Just got my Westinghouse 37" 1080P installed!

[nitromullet]

I think the difficulty here is that none of you are really acknowledging the fact that TV, entertainment center, and computers have been converging over the past decade. Based on Westinghouse's copy for this screen on their site I believe that this monitor was indeed intended as to be used primarily as a home theater/entertainment display attached to entertainment devices, such as a multimedia PC, cable/sat box, etc... and not as a monitor for a personal computer used primarily for business. That doesn't mean however, that it can not effectively serve this purpose.

IMO, I prefer to use a more standard 24" 1920x1200 LCD display for my PC because it has more pixels per inch, more pixels overall - giving me more usable real estate, plus it actually fits ON my desk, not on the wall behind it. These are my priorities and opinions, if some people want to use the Westy as a PC monitor who cares.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: tboo
I tried using a Sharp Aquos 32 inch LCD TV as a computer monitor so Ive been down that road & am no stranger to this topic.

So, your experience with low resolution LCDs makes you the expert on high resolution LCDs?

Originally posted by: destrekor
i don't see any description of a tuner in the word 'television'.

you can call it a computer monitor all you want

Well, technically it is a monitor, not a TV or a "computer monitor" but that's just splitting hairs. Regardless of descriptions or definitions, traditionally a screen with a tuner has been called a television set, and one without has been called a monitor (sans "computer").

Originally posted by: destrekor
a 37" 720 or 1080p monitor is not meant to be used with a computer (or at least a computer on its own

If it isn't meant to be used with a computer, then why does it have a 15 pin VGA input? What DVD player, or VCR, or digital cable box has that as an output?

/Agree

 

[Slammy1]

It is splitting hairs but it definitely is a monitor. It gets the mfr around some fcc rules regarding televisions to call it such. If you look at a 24" PC monitor it will typically have component, s-video, and/or HDMI inputs does that make it a television? There's a conotative and denotative definition of television, perhaps the legal definition lies somewhere outside both. I do the same things on the Westy as I did on my 19" display, just sit a little further back. Ideal? no. Impressive just the same? Yes.

 

[smurph98gt]

What kind of video card would be required to run games on this and not have it look like crap?

A friend of mine just bought a 37" 1080p monitor tv picture viewing box thing, and he wants to buy a desktop to play games on it.

He's trying to not break the bank though.. any ideas for me? Thanks!

 

[xboxist]

Forgive my ignorance, but I don't understand why this monitor costs barely more than what a 24" LCD monitor goes for. Care to enlighten me?

 

[Slammy1]

Originally posted by: xboxist
Forgive my ignorance, but I don't understand why this monitor costs barely more than what a 24" LCD monitor goes for. Care to enlighten me?

Well, I believe there's a point of diminishing returns on DPI. It certainly does not have the pixel density of the 24" displays, plus I'm sure there's a premium in a PC monitor vs a tv monitor (not to confuse people, I think we all know the market this unit is geared towards) where one typically runs around $500 and the other runs around $1000. The market's larger for larger displays, so less profit per unit is required to recover retool costs, as well competition is harsher.

I have an x850Pro running my system now. I don't do a lot of gaming, but some fps and HOMM V. Can't run all of the eye candy, but I do run decent at NR (better than a lot of people report at lower res). My 9700Pro ran fine for desktop, DVD, and light gaming.

 

[nitromullet]

Originally posted by: xboxist
Forgive my ignorance, but I don't understand why this monitor costs barely more than what a 24" LCD monitor goes for. Care to enlighten me?

...because it has roughly the same amount of pixels as a standard 24" LCD (a bit less actually). Panels such as the ones used in the Apple 30" Cinema display or Dell 3007WFP have far more pixels than the 37" Westy and are much more expensive to produce, even though they are smaller in physical size.

 

[smurph98gt]

Since he's been approved to buy a computer at Dell, he's looking at buying a cheapy XPS (0% interest for 18 months).

256MB nVidia Geforce 7300LE -Included
256MB ATI Radeon X1300 Pro +$50
256MB nVidia GeForce 7900 GS +$200

Obviously the 7900 GS is the best of the group, but will the x1300 pro or 7300LE work? He's not going to be doing any real intense gaming that I know of. The only thing he told me he might be interested in is World of Warcraft.

Thanks again guys.

 

[nitromullet]

I wouldn't want to play WoW on the X1300 Pro or 7300LE. I have an ATI AIW X800XL that I picked up from Microcenter for $130, which plays WoW great on a 1680x1050 display, and I image that it would be fine at 1920x1080 as well. It might also have some extra multimedia features your friend might enjoy with a 37" LCD.

http://microcenter.com/byos/byos_single_product_results.phtml?product_id=234750

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: tboo
I tried using a Sharp Aquos 32 inch LCD TV as a computer monitor so Ive been down that road & am no stranger to this topic.

So, your experience with low resolution LCDs makes you the expert on high resolution LCDs?

Originally posted by: destrekor
i don't see any description of a tuner in the word 'television'.

you can call it a computer monitor all you want

Well, technically it is a monitor, not a TV or a "computer monitor" but that's just splitting hairs. Regardless of descriptions or definitions, traditionally a screen with a tuner has been called a television set, and one without has been called a monitor (sans "computer").

Originally posted by: destrekor
a 37" 720 or 1080p monitor is not meant to be used with a computer (or at least a computer on its own

If it isn't meant to be used with a computer, then why does it have a 15 pin VGA input? What DVD player, or VCR, or digital cable box has that as an output?

/Agree

i didn't say it wasn't mean to be used with a computer... it wasn't meant to be used as with a computer ALONE. as in, many people hook computers up to it for that media-center setup, but other things are hooked up to it. and in the idea of a computer being hooked up, its meant to be in the living room where you are on your couch. any monitor that is designed for the living room, media-center or not, I consider a TV, no ifs ands or buts. even if the only thing hooked up to it is a computer, the tasks you likely will do on it are not normally computer related, save for gaming.
hope you understand where I am going with that thought. hard to spell out in any other way.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: smurph98gt
Since he's been approved to buy a computer at Dell, he's looking at buying a cheapy XPS (0% interest for 18 months).

256MB nVidia Geforce 7300LE -Included
256MB ATI Radeon X1300 Pro +$50
256MB nVidia GeForce 7900 GS +$200

Obviously the 7900 GS is the best of the group, but will the x1300 pro or 7300LE work? He's not going to be doing any real intense gaming that I know of. The only thing he told me he might be interested in is World of Warcraft.

I wouldn't go for any of the upgrades. With Dells, the most cost effective way to get one better than their base setup is to buy the base setup and then purchase the upgrades separately. Of course you lose the 0% financing for the extra parts, but you save money. Take the 7900GS for instance. You can buy one for less than that, indeed Best Buy has had a recurring deal for that card at $149.99, plus you can do a 12% off Rewards Zone coupon. I've seen 7900GT cards at that price after rebates. The other thing is that you can sell off the included 7300LE for a few bucks.

Check into the other parts too, such as RAM upgrades. Often I'll see things like a $200 difference between 1GB and 2GB RAM on the Dell configurator. What? I can get the 2GB RAM for around $200, and still have 1GB left over (or run 3GB).

For those resolutions in WoW, you'd probably want at least a 7600GT or an x8?? series. Those should allow the game to run at full resolution with quality turned up a bit (but not all the way) and still sustain good framerates. My wife occasionally plays WoW on our 42" Westy using our HTPC, which has a modded X800GTO (basically an X800XL). Looks great and runs perfectly smooth to our eyes.

 

[Rage187]

Originally posted by: destrekor

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: tboo
I tried using a Sharp Aquos 32 inch LCD TV as a computer monitor so Ive been down that road & am no stranger to this topic.

So, your experience with low resolution LCDs makes you the expert on high resolution LCDs?

Originally posted by: destrekor
i don't see any description of a tuner in the word 'television'.

you can call it a computer monitor all you want

Well, technically it is a monitor, not a TV or a "computer monitor" but that's just splitting hairs. Regardless of descriptions or definitions, traditionally a screen with a tuner has been called a television set, and one without has been called a monitor (sans "computer").

Originally posted by: destrekor
a 37" 720 or 1080p monitor is not meant to be used with a computer (or at least a computer on its own

If it isn't meant to be used with a computer, then why does it have a 15 pin VGA input? What DVD player, or VCR, or digital cable box has that as an output?

/Agree

i didn't say it wasn't mean to be used with a computer... it wasn't meant to be used as with a computer ALONE. as in, many people hook computers up to it for that media-center setup, but other things are hooked up to it. and in the idea of a computer being hooked up, its meant to be in the living room where you are on your couch. any monitor that is designed for the living room, media-center or not, I consider a TV, no ifs ands or buts. even if the only thing hooked up to it is a computer, the tasks you likely will do on it are not normally computer related, save for gaming.
hope you understand where I am going with that thought. hard to spell out in any other way.

and there you go again spouting opinion as fact. Here's a fact for you. This thing makes a bad television in the sense that SD looks like crap and if you sit more then 2-3 feet away from it you won't be able to tell 720P from 1080P. That right there should prove it's designed a computer monitor first and foremost.

 

[Yreka]

Ok, here are some more pics. I had my heart set on a dell 30" too.. no regrets so far. I was very very concerned with regular usage + how text would look. I too, hooked up a 720p res TV/monitor and thought it looked like complete ass, and lumped this screen in with the rest of them. It was a mistake, this thing is completely suitable as a "non-professional" computer monitor IMO, assuming you can deal with the size. I only say non-professional because Im sure if you were doing graphics work or what not, you would want a higher DPI panel.

Anyway, here they are.

*Camera sucks ass disclaimer
** Monitor has not been calibrated yet either. I just dropped the backlight level to 2.

Text from stupid close.
The color banding is not there at all, even if you put your mug right up to the screen, its my camera ccd.

1080P trailer, WMV9

HD-DVD Serenity
XB360 HD-DVD player playing through the PC Using Power DVD 6.5
(Because my wife won't get off mother effing Viva Pinata long enough for me to hook the 360 up in here.)

Another Serenity

EQ2
EQ2-2

COD2

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: Rage187

Originally posted by: destrekor

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: tboo
I tried using a Sharp Aquos 32 inch LCD TV as a computer monitor so Ive been down that road & am no stranger to this topic.

So, your experience with low resolution LCDs makes you the expert on high resolution LCDs?

Originally posted by: destrekor
i don't see any description of a tuner in the word 'television'.

you can call it a computer monitor all you want

Well, technically it is a monitor, not a TV or a "computer monitor" but that's just splitting hairs. Regardless of descriptions or definitions, traditionally a screen with a tuner has been called a television set, and one without has been called a monitor (sans "computer").

Originally posted by: destrekor
a 37" 720 or 1080p monitor is not meant to be used with a computer (or at least a computer on its own

If it isn't meant to be used with a computer, then why does it have a 15 pin VGA input? What DVD player, or VCR, or digital cable box has that as an output?

/Agree

i didn't say it wasn't mean to be used with a computer... it wasn't meant to be used as with a computer ALONE. as in, many people hook computers up to it for that media-center setup, but other things are hooked up to it. and in the idea of a computer being hooked up, its meant to be in the living room where you are on your couch. any monitor that is designed for the living room, media-center or not, I consider a TV, no ifs ands or buts. even if the only thing hooked up to it is a computer, the tasks you likely will do on it are not normally computer related, save for gaming.
hope you understand where I am going with that thought. hard to spell out in any other way.

and there you go again spouting opinion as fact. Here's a fact for you. This thing makes a bad television in the sense that SD looks like crap and if you sit more then 2-3 feet away from it you won't be able to tell 720P from 1080P. That right there should prove it's designed a computer monitor first and foremost.

go ahead and sit 2ft away from a 37" 1080p and tell me you'd want to use that as a computer monitor, as if sitting at a computer desk. it wouldn't feel good on the eyes after awhile, and the dot pitch would not be anything to write home about.
let's just say it's called a monitor.
but it also seems most of these units come in flavors with or without tuners, as to give the consumer the option of having a feature they would use, or not having that feature at all if they don't ever plan on using it. if it saved me money, I'd forgo a tuner because it'd be pointless for me.

 

[WDEagle]

I had been saving my money for a Dell 30" also. When I saw the Westy 37" 1080p, I instantly changed my mind. I got it for $999 delivered from Crutchfield. I use the 37" as my monitor and my 32" Westy as my TV (it's hung on the wall above the 37"er).

I replaced my Dell 20" with this 37" Westy. The images are just as good as the Dell. Everyone who sees my setup is in awe of it. I love it and hate when I have to go to work and use a Viewsonic 22" CRT all day.

WDEagle

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: destrekor
go ahead and sit 2ft away from a 37" 1080p and tell me you'd want to use that as a computer monitor, as if sitting at a computer desk. it wouldn't feel good on the eyes after awhile, and the dot pitch would not be anything to write home about.

I don't think the issue is the dot pitch or resolution, but the sheer screen size. At my Summer internship, there were numerous 24" Dell widescreens and two 30" Dell widescreen. I can tell you this, nobody sat with their face 2' away from that 30" because it was just too overwhelming and you'd start to notice the edges looking strange from the viewing angle.

There are two sets of people arguing about whether the 1080P "screens" should or should not be called a "computer monitor." I have a theory... perhaps the ones that want to call it a "computer monitor" don't have good eyesight? I see these same arguments in those threads about the 22" widescreens that have the same resolution as the 20" widescreens... people saying "bleh their dot pitch... low DPI... yada yada..." BITD I had friends who would run their CRT monitors at the highest resolution they supported. I'm talking about Windows icons being ¼" tall. Me? I wasn't even running 1280x1024 on a 19" CRT because things looked too small for comfort. Has anyone noticed that there are a lot of paperback novels out these days with larger print? Just because someone can't comfortably see tiny stuff doesn't mean they should be discriminated against. Bad eyesight is no laughing matter.

My momma warned me that would happen if I kept doing that... :shocked:

 

[Slammy1]

Well, 5' away is a comfortable distance with this monitor for pretty much all standard work, I don't bother with font sizes or anything and can comfortably read everything (sometimes I need to engage zoom mode-- i.e. move in closer-- with the fine print on some web pages). I find the composite and component inputs intolerably bad on my display (I have the LVM37-w1) but I get around the SD issue by running a conversion to the S-Video input. If you have an S-Video out on a VCR or DVD player with a tuner that works, I bought a composite -> S-video converter from RS and run the coax into my VCR; the difference is really night and day. A better solution is to run a tuner card in your PC, but I'm currently tunerless (I upgraded my AIW to the x850 for gaming, I only get OTA signals and they're not HD cause cable companies are evil and I d/l shows I want to watch).

 

[Rage187]

Originally posted by: destrekor

Originally posted by: Rage187

Originally posted by: destrekor

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: tboo
I tried using a Sharp Aquos 32 inch LCD TV as a computer monitor so Ive been down that road & am no stranger to this topic.

So, your experience with low resolution LCDs makes you the expert on high resolution LCDs?

Originally posted by: destrekor
i don't see any description of a tuner in the word 'television'.

you can call it a computer monitor all you want

Well, technically it is a monitor, not a TV or a "computer monitor" but that's just splitting hairs. Regardless of descriptions or definitions, traditionally a screen with a tuner has been called a television set, and one without has been called a monitor (sans "computer").

Originally posted by: destrekor
a 37" 720 or 1080p monitor is not meant to be used with a computer (or at least a computer on its own

If it isn't meant to be used with a computer, then why does it have a 15 pin VGA input? What DVD player, or VCR, or digital cable box has that as an output?

/Agree

i didn't say it wasn't mean to be used with a computer... it wasn't meant to be used as with a computer ALONE. as in, many people hook computers up to it for that media-center setup, but other things are hooked up to it. and in the idea of a computer being hooked up, its meant to be in the living room where you are on your couch. any monitor that is designed for the living room, media-center or not, I consider a TV, no ifs ands or buts. even if the only thing hooked up to it is a computer, the tasks you likely will do on it are not normally computer related, save for gaming.
hope you understand where I am going with that thought. hard to spell out in any other way.

and there you go again spouting opinion as fact. Here's a fact for you. This thing makes a bad television in the sense that SD looks like crap and if you sit more then 2-3 feet away from it you won't be able to tell 720P from 1080P. That right there should prove it's designed a computer monitor first and foremost.

go ahead and sit 2ft away from a 37" 1080p and tell me you'd want to use that as a computer monitor, as if sitting at a computer desk. it wouldn't feel good on the eyes after awhile, and the dot pitch would not be anything to write home about.
let's just say it's called a monitor.
but it also seems most of these units come in flavors with or without tuners, as to give the consumer the option of having a feature they would use, or not having that feature at all if they don't ever plan on using it. if it saved me money, I'd forgo a tuner because it'd be pointless for me.

thats the thing, I DO sit 2 feet away from one and have used it for almost a year solely as a computer monitor. Unless you have used one in person, you have no idea what your talking about.

 

[WDEagle]

Originally posted by: Rage187

Originally posted by: destrekor

Originally posted by: Rage187

Originally posted by: destrekor

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: tboo
I tried using a Sharp Aquos 32 inch LCD TV as a computer monitor so Ive been down that road & am no stranger to this topic.

So, your experience with low resolution LCDs makes you the expert on high resolution LCDs?

Originally posted by: destrekor
i don't see any description of a tuner in the word 'television'.

you can call it a computer monitor all you want

Well, technically it is a monitor, not a TV or a "computer monitor" but that's just splitting hairs. Regardless of descriptions or definitions, traditionally a screen with a tuner has been called a television set, and one without has been called a monitor (sans "computer").

Originally posted by: destrekor
a 37" 720 or 1080p monitor is not meant to be used with a computer (or at least a computer on its own

If it isn't meant to be used with a computer, then why does it have a 15 pin VGA input? What DVD player, or VCR, or digital cable box has that as an output?

/Agree

i didn't say it wasn't mean to be used with a computer... it wasn't meant to be used as with a computer ALONE. as in, many people hook computers up to it for that media-center setup, but other things are hooked up to it. and in the idea of a computer being hooked up, its meant to be in the living room where you are on your couch. any monitor that is designed for the living room, media-center or not, I consider a TV, no ifs ands or buts. even if the only thing hooked up to it is a computer, the tasks you likely will do on it are not normally computer related, save for gaming.
hope you understand where I am going with that thought. hard to spell out in any other way.

and there you go again spouting opinion as fact. Here's a fact for you. This thing makes a bad television in the sense that SD looks like crap and if you sit more then 2-3 feet away from it you won't be able to tell 720P from 1080P. That right there should prove it's designed a computer monitor first and foremost.

go ahead and sit 2ft away from a 37" 1080p and tell me you'd want to use that as a computer monitor, as if sitting at a computer desk. it wouldn't feel good on the eyes after awhile, and the dot pitch would not be anything to write home about.
let's just say it's called a monitor.
but it also seems most of these units come in flavors with or without tuners, as to give the consumer the option of having a feature they would use, or not having that feature at all if they don't ever plan on using it. if it saved me money, I'd forgo a tuner because it'd be pointless for me.

thats the thing, I DO sit 2 feet away from one and have used it for almost a year solely as a computer monitor. Unless you have used one in person, you have no idea what your talking about.

Ditto that. I sit about 3 feet away from mine. There is no need to argue with the "experts" who do not even have the monitor. We have it, we love it and people can choose who they want to believe. I'll take the advice of someone that knows (owners) over someone who thinks they know (nonowners) anyday.

 

[Slammy1]

Don't worry about the doubters, they're trying to make a decision on a fairly expensive item. Thing is, you see these on display at the stores and think, man that looks rough compared to brand X but with proper signal and scaling it looks MUCH better. Makes the decision difficult, you end up taking advice and need to clarify the crediblity of the source. You look for consensus in opinion to help, that's just part of electronics consumerism.

There are compromises in pricing, though it's a lot of the same issues you'll find in any larger display. My unit has some light bleeding (better than any unit I've seen posted for pics, just being anal) and a slight banding (which is bothersome...). I wanted to go back and check a vga connection, but haven't bought another cable yet. Newer units shoulfn't have those issues to any significant extent, but color conrast won't be as warm as, say, the newer Sony's or Sammy's. I'm sure it's been mentioned somewhere, but check out some user experiences on AVS. This screen is popular as a video display for HTPC, which comprises most of my activities with my current system.

 

[Aikouka]

It's a TV.

HDTV - Tuner = HD Ready TV

In the USA, "HD Ready" refers to any display that is capable of accepting and displaying a high definition signal at either 720p, 1080i or 1080p using a component video or digital input, and does not have a built-in HD-capable tuner.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_ready

Essentially, you'd define the difference between a standard computer monitor (such as my Samsung 205BW) from an HDTV (such as my Samsung 46" DLP) via the connectors that it can accept input from. My Samsung only accepts VGA and DVI, and based on that, would not be considered HD Ready. Since it doesn't have a tuner, it's not a true HDTV. My DLP does have a tuner and the component and HDMI inputs.

But just because it's a TV, that doesn't mean you have to use it as a TV. Technically the most use my DLP receive is as a monitor for my media PC. It may literally just play videos that I could even stream to my XBOX 360, but it's just as easy and even easier to use the PC itself (so I don't have to worry about softcoded subs), so why not. If someone wants to use it as a mega-huge monitor, more power to 'em!

Oh and congrats on the HDTV, they're an experience and a half sometimes 🙂.

 

[Rage187]

Monitor


/thread

 

[therealnickdanger]

Originally posted by: Sudheer Anne
I can only imagine how good it will be once I get HD-DVD and HD cable installed.

You're impressed now? LOL You ain't seen nothing yet! I'd advise you to invest in HD-DVD before HD cable, if only because HD-DVD is 2-3x the bitrate. Grab the Xbox360 HD-DVD drive and hook it up to your PC! $200 for AMAZING video!

 

[nitromullet]

Originally posted by: Rage187
Monitor


/thread

lawl...

Did you actually read beyond the first word? Almost all of the copy on that site points to this thing being sold as an entertainment display.

Maybe you missed the "Virtual Remodel" link at the bottom of the page that lets you see how your new LVM-37w3 and other Westinghouse TV's will look in various different living room settings (no offices or desks to choose from).

 

[Matt2]

Originally posted by: Rage187
Monitor


/thread

If you?re into maximum entertainment, it?s the only display that should be connected to your HD cable box, satellite or multimedia PC.