Bought this set after seeing it in the store (SoCal). I actually signed up for an executive membership and AMEX to get the 2% and extra year warranty. I wasn't seeing good enough reviews or reliability ratings from any of the other 40-42" LCD's in the <$1200 price range to justify any other set. I won't get a chance to set it up until Sunday though to give a full review.

fatcats said:Best Buy has the next model up, the TX-42F430S for $849. Provided they honor the 12% Reward Zone coupon valid from 8/29 through 9/1, that brings the price to $747.12.

The only differences are:
1000:1 Contrast ratio (vs 2000:1 for Costco unit)
Advanced Calibration Menu (whatever that is)
75% NTSC Color Gamut (vs. 72% NTSC for Costco unit)
8 ms response time (vs. 6.5 ms (gray to gray) for Costco unit)
4 HDMI connectors (vs 2 on Costco unit)
The dimensions of the Best Buy unit are slightly larger, and it's carton weight is 79.1 lbs, vs. 78.0 lbs for the Costco unit.

So, to the TV gurus out there, my question is this: are the differences above worth $47.13?

Very odd that most of the specs on the VK are better than the TX but the the VK is cheaper. Also there seems to be NO reviews or discussion for the VK models (that I could find so far). Will try to pick one up from Costco tomorrow and compare directly with the BB TX tv. If it's about the same or better I'll just stick with the VK and return the TX to BB, it's mainly for computer usage anyway. I'm not much of an LCD/HDTV pro so I doubt I will be able to notice the difference.
Plus everyone keeps going on about Costco's great customer service (haven't needed to use them yet) which is a definite plus for these "no name" panels.

Just an FYI Frys will have the 720P Panasonic plasma for the same price. I know, I know it isn't 1080p, but if you are thinking of mainly using the TV for television 1080p programming has yet to be released. I think either Dish or Direct TV is planning on having some 1080p content, but it isn't out yet. I'm just bringing this up because resolution is just one thing you should consider when purchasing a TV. I'm too lazy to find the articles, but many A/V experts believe resolution isn't even in the top 5 of what you should look at when considering a TV. I'm not trying to undercut this deal, because it is a good one. I just want my fellow fatwalleters to make an educated decision when dropping $700 on a new TV.

52club said:Just an FYI Frys will have the 720P Panasonic plasma for the same price. I know, I know it isn't 1080p, but if you are thinking of mainly using the TV for television 1080p programming has yet to be released. I think either Dish or Direct TV is planning on having some 1080p content, but it isn't out yet. I'm just bringing this up because resolution is just one thing you should consider when purchasing a TV. I'm too lazy to find the articles, but many A/V experts believe resolution isn't even in the top 5 of what you should look at when considering a TV. I'm not trying to undercut this deal, because it is a good one. I just want my fellow fatwalleters to make an educated decision when dropping $700 on a new TV.

Any idea when this will happen? I was considering joining Costco for this and a baby on the way, but I'd rather the Panasonic.

EDIT Labor Day sale, duh. I am just hoping it's online, as no Frys nearby.

Spotted these in Southlake Texas C0stco (Dallas DFW area). They had a big stack of boxes but no display model out yet, probably a good thing because I was able to resist. What I really need is something smaller.

in stock today in brentwood tn

can anyone confirm in md or va?

Got one at the Norwalk Socal Costco, going to exchange it tomorrow. Had a TX for a couple of days from BB but decided to return it since their return policy and warranty suck, plus it's worst buy.
The VK has ghosting with DVI-HDMI cable which was NOT there when I had the TX for the couple days. Many driver changes and adjustments on the monitor were no help. Hopefully the exchange may fix something. Other than the horrible ghosting the monitor seems to work just like the TX, but didn't have a chance to thoroughly try all the options. Also FYI for potential buyers, the serial number was not "recognized" by Westy's website so I could not update the firmware, which seems questionable.
edit: also the Norwalk one had about 4 pallets of tvs. At least 15+ Saturday afternoon.

Picked 1 up in Columbus, Oh (Polaris store) From what I could tell there was only 1 left and that was at 5pm yesterday. Funny thing is they did not get them until yesterday morning...so better call ahead or check soon before they are sold out!

Hi,

It's out at Costco in Agoura off of 101 and Linderdo Cyn?

I just bought Shuttle K45 with Intel GMA950. How did your TV (cable, over the air HDTV) look using the VGA connection (from on board graphic or 6800 video card)? Any better with your Nvidia 6800 video card's DVI?

Thanks

Moonbutt said:Hello all, I just signed up to say thanks to the OP for the headsup. This unit came in $1 under my buy trigger for 1080p 42", and while Westinghouse can be an iffy brand, my 24" Westy MVA monitor has performed well, with identical PQ to the 24" Viewsonic next to it that retailed about $200 more. That Costco is the retailer sealed the deal. I'm typing this on my laptop, which is hooked up to the VGA "PC" input.

I couldn't find the Agoura Hills Costco, so I went to the Westlake Village one instead I got there just before closing, and as of right now there are two boxes plus the demo unit (I don't know whether one of those boxes is the empty one for the demo screen).

joh3004 said:But I have been having trouble using it as a monitor. When I connect it via the vga port it only gives me a resolution of 1280 x 1024 which uses only part of the screen (the sides are black). I can force it to change to 1280 x 768 and use the entire screen, but every time I switch back and forth from tv mode to pc mode i have to readjust the settings (the desktop is not centered). When I try to force it to do 1920 x 1080 (1080p) it stays at 1280x1024, but just zooms in on the desktop so the entire desktop is not shown.

I ran into that trying to use the TV as a second screen on my Shuttle box via analog VGA, alongside the main screen on DVI. Instead of showing two screens as I'd expect, the video card insisted on treating both screens as a single monitor, which in this case meant two 1280x1024 units (which is correct for the regular monitor, but not the TV). The video card is an older BFG 6800GT card, and it's been a long time since I updated the drivers, so that might be it. I hope this doesn't happen with my main work machine, which I use for editing video.

I have not yet tested the DVI-HDMI pathway, or any non-PC sources. That comes next.