Pros & Cons
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- Excellent 1080i video processing.
- Four HDMI ports.
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- Poor contrast ratio.
- No video noise reduction control.
- Oversaturated greens noted in skin tones.
Westinghouse TX-47F430S Specs
| Contrast Ratio | 467:1 |
| Panel Type | HDTV |
| Panel Type | HDTVs |
| Panel Type | LCD Monitor |
| Resolution | 1920 by 1080 |
| Screen Size | 47 |
| Video Inputs | Component |
| Video Inputs | Composite |
| Video Inputs | HDMI |
| Video Inputs | RF |
| Video Inputs | S-Video |
HDTVs look their best when displaying high-quality, high-definition video, and the best way to carry this pristine high-def signal is over an HDMI cable. Why HDMI? Because digital HDMI avoids analog's detail-softening conversions. A couple years ago, a decent HDTV might have provided a single digital video connection; today, even some value-priced sets have three or more of these desirable ports. The Westinghouse TX-47F430S, for example, offers a whopping four HDMI ports, as well as an impressive number of analog and digital video inputs. Nor does it hurt that the set is an affordable 47-inch flat-panel HDTV, offering 1080p resolution that was mostly artifact free in my testing. If only the set didn't oversaturate the green, making dead lawns look healthy and healthy actors look dead.
The TX-47F430S's removable rectangular-shaped base stand is factory attached, making setup as easy as plugging in the power and putting batteries into the remote. The TV's frame features a two-tone color scheme, with the bezel and the base in a reflection-minimizing matte black finish. A strip of frame below the lower bezel features a brushed, faux-metal finish that adds an appealing touch of contrast. The TX-47F430S (with base attached) measures 31.4 by 46.1 by 9.75 inches (HWD) and weighs 71.6 pounds. The width of the TX-47F430S's removable base stand measured 25.4 inches, and the depth of the LCD slims to 5.5 inches when the stand is removed.
The TX-47F430S's on-display controls are a series of thin buttons located along the right side of the TV's frame. A lone Westinghouse logo adorns the bottom bezel, as does an unobtrusive blue power-indicator light. If even this is too much distraction for you, the light can be turned off via a menu option. The TX-47F430S's integrated speakers (two of them, at 10 watts) are concealed within the TV's frame along the bottom edge and fire downwards. The TV's speaker output delivered ample volume for a large room, and a 15-watt integrated subwoofer helped balance the system's otherwise bright sound.
The TX-47F430S's remote control is similar to the one included with the
All of the TX-47F430S' audio and video (A/V) ports are located on the rear of the TV, along the sides of a central column that's about 10.5 inches wide and protrudes about 2.0 inches from the back of the television. The TX-47F430S's selection of 1080p-compatible inputs includes, in addition to the four HDMI ports, two component video inputs and a VGA port for use with a personal computer. Interestingly, only one standard-definition video input is provided (a shared composite/S-Video). There's also an RF input for analog and digital broadcast reception or unencrypted digital cable (clear QAM). I was pleased when ViewSonic incorporated three of these important digital inputs into its value-priced 37-inch liquid crystal HDTV
Getting the Set Set Up
Digging into the TX-47F430S's well-organized tabbed setup menu, I found nearly every control option I could ask for. Video presets such as sports and movie modes are available for making quick video optimizations, and a "user" video mode provides access to all picture settings. Unfortunately, all the TX-47F430S's HDMI inputs share the same user video configuration, meaning that any custom adjustments applied to one HDMI port are applied to all the others as well. A separate calibration menu provides some extra features not available in the regular video setup menu, including RGB gain settings for custom color-temperature adjustments, a 3D comb-filter toggle, and another toggle for the TV's dynamic-contrast mode. Oddly, the TX-47F430S lacks a video noise reduction (NR) adjustment, and it appeared that little if any NR was taking place. Although I find it better to have limited or no NR running than a poorly implemented NR system that softens detail, it was an oversight for Westinghouse to leave this feature out.
Watching standard-definition video using DVD and satellite television sources revealed that the TX-47F430S's picture is a bit too colorful. I noticed excess green in light skin tones, and grass lawns tended to look eerily electric—possibly a "feature" designed to grab the attention of fans of outdoor sports. Calibrating the TV's color setting required lowering it about 20 percent from its default level. This resulted in a more realistic picture, though greens still remained slightly elevated, especially when compared against the premium-priced but impressively accurate 46-inch
The TX-47F430S's performance with HD satellite video containing fast motion was better than the blurry, indistinct performance given by the
HQV Benchmark DVD test results confirmed that the TX-47F430S wasn't a slouch when it came to deinterlacing video, but its lack of user-adjustable video noise reduction did cost it some points. The TX-47F430S's HQV HD results were among the best I've seen and included a perfect performance on the film resolution loss tests. This set is only the second HDTV I've reviewed to date that properly processes 24p video material encoded into the 1080i format (the NEC M46-AVT was the other).
Color measurements using a Konica Minolta CS-200 chroma meter with a Sencore VP-403 functioning as a video source device revealed that the TX-47F430S's reproduction of blue was practically perfect. Reds, however, were shifted slightly toward orange, and green displayed the most problems, causing it to be plotted outside of the range (gamut) outlined in the HD color spec. Green errors, unfortunately, are the most noticeable to the human eye. The TX-47F430S's color tracking from light to dark intensities was admirably linear. Its default picture modes, however, produced gamma measurements that were well below the levels recommended for digital cinema. An HDTV that exhibits a low gamma response displays a scene's darkest details too brightly.
My average contrast ratio calculations using a checkerboard test pattern challenge an HDTV to produce dark blacks while simultaneously forcing it to display peak luminance in white squares. With the TX-47F430S calibrated for maximum light output, its black level averaged an unimpressive 0.47 cd/m2, resulting in a contrast ratio of 467:1. Interestingly, the 46-inch
Measuring the power consumption of the TX-47F430S put its monthly operating cost, calculated on the basis of 8 hours of daily operation at a cost of $0.13 per kilowatt-hour, at a relatively pricey $10.65 with the backlight set to maximum. This result suggested that the TX-47F430S would cost more than $3 more to run per month than any similarly sized LCD I've tested to date and almost a dollar per month more than the larger 52-inch Samsung LN-T5265F. The energy-leaching culprit in the case of the TX-47F430S is its default standby/off mode, which consumed an average of 31.5W. Enabling the TX-47F430S's energy saver menu option dropped standby consumption to a typical 0.5W (saving $2.19 per month), but the TV's start-up times went from being nearly instantaneous to just over 20 seconds.
The Westinghouse TX-47F430S is a 1080p HDTV that doesn't skimp on HD video inputs. And its picture quality is appealing—once its color is calibrated to realistic levels. Videophiles, however, will find the TV's oversaturated greens, relatively poor black levels, low gamma response, and lack of video noise reduction controls difficult to ignore. In addition, the steady downward trend of flat-panel HDTV pricing makes this Westinghouse set less of a value than it would have been even a few months ago. The TX-47F430S is by no means a bad HDTV, but it isn't particularly visually impressive, either.
Sub-ratings:
Image Quality: 
Value: 
Usability:
Benchmark Test Results:
Factory default display settings
HDMI video input @ 1080p60
VESA Uniformity (black): 65.2% (fair)
VESA Uniformity (white): 82.4% (good)
ANSI contrast ratio: 467:1 (fair)
More LCD TV Reviews:
Final Thoughts
Westinghouse TX-47F430S
The affordable Westinghouse TX-47F430S offers a generous number of HDMI ports, and its superb HD video processing ensures excellent detail. On our tests, however, this big 47-inch LCD set's picture exhibited oversaturated greens and relatively bright darks that were not ideal.