Filed under: Industry, Regulatory, Displays, Other formats, Other hardware, Others, Westinghouse

Boy, that's a mouthful, is it not? Shortly after Motorola, Sony and a whole crew of others teamed up to support AMIMON's WHDI wireless standard, in limps Pulse~Link attempting to act like it still has a shot at gaining traction. The left-for-dead CWave wireless-for-HDMI platform -- which is based on UWB (ultra-wideband) -- just received certification by Digital Content Protection as an Approved Retransmission Technology. This, along with the FCC certification received in 2007, enables CWave to start shipping in commercial products. As expected, a couple CWave-equipped Westinghouse HDTVs are slated to hit stores this fall, but it remains to be seen if anything will actually be released to take advantage. Format wars never end pretty, do they?

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Filed under: Reviews, Displays, Westinghouse

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.

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Filed under: Reviews, Displays, Westinghouse, LCD

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.

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Filed under: Displays, Westinghouse, LCD

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]

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Filed under: Misc, Displays, Other hardware, Westinghouse, LCD

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]

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Filed under: Reviews, Displays, Westinghouse, LCD

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."

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Filed under: Displays, Players, Westinghouse, LCD

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.

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Filed under: Industry, Displays, Westinghouse, LCD

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.

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Filed under: Features, Displays, Hitachi, LG, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, Westinghouse, LCD

Whether plasma is back, or never left is up for argument, but don't think LCD took CES 2008 sitting down. Vizio upgraded the specs on its bargain LCDs, and even Panasonic showed some love. PDP prototypes might have been bigger and skinnier, but 2008 is the year we'll actually be able to buy a 108-inch LCD from Sharp, a 1.5-inch thin screen from Hitachi, or even a Quad HD panel from Westinghouse.

Sharp pushes out more Aquos LCDs
Sony refreshes Bravia line with 17 new models, Digital Media Extender
Philips' new LCD lineup continues to not impress
Sharp promises to bring its 108-inch LCD to market in '08
Samsung intros new 1080p LCD HDTVs, Ethernet / interactivity included
Panasonic reveals five new LCD HDTVs at CES
Sharp launches 32-inch LC-32GP3U LCD at gamers
LG takes thin to the next level with the 1.7-inch LGX LCD HDTV
Toshiba announces slew of LCDs for 2008: hands-on and video
Vizio's new Evolution Series LCD HDTVs
Vizio announces stylish Envy LCD HDTV lineup
Vizio intros Black Tie LCD lineup with 120Hz, MEMC technology
Vizio intros Jive surround for LCDs
JVC P-Series LCD line rocks iPod docks
JVC intros 42-inch LT-42SL89 / 46-inch LT-46SL89 LCD HDTVs
Hitachi Ultra Thin 1.5 LCD lineup headed for CES
Eyes-on with Westinghouse's Quad HD displays

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Filed under: Displays, Westinghouse

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.

Continue reading Westinghouse intros PT series portable HDTVs

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