Dec 26, 2005

Westinghouse LVM-37w1 37

Strengths: Highest available resolution 1920x1080 Only display that currently supports 1080p input Excellent price

Weakness: No HDMI input so an HDMI to DVI converter is required from an HDMI source No preset modes such as Sports or Theater Factory default settings are not great and need to be adjusted

The LVM-37w1 37" monitor is one of the best values on the market. With 1920x1080 native resolution it is one of only two LCD HDTV capable of displaying the full 1080i resolution without scaling it down to a lower native monitor resolution as most LCD and plasma panels on the market today do. The picture produced in both 720p and 1080i is excellent. I enjoy watching sports in HD especially...
Read Full Review

The LVM-37w1 37" monitor is one of the best values on the market. With 1920x1080 native resolution it is one of only two LCD HDTV capable of displaying the full 1080i resolution without scaling it down to a lower native monitor resolution as most LCD and plasma panels on the market today do. The picture produced in both 720p and 1080i is excellent. I enjoy watching sports in HD especially football and baseball. The monitor is very bright so there is no problem viewing in a sunny room. I typically leave the bulb at 50% and it is plenty bright. I had to adjust the bulb, brightness, contrast and color to get an optimal picture, since the fatory settings seem to be set for the brightest not necessarily the best picture.

It would have been nice if the monitor had an HDMI input, which would avoid having to purchase an HDMI to DVI converter.

I highly recomend this monitor.

By rlandstein - Oct 28, 2005