The sad truth is that not everyone can afford the mouth-watering displays we see featured in many (most) of our ”cool homes.” Indeed, the undeniable success of companies like Vizio attest to that strata of consumers yearning for the hd experience without the Bentley price tag.

We’ve already been down the cost vs. value road in past TV deals, and while I agree that it’s generally better to save your nickels and buy the best you can afford, some folk are more here-and-now. For them (you?) buying a set made by a second or even third tier manufacturer is worth the risks, especially if the TV is going into a less than critical location (playroom, guest room, etc).

Here then is a deal from ABT Electronics that falls squarely into that camp - the Westinghouse TX-42F430S 42” Widescreen LCD HD Television for a very approachable $854. If you don’t think that’s a good price, consider that a deal on this set last month was $126 more.

For specs, the TV features a native resolution of 1920x1080 (1080p), ATSC, NTSC, and QAM tuners, 8ms response time, 550 cd/m² brightness, 1,000:1 contrast ratio (not so good), and four HDMI, VGA, component, S-Video, and RCA video inputs. It has automatic source detection and switching, which in my experience is both a blessing and curse. The rear ports are conveniently placed in a sideways formation, making wall-mounting a snap.

A built-in 5 ban equalizer allows you to customize the 2 down firing 10 watt speakers and 10 watt subwoofer to match your room or content source.

Also of note, this model, like many Westinghouse sets, is extremely thin for it’s screen size. Since the speakers are positioned below the screen the total width of this 42” (diagonal) TV is just 42.2” making a great choice if your gonna squeeze it into a cabinet, armoire or the like.

Sale price: $853.94 with coupon code “MDAYFIVE”. Free s/h

Deal ends: May 26, 2008

Buy now: www.abt.com