Westinghouse LTV-32w3HD LCD TV

The Westinghouse LTV-32w3HD is a unique model with a special design to help eliminate cable clutter. The LTV-32w3HD is one of the LCD TVs manufactured by Westinghouse with SpineDesign. Video inputs are placed on either side of the “spine” which gives viewers a set of organized inputs and outputs. The initial build and quality of the set is very solid with very good fit and finish. It has a black front chassis and built-in speakers with a depth of 4.4 inches when wall-mounted. No doubt, you will appreciate the black front bezel that supposedly improves perceived contrast.

Westinghouse boasts of its new SpineDesign technology input layout that is, according to their press release, offers easy access from both sides of the HDTV ’spine’ for all of the video source connections offered, eliminating cable clutter and keeping cables from view.

Furthermore, it also claims of improved picture quality because the SpineDesign incorporates a single board to shorten the signal path from video sources to the panel. Its integrated ATSC and NTSC tuners, and multiple high-definition video input options demonstrate the Westinghouse commitment to product excellence.

The Westinghouse LTV-32w3HD can display almost all current HDTV sources sufficiently with its 1366 x 768 native resolution. It has a contrast ratio of 1000:1 with an estimated lamp life of 60,000 hours, which is vastly increased from previous product generations, but is now standard for most current LCD displays. The LTV-32w3 HD boasts a blazing fast 8ms response time, which should make the previously common LCD problem of motion ghosting a thing of the past.

The sets connectivity options include Composite Video, S-Video In, two Component Video, DVI and HDMI, VGA, and Cable In. Other features include 10-bit video processing, which is also common on many current LCD displays.

As far as performance is concern, the LTV-32w3HD displays bright and sharp images specially with high-definition sources. Reproduction of facial tones appear muted due to blue-cast and lack of color saturation. It is also notorious for excessive contrast which gives a punchy image and lacks smooth mid-tones.

Black Levels, or lack thereof, have been one of the primary gripes of LCD television technology over the years, but have been making well-documented strides from mediocrity to acceptability. To be sure, no LCD has yet to be mistaken for a high-quality plasma or CRT display. But the gap is shrinking, and the LTV-32w3 HD is no exception. Black levels are very respectable and there were times when you will forget that you are watching an LCD, which is a new and positive development.

The sound quality of the Westinghouse TV is quite adequate, with clear sounding dialogue. However, as with most flat panel displays, don’t expect much of a dynamic range with music or movie soundtracks as the two 10-watt speakers have just a hair more power than your average clock radio.

In addition to the VGA PC input, the LTV-32w3 HD’s DVI input can accept PC signals at 1360 x 768 with 1:1 pixel mapping. This is a significant feature because most current PC video cards allow a resolution of 1360×768, but most LCDs do not support this resolution and therefore will scale PC images horizontally to their native 1366 pixels, resulting in a choppy image.

The LTV-32w3HD is priced lower than many other 32″ LCD HDTVs. Its overall image quality is better than its price suggests. There are some issues with contrast and color saturation, but they are mild when considering the price, and the overall viewing experience is a positive one. Furthermore, there are definitely some viewers that will prefer the crisp, punchy images that the LTV-32w3 HD produces over a smoother, less dynamic television. Regardless, it is likely that these issues will not be noticed when the LTV-32w3 HD is viewed on its own.

Sources:
http://www.widescreenreview.com
http://proav.pubdyn.com
http://www.nicetvthere.com
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