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"Great TV for the money" on by Zenkai76
Pros: Inexpensive, great quality picture
Cons: Audio out sound, which is a common problem even with expensive TV’s
Summary: Pros – I like how I can turn off and on auto detection of a new signal, meaning it automatically will switch on to something like a DVD player when you turn it on.
A lot of different connections, 2 component, 1 S-Video/RF (shared), Audio out, DVI, HDMI, VGA, you can’t go wrong, you can hook anything up.
Cons – Well the factory speakers are ok but anyone who buys a TV likes this want surround sound anyway, so I turn them off. On the audio output, hooking it up to the surround sound system, the volume of the TV does not control the volume of my surround sound, my friend who has a more expensive Sony Plasma says his is the same way. My old picture tube TV that is an RCA about 6 years old can, so I loved the fact I only had to use one remote, my DVR remote won’t let me program my surround sound system in.
It is only a monitor but I use a cable box anyway so this is no big deal, I don’t think I will ever go without one again, I haven’t used basic cable or rabbit ears in years.
Purchase History
I originally bought the 37” Westinghouse TV that does 720p for 899 at best buy right before Thanksgiving, it was on sale for 999, but I had a 10% off coupon. I then find out that they where having a black Friday sale for the 42” for 999. The 37” I bought was getting shipped to store on black Friday so I had to go there anyway, I got there at 3am hoping to beat most of the crowed and figured I would get my money back and add 100 dollars to get the bigger TV. The main difference between the two other than the size was the 42” had no tuner, the inputs are opposite sides and the 42” had a DVI input where the 37” did not. The 37” did have a co-axle output for surround sound though. The line was freakishly long at 3am I couldn’t believe it, some people have no lives, but thank god I did because it went back on sale for 999 online only that Sunday and Monday. So to make a long story short I took my TV back to best buy, got my refund (which didn’t show up in my bank to 3 days later) and bought the 42”. I had to wait 10 more days for my TV, but it was worth it.
About the TV
The remote is not programmable but I do not care I wouldn’t use it if it did, I prefer to use my Comcast DVR remote from Motorola, by the way the program code for that is 0000. The color settings that CNET suggest is perfect in my opinion I did throw the back lighting up to 40 though because my room isn’t completely dark. I hooked my sons PS2 to one of the component outputs and my DVD to the other, and by the way there is a very noticeable difference from using component instead of the composite jacks (Yellow, Red, White). So I recommend using at least the S-Video Port at least if you plan on hooking up any gaming console or DVD, I would save the RF for a VCR. The TV has a bright little blue LED light to let you know the power is on but there is actually an option to turn it off, it doesn’t bother me so I leave it on. The menu system to adjust the settings is very easy to use another plus about the TV.
Conclusion
I did a lot of research about HDTV’s before purchasing this one, it had everything I wanted for the money I was willing to spend, I am very pleased with my first 16:9 TV. I figured I would purchase one cheap use it for a bit and use it for my bedroom and buy a better one later, but I am so happy with it, I don’t plan on buying a bigger TV for a very long time. I definitely wanted LCD over plasma because of burn ins, I hear newer plasma TV’s are good at not doing this. But when I am spending a grand or more on anything I like to be safe, if I wasn’t an avid game I might have went plasma to try to get bigger for cheaper. As far as picture quality between a bigger name brand it holds its own, in a since its not a Ferrari but I bought a Corvette for the price of a Camaro. I am going to give it a 9 out of 10 because even though it is not great like a higher dollar TV, with the quality and price of this thing it is in its own class so it deserves a better rating. -
"Excellent value, performance" on by jim_barr
Pros: Great price, features, picture quality
Cons: Monitor only--no tuner. Limited Aspect Ratio settings.
Summary: I purchased the W4207 at Best Buy's 2006 Black Friday sale for $999 on a South Carolina "no-tax" day, so it was an excellent value. It's bright, sharp, and the picture looks great, especially coming from a 27" tube TV. I only see three real cons which weren't deal-breakers for me:
1. Lack of tuner: For me is a complete non-isssue because all of my TV sources are routed through a Home Theater PC running SageTV (http://SageTV.com) software. (SageTV provides excellent PVR functions with great multimedia integration. See http://SageTVTips.com for some Tips about SageTV.) If you require a tuner, you'll have to look elsewhere.
2. Limited Aspect Ratio Settings: This can be an annoyance, but fortunately, SageTV lets me tweak things, so again, it's not a real issue for me.
3. Non-Programmable Remote: Most TV's remotes are not programmable, so this is more a wish-list item, but for a few bucks more, all TV manufacturers really should provide better remotes. I currently use the W2407's remote soley for its power button.
Overall, a great product for the price. -
"The best entry lever LCD TV." on by AvilaC
Pros: Price! For $999 this is a steal. Excellent picture quality with HD signal. One HDMI input, one DVI input, 2 component inputs, VGA and standard AV inputs. Very good overall picture quality.
Cons: No built in tuner(no problem if you have a cable or satellite box). Besides that I have not had it long enough to make any negative points.
Summary: I made the switch to this TV from a 50" Olevia LCOS. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed in any way. Do not be fooled by the price of $999, this TV is far from cheap. I compared it to every other TV in its class before I purchased it. The exterior is very plain but if that does not matter to me. What matters is the picture quality which is outstanding. As soon as I plugged my Playstation 3 to a I could already see a big difference between it and my previous 50". The picture is very, very crisp especially when I played a BluRay movie on it. I got the same result out of my Charter HD converter box. Lastly, if you are in the market for a 42" LCD or Plasma you will want to consider this TV. Why spend $500 to $1000 more when you will get the same if not better picture? I love it and I would buy it again.
Updated
I am now having issues with the HDMI port on this TV. I previously had my Playstation 3 hooked up using component cables and it worked fined. When I tried using the HDMI the screen flickers on and of in 3 second intervals. I checked around and a lot of people are experiencing the same problem. Some say the Playstation 3 favors Sony TV sets and some say it is the Westinghouse that is the issue. None the less, it is unfortunate that I am having this issue.Updated
I exchanged my Westinghouse W4207 and I have the same problem with the Sony Playstation 3 screen flickering when connected into the HDMI port. After much research I have determined that the problem is with the Playstation 3 and not the TV. I plugged a HD DVD player to the HDMI port and it worked just fine. So end the end I am sticking with my first impression, excellent TV at an excellent price. I wish I can say the same for Sony's Playstation 3. -
"unless you pay much more. . . . ." on
Pros: price, price, price !!
Cons: not-so-sharp non HDTV channels
Summary: This lcd was perfect for my budget. I wanted a flat screen tv without wiping out my savings account. I did intensive research on plasma vs lcd. I bought and returned 3 different plasmas from Bestbuy (their return policy is awesome). I decided on my fourth purchase to try an lcd and I am pretty content with the W4207 from Westinghouse. Obviously, it doesn't deliver the picture quality of a Sony Bravia 1080 or the higher models of Samsung or Pioneer. However, money is an issue to me and I couldn't dish out the extra $700 - $2000 in order to obtain the better picture. I got this lcd on sale from BB for $999 and I am satisfied. The HDTV channels, to me, look as good as 1080 quality. I got my dvd connected thru the hdmi input and I'm pleased with the image. My son plays video games on this unit and it looks crystal clear. The sound isn't the best but most people who invest in these big screen tv's have some sort of stereo/surround sound connected to them. (so I wouldn't make my decision on purchasing one based on sound). On the downside, the non-HDTV channels are not as picture-sharp.
Overall, I didn't think the slightly better picture quality of the other brands was worth me putting out much more cash. This lcd looks good enough and I understand that I was simply NOT going to find another 42' flat screen for less !!! -
"very happy with purchase" on by mattrhorn
Pros: straight forward monitor
Cons: only one HDMI input
Summary: I had had my eye on this monitor for a while. I saw no need for a tuner and didn't want to pay for something I didn't use anyway. Initially it was a little challenging to set up the picture defaults, but I got some advice on the net. The manual is worthless. I had a hard time removing the stand, but once again the info was online. The connections were easy and the remote straitforward. I have connected HD satellite, DVD and gaming system to it and they all work great. So far, I am happy with this value level monitor and it seems to outperform my high-dollar sets. The audio could be better, but with a home theater system, you won't notice. I am very happy with the set, but at $1000, I think it is the best monitor out there.
Westinghouse W4207 user reviews (42" LCD flat panel display)
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