Westinghouse W33001 30-Inch Widescreen LCD Flat Panel HD-Ready TV

by Westinghouse

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 55 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0000UXOK8
• Item model number: W33001
• Batteries: 2 AAA batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,371 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

With a DVI terminal for direct-digital connection with PCs and DTV receivers, Westinghouse Digital's W33001 30-inch widescreen LCD television will amaze you with its ability to render sharp, vivid images from standard- and high-definition sources alike. The set's widescreen, 15:9 aspect ratio is specially designed to match the dimensions of your favorite DVD movies and HDTV broadcasts. Customize your viewing with a supplied remote control that lets you switch among multiple sources or change on the fly from widescreen to conventional (4:3 aspect ratio) viewing.

The 1,280 x 768-pixel W33001 features an ultrathin, 8.5-inch profile with a 170-degree viewing angle that makes it possible to view a clear picture from almost anywhere in the room--perfect for gatherings and family movie nights. The TV is compatible with everything from standard 480i to 480p, 720p, and full 1080i HD pictures (built-in image scaling adjusts 1080i signals to match the set's 768 horizontal lines).

Progressive scanning, referred to as 480p or 720p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts.

LCD screens offer a number of benefits over CRT monitors and televisions, including general ease of use, freedom from eye strain (no screen flickering or radiation emissions), quiet operation (no high-pitch "flyback" noise, an issue with CRT TVs), image geometry (no curvature distortion or susceptibility to magnetic interference from, say, speakers), screen life (no risk of image burn-in), space savings, and light weight/easy positioning.

The W33001's exceptional 16 millisecond response time (the time it takes the screen's pixels to update themselves with fresh data) delivers crisp images for fast-action moving video and video games. The set also displays the broadest possible range of colors and--with its 500 cd/m2 brightness--produces vibrant images in almost any lighting condition.

Westinghouse Digital's advanced, two-tuner PIP (picture-in-picture) functions give you everything from mixed-mode PIP for watching TV and working on a PC concurrently to split-screen viewing and the option to resize and relocate the PIP window. PIP abilities even extend to image swap and audio swap, which lets you switch the sound between the PIP and main screens without rearranging the video windows, and a further choice of 4- or 13-window viewing for those times when two screens just isn't enough--like, for instance, on major sports Sundays.

Other connections include an RS-232C control port, component-video (one HD and one SD), composite-video, S-video, RF, and PC (RGB). A headphone jack fosters private listening, and a dedicated subwoofer output lets you enhance your listening with powerful deep bass frequencies. The set's built-in speakers give you stereo audio (with 8 watts per channel) from inputs or broadcast programming. A surround-simulation algorithm produces spacious surround sound from the set's built-in speakers or headphone jack.

What's in the Box
TV, remote control, remote batteries, pedestal "feet," and user's manual.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great deal, with a problem (and a simple workaround), March 23, 2005

By 

Rune Horvik (Waldorf, MD, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Westinghouse W33001 30-Inch Widescreen LCD Flat Panel HD-Ready TV (Electronics)

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.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic bargain, April 26, 2005

By 

D. Wagoner (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Westinghouse W33001 30-Inch Widescreen LCD Flat Panel HD-Ready TV (Electronics)

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.

44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Value, February 7, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Westinghouse W33001 30-Inch Widescreen LCD Flat Panel HD-Ready TV (Electronics)

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.