Drop, charge, and lose the cords
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8 out of 8 people found this review helpful
5.0 stars
"True 1080p, vibrant colors, jaw dropping picture"
Pros: Great value, beautiful picture, WOW factor of 1080p resolution
Cons: Blah remote
Summary: O.K. I had been looking at this set for a few months and was debating on whether to take the plunge or not. When my buddy down in Daphne, AL decided to plop down the money ($1,499 with a $25 Popcorn machine as incentive), I had to do the same. Plus, he had to wait until August to begin enjoying the set and I just had to torture him by finding one in stock and getting a better deal than he had negotiated. I finally found a Best Buy in Lithonia, GA that had two in stock. So off I went with my Rewards Card and Best Buy card in hand to barter a deal that would make my friend green with envy.
When I arrived at the store, they had a demo Westinghouse 42" 1080p unit hooked up to a Toshiba HD-DVD player. Jaw dropping. Stunning. I had to negotiate one sweet deal in order to justify purchasing BOTH units, or it would be back to the store I go. So after looking up every available rebate, special, and discount that the sales person could authorize, I finally settled on this deal: $1,499 for the Westinghouse LVM-37w3, $300 instant rebate for upgrading to HD Direct TV (which I already subscribed, but was just required to purchase a $99 H-20 receiver) and throw in the Toshiba HD-A1 for an additional $499 with warranties for 3 and 4 years respectively. Throw in the appropriate cables and I was done. BTW, the Toshiba HD-DVD comes with an HDMI cable.
When I first got home, I tested the Toshiba unit on my 60" Sony 60XBR950. I have a Toshiba SD-9200 reference DVD player($2000) in my set up in the den and have been more than pleased with the combination. Because of the 720p native resolution of the set, I played the HD-A1 in 720p for a reference. I was none too impressed, to say the least. I was hoping for better results on my new bedroon set up. After a few minutes (literally) I had the H-20, HD-A1 and the LVM-37w3 hooked up and ready to go. Now for the true test. I popped in the Constantine HD DVD and tuned the set to HDMI. WOW. WOW. The color was brilliant, the 1000-1 contrast ratio which was a concern looked unnoticable...black levels were fine, and the sharpness was unbelievable. I intended to watch a few minutes for reference, but after a couple of hours later, I had my basis line. The bar was set high.
Next on the docket was the H-20 and those lovable 70s channels. Yes. The Westinghouse had a better picture than my $5,500 Sony XBR, and I was very elated to say the least. This was what true HD was supposed to look like. 1080p made the difference...for only $1,299. WOW.
The next test was the upconverted signal from the Toshiba HD-DVD unit. Although this was a test more for the player than the TV, I truely think that the Westinghouse makes all the difference in the world as it scales every input to 1080p. I just cannot say enough about the picture with this combination. The standard DVDs that I played were so close to HD-DVD that there was little difference in the two, a slight one for sure, but not too much, and more so than on my reference DVD player. I was more than happy.
When my wife came home with our three year old daughter in tow, the real test was about to begin. Would I have to take the Toshiba back, or would I be in reference HT heaven..in the bedroom? She looked at the set up and commented on how sleek and stylish the set up looked. Yes. The first and most critical objection was overcome. Next I fired up a burned copy of my daughters favorite move...Lilo and Stitch 2. Holy cow. My daughter, my wife and I just stood there watching the upconverted picture. After about 15 minutes(of Lilo and Stitch, mind you) my wife turns to me and says? "I've never seen a better picture. Ever. Not even our set downstairs. How much did all this cost?" When I showed her the receipts, the only thing she said was, "That's a good deal." Game over!
I'm teeling you folks, This TV produces the best picture this side of a Pioneer Elite 50" plasma display for 1/4 the money. This set needs to be in my livingroom, not the bedroom for sure. For the money, there is no way that I would buy anything else. The picture is stunning, the colors are so vibrant that they look surreal, and the aesthetics are extremely pleasing. This set is a home run. No question. If it not for the terribly plain remote, this set would be perfect, but most people will want this set in their livingroom set up which should include a Harmony remote, so the point is moot, in my opinion.
Get this set. Get it before the people at Westinghouse figure out that they have mis-marked the price and increase it by $1,000...which still would be a bargain.Updated
As a caveat, Best Buy offered a $75 special discount on line. After exhausting all resources with the returns department, a manager was able to get me a price match of $1,224.00. It just doesn't get any better than that. My friend has his popcorn machine, but I have a HT reference theater in the bedroom. Green? He should be.Updated
...pretty sweet deal unto itself. Looks like we were both winners with this set.
