While we tend to view a built-in, non-upscaling DVD player as a bit of a waste, CNET reviewers felt otherwise. Westy's latest 40-incher, the VK-40F580D, recently hit the test bench at the aforementioned site, and while nothing seemed to drop jaws, the entire package appeared decent enough for the casual buyer. The relatively inexpensive sticker, deep blacks, accurate colors and satisfactory picture controls will likely be everything the HDTV novice is looking for, but those with loftier demands may be put off by the limited port selection (two HDMI, one component) and lackluster remote. All in all, it sounds like this one's not too bad for the price, but unless you're actually intending to pay a bit more for integrated DVD support, you could probably do better elsewhere.

Money's tight these days, we get that. But we also get that your aging CRT is in dire need of replacing, and Westinghouse's sub-$2,500 TX-52F480S looks mighty fine on paper for the price. Thankfully, the cats over at UltimateAVmag were able to secure the 52-inch LCD HDTV for a review, and it proved to be quite the value overall. Yeah, you'll have to deal with quirks like HDMI 1.2 ports and a complete lack of 120Hz processing, but color reproduction, black level, and shadow detail -- you know, the important stuff -- were all deemed "excellent." It is noted that this set won't blow away any higher priced units, but potentially more importantly, reviewers felt that those on a budget would be thoroughly pleased with what this unit brings to the table.

Bargain alert! No need to liquidate every asset you own to bring home (wherever "home" would end up being) one of Sharp's 108-inch LCD HDTVs, as Westinghouse has just announced that its 56-inch D56QX1 Quad HD display will be on sale as of this month for half of that. Yeah, we've seen it (along with its 52-inch sibling) around forever, but we're thrilled to hear that a handful of affluent aficionados will finally have the pleasure of watching one in their 4,800 square foot den.

[Via TG Daily]

Remember Green Plug? That universal connector we detailed last month which aims to replace wall warts and help Mother Earth out in the process? Turns out, said outfit has just landed its first real believer as Westinghouse committed to using the smart power technology. Even Darwin Chang, Westy's CTO, admitted that his firm "wasn't the largest, but somebody has to be the first." Chang is hoping that utilizing said tech will help it cut costs by eliminating the need to ship power adapters with its wares, but we'd say that's being pretty optimistic. Really, the only way that will go over well is if hordes of other firms jump on the (currently desolate) bandwagon in short order -- any takers?

[Via PCWorld]

Westinghouse continues their habit of releasing well-spec'd but average-performing displays today with a slew of new LCD HDTVs. On the 1080p front, the TX Series comes in 42, 47, and 52-inch flavors along with the 40-inch VK-40F580D -- a 1080P DVD combo player that's (aside from the $1,099 price) ironically missing Blu-ray. The less-expensive 720p LCDs in the SK, PT, and W series come in anything from 16 to 32-inch screen sizes, the PT series being portable. So what's the big deal? The 1080p TX-52F480S 52-inch display retails at only $1,999 US, a tough number to beat in that spec range. Meanwhile, their respectably-sized 26-inch SK-26H730S is priced at just $599. So, hooray for affordable HDTV, and stuff.

Surely you remember that peculiar PT-16H610S that Westinghouse slipped in during CES, right? Even if not, PCMag is out to help you refresh that memory with its latest review, which takes a good, hard look at the 16-inch "portable LCD." At first glance, reviewers praised the dual-hinged base, which enabled it to be hung under a cabinet, mounted on the wall or simply sat upright. It was also found to be exceptionally efficient when it came to sipping electricity. Outside of that, however, things got ugly -- literally. Both SD and HD sources revealed that image quality just wasn't this thing's forte. Then again, what else would you really expect from something likely designed to be glanced at while slaving away in the kitchen? Overall, it was deemed quite far "from being a stellar HDTV," but it was seen as "good enough to serve as a secondary set in situations where space and budget are limited."

It's some strange times in HD-land, and all that strangeness is brought together in the Westinghouse VK-40F580D LCD. Things start off pretty good with a 40-inch, 1080p LCD with NTSC, ATSC, and clear QAM tuning. Our eyebrows arched when we saw that Westinghouse also builds a DVD player into mix. We know that Westinghouse had a price point to hit with this unit, so we're not disappointed to see Blu-ray left out. But the real stick in the eye is that the DVD player does not upscale. So here we have a 1080p display that is both helped (in convenience) and hurt (in performance) by its built-in player. This is exactly the sort of thing that will keep consumers confused and/or disappointed with their $1149 purchase. The word "separates" usually has a snooty connotation, but here's a case where we think it's easy and affordable enough for everyone.

Folks overly concerned about their just-purchased LCD TV turning archaic before their next cable bill arrives will certainly appreciate Westinghouse Digital's latest effort. Apparently, the firm is trumpeting its initiative to deliver free firmware upgrades for HDTVs over the internet, which will enable owners to add such features as "picture viewers, audio enrichment and color advancements" to their current sets. All that's required of the end-user is the ability to login to a website, transfer a file to a USB flash drive and plug said drive into their Westy. Also of note, the firm is hoping to bring similar updates to its full line of LCD computer monitors and digital photo frames, but we're left to wonder what kind of extras the outfit will be doling out in the future.

We've seen firms let loose entire clans of HDTVs before, and apparently Westinghouse is aiming to be the next to direct you straight to overload. Without further ado, let's get to the VK Series. The 40-inch VK-40F530S sports a 1080p resolution, a pair of HDMI inputs and a 6.5-millisecond response time, while the 42-inch VK-42F130S / VK-42F240S shares the same resolution and response time while adding an NTSC / ATSC / Clear-QAM tuner. Rounding things up is the 47-inch VK-47F130S, which looks to sport the exactly same specs as the 42-inch siblings. For the rest of the gang, head on past the jump.

We're not exactly sure what constitutes a "portable LCD," but apparently, Westinghouse figures a 16- to 19-incher fits the bill. The new PT Series is curiously aimed as "consumers who are on the go," but realistically, we envision these bad boys sticking pretty close to the countertop. Getting us started is the 16-inch PT-16H120S, which features a 720p resolution, a "Super Thin Profile," 500:1 contrast ratio, eight-millisecond response time and a pretty standard assortment of ports. Interested in hearing more? Click on through, it's all there.

We didn't have to wait for CES to begin to find out the UWB camp's response to WirelessHD 1.0, Westinghouse and Pulse-Link plan to demo the first "fully-integrated" wireless HDTV Saturday. The Westinghouse Digital Wireless HDMI HDTV should hit the B2B digital signage marketplace in the second quarter, and could see release to consumers by the end of the year. If wired HDMI is just too complicated, Pulse-Link's CWave Wireless HDMI promises 40 foot range with no loss of quality. No word yet on exact price, or what kind of Monster accessories we can expect to enhance our wireless viewing experience, but this seems a lot more tangible than the Philips wireless HDTV technology vaporware from CES '07.

There's definitely a science to wording polls in order to bias an outcome. But an open-ended question can generate stranger results than a carefully crafted one. Case in point: Westinghouse's HDTV Insights Poll, which asked 1,200 consumers "If you could design a TV yourself, what would you add?" And the top answer was (drum roll, please)... voice recognition. Huh? We've got to wonder where the 1,200 respondents came from. Seriously, of the top responses listed, only "120Hz refresh rate" has anything to do with picture quality. All the other features, including voice recognition, are all about convenience. It's a real slap in the face for us HD die hards -- while we obsess over image quality and tech specs, everybody else is wishing for a smarter version of "The Clapper." We'll be taking up "voice recognition" as our battle cry for spreading the word on image quality.

Continuing to roll with the 1080p bandwagon, Westinghouse has announced plans to show off the new year's product line of 1080p-capable LCD sets at CES, with a 52-incher as the flagship model. Also to be displayed is a 56-inch LCD with 3840 x 2160 resolution -- a full four times high-definition -- that is most likely intended for medical imaging or videoconferencing use. Imagine taking four 23-inch Apple Cinema displays and somehow attaching them together and that's what you'd get in this prototype. Move over 103-inch plasmas, you're so 2006!

[update: fixed apple display size]

Engadget's weekly column, The Clicker, ran a topic that might be of interest to most of you. They have taken some of the pain out of shopping for a new HDTV. They have five very good HDTVs and provided a good explanation of why they are special and what makes them better then others. Plus, to make it a bit more fun, Engadget style, they have put a celebrity to each HDTV. For example. The Westinghouse LVM-42W2 is number five on their list because of its great value and name. In other words, it is rail thin, cheap and comes with a former high-end name- like Paris Hilton. See, now isn't that fun.

Bet you can't guess who goes with #1. (hint: the HDTV is a high-end projector)

After being up on their website for a while, Westinghouse has finally officially announced the 47-inch addition to their line of 1080p LCD panels, the LVM-47w1. They have long been one of the few 1080p sets to include support for true 1920x1080 input. The set has 6 HD inputs (1 HDMI, 2 DVI w/HDCP, 1 VGA and 2 Component) a nice 6.5ms refresh rate and 1200:1 contrast ratio. One of the few knocks on the Westy line remains, with only 75% of the NTSC color gamut available, as opposed to 90% from other backlighting technologies. All the same if that isn't a problem, the estimated price comes in at an entirely reasonable $2,999, no release date yet.