Customer Reviews

SONY KV-20FS100 Trinitron(R) Color TV

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This Sony 20" TV is definitely a cut above the rest. It costs a few bucks more, but is worth every cent. We needed a small TV to replace our existing one in the bedroom. After checking out the features, price, reviews, and side by side comparisons at the store, we bought the Toshiba 20" flat screen (20AF42). It emitted a very noticeable and annoying buzz, so it went back for the Sony. Problem solved.

This gave us a chance to compare the two sets at home. The Sony's sound is clearer, expecially at the low end. The picture quality of the Sony is warmer and more realistic, like the flesh tones and separation of colors. This is really noticed when changing channels.

Two great features the Sony has are: Color Temp. and VM (sharpens picture definition). These features give quick results to individual tastes without the hassle of changing picture controls. For the extra money, this TV is one of the best investments we made.

The Sony 20" FD Trinitron WEGA TV offers excellent picture quality thanks to its flat screen Trinitron tube. When I looked at this TV next to a conventional TV there was no comparison. The Trinitron screen creates an image that is so clear it looks almost real. Great for small rooms where you are relatively close to the TV screen. The flat screen makes the picture easier to see from an angle.
The stereo speakers placed on either side of the screen offer crystal clear sound. I originally purchased a Toshiba 20" flat screen, but returned it after I found the tube emitted an annoying hum. The Sony is very quiet when volume is low.
There are plenty of inputs in the back to hook up VCRs, DVDs and what have you. The from panel has a couple of inputs to make hooking up your camcorder easy.
The control menus are very easy to use and I was able to program all the stations in about a minute. One limitation is that there is limited memory for labels for each channel (ABC, CBS, etc.).
Two separate timers allow you to set times when the TV should be off. Handy if you have a habit of dozing off in front of the TV.
The remote is unusual in shape, like a cone or wedge that ends in a point at the front. After using it I find it very comfortable to use. All the buttons are easy to reach, and it stands up on its end, making it easy to grab.

It is hard to equal the Sony KV-20FS100 Television. This has without a doubt one of the crispest and sharpest pictures of any 20-inch television on the market. Sony's WEGA Trinitron tube flat screen with Dynamic Picture Processor and 3-line digital comb filter on this model makes a big improvement over picture quality compared to all other 20 inch sets of any manufacturer. It delivers a very high resolution picture: sharp picture with pure reproduction of black and white images. It also has a rear S-video input for DVD and Laser Disc players and Super-VHS recorders for higher picture resolution. Highly recommended. This is one of the best that I have seen this year.

I was in the market for a new television for my bedroom. I had a temporary 13" Sharp TV (which had a quite good picture, but everything does at such a small size). I was wandering around a local store and found this beauty. It was next to a toshiba (sony flat screen-wanna be), and some other branded one which "looked" similar. The sony had the crispest display and most vivid/readable text. On my 13" sharp -- text was unreadable.

This particular model has a cable input jack, AV jacks, component video inputs, and AV jacks on the front for quick hookup to something else (xbox, etc). Like other Sony TVs, this thing is HEAVY!....but it went on a mica desk, so its fully supported :-). The speakers sound quite good and produce a very nice stereo sound, full range, very nice on our cable provider's music channels and regular TV listening.

The picture has very fine adjustments, and even tilt correction (for what I can only assume future old age situations). You won't regret buying this television. The superb build quality, sound, picture will make you instantly fall in love with it.

As a personal recommendation to Sony if they read these: Might I suggest putting that blue/purple anti-glare layer that is common on your Sony computer monitors on some TVs? Being a flat screen, if there's a glare the whole picture is effected, not just a teeny corner. Just a thought, but I still give it 5 stars!

The picture quality on this 20" TV is awesome, but it really needs a tone control. The sound isn't too bad, but it would be nice to be able to tweak it. This model does *not* have an S-Video input, as another reviewer stated, but it does have three aux video inputs -- one on the front for games and cameras -- and includes stereo audio outputs and a headphone jack.

So, if you're looking for a TV for a bedroom or another small room, the picture on this flat-screen Sony won't disappoint you. If your TV has to have great sound, or S-Video, step up to the FV series.

By the way, like all the other Sony flat-screens this set is fairly heavy, weighing in at 54 lbs.

I cannot express how satisfied I am with the Sony Wega television I bought two years ago. The day I went to go TV shopping, we went to a big name store with dozens of brands of TV's. I told them I was in a market for a 20" TV so they sent me over to the stack of dozens of 20" TV's and turned them all to the same channel. They all looked the same. I saw one TV off in the corner that was unplugged. I went over and noticed it was a Sony Flatscreen. I plugged it in and was blown away at the picture quality. It put all the other TV's to shame! The picture was so bright and vivid, that you would truely think this TV was a thousand dollars. This TV has unrivaled picture quality and you wont regret buying it.

sony's tv has the best quality: the picture, color, and sound is just superb. ...the image and color on sony are clear and vivid. granted sony's product is on the expensive end, but given it makes excellent and long lasting products, it is worth every penny.

a little tip for a good picture: turn off the VM setting, unless you are watching sports from afar, the bright edge is kind of annoying. turn down the picture (contrast), up the brightness, up the color.

the sound is very clear either lound or low. BUT there is not adjust for treble and bass. you can only select stereo or mono/sap mode.

nice features: sleep timer, 3 a/v (1 front, 2 back). Notice, it doesn't have a S-video, but it comes with component video plugs for DVD players (3 seperate color). The image does look much better with it.

the slive case is very sleek and nice looking. fits nicely anywhere.

the remote is small, but so is the buttons, it is sometime confusing which one you just pushed.

ratings:

picture quality/clarity: 5+
picture color: 5+
sound: 4.5
features: 4.5
remote: 4

I have owned Sony televisions since 1980, and I have never been disappointed with any of their televisions. The KV-20FS100 in no exception - an excellent television. I much prerfer Sony's aperature grille CRT over a shadow-mask CRT. I've noted other reviewers' comments on the weight of Sony televisons - an aperature grille cathode ray tube is a bit heavier than a standard shadow-mask CRT. The KV-20FS100's color saturation is excellent and the sound with the standard speakers is quite acceptable. I just wish they were available in charcoal-grey color. IMO, the silver color used in most televisions today looks cheap!

One note on the price: this set replaces a Sony KV-20XBR television purchased in 1986 - and yes, it still works! The 20XBR cost $739 in 1986 dollars, so $250 to $275 I paid for this television is a bargain. It's not built as well as the 20XBR, but the original XBR series was built in Sony's Tokyo's facility and was considered a videophile-level television at the time.

Once you own a Sony television, no other brand will ever be acceptable!

I bought this tv today and am very pleased with my purchase. I compared this model to the next sony 20" FV... model and the sound must be much better because that's the only reason I can find for that model's increased cost, (I believe about $50 more). The FV model is described as compact (good for a bedroom/kitchen) but it has the same dimensions as this KV model (I wouldn't really call either tv compact - the tube still makes it huge in the rear). All the other details seem to be the same too for the most part. I didn't check out the sound on this one in the store to compare it to the FV model, but, I really like the sound on this one. The sound I had before was particularly poor so any improvement was a great improvement. However, I have a good ear and the sound on this tv is quite clear and defined. We watched a dvd episode of Voyager on it for our first viewing experience and all the ship sounds/ special effects were very realistic with depth and clarity.
Other reviewers have complained about the weight (almost 55 lbs) but I have compared this model to 2 dozen other 20"-24" flat screen tube tvs and all the others I remember checking out weighed at least 20 lbs more than this one. I shopped around online to find the best picture and sound for under $300 and I chose this sony KV-20FS100 and am very happy with it.

The picture is not bright enough to bring out details in a dark background. Especially when you watch a night scence in a DVD movie, you cannot clearly see the actors' faces. I would recommend your buying a JVC or Panasonic if you want to enjoy movies.