Westinghouse unveils new 1080p LCD TV at CES 2005
Westinghouse LVM-37w1
The product: Westinghouse is joining the crowd of LCD TV manufacturers offering new sets with 1,920x1,080 (or 1080p) native resolution instead of the 1,280x720 (720p) resolution that many previous LCD panels offered. The 37-inch LVM-37w1 (which will be followed to the marketplace by 42-inch and 47-inch models) offers detachable speakers, along with DCDi and True-Life video-processing technology from Faroudja. Other specs include:

• 600:1 contrast ratio
• 550cd/m² maximum brightness
• 12ms response time
• Inputs for DVI-HDCP (two), component video (two), composite video, and VGA

The price: Westinghouse will price the LVM-37w1 at $2,499 when it becomes available in the second quarter of 2005. Prices for the 42-inch and the 47-inch have yet to be announced, but both sets are expected to ship in the third quarter of 2005.

The prospects: Westinghouse has regained traction in consumer electronics with its competitively priced LCDs, and the LVM-37w1 is priced thousands of dollars less than 45-inch 1080p LCD sets from the likes of Sharp and Samsung. But the one Westinghouse LCD we reviewed last year, the W33001, failed to impress us with its image quality. Still, the LVM-37w1 could be a good bargain, considering that the next generation of DVD technology will feature 1080p content.

By Sean Portnoy, senior associate editor, CNET Reviews