Sony - FD Trinitron WEGA KV-20FS120 20" Television Review

I scoured the web, asked all my friends and kept hearing and reading "Sony WEGA, Sony WEGA."

Please understand, up front, that I'm not a techno-wonk. I want quality, I want longevity and I want it for a good price. Not being a sports fan, I wasn't interested in blowing several hundred dollars on a plasma or LCD. (Bigger is not always better.)

After scouring all the electronics stores in NYC, and seeing the various manufacturers' offerings, I kept coming back, time and again, to the Sony WEGA Trinitron. The only size I could use was the 20", as this was for the armoire in my bedroom.

This 20" packs a LOT of punch for its smaller size. The screen is truly flat, so I can see a fairly undistorted picture from any angle. The picture is glorious - that's the only word that describes it. The factory's defaults were perfect, I didn't have to make any adjustments to picture, color or tint.

Do note, though, that the Tilt Correction and 16:9 ratio options are NOT available on the 20" size. I believe the 24" is the first size in the series to offer these.

The controls were a bit daunting at first, as I was used to the very simple Magnavox. But, after a few minutes, I understood what buttons did which.

One of the most important functions, that was absolutely necessary to me, was the On timer. I use the TV as my alarm clock. The controls are so precise you can choose various options like a single day (Monday - Sunday), or Monday-Friday (for those pesky wake-ups for work), or "every Monday, etc." It also gives you two On timer settings, not just one. So when I wish to remind myself to watch a particular program, I choose the second timer to turn it on automatically.

There are dozens of controls for all sorts of techno-thingies that I don't understand, like channel labeling, parental controls and various video channels (I believe there are 3). Please see the product specifications for a complete list.

All the connection sockets and gizmos are on the back of the TV, which can make it unwieldy for folks with game boxes, DVDs, VCRs, etc. I don't use those, and take my laptop to bed with me to watch DVDs, so it's not an issue. (Sorry I don't have the correct terms, but I'm really not an electronics whiz.)

The sound is freakin' awesome!! No other way to describe it. The audio controls offer "Auto SAP," Mono and Stereo. Additional controls offer "Simulated" and "Surround." Well, one night, I accidentally hit the Auto SAP setting and, suddenly, ABC was broadcasting in Spanish. It took me about 10 minutes to figure out what I'd done and correct it. I still don't know why Auto SAP brings only ABC in Spanish - none of the other channels were affected.

As for cons, only two, really. The remote control has tons more buttons than I'm used to, so I'm still hitting the wrong ones but it's early days yet. Also, the remote's buttons are extremely sensitive. Just brushing a button accidentally can change a setting. That should change as the remote gets older and gunk starts collecting around the buttons. :)

The other con (for me) is that the sound capability of this TV has a huge range. I use the next-to-lowest setting and it's quite audible. I once accidentally held the sound button and almost blasted the windows out. It would be a perfect TV for folks whose livingroom was in England and their kitchen was in Massachusetts! (Ok, I'm being funny here, but you can really damage your eardrums with the sound up.)

I ended up paying $206.90 for this TV, and am pleased as punch.

For folks who wish a basic analog TV with excellent qualities at an affordable price, this is the one. Don't even bother looking at any other model. I've looked at them all and there is no comparison.