TV Reviews

I bought my Sony Grand Wega 60" TV in March. Up until 4 days ago I enjoyed the most beautiful picture quality that anyone could ask for. While I was watching a program in High definition and surround sound, everything went black. The bulb went out. I have kinda been expecting this after reading all the problems that Sony has been having with the bulbs going out. There is a article in HOME THEATER MAGAZINE, That states the Sony engineering team has found that there is a combination issue between the lamp and the circuitry in the lamp block,causing the inability for the TV lamp to power on. A service bulletin has been issued authorizing Sony Service Centers and Authorized Service Centers to replace the lamp and /or lamp block in affected units at no cost to the consumer.Consumers who may be experiencing this symptom should contact Sony at (800) 222-sony to schedule a service call.

MY REVIEW ON THE KF60WE610 SONY VEGA:

I WAS STUCK IN THE NEOLITHIC PERIOD OF TELEVISION FOR TOO LONG. MY 1997 27" SHARP WAS SO DATED. THE OLD OAK ENTERTAINMENT UNIT WAS ONLY BIG ENOUGH TO SHOW OFF A 27", BUT BIG ENOUGH TO COVER A WHOLE WALL! OH, MY GOD!

I STARTED GOING TO AUDIO VIDEO STORES IN MY AREA AND STARTED MY SEARCH FOR A LCD/HDTV. THE INTERNET WAS A GOOD SOURCE OF INFORMATION TO HELP ME MAKE A DECISION. I DID THE SAME YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW, READING OTHERS OPINIONS ON AMAZON AND OTHER WEBSITES. BEWARE OF THE NEGATIVITY AND RESENTMENTS YOU'LL READ OF PAST SONY BUYERS! THEY POO-POO SO MUCH, IT'S DEPRESSING. IT ALMOST MADE ME BUY SOMETHING ELSE.

TODAY, I CAN SAY I HAVE MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE. MAGNOLIA DELIVERED MY 60" GRAND VEGA YESTERDAY. WHAT CAN I SAY, BIG SCREEN, BIG SOUND, BIG ENTERTAINMENT! I DO HAVE A LOCAL CABLE COMPANY (TIME WARNER) THAT IS SENDING MY SIGNAL. THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS THE PICTURE IS SO CLEAR. SO TAKE THIS INTO ACCOUNT WHEN BUYING YOURS. THEY HAVE HI-DEF CHANNELS THAT KICK ASS! INHD, INHD 2, HD NET, HD MOVIES AND MOST LOCAL CHANNELS IN HI-DEF SIGNALS. SPORTS, TRAVEL, WORLD NEWS AND MORE.

OK, THE TV. NO NONSENSE. I BOUGHT THE MARCH 2004 MODEL KF60WE610. I READ ABOUT BULB BURN OUT PROBLEMS AND ON-OFF SWITCH PROBLEMS. SONY SAID THEY HAVE CORRECTED THESE IN THE NEWER 2004 MODELS. I WILL SEE IF THIS IS TRUE. I WANTED THE HIGHEST LCD SCREEN RESOLUTION MY MONEY COULD BUY. THE SONY VEGA HAS A 1366 X 788. IT WAS BETTER THAN SOME 1200 X 700 FOR LESS MONEY. THE VIEWING DISTANCE IS VERY IMPORTANT. MININIUM DISTANCE IS 7.2 FT. MAXIMIUM IS 12.5. I AM VIEWING FROM ABOUT 11 FT. THIS IS FOR THE BEST "IMMERSIVE" TV VIEWING POSSIBLE. MY FIRST DAY OF HD VIEWING I WAS STUCK! MY AMAZEMENT PARALYSED MY SENSES. THERE SHOULD BE A WARNING TO NEW BUYERS OF THIS SHOCK AND AAH. REMEMBER, I WENT FROM A 27" BLURRY TUBE TYPE TO A 60" (16:9 ASPECT RATIO) HI-DEFINTION WIDE SCREEN LCD FLAT PANEL. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I AM IMPRESSED. THANKS SONY FOR BRINGING ME INTO THE 21ST CENTURY OF TV VIEWING.

AFTER WATCHING HD CHANNELS, IT IS HARD TO WATCH THE OLD ANALOG SIGNALS. HI-DEF VIEWING IS HERE. HI-DEF CHANNEL COMPANY'S ARE THE NEWEST AND MOST HI-POWER PROGRAMMING. THE COLOR, THE SHOOTING LOCATIONS, THE DIGITAL SOUND, HD CHANNELS RULE!

IF YOUR CLOSE TO BUYING A NEW FLAT SCREEN, GET LCD, NOT PLASMA! PLASMA'S ARE CONSIDERED DISPOSABLE TV'S. ONCE THEY BURN OUT- THERE OUT. THAT'S THE A V GUYS RESPONSE TO PLASMA. LCD WILL AND ARE GETTING BIGGER AND MORE AFFORDABLE, (DROPPING 2% A MONTH...A QUOTE FROM THE CES CONVENTION IN LAS VAGAS). BUT DON'T WAIT TILL YOUR IN THE PINE BOX. GET A LCD/HDTV AND LIVE! AFTER READING THIS REVIEW OVER AND OVER, IT SOUNDS LIKE I WORK FOR SONY. I DON'T. I AM JUST SHARING MY THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS WITH YOU SO YOU CAN TAKE IT FROM THERE. NOTHING IS PERFECT, BUT THIS LAST 24 HOURS OF HI-DEFINITION TV IS CLOSE TO THE REAL THING.

I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO POO POO TOO, IF NEEDED.

ROGER H.
CANOGA PARK, CA.

Sony's XBR has long been their flagship. It has unparalleled quality, and a good price. It has lots of inputs, and decent built in speakers. But Sony released a comparable model in June 2000. It is the KP 61 HS-10. It is substantially clearer and has twice the scan rate. It is HDTV ready, and boasts more powerful speakers. And what's more, the retail price is far lower. I would look into both before buying, and actually go to a store and see them side by side before buying online.

this tv is the most exceptional tv in the marketplace today. if you really love to watch your tv programs on the big screen you cant miss with tis one!

Overall, an excellent product by a company known for its technological advances. Summary of TV below:

Dimensions: This TV takes up a fair amount of physical space considering it's one of the smaller screen TVs on the market. Approximate dimensions are 23" w X 22" d X 19" h .

Display: Clear crisp picture provided by the digital comb filter. Really couldn't be much better.

Controls: Intuitive remote control (i.e. I didn't have to read the instruction book to figure out most of the features), though the remote itself is a bit small. Some of the buttons like the "jump" button, which takes you back to the last channel you were watching is practically microscopic and located inconveniently on the left in the middle of the remote. The menu displays onscreen and you use the arrow and enter keys to manipulate what you want. The only other small gripe I have is that one of the picture control categories is a bit unclear. For example, "picture" really means contrast (why didn't they just call it contrast?). Other than what I've mentioned here, it's very easy to find your way around this Sony.

AV input: Plenty of inputs galore to satisfy most home entertainment systems. I used the component video cables (which provide an awesome picture BTW), hooked the TV up to my stereo receiver, hooked the receiver up to my VCR and DVD player and for a very modest price I am able to experience stuff on this TV in high wattage stereo sound.

Sound: The stereo speakers take up quite a bit of physical space. Given this, you would think the sound would be a bit better. The main gripe I have is that there is no bass/treble control for the TV's speakers. Luckily I can control this on my stereo receiver but if you don't have that, you're pretty much stuck with the Sony factory presets on this one.

I only have one other minor gripe - for the first week there was a fairly strong "hot" smell that came from the back of the TV. The guy at Best Buy told me sometimes stuff gets spilled inside the unit and just needs to burn off. It did take about a week to burn off and now the TV is fine. I was going to exchange it after a week if it didn't but all is well so don't panic if you smell a little heat from the unit at first. It also depends on your own sensitivities as well. Generally, I'm very pleased with this TV. The main selling feature is the amazingly sharp picture and the glare reduction because of the flat screen. My DVDs have never looked better. There are cheaper flat screen TVs out there but I think it's best to go with Sony because they have been consistently rated well in consumer magazines. For overall value and quality this is excellent. I would have given it 4/12 stars but I can't so I give this TV 4 stars and recommend it.

I have owned the Sony KV-20FS12 for about a year and I LOVE it! The Picture is 11 on a scale of 1 to 10(10 being the highest). The Sound is very good, I would say a 9. If I wanted better sound, I'd get a DVD Surround System. The Headphone jack helps me at night when I don't want to disturb my friend. I would buy this tv again, if I could do it all over again.

There are certain things that I always consider worth the splurge; a quality car so that I'm never stuck by the side of a road, a really good pair of shoes to save me from blisters, and Sony display equipment.

The computer monitor and television market are both ruled by Sony on the high-end and for good reason. Sony's Trinitron tubes are remarkable and display vivid colors with the least possible amount of distortion in the picture. Until we can all afford the Sony Wega - this is the television to own. I'm very happy with all of my Sony Trinitron-based products and will continue to exclusively purchase them over others.

Along with the wonderful trinitron picture tube, this TV has great sound. Most people forget to check the sound package on a TV before they bring it home. This TV is one of the best.

If you're not yet in the market for an HDTV, this, or any of Sony's other 32-36" Trinitron tubes will not disappoint you. The relative clarity you receive with a "digital" cable service and/or digital dish service is excellent. Further, you can take advantage of Sony's 16:9 enhancement feature to enjoy the distortion correction of HDTV.

Pros: Picture Quality is excellent. The flat screen makes a world of difference.
Sound is very good also. I have hooked up an external sterero however.

Cons: This set is Heavy! Don't plan on moving this puppy around.
High price. You could get a non-flat screen 36" for MUCH cheaper. However, I felt that the flat screen is worth the extra $.
No HDTV. Its ok since there isn't much HD programming yet, and most sets you need to purchase an additional HDTV decoder which costs hundreds. It will probably be a few more years before HDTV becomes mainstream. I assume my Sony TV will break in the next 5-7 years like all other electronics made today, and then I will get a HDTV ready television.

Being that I don't watch PIP, I purchased the FS model. There are enough inputs for a DVD, game system, VCR, etc on this model. There is even a front input for devices you want to hook up for the short term.

toshiba makes good tvs for a reasonable price (compares to sony). this one is no exception. the pciture is very clear, the color is nature. the screen has not visible fuzz, hence very stable image. however, the screen is not as black as others (or as it claims). you will probably notice the whole picture color is a bit of "waterwashed" or lighter when compared side by side with others. adjusting pciture settings didn't make much of difference.

the stereo speakers are good enough. the sound is clear with normal settings.

it has nice features: sleep timeer, v-chip, 2 a/v plug (1 back, 1 front) and a grow-in-the-dark remote.

in all, if you looking for an additional tv for bedroom or dorm room, this one given the price and picture/sound quality is a nice buy. and give toshiba's reputation, it could last a long time.

in all:
design 4
picture clarity 4-1/2
pciture color 3-1/2
sound 4
features 4

I bought one of these for my daughter for Christmas and liked it so much I bought one for my son too. The picture and sound are great. It looks like a flat screen without the price. I plan to buy another one for another family member for her birthday.

THE TV IS PRETTY GOOD IN CLARITY AND IT SEEMS LIKE IT HAS A LOT FLATTER SCREEN THAN A RECENTLY PURCHASED RCA. BUT, TO PROGRAM THE CHANNELS SO THEY DISPLAY THE STATION ie ABC, ETC. YOU HAVE TO MANUALLY ENTER IT IN. THE RCA DOES IT AUTOMATICALLY AND HAS A "SMART MENU" ON IT. I PAID MORE FOR THE TOSHIBA SO I EXPECTED IT TO HAVE MORE.

2004 model of last year's 27A33 which received rave reviews. Quality TV with high end features at an outstanding price ($229.00 at Best Buy)-bought to replace 27" Sony 2 months ago while waiting for the 2006 HDTV situation to evolve. Picture quality and clarity are excellent; colorstream component video produces HDTV quality DVD's and highly recommend purchasing component video cables; sound/stereo quality is adequate/good but a non-issue as this TV is running through Onkyo/Polk stereo system for theater quality sound. Highly recommend.

I only have one negative comment about this newly released Toshiba design. When switching stations, I hear a "whump" in the first moment of sound. It seems like a dampening problem in the design. Probably only audiophiles will notice it, however. Other than that, I think it is an excellent buy for the money.

Gives a Big Theater appearance when used in the rather small living room of a modular home. As the manufacturer states: there is no glare such as conventional screens produce, and it does have an amazing viewing angle. Very easy setup to any other components. After owning most of the major brands, I recommend this product very highly. A great price too!

When searching for a replacement for my long-serving 32' SOny, which is now consigned to bedtime duty in the master bedroom, where it doesn't get much use, I finally decided upon this terrific new Toshiba model beacuse of its features, its terrific picture, and the quality of its built-in stereo. Now, given that I also have a new Sony 53" projection system in my family room that I use almost exclusively for movies, I have to admit one of the criteria for this one was its picture and relative price, thus I decided against paying twice as much for the added quality in a flat screen, and against going for HDTV at his point, since the digital quality of my cable gives me great resultion with a relatively basic TV.

Yet it has been in daily service here since about Thanksgiving time, and I have really come to enjoy it a great deal. It is situated in my living room, and I can watch the news as I prepare dinner in the kitchen even though the screen is almost ten yards away! So size does count, after all! I watch it in the morning while getting ready for work, and it is on for news and for the few favorite programs I do actually watch on a regular basis, although I am been watching CSPAN and Book TV more and more exclusively lately. At any rate, this is a very good device with excellent color, resolution, adn very good stereo sound given its price and size. I really like it, and am satisfied enough with it to consider other Toshiba products as well. Enjoy!

Our twelve year-old Toshiba set still had a great picture, but I was itching to get a replacement that had component video inputs to get the greatest quality from our new DVD player. Consumer Reports showed that Sony and Toshiba were the two top-rated brands over many years of evaluations. My budget would have allowed a 32" Sony WEGA or a 36" Toshiba conventional set. I settled on the 36" Toshiba and have been very happy with the decision. Our couch is eight feet from the TV and at first I was worried that it would be too close for comfortable viewing, but it has not been a problem at all. As nice as the old set still was, the sharp, clear, excellent color of this set is remarkable! We have digital cable; I can only wonder how much better still it would look with a digital satellite feed! The image looks even bigger in our home than it did in the store; it is like having our own movie theatre. We listen to regular programming through the set's speakers, but have the DVD player's audio going to the stereo system. The video quality of DVDs on this set (using the component video inputs) rivals HDTV (to my eyes). Some reviewers of older 36" Toshiba sets on the Internet reported a moire' pattern problem, but they must have fixed that as I have never seen any indication of that problem at all. I have watched a number of original Star Trek episodes on the new set and it is amazing how much more detail is visible in scenes on the 36" set than on the 32". If you want a wonderful set with a large screen and excellent image, but still under a thousand dollars, then this is the one for you - the Toshiba 36A42.

Originally sought a 44-52 inch projection TV, but the performance of this set for the price won me over. Great picutre, good color, sufficient connections for a true entertainment centers (2 cable In ports, - 1 for TV, 1 for Satellite - 1 cable Out port to split to another set, Component Inputs, 2 RCA In ports, 1 S-Video for DVD, 1 RCA Out to Amp). Terrific as a gaming/DVD viewing platform. Lighted multimedia remote is terrific, compatible with a mix-and-mash entertainment center (Technics, Samsung, Sony & Motorola parts, all compatible)...

This TV is awesome. It is definitely more affordable than the equivalent WEGA TV.