accurate picture, full sound

crappy remote, typical so-so Sony manual

In spite of some negative reviews, I looked at dozens of competing sets and bought the kv27v42 instead of the Vega based on price. I have only used the set for a little over a week, but I am very pleased with both picture and sound and have not yet experienced any of the color or geometry distortion mentioned by others. While other folks mentioned a slightly "dull" picture, I find an overly bright picture to be irritating upon extended viewing. The picture on the Sony reminded me of my old Mitsubishi 19", which went belly up after 16 good years of service. Yes, there is a loud "thump" upon turnon, the remote is not particularly well designed to fit comfortably in your hand, and the manual can be confusing, requiring a little trial and error to navigate Sony's system of nested menus. For under $350, however, it still blows away most other 27-inchers for only slightly more money.

Similar Products Used:

none

Vertically flat screen, Fairly accurate sharpness and color, Above-average sound, Intuitive Remote, Good overall value

Many sets seem to have geometry problems, Spotty build quality

This TV has a lot going for it, if you manage to get an example that does not have geometry problems.

The first set I purchased showed a trapezoidal image when playing DVD's that were 16:9 or 2.35:1. The problem was not subtle! The top black band was perfectly horizontal, but the lower one was well over 1/2 an inch thicker on one side than the other! I returned it to the store (PC Richard, whose selesperson was very professional and helpful throughout the ordeal) and was given the chance to look at another one in the store. This one too had a similar problem. Although less pronounced than the first, it was still noticeable, and would have annoyed me for the life of the TV. I ended up buying the more expensive KV24-FV10 instead, with which I am very happy in my small living room, but I am disappointed with how far the quality of "regular" Sony TV's has slipped.

My recommendation is: if you like Sony's color and slighly soft picture (to mne it's more natural but may like a more saturated look), and have the opportunity to check ou the particular set you'd be be buying while in the store, give the model a chance. Otherwise look to the higher end Sonys or to another manufacturer.

Similar Products Used:

Sony KV24-FV10, Panasonic CT27-SF26

Nice looking cabinet.

The picture has 5 to 6 faint horizontal black lines accross the screen on any source.

I have really grown to hate this TV, and Sony. I have owned the TV since late December of '99. It was taken to the Ultimate Electronics repair shop on April 13th, 2000, when I first noticed 6 or so black horizontal lines accross the screen. At first the techs could not see what I was talking about. I went down to the shop to show them, so they didn't think I was nuts. When I pointed out the lines they said it looked as if the tube was burned. All I watch on the TV is movies, so I couldn't see it being burned, especially after only three months. The tech agreed that movie watching shouldn't have harmed the tube. After over a month without a TV, waiting for the new tube to come in, I got a call from Ultimate. The repair tech said that the new tube came in, and he could see the same lines in the new tube without it even being on. The tech called Sony, they said that the lines were normal, why did they send a new tube then? Two more months went by without a TV while I waited for a multi-billion dollar company to decide whether the were going to let me upgrade my $450 TV to a $800 VEGA or not. They finally gave me the go ahead; Sony doesn't give you any deals either. My TV was pro-rated from the day of purchase, even though it had spent more time in the repair shop than in my home. I had to spend another $300 to get the 27" Vega. It is now July 12th and I still don't have the Vega. Apparently it was shipped to me on the 26th of June. I live less than 6 hours from the warehouse, and more than two weeks later I still am without the Vega, (Which probably isn't much better anyhow.) Sony was nice enough though to let me take my TV home a couple of weeks ago to use untill the new on comes. When I took it in to Ultimate Electronics I had a problem with horizontal black lines. I got the TV back with the same lines, and now the picture tilts to the left 1". It's pretty annoying when you are watching widescreen movies. It also has a glitch in the S-Video input. Whenever the credits are being shown, or in darker scenes of a movie the TV loses the DVD players signal and goes blank untill more action is taking place on the screen. I would not recommend Ultimate Electronics repair shop to ANYONE. I am also very,very frustrated with Sony's customer service. I've got their automated system memorized now, and I'm far too accustomed to hearing "All of our operators are busy..., ... your call will be answered in 45 minutes" Sony CAN make good video products, but quality control, and customer service are LOUSY!

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Panasonic Superflat

Picture quality

S-Video Doesn't work**One S-video

I got the Dolby Digital set up with this tv (Yamaha 795a Receiver and Yamaha 795 DVD player) and noticed that there was a small circular hair line on the left hand side of the tv when playing DVD's through ths S-Video. After trying different setups, the conclusion was that the S-Video on the back of the TV doesn't work perefectly!!! Now I have to run my DVD picktures through RCA jacks. I can't really tell the difference when in comparing S-Video to RCA, but this really sucks on Sony's part to make a crappy S-Video Input. If you can afford the $$$ Check out a bigger model (32 inch+) and a different name brand.