Sony KV-20FV12 20" Trinitron Wega Flat-Screen TV

by Sony

Product Details

Product Manual [1.37mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 18.4 x 22.1 inches ; 68 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 68 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005T3DF
• Item model number: KV-20FV12
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #190,888 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 21, 2001

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Equipped with Sony's celebrated Trinitron flat picture tube, the KV-20FV12 20-inch TV delivers top-quality video resolution in an attractive grey metal housing. The Trinitron tube reduces glare and distortion from nearby light sources, ensuring a wider viewing angle and a crisper image. As with many of Sony's models, the TV also offers a three-line digital comb filter, which removes the blurred edges between colors and reduces dot crawl, along with a Dynamic Picture processor, which hones the intensely bright and dark areas of a scene for a clearer overall picture. Other video features include vertical aperture compensation (sharpens definition and detail) and scan velocity modulation (hardens edges of images on the screen). The resulting video is crisp, colorful, and characteristic of Sony quality.

The KV-20FV12 really distinguishes itself from other 20-inch models with its audio package. Not only does the TV employ a Dynamic Acoustic Chamber (DAC) 10-watt speaker system (5 watts x 2), but it also offers Matrix Surround multichannel audio, an MTS stereo decoder with DBX noise reduction, and Steady Sound automatic volume control. The combined audio options let the viewer listen through the built-in speakers, select an outside audio source, and even listen to an alternate audio broadcast of the same program (SAP) when available.

Additional features include the rapid channel scanning of SpeedSurf, five favorite channel presets, a previous channel button, a multilingual onscreen menu, auto channel programming, a sleep timer with 15-, 30-, 45-, 60-, and 90-minute intervals, and closed captioning. Parents will appreciate the built-in V-chip, which restricts the programs their children can watch. The TV also offers an Extended Data Service feature that engages viewers with programming information, including station call letters, upcoming broadcasts, and the current time.

Connectivity is enhanced through the two sets of composite inputs (one front and one rear), the S-video input (for superior picture quality), and the audio output. The front AV inputs are ideal for convenient connection to a game console or camcorder, or for hooking up a second component. In addition, the TV includes a headphone jack for private listening. As with most of Sony's TVs, this unit is also Energy Star compliant.

What's in the Box
TV, remote control, two AA batteries, user's manual

Product Description

Stay up-to-date with this 20" Sony FD Trinitron« WEGA« TV. The flat picture tube reduces glare AND picture distortion for a picture that's simply breathtaking. It has great picture-enhancing features like 3-Line Digital Comb Filter and S-Video Input, and audio features like Matrix SurroundM-^Y Sound & Automatic Volume Control with BBE« Audio Enhancement. With a picture and sound this good, you won't believe your eyes or your ears.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for the kitchen or dorm, outstanding performance, January 18, 2002

By 

cornhusker001 (Bellevue, NE United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony KV-20FV12 20" Trinitron Wega Flat-Screen TV (Electronics)

I was tired of having a little 13-inch TV in my dorm so I went after this one. If you have never had a flat screen, then you don't know what you're missing. Most TV screens are bulbous, as if you took a razor and sliced the top of an orange. The flat screen on this TV does not distort the image at the corners like regular TVs do. Colors are true and definition is superb. Movie companies, television studios, and the scientific community use Sony televisions and monitors because they tend to have a higher degree or accuracy than other companies. The fact that it's flat reduces the amount of light that bounces off the glass (which means almost no glare). Two of my favorite features are the Favorites and the timer. The favorites button brings up a menu with the last five channels you viewed (or you can preset your favorites so they don't change) so you can surf your favorite channels faster. Sony Vegas with Picture-in-Picture bring up a preview window when you press "favorites." Even if you have digital cable or satellite, you probably never watch more than five or six channels on a daily basis. This is statistically true for most people. The timer feature is a blessing. Since I am a lazy college student, my alarm clock is not always going to get the job done. This TV gives you two events that you can program independently. For instance, I have it set to go the Fox News Channel for one hour at 8:30am Monday through Friday (it lets you specify each day, everyday, weekdays, and weekends) as the first event and have it set for Comedy Central at 10:00am on the weekends as the second event. The difference between this model and the KV-20FS12 is that the FS12 has speakers on the bottom instead of the sides and it does not have S-Video. I got the S-Video cable for my Playstation 2 and it does look better than composite. The only thing that concerned me is that the depth of the cabinet is a little on the large side but it wasn't a problem. The footprint of the unit may only be about a foot deep, but the extension for the end of the CRT tube goes out about six more inches. One final thing, don't worry about losing TV functionality if you lose the remote, there are menu buttons next to the composite inputs on the front panel.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Beware Sony Customer Service, June 13, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Sony KV-20FV12 20" Trinitron Wega Flat-Screen TV (Electronics)

I have had the KV-20FV12 for 18 months and it has broken 4 times. Each time the problem has been the same: TV suddenly goes off without warning 15 minutes after being turned on.

This is obviously a LEMON as I have had good experiences with Sony products in the past and have never had ANY electronic product break so often.

Unfortunately, the idiots at Sony Customer Service are robots and have been totally unsympathetic. Basically they have said, "too bad, it's not our problem." And while they are legally correct insofar as this unit is out of the warranty period (and BTW, the first time it broke it was IN the warranty period), the lack of support of a chronically broken TV makes me want to tell everybody who is thinking of buying a Sony that they should hope and pray they never have to deal with these people.

As for me, as much as I love the Sony picture on this set, if I can't SEE it, it doesn't exist!. I will not buy another Sony in the near future. Not that Sony cares one iota (and that's kind of the point), but it is the only way a consumer can "get thru" and be heard.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get them while they Last, February 28, 2007

By 

hille2000 "hille2000" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony KV-20FV12 20" Trinitron Wega Flat-Screen TV (Electronics)

Flat-Screen TV is a great 4:3 aspect ratio CRT set. These will not be around much longer. The picture looks great, but the picture for this type of TV's future looks dim. LCD flat screen sets and Plasma sets are taking over the market. LCD and Plasma sets are priced out of range for the average person so I don't get the overnight transition and logic to force you to buy them. A basic Tube TV with a 4:3 aspect ratio like this Sony 34 inch set is clearly a much better choice.