Westinghouse Electric LTV-32w3 32" HDTV LCD TV
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- HDCP Support: With HDCP Support
- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (16:9)
- Display Resolution: 1366 x 768 pixels
- Broadcast Format Displayed: 720p (HDTV) 480p (EDTV) 480i (SDTV)
- Contrast Ratio: 1,000:1
- Digital TV Standard: HDTV Television
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User ReviewRead All Reviews »
I wanted to like this unit. I really did.
Pros
Inexpensive, Built in QAM/OTA tuner, Very good quality video
Cons
DVI doesn't work properly, Aspect ratio not correct, Sound quality
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Buy it if you can get a good deal and live with the aspect ratio issue.
I already own the Westinghouse LTV-32w1. I like the unit alot. I really do. So, when I bought it's successor, the LTV-32w3, I was a little nervous about it. It's bulgy looks that departed from Westinghouse's general silver/sleek designs was the first warning sign, but I ignored it. Looks can grow on you sometimes.
What I bought this unit for was the QAM capable HDTV tuner. This means you can have very basic cable (~$8/month) and receive all the broadcast HDTV channels. This worked like a charm.
It also supports OTA (over the air) HD broadcast signals. I could not tune in though, even with the help of the renowned Zenith Silver Sensor and antennaweb.org. The support for OTA signal detection on this unit is non existent. Basically, aim your antenna and hope you did it right, and autoscan for channels.
Computer through VGA is very good quality. Not perfect, but pretty darn good.
Now, let's get to the issues with this unit.
1) DVI port does not work.
I have tried the DVI port on three units bought from Crutchfield and all of them do not work properly with 1360x768@60hz. [Ok I admit it, I actually fiddled with custom resolutions as well,such as 1368x768 and slightly different refresh rates.. this didn't solve the problem] There is a band of lines that show up on the left hand side of the screen. This is with three separate computer systems and different DVI cables. In addition, DVI port goes black when using a Voom satellite receiver, or a HDMI dvd player with a DVI adpater.
2) Sound Quality is average/below-average. Sound volume needs to be turned almost to max for proper listening levels.
3) Aspect ratio control is poor and ANAMORPHIC DISCS DO NOT DISPLAY IN CORRECT ASPECT RATIOs. For example, on the Lord of the Rings DVD, the aspect ratios, as measured with measuring tape, is 2.48:1 on this unit. On the older Westinghouse LTV-32w1, it is 2.379:1, and on a laptop it is 2.375:1. In addition, it has been verified that 4:3 content is stretched slightly horizontally as well from Westinghouse, and there is no way to do a two way zoom on that content to fill the screen.
So what's the conclusion?
New units these days no longer include DVI inputs.. so if you are buying one of these units and if the DVI doesn't work, it's not a huge loss.
Sound quality is not a big factor either.. as it's not terrible. Just not great. Most of you will be connecting audio to a surround system anyway.
The real buggery will be the aspect ratio issue. For most, you will probably not notice the difference as the height difference is about 1-1.5cm. others may notice the picture is very slightly squashed.
The picture quality is otherwise fantastic, with average black levels as it is with most LCDs.
If you can live with the AR issue, then go for it.
What I bought this unit for was the QAM capable HDTV tuner. This means you can have very basic cable (~$8/month) and receive all the broadcast HDTV channels. This worked like a charm.
It also supports OTA (over the air) HD broadcast signals. I could not tune in though, even with the help of the renowned Zenith Silver Sensor and antennaweb.org. The support for OTA signal detection on this unit is non existent. Basically, aim your antenna and hope you did it right, and autoscan for channels.
Computer through VGA is very good quality. Not perfect, but pretty darn good.
Now, let's get to the issues with this unit.
1) DVI port does not work.
I have tried the DVI port on three units bought from Crutchfield and all of them do not work properly with 1360x768@60hz. [Ok I admit it, I actually fiddled with custom resolutions as well,such as 1368x768 and slightly different refresh rates.. this didn't solve the problem] There is a band of lines that show up on the left hand side of the screen. This is with three separate computer systems and different DVI cables. In addition, DVI port goes black when using a Voom satellite receiver, or a HDMI dvd player with a DVI adpater.
2) Sound Quality is average/below-average. Sound volume needs to be turned almost to max for proper listening levels.
3) Aspect ratio control is poor and ANAMORPHIC DISCS DO NOT DISPLAY IN CORRECT ASPECT RATIOs. For example, on the Lord of the Rings DVD, the aspect ratios, as measured with measuring tape, is 2.48:1 on this unit. On the older Westinghouse LTV-32w1, it is 2.379:1, and on a laptop it is 2.375:1. In addition, it has been verified that 4:3 content is stretched slightly horizontally as well from Westinghouse, and there is no way to do a two way zoom on that content to fill the screen.
So what's the conclusion?
New units these days no longer include DVI inputs.. so if you are buying one of these units and if the DVI doesn't work, it's not a huge loss.
Sound quality is not a big factor either.. as it's not terrible. Just not great. Most of you will be connecting audio to a surround system anyway.
The real buggery will be the aspect ratio issue. For most, you will probably not notice the difference as the height difference is about 1-1.5cm. others may notice the picture is very slightly squashed.
The picture quality is otherwise fantastic, with average black levels as it is with most LCDs.
If you can live with the AR issue, then go for it.
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