Using a 37" 1080p LCDTV as a monitor...

[brikis98]

The Specs

* Westinghouse LVM-37W3se LCD monitor
* 37", 1920*1080 (1080p)
* 1000:1 contrast, 8ms response time
* Connectivity: tons of inputs, including HDMI, DVI, VGA, component and more
* Price: $700 after rebate, with free shipping

Pictures

I tried to take some pictures, but believe me, they hardly do it justice. You just have to see it in person to get a true feel for how huge this thing is and how incredible images, movies, games, etc look:

Entering the room
At the desk
Desktop
Watching the 300 trailer in HD

Pros/Cons

(+) Jaw-dropping big, but not so big you get a headache using it.
(+) Incredibly crisp images, movies, games, text.
(+) Tons of inputs, including DVI.
(+) So far, problem free: no dead pixels, no backlight bleeding, no ghosting.
(+) Viewing angles are very decent.
(-) No tuners.
(-) The black levels are only average.
(-) The colors are only average.

Summary

For just $700, I got a massive screen that totally changes my movie watching and gaming experience. To my great surprise, all text related activities are improved as well: it's remarkably nice to have large, crisp text in every application.

Of course, not everything is perfect. I'm upgrading to the Westinghouse from a Sony FW900, one of the best CRT's ever produced. No, the LVM-37w3se cannot produce the kind of black levels and rich colors I'm used to. And yes, there are more expensive LCD's out there that can do better. However, the differences are not that dramatic and have little impact in day-to-day usage.

Overall, I think the sheer size of the Westinghouse as well as the crispness of the images & text make up for all of its shortcomings. You just cannot place enough value on the way such a big screen changes your computer experience. And at just $700, it's one hell of a bargain.

 

[Tempered81]

wow take some pics of what crysis and cod4 look like on that!

 

[sisq0kidd]

I love my Westy :thumbsup:

Only drawback is FPS games give me a headache on it!

 

[aldamon]

It would be very easy to get busted for pr0n on that.

 

[Tempered81]

ahaha, quick switch to a new game of solitaire~

 

[n7]

Very nice.

I much prefer a 30" LCD for PC use though...2560x1600 > 1920x1200 (or subtract 120 pixels for 1080p).

Granted, your 37" has extra inputs for everything & is a lot cheaper than a 30" though

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: n7
Very nice.

I much prefer a 30" LCD for PC use though...2560x1600 > 1920x1200 (or subtract 120 pixels for 1080p).

Granted, your 37" has extra inputs for everything & is a lot cheaper than a 30" though

for pure productivity, 2560x1600 is indeed fantastic... granted, 2 screens (even of much lower resolution) is still better, but for single screen productivity, the 30" LCD's are king.

however, the 37" westy has the following advantages:

1. Size: the huge screen is essential for an incredible move & gaming experience. Even reading text is great, as the larger text reduces eye strain but manages to remain razor sharp.
2. The lower resolution is better for gaming: you'd constantly need top of the line hardware to drive games at 2560x1600, which is mighty expensive. granted, you can play at a lower resolution with scaling, but you lose IQ, or a lower resolution 1:1, but then you're effectively playing on a (much) smaller screen.
3. It's quite a bit cheaper

Perhaps the ultimate setup would be a 30" LCD nearby for productivity/browsing and a bigger (37-42"?) LCD a couple feet away for gaming + movies.

 

[kalrith]

OP, what is the distance of the screen from your eyes (aka viewing distance) while gaming? I'm torn between a 27.5" 1920x1200 computer monitor and a 37" 1080P LCD TV to use as a PC gaming monitor. I'll also use it for productivity, but I'm sure either monitor will suffice for that. I currently sit exactly 3 feet from my 20.1" non-widescreen monitor, and it's definitely too small. I'm not sure if 37" would be too big from that distance.

 

[InFeXiOn]

3 feet away should suffice for a 37''.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: kalrith
OP, what is the distance of the screen from your eyes (aka viewing distance) while gaming? I'm torn between a 27.5" 1920x1200 computer monitor and a 37" 1080P LCD TV to use as a PC gaming monitor. I'll also use it for productivity, but I'm sure either monitor will suffice for that. I currently sit exactly 3 feet from my 20.1" non-widescreen monitor, and it's definitely too small. I'm not sure if 37" would be too big from that distance.

i find ~3 feet to be roughly ideal.

 

[tylerw13]

Originally posted by: brikis98
The Specs

* Westinghouse LVM-37W3se LCD monitor
* 37", 1920*1080 (1080p)
* 1000:1 contrast, 8ms response time
* Connectivity: tons of inputs, including HDMI, DVI, VGA, component and more
* Price: $700 after rebate, with free shipping

Pictures

I tried to take some pictures, but believe me, they hardly do it justice. You just have to see it in person to get a true feel for how huge this thing is and how incredible images, movies, games, etc look:

Entering the room
At the desk
Desktop
Watching the 300 trailer in HD

Pros/Cons

(+) Jaw-dropping big, but not so big you get a headache using it.
(+) Incredibly crisp images, movies, games, text.
(+) Tons of inputs, including DVI.
(+) So far, problem free: no dead pixels, no backlight bleeding, no ghosting.
(+) Viewing angles are very decent.
(-) No tuners.
(-) The black levels are only average.
(-) The colors are only average.

Summary

For just $700, I got a massive screen that totally changes my movie watching and gaming experience. To my great surprise, all text related activities are improved as well: it's remarkably nice to have large, crisp text in every application.

Of course, not everything is perfect. I'm upgrading to the Westinghouse from a Sony FW900, one of the best CRT's ever produced. No, the LVM-37w3se cannot produce the kind of black levels and rich colors I'm used to. And yes, there are more expensive LCD's out there that can do better. However, the differences are not that dramatic and have little impact in day-to-day usage.

Overall, I think the sheer size of the Westinghouse as well as the crispness of the images & text make up for all of its shortcomings. You just cannot place enough value on the way such a big screen changes your computer experience. And at just $700, it's one hell of a bargain.

very nicely done the only thing better than that 37 incher is my 47 incher...lol i am the same as you i love my hd tv on my computer!!! gaming rocks!! especially crysis

 

[Syntax Error]

That's a very nice setup...I'll probably think about using an LCD TV as a computer monitor (for hooking up stuff like DVD players, consoles, and HD Television signals) once I can scrounge up for more dough.

For now, a 20" E207WFP Dell monitor will do.

 

[sutahz]

:thumbsup:Just beat crysis on my 42" Vizio 1080p. I'm about 2' from it. I can see the whole screen w/o turning my neck. Originally I was out for a 32" or 37", but on black friday none were availibe (1080p 32/37) so i HAD to get 42". At this high of a resolution, does AA and/or AF really do much (not that the 8800GT can do it w/ crysis)?
As for my Vizio, the text is the worst part, w/o adjusting it, it created an annoying high contrast w/ black text on a grey background. Even now, some black text shows up as blue. $700 is a helluva deal though, let ppl know how/where you got that deal so they may partake of it too. It would be nice if TV mfg's had setup guides on how to make their TV's act as monitors.
My TV doesnt have the blackest blacks nor the whitest whites either Guess its the price we pay for not spending $5k on a big f'n monitor. I used an online color calibration guide along w/ cloneing the screen on my 225BW SyncMaster to try and get my TV to be a good monitor.
This 42" is 250W

 

[wwswimming]

http://www.westinghousedigital....aspx?itemnum=56#VALUE

what is the power consumption on that monitor ? i looked at
the Westinghouse product page. not a word about watts, as
far as i can see.

 

[tommo123]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: n7
Very nice.

I much prefer a 30" LCD for PC use though...2560x1600 > 1920x1200 (or subtract 120 pixels for 1080p).

Granted, your 37" has extra inputs for everything & is a lot cheaper than a 30" though

for pure productivity, 2560x1600 is indeed fantastic... granted, 2 screens (even of much lower resolution) is still better, but for single screen productivity, the 30" LCD's are king.

however, the 37" westy has the following advantages:

1. Size: the huge screen is essential for an incredible move & gaming experience. Even reading text is great, as the larger text reduces eye strain but manages to remain razor sharp.
2. The lower resolution is better for gaming: you'd constantly need top of the line hardware to drive games at 2560x1600, which is mighty expensive. granted, you can play at a lower resolution with scaling, but you lose IQ, or a lower resolution 1:1, but then you're effectively playing on a (much) smaller screen.
3. It's quite a bit cheaper

Perhaps the ultimate setup would be a 30" LCD nearby for productivity/browsing and a bigger (37-42"?) LCD a couple feet away for gaming + movies.

it's what i do. 30" dell on the righ as my main browsing/work screen, and a 42" 1080p LCD for PC gaming, 360 Gaming and movies etc.

Works nice!

 

[Insomniator]

Nice but I'd never use a 37 at 19x12 as my desktop. 19x12 is just right for 24", maybe 28, but 30+ gotta be 25x16.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: wwswimming
http://www.westinghousedigital....aspx?itemnum=56#VALUE

what is the power consumption on that monitor ? i looked at
the Westinghouse product page. not a word about watts, as
far as i can see.

yea, it's weird they don't list it. if you google "westinghouse lvm-37w3se power consumption", a couple of the sites that come up list it at 210W.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: tommo123

it's what i do. 30" dell on the righ as my main browsing/work screen, and a 42" 1080p LCD for PC gaming, 360 Gaming and movies etc.

Works nice!

sounds like a sick setup. got any pics?

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Insomniator
Nice but I'd never use a 37 at 19x12 as my desktop. 19x12 is just right for 24", maybe 28, but 30+ gotta be 25x16.

it's not even 19x12, ie 1920x1200... it's 1080p which is 1920 x 1080. i honestly thought it would be way too low res for such a big screen... but i was proven very, very wrong

try it out at a store or something, it's surprising how good this thing is.

 

[ayz]

do you play any CSS on it? How's the response time, and is there any ghosting?

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: ayz
do you play any CSS on it? How's the response time, and is there any ghosting?

i don't play CSS, but have played the following on this screen so far:

Call of Duty 4
Hitman: Blood Money
Medieval II: Total War
A ton of movies

So far, i haven't noticed any ghosting whatsoever.

 

[jdoggg12]

I've got the 37" westy too, i'm considering buying another one for my 2nd monitor.
http://i12.photobucket.com/alb...ggg1/TV/IMG_0135-1.jpg

Honestly - this thing works just as well as any smaller LCD i've used. There's no ghosting at all. Text is clear. PC, Xbox360, and High def cable all look awesome on it. And i'm very surprised by the quality of the speakers on it too. I don't have my receiver hooked up to cable - but the TV speakers are decent enough that it hasn't been a big deal

The only weaknesses are the black levels...

 

[azev]

I want one .... gotta go convince the wife to let me get one

 

[AmdInside]

Is that HDTV connected via DVI/HDMI or VGA analog? If it is connected through DVI, is it possible to disable overscan/underscan on the HDTV? My biggest gripe with HDTV's is having to adjust the graphics card to compensate for overscan on the tv. And I prefer not using analog signal (VGA) since it does not look as sharp and vibrant.

 

[jdoggg12]

Mine is hooked up via DVI to my computer and i have no issue with over/under scan. Then again i keep all my resolutions at 1920x1080.