Picture

Weight Remote-It's an expensive analog TV. Marantz gave me a brilliant learning control with a a/v receiver costing less.

I've been watching the fv-16 for the past three years. I think it has a better picture than any of the non-HD TVs that I now sell, and this is with subpar connections which will soon change. I've been very, very pleased with it. The picture is very smooth, yet not blurry like 480i signals on digital TVs. So natural, so loved.

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Panasonic CT27SL13 This is my second TV, one that I just purchased. The color seems to be a little intense, but there is no bleeding. It's one that I can move about myself. The pixels are much more evident on this TV.

Great picture quality and sound

pink stripes, bad geometry, having to lug 2 100 lb. tv's back to the store.

Despite the warnings, I purchased a new kv-27fv-17 last month from Tweeter. The first one I got had the nasty pink stripe down the left side. I returned it and picked up another from Sears, and this one has some messed up geometry -- the black line on the 16:9 widescreen is not straight (looks almost like a sine curve, going up and down). You can also notice it, as others have mentioned, during the CNBC ticker tape scroll. I'm at a loss as to what to do. I already purchased the stand, so I have to find another FV, which is difficult b/c they are discontinued, or get an FS series. Sony sucks big time. I would have gone for the Tau if I didn't get a discount from my Sony Card.

Excellent picture, very good sound.

Geometry, poor color purity.

This review is for the KV27FV17. Based on rave reviews on CC website I expected the KV27FV17 to perform similar to the KV24FV12, not so this set appears to come in two versions jewel or junk. Needless to say I got the infamous geometry, color plagued version which I returned to CC. It would seem as pronounced as these defects are Sony would be aware, stop production and apply a fix. My set was manufactured Dec 01 so this at least up to then is not the case.

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Sony KV24FV12

Great picture, DVD looks great with component video input, sounds pretty good for a TV

Sleep timer is possesed by the devil!!!!!

Ok I have nothing bad to say about the picture, or the sound, but the Sleep timer is very Wrong!. No matter what time you set it to, 30,45,60,90,120 mins it doesnt shut off at the chosen time. When the Tv does shut off, it will turn itself back on alittle while later.

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other sony's

Clear and vibrant picture quality, sound (15 watts) with adjustable bass and treble

Flesh tones are slightly fuzzy, side speakers may restrict placement in some entertainment units

This TV has outstanding picture quality. Even better when viewing DVD. The four picture modes allow you to select the level of picture softness/brightness that makes viewing comfortable for you. The flat screen does help to reduce glare but does not eliminate it. The sound quality is deeper than any TV I've ever heard. You can even set the sound to remain at a constant level; although, I can't actually say I found this to be a natural viewing experience.

Yes, this unit is heavy and it can take two or more people to place it into a tight spot. However, it is also a reasonably shallow unit form its picture size.

I have read articles recommending this unit as a good entry-level choice for a home theatre system. Although the size of this unit is considered small for this purpose, the picture quality alone would substantiate their point.

You will not be disappointed with this TV and visitors will take notice of the outstanding picture quality. The XBR Wega picture quality is even better; but only if you are willing to pay a lot more. I purchased this product to hold me over until HDTV becomes a practical reality.

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Prior Sony, JVC

This is just a follow up to my review. I have been getting a ton of emails asking how i got the tv for so cheap. Its from a Sony employee discount and you cannot get it in the store for that price. Hopefully this will stop the emails.

like others here have noted: flat screen, 16:9 enhanced mode, plethora of features, etc.

lackluster tuner which produces ghosts, sure takes alot of button pressing to get to 16:9 enhanced mode

this is a pretty good tv thats packed to the rafters with extra features of which half of them i'll probably never use. boasts excellent picture with broadcast tv and dvd as well as vhs. yes that 16:9 enhanced mode is pretty nice. i would say it makes a big difference( roughly 33% diff)although i do agree a larger set would make this feature even more appealing. the favorite channel feature is something i've never encountered before and i like it alot: you get to view 7 of your favorite manually set channels then view them in a small seperate window as you scroll through the list. kudos sony. 5 across the boards.

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all the other tv's at best buy (why do all tv's look so dang terrible at best buy? do they do that on purpose?)

features to keep Home theater enthusiasts busy, colorful on-screen display, 2 RF inputs, remote, see below

Trinitron tube not as accurate as JVC's, 16 : 9 mode a little overhyped

Before getting into the details of the TV, I would like to account the trials and tribulations of my first high-performance TV purchase, as an illustration of the type of mistakes that people may make when they are misinformed.

Last week, while looking at the Sony WEGA 27FV16 and the JVC 27F802 on the store shelf, my father and I agreed that upon first impressions JVC seemed more impressive. It benefits from being a newer model (the Sony was 8 months old), the scan lines on it appeared less pronounced, and its exterior design --resembling a sleek, gray picture frame-- was more modern. We bought it on the spot, without the benefit of reading any reviews or without its specs being in any of my buyer's guides.

We brought it home, hooked it up, and I was truly shocked at the stunning picture quality of local channels over our $20 indoor antenna. While doing some more research on the set, I was upset at not finding its specs at the JVC site, and that only one review of it was posted in audioreview.com. Lacking these information, I nevertheless advised another prospective TV buyer in the Techtalk forum that this JVC model is one of the best 27" models available under a grand.

My post ellicited several attacks --many of them from ardent WEGA owners-- who claim that the 27FV16 was the best. They pointed out that the JVC lacks the "Enhanced 16 : 9 mode", or "anamorphic squeeze" in which anamorphic dvds are shown with more of the vertical resolution. As I read more about the Sony, my resolve and confidence on the JVC melted away. Sony's site listed a long list of features for their model. WEGA's large following of reviewers ecstatically recommended this TV. I went to the store, but have been unable to see demonstration of the "enhanced 16 : 9" feature from an anamorhic dvd on the Sony. However, I was bought by Sony's more intuitive interface (Sony designs the best on-screen menus). Suddenly, the JVC did not seem so impressive at all.

We decided to exchange the JVC 27F802 for the Sony 27FV16. However, this brought complications, as the original packaging was missing. We gulped and dished out the $230 restocking fee. We are now Sony owners.

Of course, after hooking the unit, I tested the "enhanced 16 : 9" feature which everyone raved about and was the primary reason for exchange. There is no question a difference --a slight increase in vertical resolution. However, this difference was small, and negligible on a 27" screen viewed nine feet away. I looked at the TV's other features.

Finally, here is the portion of my long review where I talk about the products themselves. I have owned both the JVC 27F802 and the Sony 27FV16. I have compared them with the same equipment and source material:

JVC 27F802
Pros:
1) the most advanced comb filter on the market today (the 4MEGA 10BIT 3D Y/C Comb Filter) truly does make a noticably accurate picture. The blacks on the JVC was deeper than the Sony. There was also less ghosting and artifacts on moving objects on the JVC.
2)For some reason, I do not know why, but the JVC's scan lines appear slightly less pronounced than on the Sony.
3) DUAL component inputs is very good if you have a use for them.
4) The tuner on the JVC is incredible. A few of my local channels over my el-cheapo indoor antenna looked like digital satellite feeds. Do not underestimate the importance of the tuner; spoiled by the JVC's clarity, we were upset at seeing ghosting and shadows on our local channels on the Sony set. This advice would not apply to people who do not use antennas.
5) It's newer. My Sony has a production date of July 2000 (it is 6 months old already).

Cons:
1) Lack of " 16 : 9 enhanced" mode (anamporhic squeeze).
2) The JVC lacks tiny details which make owning the Sony a very satisfying experience: the "video label" feature, the tactile feel of the buttons on the remote, the colorful on-screen display, the handles on the boxes to lug it around (the JVC broke our back when we took it back to the store).

Rating: 4 stars for these shortcomings.

Sony 27FV16
Pros:
1) Extremely feature packed. Has Color-temp presets.
2) TWO RF inputs useful if you have both satelite and antenna.
3) the 16:9 mode works, although a bit overrated on a model of this small screen size.

Cons:
1) Picture is not as sharp or accurate as the JVC
2) The Scan lines are apparent even when viewed 9' away --not very good at all.

Rating: also 4 stars for these shortcomings (who said I have to give a five to any one?)

Was it worth for me to have paid the restocking fee to exchange the JVC for the Sony? Of course not. This is not to say that the Sony was not a good unit. They are both the best models, depending on your needs. However, the JVC-even without the Enhanced 16:9 mode- makes DVD's look stunning, thanks to its less-noticible scan lines (the Sony looks worse without this feature). Thus, if you watch a lot of anamorphic DVD's, or if you are buying a 32" or larger tv, go with the Sony FV series for the greater resolution in its 16 : 9 mode. If you watch more television, or if you watch a lot of non-anamorphic dvd's (like Indian films) as I do, the JVC is a better choice because of its better pic quality and incomparable tuner.

Lesson Learned: Trust your own eyes before heeding to the words of "experts". Email me with any questions about these fine units.

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JVC I-Art 27F802

Excellent picture and full of wonderfull features.

none

I just got this TV a week ago with my first home theater system. I purchased this TV because it's the best 27" TV out there. I really love the quality when using the 16x9 V-Compression. It took me a while to figure out I had to change the DVDs output to 16x9 format. Otherwise it shrunk the picture down beyond the already widescreen picture. Being my fist DVD system I went a little crazy and bought $1000 in movies. I've been having a great time watching my favorite movies on DVD. I wonder how I lived with VHS and tv audio for so long...

Amazing, 15Wx2 speakers system.
16:9 enhanced mode.
Plenty of A/V inputs.
Great set-up menu layout.

High price.
Heavy weight.
Pictures seem digitized on weak signaled tv stations.

The 3D digital comb filter makes everything really sharp and detailed. When I switched VM (velocity modulation) on HIGH, I saw the zits and razor bumps on Keanu Reeves' neck in the Matrix. I'm not kidding. I keep the VM off because I hear it prolongs the TV's life. I have set my DVD to play 16:9 aspect ratio, connected to the FV16 using component video cable. Using SONY's 16:9 enhanced mode, watching DVDs are now more pleasurable than before. I though it was a big hype with this 16:9 enhance mode. But, I truly found that DVD pic.quality was much better on this mode. Of course, the DVDs have to be 16:9 anamorphically decoded to get the better quality on TV. However, when watching cable tv, I find that while some stations seem really great, other weak signaled stations looked poorer on this FV16 than my older trinitron tv. This, they say is due to their 3d-digital comb filter that enhances picture quality which at the same time, enhances the flaws from analog sources. I have not calibrated my TV settings but I didn't like what I saw watching movies on my VCR on this tv. It looked a bit washed out and grainy.