Phemonenal picture clarity, LOTS of inputs, Front inputs, 4 preset or custom settings (if changed), well written manual, easy to operate, flat screen (reduced glare), attractive design.

Minor problem with darker left side of screen *so minor it can easily be overlooked* (more on this later), slight tilt problem (which can be corrected in settings), audio can use some more base (even when base is maxed out)

I have read other reviews on the KV32FV26 model and have seen complaints on the lack of inputs. They must have an older model of the Sony Wega, because mine has ALOT. This includes 3 composite inputs (2 rear, 1 front), 1 component input, 2 S-Video inputs (1 rear, 1 front) and 2 RF inputs.

When viewing DVD movies under the component video connection, the picture quality will astound you. I was almost convinced that i was looking out the window--it is THAT clear! The television includes 4 different settings which can be modified and saved. You can easily switch between these settings with the press of one button. I find this extremely useful because when playing video games, i prefer color, brightness and sharpness settings different from those during dvd viewing. This makes it so much more convenient to switch back and forth. Although Sony has its own preset settings, i find that they do not reveal the full potential of the product's quality. Though it may take a while to adjust for the most optimal settings, it is highly recommended.

Now with the infamous "left side is darker" problem. After reading many complaints about this, i was hesitant about getting the Sony Wega. The truth is, it is NOT NOTICEABLE 99% of the time. Yes, a small part of the left side (about 4 inches across) does appear to be darker than the rest of the screen but this occurs only when the entire screen is black. You will never notice it when there is a picture on the screen.

The other minor problem that i can think of is a slight tilt problem when viewing dvd's. I did not notice this until i read a complaint about it, and carefully inspected my Sony Wega and noticed it too. The black bars at the top and bottom of the screen of dvd movies seemed slanted or uneven. However, this can be easily corrected under "tilt correction" in the settings menu.

I honestly cannot think of any other weaknesses the KV32FV26 has. The sound could use more base, but that's just my opinion. In fact, the sound is exceptionally good when the 3d mode is selected. It creates a lush, surround-sound quality that immerses the viewer into whatever he or she is watching.

Overall, i cannot be more pleased with this product. It is far better than what i have imagined. If you are looking for a big screen television, the Sony Wega is the one to get!

Similar Products Used:

Sony Playstation 2, Sony 4-Head Hi Fi VCR

Unbeleivable sound from a TV

Sony Technical Support

I got a great deal on this TV at the Sony Outlet, so try to locate one near you if you are considering this TV. Make sure you bring a truck or an empty minivan to pick it up.

Now for my problem:
As many of you have reported, I too was seeing red "color banding" lines when I connected my DVD player up through the component inputs. S-Video and Composite video worked fine. I contacted Sony and they said it was my DVD player. I contacted Panasonic (I have a Panasonic DVD RV-30) and they said there is something wring with your TV because if S-video is working component video should work or be completely blank.

Needless to say, after searching the Internet I found many people have the same probelm (I wish Sony would realize this). The solution is to enter the service mode and adjust the HOSC setting to 11 (mine was originally set at 0). The best place to find information on the service mode is at http://www.members.accessus.net/~090/awh/sonyadj.html. Thank you to Anthony for posting this very valuable information.

Don't bother to call Sony, they have no idea what color banding is or what could be causing red lines to appear. Returing the TV, according to others, doesn't help. Once I made the correction I described, the picture was perfect.

This TV is a great bargin at $800. I hardly every turn on my stereo receiver (Harmon Kardon AVR-310) while watching TV. The SRS sound is incredible.
The headphone feature is nice, but I haven't used it yet.

Great picture, IR headphones, auto 16x9 enhancement

lack of inputs

Excellent TV... would of given it 5 stars if the S-video input in the front was in the back.

Good pic and sound

Had to tweak the picture a little bit.

Great Tv from the sony Wega line. I had to tweak with the service menu a little bit before I was completely satisfied but in the end it was all good.

Clearity, special feature like PIP, wireless headphone, etc.

Very very heavy. Get the stand,its a must, and besides it looks good with it.

We love this Sony KV36FV26. After the first week from delivery, I had notice a fist size dimble on the left side of the screen which is only noticable by reflection from the room back wall. The sale person came by within a few days of my call and he said that these large flat screens are typical of these flaws. Spending $1899 for this Sony, I felt that this explaination is unacceptable and I want to see another set to prove his point. The second set they brought was uncrated and brought into my family room. Both of us had notice no dimble or any noticable imperfections unlike the first set I received. Needless to say, I got the second set andthey return other one back to the shop for Sony to evaluate the problem.
Now that the problem was corrected, the entire family enjoy the quality and the combinations of accessories it has. The PIP is very usefull, but if you have cable with premium channel, you will need help to set up. The wireless headphone that comes with it is really handy. While the family is asleep, I didn't have to worry about waking them up from the sound of the tv.

Similar Products Used:

Sony KV36FS26

Keeps my TV stand from shifting.

Color banding with component video, tuner failure

I liked this TV prior to buying it.
I liked Sony when I bought this TV.
I liked the local dealer from whom I purchased the TV.

My feelings have changed on all counts.

First problem, out of the box this TV had color banding issues with component video input. After contacting both Sony and my local dealer -- neither had ever heard of this problem. The suggested swapping video cables. Nothing. Fortunately, a quick Internet search and (behold!) the fix -- entering Service Mode and changing a value. Banding problem solved, no thanks to either Sony or my dealer.

Next problem, I noticed intermittent static on several cable channels. No big deal, I thought it was external to the TV. I was wrong. Now I have my cable run into my $90 RCA VCR (which works perfectly) and then run my TV off of the video outs.

Sony has been of no help. They sold me a defective TV and then turned their backs on me. My local dealer must have attended Sony customer satisfaction courses as they just shrugged and asked me if I wanted to pay upwards of $200 to have their technician look at the set. No thanks. I can waste money on other things.

Anyone want a real "deal" on a Sony TV? The tuner is a bit flaky.

I would not buy this Sony TV nor will I ever throw money away with them (or my local dealer) again.

Similar Products Used:

Slightly rounder Sony Trinitron televisions.

appearance, sound system,

present picture quality while watchin tv channels

this is a review of the kv32fv27...

The stand came free with the tv, the dealer asked me if i wanted last year's model (which is just two shades lighter)
than the tv itself, which added a nice contrast. He says that Sony gives them out FREE to the dealers! Well, how's that for those people having to buy it for $159-$199!!! Its appearance seems to make a statement in my living room as it looks 'strong, robust'.

We had a Sony XBR 27" since 1993, and it too came with the headphones--so no surprise here, except that the headphones now are much noticeably lighter in weight.

I CANNOT seem to get the right balance of picture "rightness" as compared to my previous XBR (which was coming to its life's end, as we had to wait about 10-15 minutes after turning on, then having to "slam/slap" more than a couple of times on its sides to make the picture shrink down to its normal size)---WHEN WATCHING TV CHANNELS (and the cable company I subscribe to is 100% digital for all their channels). NOTE: Perhaps it has something to do with the recently changed electric outlet that performed to Acme Audio's silver plated electric outlet (which has received great reviews/comments-see www.audioasylum.com---it can be bought from www.boldercables.com at $25/ea, or $35/ea with its additional cryogenic treatment), and perhaps as it is breaking in the hours, the picture quality MAY get better (?). I did notice on my previous XBR that with this new outlet, it did improve the sound quality noticeably after a few hours of breaking-in with use.

Yes, the controls are good, especially with that joystick!

More than enough inputs...but the picture has me slightly disappointed. I won't make a big stink yet, since i only had it delivered this past Saturday at lunchtime.

While watching DVD, the picture quality is another story---
W-O-W...and this is with using the supplied s-video cable.
As they say that one will get the best picture quality from a component video cable, so I recently put in my order for these component video cables from The Audio Advisor (www.audioadvisor.com) and am awaiting my 1 meter length of Tributaries brand cables. You should buy from The Audio Advisor, as they ship also by priority mail---which is a hell less than what other firms are charging for FEDEX/UPS (some firms were charging shipping cost at $40+ just for these 1 pair of cables!).

Hey, Monster Cables are NOT the only cables around for you casual listeners! They do seem to have a niche in the home theater field---though they have lost in my opinion that niche in the audiophile community.

Anyway, I will give it about a month, then if the picture is not improving, I will call their technician to come and see if it needs calibrating.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 27" XBR

Picture; sound quality; auto 16:9 for dvd's; easy setup/menus; my 1 yr old can't reach power button

Remote control is annoying when using PIP. The set is too heavy to move if I need to. The matching TV stand doesn't fit all of my HT components (the VCR got the boot).

This is actually a review of the KV32FV27...

I was tempted to go for a HDTV set, but decided it wasn't worth it. In the stores I shopped, normal cable looked terrible on the HDTV sets. The salesmen claimed they just have a poor signal. I couldn't take that chance, since my wife is strongly opposed to us getting DirectTV. Also, the reviews on this site make it seem that the XBR's are much more trouble prone than the FV27's. I'm willing to wait until the HDTV technology is more mature.

So far, i'm quite happy with the TV. I got the TV just in time for HBO's Band of Brother's. This has been incredible to watch on my new set, in my pitch black basement. I find the picture to be very nice, though i'm no expert. What I have noticed is that black colors look really black. I'm still getting used to the flat screen (not that i'm complaining). I find the sound system to be very good, exceeding my expectations. For most TV watching, I don't find it necessary to turn on my HT system. The wireless headphones are an interesting feature and work well, but i'll probably never use them.

The TV has another nice feature that I won't use. You can set it up so that when you change the channel, the station and current tv show can be listed on the screen. To my disappointment, this info stays on the screen. I wish it would disappear after a few seconds.

I've only watched a couple of DVD's on the new set, but I've been quite pleased. I doubt i'll be running out to the movie theater too much. I'm happy to watch movies in my own theater.

To use all PIP features, you need to flip open the remote, exposing additional buttons. Only Swap and PIP on/off are on the main part of the remote. Audio, position, and PIP channel are on the flipped open part. Depending on what you want to do, it can be a pain to keep flipping this thing open and closed. The rest of the remote seems pretty logical to me.

Speaking of PIP, I like that you can change the audio between the PIP and the main screen.

The TV stand designed for this TV only holds my receiver, dvd player, and cable box. Yes, it looks good, but it won't fit my VCR.

As everyone mentions, the TV is very heavy. As a result, I had the TV delivered and installed. I'm glad I did, because it was no hassle for me.

I've given value 3 stars, because I think the value won't be clear until i've had the tv for at least 6 months. $1000+ still seems like a lot to pay for a tv.

Similar Products Used:

JVC 27" and various low budget 19" tv's

Auto anamorphic squeeze makes dvd's look awesome. Great sound. Love the different modes.

Too big for my room... I guess that's a weakness.

I did not expect this tv to turn out so good. Reading about all the different problems with other people having with this tv: ghosting, geometry, faint pinkish lines. Mine appears to be flawless. Geometry is almost perfect, a little curved at the edge, but that's normal. Other than that, the picture is wonderful. I just set my dvd player on 16:9 and when watching dvd's I am in awe. I really like the modes on this tv (movie, standard, sports...) It saves the brightness, sharpness... etc. Now I have the best of both worlds... awesome picture and dts for audio. Sony has captured me once again. Well done.

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic Superflat 32

Excellent picture, suprisingly good sound

Not enough inputs (1 Component, 2 S-Video BUT one S-Video is on the front panel...)

I just love this TV! I replaced an old 27" Sony, and the picture difference is amazing! Especially with DVDs. The wireless headphones future is also great when my wife doesn't want to listen.

My only gripe is that there just isn't enough good video inputs. It has 1 Component and 2 S-Video BUT one S-Video is on the front panel, so you are limited... I have a Sony DVD player, Playstation 2, VCR, and a DirecTV receiver, and I will have to buy a component switching A/V Receiver to handle all of that.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba 32" and RCA 32"