A few weeks ago we learned that most consumers put a heavier emphasis on cost than any other specification when selecting an HDTV. So we decided to obtain and review a TV that can be considered a value brand. While not the cheapest TV on the market today the Westinghouse TX-42F430S is definitely a value for what you get. This Westy has many of the cool features that the more expensive tier 1 TVs do and a couple that they don't....


Read the Full Review

I strongly recommend that you review the warranty. I bought a 32" Westy a year ago. After fighting the cable company for ten months trying to get them to fix a myriad of problems (they fixed some and admitted none), it turned out that the aspect of digital SD channels was always shown as widescreen and it wasn't the cable system's fault. It turns out that some tier 1 companies also had units that did this, so it might be a chip set issue. Anyway, if you contact Westinghouse, they will tell you to ship it to them in California to fix. Great warranty! Gee Thanx! Of course, the CSR had never heard of this problem.

Hi vstone,

That is a very good point. We talked about "Disposable HDTVs" on Episode 202 (http://www.htguys.com/archive/2007/August31.html) . Check it out before buying a value brand HDTV. Paying a little more may buy you piece of mind.

Thanks for the feedback!
Ara Derderian
HT Guys
www.htguys.com

Actually, I got it at a local AV dealer instead of a big box store. Since this is at a vacation house, I wanted to be able to easily take care of any problems. This guy had a good reputation. I even looked up Westinghouse on the Internet and believed their spiel about the real Westinghouse getting back into consumer electronics. I got no great deal on a cheap TV. I'm left with the impression that instead of supporting a small, theoretically reputable dealer, I should just go to a bog box store and get an extended warranty.

What happened with your Westy is due to Westinghouse, not where you bought it.

Like all things, you had to have a problem to find out what is really going on...