Summer might not seem the most compelling time to spring for a new HDTV, what with Lost, Battlestar Galactica, and 30 Rock on hiatus. On the other hand, it's baseball season; the fantastic Mad Men returns July 27; and if you've made the plunge, there's a perfectly good Blu-ray drive in your PS3. So screw the outdoors and spend those warm summer nights with the Westinghouse TX-52F480S. This glorious 52-inch LCD absolutely dazzles with-sorry, what? Yes, Westinghouse. Really, yes, the light-bulb company. It turns out they make TVs, too.
In fact, they've made a flippin' sweet TV - one that looks as pin-up sexy when it's off as it does when it's on and pumping out 1080p high-def goodness. Flanked by a glossy black bezel and measuring a scant six inches thick (suck it, Kate Moss), the TX seriously classes up the place. And the beauty here is far from skin deep: Every image we peeped looked just about perfect, from high-def TV shows to Blu-ray movies. We did have to venture into the menus to tone down the green a smidge, but that was a 20-second surgery.
Unless you've got more gadgets than sense, you'll have no trouble connecting every device you own: The TX sports four HDMI and two component-video inputs. Even better, it auto-switches to whatever device you power up-no more reaching for the remote every time you turn on the Wii. (You'll need it to switch back to your always-on DVR, though-the TV isn't smart enough to return to its previous input when the current source quits.)
Because it delivers a picture and feature set to rival the latest 52-inchers from the likes of Sharp and Sony, it's no surprise the TX has a price to match. However, with a little careful e-tailing, we found one for $1,700-a ridiculously good bargain on a genuinely exquisite HDTV.