The Paper PC: Westinghouse HDTVs: Safe at Home

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Westinghouse HDTVs: Safe at Home

Where is the best place in the home for an LCD HDTV, a digital photo frame or a flat-panel computer monitor?

Anywhere you darn well please, according to the folks at Westinghouse Digital Electronics.

On Wednesday the company invited the media to a large Manhattan loft where it set up HDTVs and other consumer LCD devices in various home settings, including a bedroom, a kitchen and yes, even a bathroom—for those who can’t leave their favorite dramas behind while bathing.

The event was to show how high tech and home life can coexist without getting each other's way, explained Sherry Chapman, Westinghouse Digital Electronics marketing communications manager. She said the products being showcased were meant to be functional and easy to use while blending in with the home environment. Dark and muted colors were evident as opposed to shiny white or bright silvery cases.

For example, the TV set up in the kitchen was a 26-inch Westinghouse SK-26H590D HDTV (see photo), which has a built-in, front-loading DVD player that automatically turns on the TV once a disc is inserted. The idea here is that you don’t want to meddle with the TV too much when you’re cooking, Chapman explained. The $699 unit offers a 1366-by-768 pixel resolution which supports 720p and 1080i HDTV standards.

A highlight was the unveiling of the company’s new TX series of large LCD HDTVs. All support a top resolution of 1920-by-1080 pixels (1080p) and all offer six high-definition inputs, including four HDMI connectors.

At the top of the line, the 52-inch TX-52F480S LCD HDTV (available in September, price not yet determined) offers a high-gloss black bezel and Westinghouse’s patent-pending SpineDesign connector setup, which allows users to plug in cables from the sides without having to move the unit away from the wall. The 42-inch TX-42F430S ($1,599) and the 47-inch TX-47F430S ($1,799), both available in May, feature a matte black finish. The HDTVs also offer Autosource, a feature which senses when an attached device like a DVD player is turned on and automatically switches the TV to that device.

Also shown at the event was the company’s line of computer monitors and digital picture frames.

Westinghouse Digital Electronics is the fourth-largest seller of LCD televisions in the US behind Sony Corp. of America, Samsung and Sharp Electronics Corp. (www.sharpusa.com).