Westinghouse LVM-37W3 37-Inch 1080p LCD Video Monitor

Basics

The LVM-37w3 is a high-definition monitor, not a television!

This is an important difference since it has no tuner and no way to directly connect to a coaxial cable from the wall or an antenna. It requires a source with an output (e.g. dvd player, game system, cable box, computer, etc.) to connect to the set.

Features.

It is a true 1080p set with native resolution of 1920 * 1080. It displays every pixel of high-definition content in either 720p or 1080i. It supports 1080p sources through four inputs and scales non-1080p sources to 1080p for display.

The set has 8 video inputs and 7 audio inputs. There is 1 HDMI, 2 DVI, 2 Component Video, 1 RGB, 1 S-Video, and 1-Composite input. 6 are high-definition ready, and four support 480i to 1080p.

Audio inputs are standard analog audio for DVI and Component. HDMI is built-in and VGA is mini-stereo. The only issue is that the s-video and composite share a single set of analog stereo inputs. This is the amount of inputs you need for a home theater system.

Pros.

It displays all kinds of content extremely well. High-definition is as good as it gets on any comparable set. Basically, if source quality is good – this set will display it well. I’ve hooked dvd players, computers, and a cable box to this set and been really impressed.
There are a lot of inputs. With all the inputs, this is a future-proof set. Two digital inputs are DVI, not HDMI. However, with HDMI to DVI cables, that problem is basically solved.
It is a great computer monitor with DVI and VGA inputs. Some may find it a little big for the desk, but it is great as a home theater PC.
It handles audio well. Along with stereo inputs, there are stereo audio outputs for a set of speakers. This is a poor-man’s stereo receiver. Or, shut off the internal speakers and use your sound system.
For the features, the price is incredible. Compare other 37inch LCD 1080p TVs to see the difference.
Autosource is a simple, but handy feature. With so many inputs, switching them can be a pain. With autosource, if the set is on, any new connected device is automatically detected and it switches to that input.

Not So Great.

The image is beautiful, but the TV case is a very plain gray and metallic black design that is not exciting.
There are only 2 options to adjust the image, Standard and Fill. For HD content, it is fine. For Standard Definition content, it is not so great.
De-interlacing, or scaling content to 1080p, is spotty. It does a decent job de-interlacing native 1080i content. Hi-def from my cable box (at 1080i) looks good. There is minor ghosting and some artifacts here and there, but overall it is solid. For upconverting a DVD player to 1080i, results are not as good. Ghosting and artifacts are distracting. Solution: Set all inputs to progressive scan, when possible.
There are 3 digital inputs on this set, HDMI, DVI1, and DVI2. DVI1 does not work properly with HDCP. My cable box switched to DVI mode on DVI1. Yet, my DVD player does not. It had to use HDMI or DVI2. It is a minor inconvenience but it could be problematic for some.

Westinghouse LVM-37W3 37-Inch 1080p LCD Video Monitor home theater HTPC

Overall.

It has good image quality, lots of HD inputs, and 1080p support. No need to worry about it becoming obsolete in the near future. If you want a HDTV that is affordable and a good value, the Westinghouse series may be your solution.

Suggestions.

Buy from a reputable source, in case of a return.

Be sure to use an UP-CONVERSION DVD player rather than a progressive scan. It makes DVDs look fantastic and converts them to 1080i)

Setup.

Processor: Intel Core Duo 2 E8400 @ 3.0GHz

RAM: G.Skill 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2-SDRAM 800 (PS2-6400)

Video card: GeForce 9800 GT. Video is currently set up as DVI to DVI.

Hard drive: Toshiba MK1649GSY 160GB @ 7200 RPM.

Optical drive: ATAPI BD O DH4O3S. It’s the replacement Blu-Ray drive that was in my old HP Entertainment computer.

PSU: Raidmax 630W.

TV tuner: Hauppauge Win-TV-HVR-850

Wireless card: Netgear WNA1100