Customer Reviews

SONY KV-20FV300 20" FD Trinitron(R) Wega(TM) TV

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After writing the other review in which I expressed my frustration at how dark and washed out this screen is, I decided to do some more digging to see if this is a common problem with Sony WEGA televisions. I found it IS, to a certain extent.

However, it CAN BE FIXED. The "user controls" -- Brightness and Picture (contrast) -- can do nothing to make the picture better. However, there is what is called a "Service Menu" available on almost all Sony televisions. To access the Service Menu, you must turn the television off and then press Display - 5 - Vol+ - Power on the remote control. This turns on the television in Service Mode and gives you access to a number (hundreds) of internal settings. On the remote, 1 moves forward in the list, 4 moves backward, 3 adds 1 to the setting, 6 subtracts 1. The settings stay until the television is UNPLUGGED.

The thing is, it is entirely possible to destroy your picture tube if you switch the wrong setting. Very very bad, don't do. Write everything down before and after you change it, and don't change anything unless you know what it does. There IS a way to save settings to permanent memory, but I won't tell you what it is -- you can find it yourself on the net.

Anyway, the most important setting I changed was "SBRT" or Sub Brightness. Mine was set at 32. The scale is 0-63. I think I have it at 50 now. That made ALL the difference. The picture absolutely came to life with this small change. Wonderful, and the difference between a highly disappointing, unusable television and one that looks great. I was able to turn down Brightness and Picture to mid levels and the picture is now bright and vibrant with well-controlled darks and lights.

It's puzzling Sony would release a set with such horrid problems when a fix is a setting or two away. I don't understand it, but I'm happy to have found the way to fix it.

I was also able to fix geometry problems on the left side of the screen, "shrink" the image a tad so you can see to the edges of TV, DVDs, and games, fix a convergence problem in the upper third of the screen which made white lettering look more like white, pink, and turquoise, and smooth out some stuttering problems the screen showed in high res PS2 games with fine details. But as I said, I wouldn't go messing with settings you're not sure of without a guide (but "SBRT" won't hurt anything).

Now that the screen looks great, we're happy with the television. I have to say though, that the built-in sound is disappointing -- the speakers are in the back, facing backward, which gives the audio a remote, indistinct sound. Music sounds pretty muddy, despite satisfactory bass. We've ordered a pair of shielded bookshelf speakers which will go on the "B" line of our stereo and sit beside the Sony.

Can't give this set 5 stars because of the stock settings problem and the sound, but having fixed both problems, we're very happy with this screen. It's stupendously sharp and well-defined with the component inputs and the "VM" set to High.

A good place to learn more about Sony televisions and high-definition monitors and about the Service Mode is at Agoraquest.com.

I have just bought SONY KV-20FV300 and I am blow away by the picture quality. The picture is clear and crisp, just like a LCD. Plus when you hook a DVD player to it by the composite inputs, the picture gets even better. Your DVDS will never look so good. The sound quality is the best in the class as well. Keep WOW on always for rich deep bass sounds. The on screen displays are so easy to use,you do not even have to look at the owners manual. Best part is you will not get a hum with this model. Other models in this class and screen size have a annoying hum at low sound levels,this one does not. Now the only bad thing about this model. This model comes with 4 preset picture modes. The preset defualt- Vivid, Movie, Standard, and Sports. Each mode increases color, brightness, contrast, etc based on what your watching. I found the picture quality of the presets terriable. I manually adjusted one of the presets to the picture I liked an every thing was fine. I will never use the other modes. So for me it is a wasted feature. So I have to knock off a half a star for that. Compared to other models in this class, it is the most expensive, but you get the best picture, sound, and no HUM!!. This model is best for bedrooms or Dens. Check around for Sales. I got mine on sale for around $.... However, the sound of the unit is not as good and you will have a hum.

My rating for Sony KV-20FV300 20" Flat-Screen TV 4.5 Stars!!!

I bought this TV as soon as it came out, seeing as i need a new television and i had heard this one was very good. I was not disappointed at all. i used the s-video hookup in the back for my ps2 and it works like a charm, makes all my game and movies more clear. I like having a TV that i can hook many ting up to at the same time. The sound quality is amazing for a TV of this size, i sometime cant tell where the sound is coming from, because stuff actually sounds like its coming from behind. Rumblings of bass off in the distance make me feel like i'm at the movies. many different sets of picture quallity suit for what you are wathcing from sports, nice sharp and clear, too movies a little dense and blurry to have the movie quallity effect. Also the sleep, which i see is common on many TV's now is very handy, if i'm wathcing a movie and i fall asleep the TV turns itself off.

I bought this TV about a year ago from Circuit City and have absolutely no complaints. From day one, the picture quality has been stunning and the sound exceptional. When playing DVDs, the sound is so realistic, it sometimes startles me and especially my cats. I used to have a Sony 13" TV. It was good, but old, and my cats never paid attention to the picture. With this 20" flat-screen Sony, my cats are much more interested with what's happening on-screen and are more likely to "attack" the screen. I mention my cats, not because I'm a nutty cat person, but to illustrate how realistic the picture is -- it even fools them. Frankly, I was blown away by the sharpness, clarity and vivid colors of this flat-screen. Set-up was a breeze. I had no problems with default settings, as some people have mentioned. The TV is used primarily in the evenings, almost never during the day, except to watch afternoon baseball games. So, I'd estimate it's used maybe 30 hours per week at most. That's probably less than a family with kids, but even still, after a year of moderate use, it still works like new. Aside from the function, I also think this set has a lot of aesthetic appeal -- at least for me. I find it very attractive. It's also the perfect size. I don't think I'd want anything larger, especially in my smallish townhouse. I have only one minor complaint, and I don't think it's the fault of Sony or the TV: When you first turn the set on, you have to wait about 5 seconds before you can change the channel. For some reason, this annoys me, but as I said, I don't see this as a flaw with the TV. All in all, I've been very happy with the set and have recommended it to friends and family.

Just got the tv today, and I am impressed. The picture is very sharp and vivid. The audio quality with the factory settings is a little muted (I think one review likened it to sounding as though it were in another room), but all you have to do is adjust the treble upward and initiate the WOW (bass booster) and then the sound is quite admirable for a 20" tv. It is also aesthetically pleasing; what more do you want? Use the internet to find the best deal and be sure to inquire about shipping charges, as some dealers recoup your "savings" by charging high shipping fees.

Few things in life, or at least in my life, have lived up to and exceeded my expectations. In electronics the Bose Wave Radio
comes to mind, or in computers the Dell 8200, and in small tv's the Sony KV20FV300. In the store display areas it outperformed the others. I am always wary of store displays though, improper adjustments etc....I finally found it at $260 and jumped on it. I am totally pleased. The picture is fantastic and the sound is remarkable, no need to add a small external speaker system. The controls I found to be logical and intuitive to use. Reception in my non cable house is very good. You really cannot go wrong getting this product.

This television was acquired for videogame playing and DVD watching in a small apartment. I don't have cable, and this place is built like a fortress, so pulling in television stations was the secondary concern. And rightly so, as even with a powered antenna it's impossible to receive most local channels. This is more a function of the apartment and my location, however, and obviously things would be fine with cable or satellite.

The sound, when the "WOW" setting is enabled, is generally full-bodied enough to be satisfactory, though it sounds a little remote, as if the speakers are pointing off in some other direction rather that straight at the viewer.

The screen can be made quite sharp with the "VM" setting and raising the Sharpness setting a bit. In this respect, for a small analog/non-HD television, it adequately displays current game console graphics.

However, the major shortcoming for this television is the "black level" or the contrast. On the standard/middle settings, it is MUCH too dark for clear gaming in most games. By switching "Color Temp." to Cool and boosting the Picture and Brightness levels to max, it becomes acceptable for most games.

However, even with the controls at max, it's still too dark for a few games, and these settings introduce their own artifacts -- whites become blurry, while dark areas of the graphics are still extremely dark. There is no happy medium.

This is very disappointing coming from what is ostensibly a decent electronics manufacturer. I have yet to sample a DVD on this screen, and I anticipate similar viewing problems. I watched a football game today, which also seemed rather dark (though, as mentioned, my reception is poor).

The remote control works fine, the menu system is decent enough, the screen is almost completely flat, and there are enough inputs to please, including component video (though don't expect your XBox's Progressive Scan mode to work with this television). There's a geometry problem on the left side of the screen, where the picture recedes a bit at the top and bottom left corners, but it's not hugely noticeable.

Overall I'm let down by the problems this screen exhibits. It's always possible I got a "lemon," but you might think twice about making this purchase sight unseen.

I have both this model and the Sony KV-24FV300. They both are superb, but if your space can fit the 24 inch Sony, definitely get it. The sound is more rich and the picture is more involving on the bigger model. On either the 20" or the 24", the FV300 renders a much better sound than the lesser priced Sony FS100 series.

I was going to buy the JVC flat-screen tv, but I am glad I didn't. You pay more for Sony but you know with Sony you always get quality. The picture quality is great for a 20" tv, it makes DVDs and video games look great. Since I am not so much into the home theater thing and hooking up a bunch of speakers and a receiver, I wanted a tv that had pretty good sound quality on it's own, and this tv does have good sound quality (the WOW setting provides rich sound with nice bass). I am very satisfied with this tv.

i paid ... more for this SONY(yes, the 300 model!) vs the JVC 20" flat. i initially bought the JVC. it has a very bad "BUZZ/HUM". i returned the JVC and got the SONY and i am very pleased with it. i did get the SONY at a pretty good sale price, and it is worth a few extra bucks. the buzz of the JVC was unbearable, especially when playing it at low volume in a small room.