First of all, undertsand that NO television receiver is perfect in a wolrd of mass production. You just hope the the people of the assembly line and the QC tech were having a good day. That's true of ANY brand you buy unless you have a lot of money and can have something hand built for yourself.That said, my experience with my KV27V42 was a good one until last week, when the set failed after 8 years of heavy use. The problem, a common one with this model, involved a failure in verticle deflection.

The picure quality, ouf of the box, is not good if you rely on the factory presets. Get yourself a decent set-up disc and tweak from there. I ue the THX Optimizer that is included in many of the film that come George Lucas. It is more than sifficient for most consumer televisions. After about 15 minutes of tweaking you will have a picture that is the envy of the neighborhood. Honestly, I have never flt that I needed HD. Do I really need to see sweat on a basketball player in THAT much detail?

The "honk" that many here complain about is nothing. It's a one seconds pulse the degauses or purifies your picture tube. You want this..especially if you have powerful speaker that are placed too close to the screen and smudge the picture.

The speakers do rattle on bass notes. To solve this, disable the "surround" feature and you should be fine. You still have stereo.

The lines (3 of them) horizontally across the picture tube are tiny wires that hold the aperture in place. High quality picture tube have thses and they are usually noticable when you have an all-white picture. 99 per cent of the time you won't even notice it.

I purchased mine in 2001 from Sears becaue I couldn't afford the Wega, but I have no regert with this set. In fact, I intend to have it repaired and continue using it. If it fails a second time, then it will be time to set it out at the curb and go HD. These sets are worth fixing ONCE if the picture quality is still good and the bill is under $200.

Great picture, sound is pretty good, great value. Front A/V jacks.

Appearance of case needs updating. No component inputs.

I had previously bought a Phillips 27" TV (the new one that looks like a Wega copy). But after having problems with the Phillips, I bought the Sony on sale. Let me just say that I think the Sony is a far superior set. The picture is much clearer. Different shades of the same colors are separated much better. DVD''''''''s look better using the RCA''''''''s on the Sony than when using the component inputs on the Phillips. I''''''''ve made adjustments on the Sony to change the picture quality for my preferences, but I think that the picture looks great at most settings. In this case, you are not adjusting the picture to improve the quality, only to adjust it to your preferences. I''''''''ve had a Sony Trinitron before, and this TV just reinforces my opinion that Sony''''''''s are definately worth the extra $$$. Hope it is as durable as my 20" model! (6+ years).

Similar Products Used:

Sony, RCA, Phillips

Great picture, sound is pretty good, great value. Front A/V jacks.

Appearance of case needs updating. No component inputs.

I had previously bought a Phillips 27" TV (the new one that looks like a Wega copy). But after having problems with the Phillips, I bought the Sony on sale. Let me just say that I think the Sony is a far superior set. The picture is much clearer. Different shades of the same colors are separated much better. DVD''''''''s look better using the RCA''''''''s on the Sony than when using the component inputs on the Phillips. I''''''''ve made adjustments on the Sony to change the picture quality for my preferences, but I think that the picture looks great at most settings. In this case, you are not adjusting the picture to improve the quality, only to adjust it to your preferences. I''''''''ve had a Sony Trinitron before, and this TV just reinforces my opinion that Sony''''''''s are definately worth the extra $$$. Hope it is as durable as my 20" model! (6+ years).

Similar Products Used:

Sony, RCA, Phillips

The Sony name, GREAT picture clarity for a non HD set. decent sound. good remote menus

poor ergonomics of remote. WEAK power supply ( shame shame for cutting corners on such a vital piece)

Bought this Model after our 15 year old NEC 20" finally went to pasture. Overall I am pleased with this TV. The picture settings from the factory were maladjusted, but a little time on my part and they are fine now. I used the AVIA home theater setup DVD for setting all the values. you can pick one up on an auction site for $20 or so. I have had NONE of the tilt/ convergence/ or s-video input problems reported here. Maybe I got lucky, I dont know. I would like to see another s-video input, and component video inputs. I like the controls on top, they dont clutter the front of the screen, and my 3 year old cant reach them! The degaussing is loud, but a desireable feature. I suspect the trapezoid problems people are having maybe due to the brightness set too high. The power supply is weak on this model, and during the video setup onthe the AVIA DVD, It showed bowing out at mid to high setting of the brightness. most of us watch with the brightness too high, and it actually prolongs tube life if it is lower ( not to mention you will see your movies as intended by the directors). the remote is to sensitive( i continually depress buttons by laying another remote on top of it)

Similar Products Used:

NEC 20" TV

Picture, price

The picture on this set was good right out of the box. No problems seen that were stated in some previous reviews. The sound is decent, but for movies have to use a reciever. The overall value of this set is very good. There are cheaper sets, but the quality tends to be poor. This set is about half the price of a comparable WEGA set.

Flat screen, price

Entry-level television

If you're looking for a low-price set that retains the quality of higher priced models, this is the TV for you. The flatness of the screen was a big issue for me, and this is as flat as they come in this price range. Some people seem to think the picture in Sonys is dull, but I prefer the image quality of this set to most others. How a set looks will always vary depending on who the viewer is, which is why I strongly suggest actually looking at sets in person before ordering them.

There are plenty of inputs on this model: Two composites in the rear, one composite in front, one s-video in back, and one coax in back. However, I believe the s-video and one of the rear composites are "linked", as you cannot use them at the same time. When you cycle through the different input modes, you get TV (coax), and Video 1, 2, and 3. There is also a set of audio out RCAs.

The ausio that comes out of the set is surprisingly good. Most people, myself included, will use a receiver and external speakers for audio, but the built-in speakers are some of the best I've heard. The simulated surround sound is pretty cool, and regular Stereo and Mono can also be selected. If you're buying this for a bedroom, dorm room, or just don't have a real stereo yet, the built-in sound will get you by just fine.

I love the picture on the set. One of the benefits of a flat screen is that you can get a pretty clear picture from any angle, unlike "bubble" televisions. I haven't had a problem with any of the discoloration, artifacts, or tilted-screen that other people have mentioned. There is no picture-in-picture, but for the price, I'd actually choose that as the first thing to go. Be warned that the tube is not as black as most other sets, but I honestly didn't think it made an impact on picture quality. Maybe when you get up over 36" the blackness is more important.

The manual that comes with the set is nothing special; enough digrams and instructions, but not beyond the call of duty. The same applies for the remote.... it gets the job done, and feels sturdy, but isn't spectactular. This TV is heavy as hell, make sure you have some help if you're going to carry it. If you're going to use DVD with it, get a good S-video cable... the picture is awesome! The only really annoying thing about it is the *loud* noise it makes when turning on.

At the time of this writing, the KV27V42 could be found for about $400, both online and in brick-and-mortars. I gave the value four stars, because there ARE cheaper TVs out there, some under $300. The overall gets five stars, as to me, this TV beats anything in it's class.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba CZ32V51, Sharp 25"

Not really sure

It wasn't built that well

I bought this television thinking it'd be the end to all of my problems. WRONG! After shelling out $450, I took it home. When I opened up the box, I experienced the biggest dissapointment of my life. The corners of the television were MELTED. Yes melted. I know it was hot out, but c'mon! It was as if the boys at TeleShack was cookin' it on an oven. Just seeing the thing dissinigrate was enough to make me take it back. I returned it and got the much cheaper Toshiba CZ32V51. This television has component video AND, it still hasn't melted.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba CZ32V51

Accurracy of the colors, Dazzeling brilliance.

Loud wallowing sound when you turn it on.

I first must disagree with the gent below. If Sony is noted for anything it would be the accuracy of the colors. I have viewed many of these televisions and have not seen or experienced anything like some of you have written about. I would suggest that you return the TV as you surely received a lemon. And as many as they make that would be understandable.

The tv does have a " wollowing" sound when you turn it on. It is due to the fact that the tv emits a signal. I know this because it turns my subwoofer on when it comes on.

The tube however is excellent. The colors accurate, and the sound is not an issue since I play it thru my amp. Sony has got a winner here. Some of you obviously have a BAD cable system and signal. One good thing about the cable system where I'm from is it's fiber optic and the signal is strong and clear. Disney is as clear as my DVD. And that's the truth. Sony has the best 27' TV on the market. This comes from a person that has never owned a Sony TV in his life.

Similar Products Used:

JVC

flat screen, attractive looking tv

Color and sound quality, price

This model has much to be desired. The color quality seems distorted and getting a realistic color scheme is quite the task. The sound is fine at moderate levels,but at high levels it become distorted. Considering the price of 400 dollars i am quite disappointed

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic 27G34

Cabinet Design, Flatness of the screen

Noise during turn on

I just got this set, and I am impressed with the level of detail and brightness that it produces. Runs rings around the Zenith that it replaces. I tried a Sharp and a Philips before getting the Sony. I hope that I don't encounter the quality problems that others have experienced.

I agree with most that this is a bad time to buy a tv and that this set may be a great compromise. I like the configuration menus-(a lot better than Philips). This seems to be a great TV-I am happy with it and look forward to enjoying it. I paid $399 for it a local electronics store.

Similar Products Used:

Philips Magnovox, JVC, Zenith