Westinghouse TX-42F970Z LCD First Look

Over the years, we've had a love/hate relationship with Westinghouse displays. The fact is that they were one of the firsts to bring 1080p to the home at a price that mere mortals could afford. In the end, though, they have seemed to be more of a computer monitor manufacturer that dabbles in the home market. Their displays are extremely affordable, just don't expect award winning performance and cutting edge features out of them.

That being said, we can't help but be at least a little excited with the TX-42F970Z. This display sports 120Hz processing, four HDMI inputs, a full array of internal tuners, 4ms response time, and a (claimed) 4000:1 contrast ratio all for an asking price of $750. A 42" LCD with all these features would be quite a steal at this price. But, if you consider that in the history of time very, very few have ever actually paid retail price for a Westinghouse, that deal becomes even better. We fully expect this display to be a Black Friday steal.

The TX-42F970Z offers full 1080p on all HD connectors including the HDMI, component (2), and VGA (1). This is great for people that want to use an HTPC or a high def game system like an older XBox 360. It is also a boon for people that just want a really huge computer monitor as the VGA port will play nice with older video cards without HDMI/DVI outputs.

With the base, the TX-42F970Z weights a scant 43.6lbs (with base, 39.2 w/o) and the display itself is just shy of 4" thick. While not exactly diminutive by some of the higher end offerings, you can forgive a little girth for the asking price.

The TX-42F970Z sports 3:2 pull down, judder removal, and multiple color temperature settings (3). These are pretty standard features for most displays so we expect that Westinghouse will preform at least admirably. After their last review here, we'd want to put the TX-42F970Z through its paces before we'd heartily recommend it. For now, plan on pairing it with a good source.

Conclusion

Regardless of what you think of Westinghouse's previous offerings, the fact is that $750 for a 42" display is pretty outrageous. Add in dealer discounts and sales and you're looking at the display your parents and friends will be asking you about. Any enthusiast worth his or her salt should head down to the local big box store and check the TX-42F970Z out if for no other reason than to have an informed opinion to dole out. Who knows, at that asking price, you might just pick on up for the bedroom or office.

For more information, please visit www.westinghousedigital.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.