37-inch 1080p LCD under $2k?
In the "how did we miss this?" category, I noticed this morning that Best Buy is advertising a Westinghouse 37-inch LCD capable of 1080p for $1,999 starting tomorrow. First of all, when did Westinghouse hit the HDTV scene? (Answer: 2003). Second of all, what do you get for your money?
From a specifications standpoint, the unit looks reasonable. The LVM-37W1, as it's known, has a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, and claims to be 1080p capable. A close look at the User's Manual indicates that this is true; 1080p support is available through one of the two DVI input jacks. Other included inputs are composite video, S-Video and RCA audio jacks.
This widescreen monitor sports a 176-degree viewing angle and weighs less than 70 pounds, making it good unit to mount on a wall. One area that it may fall short on is contrast, which is rated at 1,000 : 1. Although I haven't physically seen this set, my expectation is that some of the blacks and shadows could get washed out with this contrast rating. Either way, if you have an HD tuner or other source to connect to this monitor, it might be worth a look at this price.
