If you're looking to get a lot of bang for your buck with a large flat panel LCD HDTV, then you need look no further than the Westinghouse TX-47F430S. This 47-inch model will cast a very large picture in your living room without you having to break the bank (or rob one, as some sets practically require). This 1080p set features a native resolution of 1,920x1,080 and it can display every detail from 1080i and 1080p content while scaling 720p content accordingly.

The picture with the TX-47F430S is reasonably clear, but unfortunately far from the crispest set we've seen. This isn't to say that the picture is bad, just not as sharp as some of the other sets out there. It does look adequately sharp, and the colors are very lifelike. The one noticeable flaw with is with the black levls, which are more of a washed out dark charcoal gray. This is noticeable with some content, but this is an issue with LCD technology in general.

You can adjust the various picture settings, including contrast and saturation, as well as fine-tune the color temperature presets. While many users might just want to set up, plug in and go, there are a variety of settings to adjust to tweak the set for your own room conditions. Unfortunately, the HDMI inputs are independent per input, so you have the same HDMI adjustments regardless of the source--but ost of the time that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

And speaking of HDMI, this is where the set really won us over. For what could be considered an entry-level set, the Westinghouse TX-47F430S includes four--yes four--HDMI inputs. These are HDMI 1.2 connections, as this 1080p set doesn't support the new x.v.Color (a feature we're not sure is necessary anyway), but that's enough for you to easily connect a cable box, game console such as the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 Elite, and either the HD-DVD or Blu-ray player. Plus, considering the price of this set, you can pick up some of those toys with the money you might save.

Additionally, this model includes two component video inputs, 1 D-Sub VGA input with PC audio input, four analog audio inputs, one S-Video/composite input and even analog audio out, and digital audio out. About the only thing we're surprised to see is that there is a single composite video input that is shared with the S-Video. Normally this is a minor complaint, but S-Video is still the de facto input for game consoles such as the Nintendo Wii and for many DVD players--a minor problem, and one hardly worth mentioning. More importantly, we're impressed that these connections are located on the side panel, with the basic A/V inputs on one side and the HDMI on the other side. This makes for adding and removing devices a snap.

You'd probably want to use it a dedicated home theater system with this set, but for those times when you rely on the built-in speakers, the TX-47F430S has you covered. There is a built-in five-band equalizer, and these twin 10-watt speakers do a very good job of bringing the noise.

Design-wise, the TX series is very understated, although at 5.5-inches not exactly the thinnest flat panel on the market. The basic black bezel isn't quite svelte-looking either, while the charcoal gray framing doesn't really make the set look anymore attractive. It is a simple-looking set, but the price is probably the most attractive feature of all.

Pros: Excellent price, four HDMI inputs
Cons: Not the best black levels, no independent memory with HDMI inputs

Warranty
1 year, limited