TV Reviews

if you own this model please tell me , does it really have a s-video imput and a front A/V in front and another in the back? I am looking for a tv that has 2 a/v's and 1 s-video, I need them for my toshiba dual dvd player, playstation 2(yes I have one) and dreamcast.

I recently bought this tv and all I can say is that it is great. It has a pretty low price for its size and I really enjoy playing videogames on it. If you would like an affordable tv this is it.

This tv is the best. I only use it for my dvds and playstation. I strongly reccomend it because the picture quality is amazing.

I bought this TV about five days ago. I was the highest cost unit in the store so I expected video quality at least as good as my old Sony TV. However the picture is fuzzy with high degrees of pixalization. For small graphics the pixalization causes actual "sparkling". After watching the history channel where they place small graphic on the lower right hand corner throughout the program I noticed that I was drawn to the graphic more than the actual show. I am going to get a 4:3 model or wait for the new generation of LCD with 3:2 drop-down and better conversion circuitry.

The compact size of this TV allows it to fit comfortably on the top shelf of a bookshelf. The picture is as clear as one can get without investing a whole lot more. When the Time-Warner CATV people have come to the premises, they have given it a "WOW!" rating.

some seans come out too blue but most of the time it is great. when I saw it in the stores it had animations on it not live action so it was harder to tell how good the pict realy was, but very nice pict great for the places you don't have room most tvs.the speaker space for the speakers on the sides is too wide.
The speakers cabnets themselves could have been narrower, the cabnet the speakers are in are twice as wide as the actual speakers.
I wish it was in black, since my purchase I have seen it refurbished in black,but no brand new in black. wish it didn,t cost more than a big screen.

I bought this TV about five days ago. I was the highest cost unit in the store so I expected video quality at least as good as my old Sony TV. However the picture is fuzzy with high degrees of pixalization. For small graphics the pixalization causes actual "sparkling". After watching the history channel where they place small graphic on the lower right hand corner throughout the program I noticed that I was drawn to the graphic more than the actual show. I am going to get a 4:3 model or wait for the new generation of LCD with 3:2 drop-down and better conversion circuitry.

The compact size of this TV allows it to fit comfortably on the top shelf of a bookshelf. The picture is as clear as one can get without investing a whole lot more. When the Time-Warner CATV people have come to the premises, they have given it a "WOW!" rating.

some seans come out too blue but most of the time it is great. when I saw it in the stores it had animations on it not live action so it was harder to tell how good the pict realy was, but very nice pict great for the places you don't have room most tvs.the speaker space for the speakers on the sides is too wide.
The speakers cabnets themselves could have been narrower, the cabnet the speakers are in are twice as wide as the actual speakers.
I wish it was in black, since my purchase I have seen it refurbished in black,but no brand new in black. wish it didn,t cost more than a big screen.

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.

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.

This set may cost a bit more than other 20 inch televisions, but it's the best. I use thid set for viewing DVD's in my bedroom, which it excels at. The picture is simply amazing. Once the color and brightness are properly adjusted the image seems to float in mid air, as if created through magic.

Definately an execlent choice for bedrooms or dorm rooms; if your looking for a 20 inch television and want the best, this set is for you.

service not too great - that's why the low rating. This was our first LCD T.V. purchase. T.V. konked out within 90 day warranty - no picture. E-mailed Funai first (no response). Then I called Funai and actually spoke to someone - because it was brought through Amazon (not a store) - had to use "Authorized Service Center". Authorized Service Center has now had t.v. for 3 weeks, and I'm told they're waiting for power supply. Needless to say, the 3 weeks has now made the unit older than the 90-day warranty, so if something else goes wrong, I'm stuck. I'd recommend another manufacturer.

I am a college student living in the dorms and this t.v. is awesome. It's perfect for my room. It's sleek and saves a lot of space. No worry about a big bulky box that takes up too much space and weighs a ton. It's really easy to use and has great picture quality. I have had it since I've come to college, about two and half months, and no problems yet. It's great!

I found this unit to have better picture quality , than most others in its size and price range.

Ive owned other Funai products and have had no problem with them. I even have a 20" Pure Flat set now for over 15 years , and never once had a problem.

Greatstyle and design.

I have the 27 inch version of Sylvania's TV/DVD/VCR. It has a wonderful picture, and it is VCR program friendly. The sound is very radio-like (not enough bass), however, it sounds standard for a TV. For stereo sound you'd have to connect it to your home stereo. What they don't tell you in the advertisements is that it has a sleep timer! You can set the TV to shut of in 30, 60, 90, or 120 minutes. This is great for people who fall asleep with the TV on. On the downside, the VCR plays loudly in comparison to how quiet the DVD player runs. It is also a very heavy TV-mine weighs 98 lbs. I paid under [money] for my set in November 2002; it was worth it. I plan to keep this set forever.

For the money, this is a pretty good deal, especially if you can find it on sale. It is about the same price as if you bought all three components separately, and still had stereo sound. You could go cheaper if you bought a mono TV and mono VCR. But, then why would want a DVD player, if you had mono sound.

The picture quality is acceptable, but not as good as the more expensive flat screen TV's from Sony, Toshiba or Philips. The sound is in stereo and it does have surround sound affects. However, the little three inch speakers don't have much bass response. Stereo separation is good, but dynamic range is disappointing. There is no sound adjustments available, so you can't boost the bass. The system does have audio outputs, so you could hook it up to boombox for improved sound.

The VCR and DVD are fully functional. It doesn't mention it on the box, but the DVD plays everything from MP3's to VCD's.

The menus, setup and remote control are all very nice and contain all the functions you would expect. The menus are easy to use.

The best thing is you have all three functions in a fairly compact space. The whole system isn't very heavy at 58 pounds. It is perfect for a bedroom. I got it for my son so he could play his video games in his room and still enjoy the stereo affects.

If you want to get a premium picture and premium sound, you would need to go up to the next level, like the Toshiba combo. However that will be a couple of hundred dollars more. But, if you want high quality, you would probably be better off getting separate components.

The last thing to consider when buying a combo system is the lifetime of the system. A TV can last 20 years, but the typical VCR lasts only about 5 to 7 years. I still have the Sony TV I bought in 1980 (but one I bought in 1993 has died already). In that time, I have gone through 5 VCR's. But, in 5 years, you won't care about the TV. Digital TV will finally take off, and any TV bought now will be obsolete. Plus, the prices will be so low, that it will be worth replacing everything.

...P>This unit combines the ability to play all these in a nice package. Picture and sound quality are above average. Appearance is acceptable. Generally a good deal.

The remote could be more user friendly and it's impossible to use in the dark. And it was more than I wanted to pay. But I am more than satisfied with it.

The only reason I must return it is the horrible loud high frequency humming coming from it that makes it unbearable. Other that that, it's a fine tv and I'm truly sorry I cannot stand the grating noise and keep and enjoy this tv.

The reception & picture using a simple indoor antenna are very good. Sound seems respectable, though that's hard to judge w/o doing a side-by-side comparison. HOWEVER - be careful. I ordered this tv, the 27A43, but really meant to order the 27AF43 (for about an extra $50). This tv does not have a flat screen, unlike the AF43. The speaker are not as high-end either. I wish that Toshiba had not made the model numbers so similar.

This 27" Toshiba is a very good TV set at an unbelievably low price for this level of quality and performance. Toshiba consistently makes excellent TV sets across their whole model line -- on a par with Sony but less expensive. One reason the picture on this set is so good is that it has a 3 line digital comb filter. A digital comb filter is essential for really good picture quality and a 3 line one is better still. All top performing sets have 3 line digital comb filters, but few sets in this price range have one. Yes, the picture tube on this set is "only" 27", while sets 50" or larger are now available. But do you really have a room large enough to do justice to a TV larger than 27"? Most people find that a good 27" TV is quite large enough for their TV viewing room. And, if you are one of the lucky few who have a very large room which could really benefit from a larger set, this set would serve nicely as a second set with an excellent picture at a bargain price.

This TV has a nice picture on any analog inputs. If I use my DSS through the cable input the picture is great. However, if I use it through the S-Video Input at times of high motion the TV can't decode the signal fast enough. The result is a bunch of blocks on your 50" screen. Pretty irritating to spend $1500 on a TV and see blocks as the signal quality! It is a super obvious problem with any S-Video or Component input source. I am not at all satisified with this product!

This "blocking" effect, known as pixeling, is the result of over compression of the digital signal by your DBS provider DIRECTV. This problem will eventually improve as DIRECTV launches more DBS satellites. I find EchoStar's DISH Network to be far superior as far as compression issues are concerened. Currently, EchoStar has more bandwith, therefore requiring less compression. I have a DISH Network receiver connected to my 62" Toshiba projection TV set via S-Video and am very pleased with the picture quality.

It is quite surprising to me that one could think that an S-Video cable is sending data to be "decoded" by the television. The problem the gentleman from Philadelphia was having had absolutely nothing to do with the television. He should be quite aware that the "decoding" is actually performed entirely by his DSS receiver and is caused by the lack of signal from the dish.

Though I cannot make a specific comment on this particular model, in my humble opinion Toshiba televisions are quite marvelous.

You can be reasonably assured as a customer that the macro blocks experienced by the reviewer from Philadelphia would be seen on ANY television this customer purchased - and that YOU will not be plagued by this problem if you have properly installed your dish. Though at one time or another any digital source such as digital cable or digital satellite will at times have this problem if the signal TO the box is not good.

It is my contention that the large blocks this reviewer witnessed on his TV were in fact of extraordinary image quality, though improperly "decoded" by his DSS receiver.

This tv tuner works..... However the max resolution is 800x600. I do not recommend playing video games or watch tv with this. The screen is extremely fuzzy. Get something else. This is not worth the price.

I had to write a review because I'm confused by the other review I saw. This item works GREAT for turning a computer monitor into a TV and the image is NOT fuzzy. As usual, people are getting confused between TV resolution and computer resolution. Computer resolution is WAY higher. Broadcast TV (not hdtv) uses a maximum of 720x486 resolution. And this is the maximum resolution of the TV Tuner box. People have GOT to remember that you do not sit a few inches away from your TVs, like you do a computer. Try sitting very close to your TV. It will be very fuzzy. If you do the same thing when sitting close to a computer monitor adapted into a TV, it will obviously also seem fuzzy. I'm on Amazon buying a SECOND unit for a friend because the first rocks. Most computer monitors are much higher in quality than a TV, and the picture on my computer monitor is much clearer than the same picture on my TV. I don't have any affiliation with Avermedia by the way. 5 out of 5 stars easy.

I purchased these speakers a couple months ago. Unfortunately it was a clearance sale so I could not return them. When they are working they sound great.

I have had trouble with the sub. It requires a very high volume to kick in - then works at any volume as it should. When i called C-V they said it is a common problem and is very easy to fix - two capacitors or something. They referred me to their local service guys who 'fixed' it - but the problem still remains. I went back to C-V and they said not a problem - we'll send you a new amp asap. That was a month ago and my system is still in shambles waiting for the new amp.

So, when the sub is working - the system really does sound great. Unfortunately you have to blast the system to get the woofer to kick in and it may go to sleep again if the movie has 20 minutes without a strong bass signal.

Reccomendation: carefully test them when you get them home and make sure there are more in stock before you take one home.

The AVS-5.1 is a superior performing set of home theater speakers. The center and satellite speakers produce crisp and wholesome sound with a lot of detail. The subwoofer, once the default setting is changed, produces a wonderful bass which is rich and mellow at even low volumes. At high volumes it continues its mellowness and never jars. Taken as a full set, the Cerwin Vega AVS-5.1 set produce amazingly good quality sound, comparable to the sound produced by high end speakers.

And what a good looking set of speakers!

Some people might take issue with an internal setting in the subwoofer. The sub does not kick in unless it receives a minimum volume signal. This can be annoying when you want to watch Dolby Digital/DTS movies at night. You would have to wake up your neighbors in order to turn on the sub.

Here's how to change the internal setting of the subwoofer:
You need to disconnect the amplifier from the sub and set the jumper from "auto" to "on". The "auto" mode does not let the sub kick in unless it receives a minimum volume signal. In my opinion, the this very easy to do and should not take more than a few minutes.

If you are squeamish about opening up and messing with the sub, then don't follow the procedure. Simply take a printout of this review to your nearest electronics service outlet. I don't recommend going the official customer support route with Cerwin Vega unless you want to deal with the hassles.

Warning - disconnect the power cable first! Remove the peripheral screws and carefully separate the amp from the unit. Carefully inspect the green circuit board until you locate the jumper - which clearly indicates "On", "Auto" and "Off" in white letters. Simply remove the jumper from the "Auto" position and insert in into the "On" position. Double check that the amp is still connected to the sub's speaker. Thats all you need to do. Now screw the amp back on, reconnect the power supply, turn on the sub and enjoy!

In conclusion, I am highly satisfied with this speaker set. I could not find a better 5.1 set for under $500.