Home > Consumer Reviews > Westinghouse W33001 30-Inch Widescreen LCD Flat Panel HD-Ready TV

I bought this television at Best Buy, despite the fact that the picture quality was really terrible. I was visually comparing all the LCD TV sets they had for sale, and the Westinghouse was visibly showing some kind of refresh problem. It looked like the kind of visible refresh you would get on an extremely old laptop LCD (before TFT screens). I checked the specs and the Westinghouse TV claimed a 16ms refresh rate and an active matrix LCD screen. These are the same specs as my extremely lovely LCD computer monitor, which does not have a visible refresh. So either Best Buy's model was defective, or there was something else going on. I decided to hedge that Best Buy was sending a crummy signal to the TV, and bought it and took it home.

I unpacked the TV and hooked it up and turned it on, and was delighted to discover that the TV did not seem to have the visible refresh problem the one in the store had. I looked on the internet and discovered a couple of plausible culprits: 1. This TV reacts badly to being hooked up to a signal splitter, and all TVs on sale at Best Buy are being fed signals that have been split many times. This degraded signal may cause the rolling visible refresh pattern. 2. Westinghouse's own FAQ at http://westinghousedigital.com/support/faq.shtml describes the problem as being a "ground loop". Purchase a cheap 3 prong to 2 prong adaptor for the power cord. This will cut the loop and clear up the picture. We tried this and it worked!

I'm glad I took a chance on this TV, as the next competitor was $500 more expensive and suffered a bit from glare (it had a glossier screen). This TV is perfect for viewing even if the blinds in the living room are open. I especially like how it has inputs for VGA and DVI, so you can hook your computer up to it. The only real downside is that the inputs and outputs aren't very easy to get to, so be sure to have an extra person on hand to balance the TV while you try to fiddle with the stuff on the underside.

If you can't afford the absolute best, and you'd just like to settle for something adequate and reasonably priced that can do a lot of nice things, then go for this TV.

The Backstory: I wanted a 30" LCD and headed to my local Best Buy. The 3 models they had on display had picture quality that matched the price difference. The $2000 TV looked best; the Westinghouse, at $1100, looked horrible- colors were extreme, etc. I figured I would fiddle with the settings on the set, and sure enough the contrast was jacked up. A salesman quickly approached as I was tuning the contrast down, and quickly informed me that "they just plug the TV in straight out of the box, I shouldn't need to do that". After successfully completing my mission, I stepped back for another comparison, and voila, the Westinghouse was absolutely on par with the Sony. Conspiracy? You be the judge. I got lucky enough to score a flawless open box, bringing my price under $980.

The review: The TV comes with a set of 3' component and RCA cables, so if your receiver is going to be close enough to your TV, don't splurge on the monster cable.

This unit fits stably on my mantle above the fireplace. It looks spectacular, and the colors are brilliant and vibrant. Glare in my bright apartment is not a problem.

The speakers seem adequate, but of course you'll be hooking up your own. The menus on the set are extremely intuitive, and easy to figure out without having to read the instructions. The 3 aspect modes were not well documented; in order to see the difference I paused a DVD on a scenic shot, and then flipped between the modes, noting the image boundaries and cut-off or distortion.

The tv in-box was awkward for me to move up 3 flights of stairs on my own. The set itself is relatively light, and was easy enough for me to lift to the height of my mantle.

The best value in LCD TV's to date. Highly recommended.

I just got this TV yesterday and hooked it up to a Pioneer digital cable HD receiver. This TV produces a fantastic picture when driven by a 720P or 1080i signal. I use it in 720P mode. You need a real HD signal to realize the potential of this TV. Discovery HD or HDnet provides suitable content for this TV. HBO and Showtime HD also provide true HD broadcasts several hours a day. Regular NTSC broadcast signals do not look good on this set as with ALL LCD TVs. The only complaint I have is that it only has 1 component input that is capable of handling progressive scan output. The other component input handles 480i only.

I got this TV from Best Buy (January 6, 2005) and it is performing exceptionally well...no complains. I have also upgraded to HDTV cable and the picture quality is unbelievable. Even the packaging is high qulity and flawless to protect the product during shipping...I guess it goes with the brand name and reputation of Westinghouse products. Some reviews regarding the remote control are agreeable as the remote is a bit large...but has no quality or engineering issues....in fact the larger remote may be useful to your specific needs. If you don't like the remote...I would recommend you to get a GE Univeral Remote from AMAZON.COM or Circuit City, which costs under $18 and is compatible with this model.

The 30" model was so hot at Best Buy that they sold out in just 7 days after the sale! Don't pay more than $1500 for the 30" Westinghouse LCD Model. Yes, that includes tax!

Do your home work well and invest in sensible products with good company reputation.
Hope this was helpful in your decision.

I bought this tv after extensive research on lcd's and plasmas in it's size range. I picked the westinghouse b/c of the price, as the specs were similar to those of the same size tv's by manufacturer's like sony, etc, that cost hundreds more. I got it at bestbuy for 1499. I've read some reviews that are not so good, but i don't understand what they were looking at. I am using a SA 4200HD box from cablevision. The HD programming looks amazing. Of course regular cable doesn't look so good, but that's the case with all lcd/plasma hdtv's. The real HD programming is beautiful though. I'm using monster component cables. The midgrade ones I guess that cost about 70 bucks. Not the most expensive and not the cheapest. I did notice a huge difference when compared to the cheap component cables cablevision provided. Great Tv. Great picture. wish there was more HD channels and programming though.
The remote IS a little bulky and big though.