Customer Reviews

Sony KV-30HS420 30-Inch FD Trinitron WEGA HD-Ready Widescreen CRT TV

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Contrary to popular opinion, you don't have to buy an expensive plasma or LCD (liquid crystal display) TV to get a great high-definition picure. In fact, many experts (including Consumer Reports) assert that high-definition TVs using traditional cathode-ray tube technology -- as this high-definition Sony does -- currently offer a sharper picture than plasma and LCD TVs, plus they are much less expensive and more reliable. This widescreen HD Sony TV has a very good picture with standard broadcasts and an outstanding picture with HD broadcasts and DVDs. If you'd like to get a widescreen high-definition TV now but your budget is limited to a thousand dollars or so, please consider this 30" Sony.

This model (along with its 34 inch sibling) was rated a best buy by Consumer Reports in traditional TV widescreen HD category. I have it plugged into my Cablevision service for HD signal - the step up in picture quality compared to standard signal is quite noticeable. But the good thing is that even standard TV transmission (non HD) produces very good picture on this TV (which was a factor in its best buy choice by Consumer Reports). The TV has plenty of video inputs of all kinds, including 2 component video and 1 HDMI.
I have my Panasonic S97 DVD player hooked up to this TV via HDMI input and this allows my Panasonic DVD player to upconvert DVD's to 1080i so I can watch them as clear as the HD TV. Granted that the DVD upconvert to 1080i is a Panasonic DVD player feature but you can't use it without having HDMI input on the TV.
According to the Consumer Reports review of HD TV's, most HD TV's produce great picture with the HD signal but the picture quality is not so good with standard TV signal. Since most of the programming on TV continues to be transmitted via the standard signal, this TV's very good performance with the standard TV signal was a big factor in my buying decision.

This is as fine an HDTV as one can possbly buy at an affordable price. I have seen all alternatives up to 42-inch plasmas. This Sony equals or betters them all in image sharpness, color range, black level, and so on. Fed by my COMCAST digital cable box, I have been absolutely delighted with this purchase, and do not see replacing the set even if plasma prices fell by 50%. Yes, it took my son's help to lift it upon the matching stand, but what the hell, shouldn't one get 160 pounds for $850 (at Sears on a Sears card)?

We have needed a new tv for quite some time (our 14 year old Hitachi set was failing), and after doing research on the different types of tvs available, plasma vs LCD vs conventional set, I decided to go with a conventional set, which delivers the best picture for the least amount of money.

I chose Sony's KV-30HS420 widescreen high definition tv after looking at a number of tvs in the store and reading reviews (it recently got a great rating in the March 2005 issue of Consumer Reports).

I could have saved about $60 on the set buying on Amazon rather than locally, but decided not to in case there were any problems with the set and also I would have to wait at least a week to receive it. Be warned that if this is your first HD tv, you will probably need to spend about $150 buying new cables to take advantage of the HD features when you hook up your dvd player and cable box to the tv. I bought two sets of Monster brand cables for my Comcast DVR cable box and my dvd player.

This tv is HEAVY! My husband and I managed to carry this down steps from our driveway into the house and then down a flight of steps into our basement tv room, but that's only because he's very strong. You really need at least 2 strong people to carry this. If you buy locally and can't find help, it would be worth it to pay for delivery and set up.

We did have some problems hooking up our cable box to the tv, as Sony's directions are not clear, but we finally got everything working. We have Comcast digital cable and receive a number of HD broadcasts and the picture quality is unbelievable! Our dvds look equally as great.

If you are considering a new tv, I would highly recommend this model.

first off, i got my set for 720 dollars, same price as the 27" 4:3 model. so i have no room to complain. obviously the quality and features wont match the 2 grand XBR series sony, but for the price and compared to its counterparts, its absolutely brilliant! very easy to use, enough audio/video enhancements and inputs. plus its a sony, you just cant beat its quality. pick this one up to start you off in hd, then in a few years, you can get the XBR when its reasonably priced! oh and also, didnt see much of a difference between the HDMI and component input running LOTR: Return of the King.

I've being looking to buy an HDTV widescreen for more than 2 years. I did all the research there is to find out what was the best for the price, reliability and picture quality. I've checked DLP, LCD, Plasma,....CRT is best imo after the plasma. Not that plasma is bad but having to pay $250 for the light bulb every 4000 to 6000 hours! No thanks. And Plasma TV aren't that afortable yet.
I'm a movie freak and a gamer. You have a progressive scan DVD player plus the component cables and you are set. Same thing goes for the PS2, Gamecube or Xbox.
I'd like to keep on with this review but I have some many movies to watch and games to play again right now! All my DVDs are in widescreen format and I'm finally getting to watch them how they are meant to be watched!

Edit: October 19th, 2006
After now almost 2 years, I had to get my TV calibrated mostly because of recommendations to get the the best Picture I could get out of this TV. I regret I didn't do this earlier. The picture was great but now it is just plain fantastic. Red push is gone, overscan corrected, picture Sharper than it was, the Black level is phenomenal, I saw details in movie that I never knew they were there. The overall PQ improved. Dvds running at 720p or 1080i are fantastic thanks to the upconversion of my DVD player.
The only downside of this set I own is the little bowing on the corners. But we all know that CRT set never had and never will have 100% correct geometry.
It doesn't bother me. If you can get it calibrated, do it! You won't regret it.

This is my first tv from Sony, and what a doozy it is! I purchased a HDTV for playing my Xbox and Gamecube in high def. Most games on the market right now support 480p, and some games even support 1080i! Even though only a few games support THAT resolution, my console games look really good in 480p. There is such a big difference in picture quality...it's astounding. The major reason though is that the next gen consoles will support HD as well, with all games running in at least 720p. Can't wait for that.
Cable looks great as well. Channels that are 1080i in widescreen are freaking increadible. Normal channels...so-so. Sometimes they look pretty good, but the picture is a bit on the grainy side.
This is a great HDTV. Even though the price is a bit steep, I think it's well worth it. Remember to buy component cables to watch tv and other devices in high def. Channels that support HD are amazing, and my games are awesome. Get the 34 inch model if you're in a bigger room though.

ok, as another person stated, i've also tried expensive lcd and plasma monitors. same issues...blacks aren't quite black enough...ghosting on fast moving images. i finally took a friend's advice and looked at the 30" wega monitor (didn't need the 34"). wow, words can't describe the incredible picture...blows away the best lcd and plasma monitors. the drawback as others have pointed out is the weight...and i'm sure the electrical costs.

i didn't think to ask a tv repair person for their opinion given today's disposable-by-design market, but i got the advice another person got...the sony wega hd crt screen is probably THE best high definition monitor on the market. sure, lcd/plasma give you the cool factor, but the bottom line is no lcd/plasma monitor can beat the picture quality or cost of a sony wega hd crt monitor.

buy it...marketing hype aside, thes is the intelligent choice.

don montalvo, nyc

This is my first HDTV, and compared to friends' sets it is a great value. The best part is how it handles regular programs. It will stretch them out to the widescreen format with no distortion. Oter sets I have seen give people a short fat look.

First of all I want to say that Im a filmmaker and know about TV and film quite a lot so I know what Im talking about. Anyone that knows about TV's knows that CRT/picture-tube TV's (the fat ones) will produce superior image quality than any comprable LCD monitor. Just because a TV is thin and flat does not mean that it will produce a better image quality. Thin TV's are all the rage right now but what trully should matter is the picture quality. My Sony 30" widescreen HDTV's image quality is awsome. I've had it for about a year now and have been very, very, happy with it. Yes, it is super bulky and heavy but it fits in the corner of my bedroom quite well and its picture tube is super flat. Plus, the design of the TV makes it look a lot thinner than it really is. I've had to point out to guests that my TV is not a thin TV. The other cool thing about CRT HDTV monitors are that they cost about 40% less than flat LCD or plasma TV's. And like I said before, LCD will not give the same picture quality as CRT's. Plasma TV's do compare to CRT's but they cost a lot more and unlike CRT's you don't have recharge the chemicals like you do in plasmas after about 3000 hours of viewing time. Plus, I got my TV as a brand new clearance item at Fry's for $600! Trust me, I did a lot of research and this model had it all. About the only thing I wish it had was a third HDMI input and the capacity to broadcast at 1080p.