Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I will start with the positives on this unit. When the TV first arrived I was super excited. The manufacturer packaging is very solid, and easy to open/remove. As the box noted, the TV uses LESS energy than a 60 watt lightbulb. This is huge for me (and the environment) because every time I add a new big gadget to my home I can always see an increase electric bill. My audio receiver, my Tivo, and my 40 inch LCD TV are all HUGE power suckers. It's nice to have a TV that produces such a bright and crystal clear picture that isn't going to have a noticeable impact on my electric bill. Speaking of the picture, it's beautiful. Noticeably better than my high-end Sony LCD TV which is about 1.5 years old. For a TV at this price point, I was very pleased. How they managed to get a TV with this amazing of picture quality so thin, so light, and so eco-friendly is amazing. Unfortunately, this is where the pro's stop. Westinghouse did such an outstanding of creating a thin, lightweight LED TV with amazing picture quality, but for some reason they decided to not care about any of the small details.
Unlike many LED/LCD tv's these days, the stand does not "snap in" in any way, rather you must just balance the TV on the stand while you are screwing it into place. Unless you have 3 arms, this means you need two people to get the TV on the stand. Not a huge deal, but even a cheap Dynex TV from Best Buy only requires one person to set up. Also, the included Westinghouse remote is not the nicest thing I've ever seen. Sure it gets the job done, but I find the volume and channel buttons to be located inconveniently, and the menu button is always a search to find since it is not labeled "menu" but rather has some illegible icon on it. Worse yet, this TV has composite inputs but no component inputs. Sure there is a VGA input and they threw in a component to VGA adapter, but I dislike using adapters- why lose picture quality when I don't have to? Also, the TV tuner coaxial input is so tight against the back of the TV that it is VERY hard to screw in a coaxial cable, it took me (no lie I timed it) 7 minutes to successfully screw a coaxial cable into the TV. Maybe if I busted out a pliers I could have gotten it in easier than with my hands, but why should I have to that Westinghouse, why???
Now all of these complaints are minor details, and probably would have been completely forgiven and gone unmentioned in this review if it wasn't for the audio on the TV. This is the real killer. To be fair, based on how thin the TV is, it's amazing they even got speakers in the thing at all. But I'd trade another quarter of an inch for some speakers with even a little quality. Any term you've ever heard to describe bad sound can be used to describe the sound on this TV. Hollow sounding, tin sounding, echo, unbalanced, choppy, I could continue but you get the idea. I figured I could get around this by connecting my surround sound system into the mix, but at that point, the sound started getting static. Yes static. Are we in the 1960's? My goodness. I did end up installing the Westinghouse firmware update, but all it did was make things a bit louder. No firmware update is going to change bad speakers, and a low end processor.
It's really a shock that anybody at Westinghouse decided it would be a good idea to send this TV out for review. It's a model that would be more well-suited for sale at a store where the salesman can talk it up all day and you'll never see a customer review before purchase. Based on what I've said here, it seems like my score of a 4 is VERY generous (which it is), but at the end of the day, the TV does have EXCELLENT (far above the competition) picture quality, and Westinghouse claims that what they send out via Vine was a early production unit. I'm hoping that they will take this feedback and make some changes before they start shipping to customers. As of now, I can't recommend the TV but if they do manage to make a couple minor fixes, the TV has great potential. I will update this review as necessary should things change (or not change) when they release the final unit.
Update 9/2/10:
After talking to Westinghouse technical support about my "static" issues with my external speakers, they told me that the audio outputs on the TV are not amplified, so I would need to purchase an amplifier to get the expected use of the external speakers. After looking around on Amazon, this looks to be an additional fifty bucks (minimum), so you may want to add that to the price of the TV if you are planning on connecting speakers. I still stand by the 4 star review and will continue to update as necessary.
Update 11/7/10:
Well, after using the TV for a few months now, I've actually gotten used to the TV's bad sound. For the price Amazon is currently selling the TV for, this is probably a decent choice for anyone who isn't an audio nut.
Update 12/21/10:
Like I said in the last update, I have gotten used to the bad sound. I just want to reaffirm that the firmware update DOES NOT improve the sound quality whatsoever. Amazon and the manufacturer are misleading you. No firmware update can fix underpowered speakers. Just wanted to post an update so nobody gets fooled by the message on the top of the page.
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Westinghouse LD-3255AR 32-Inch 720p LED HDTV, BlackA dazzling picture, low energy consumption, and ultra-slim profile combine to make the 32-Inch Westinghouse 720p LED HDTV a versatile fit for virtually any space. Its brilliant color and vivid details deliver a high-end viewing experience, while its thin, lightweight design makes it unobtrusive and ideal for hanging. In addition, multiple inputs make it easy to connect to cable services, media players, game consoles, and even a camera or PC.
LED Technology for a Super Slim DesignWith an all-LED backlit LCD display, the Westinghouse 32-inch LED HDTV exchanges bulk for elegance. The HDTV has an ultra-slim 1.0-inch edge profile and a maximum thickness of just 1.54 inches. It's also incredibly light, weighing just 14.55 lbs with the included stand, or 13.45 pounds without the stand. The trim, easy-to-hang design makes the HDTV a versatile choice that's will fit in any room of your home.
Brilliant Color, Contrast, and SoundFeaturing a 32-inch widescreen display with 1366 x 768p native resolution, the LED HDTV delivers great sound and brilliant colors for superb movie viewing and enhanced gaming. 16.7 million true colors in combination with a dynamic contrast ratio of 100,000:1 work to create vivid, realistic images, while a response time of just 6.5 milliseconds provides sharpness when you're watching fast-action scenes.
The HDTV's progressive scan technology delivers pictures with finer details and less flicker. In addition, it offers the clarity of 3D noise reduction and a 3D adaptive comb filter for improved color purity and more stable video.
Multiple Inputs Cater to All Your DevicesThe LED HDTV offers multiple inputs so you can enjoy a wide range of media on the big screen. Two HDMI inputs and composite video inputs let you connect a digital TV tuner, Blu-ray player, DVD player, camcorder, or favorite game console, and the TV Tuner input lets you connect a cable box. The HDTV's design also includes a USB port that can be used with a wide range of USB devices, as well as for simple photo sharing.
The HDTV also supports audio amplification, and can be easily connected to your computer for use as a monitor using a VGA cable.
Efficient, Eco-Friendly DesignDue to the fact that the 32-inch HDTV's innovative LED design uses 10-percent less energy than a 60-watt light bulb, it earned Energy Star's highest rating of 5.0. In addition, because it's so lightweight, it leaves a smaller transportation carbon footprint. Also, the recyclable cartons Westinghouse HDTVs are packaged in are printed with soy-based inks.
The 32-Inch Westinghouse LED 720p HDTV is backed by a limited one-year warranty.
What's in the BoxWestinghouse 32-Inch LED 720p HDTV, TV base, screws for base, power cord, AC adapter, remote control with two "AAA" batteries, quick-connect guide, user manual, warranty card, and warranty brochure.
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