Rating: 
Summary: Consistent distortion and uneven brightness, dissapointing
Review: I got one of these 27" Wegas, as soon as I selected channel 35 to watch CNN I noticed a mild stretching and shrinking of the news tickers on the bottom left corner of the screen. There was also a mild vertical distortion (concavity) on the right border. Reading the reviews on audioreview.com I realized the ubiquitousness of the distortion issue with the Wegas. Before returning or exchanging I went back to the store ... just to inspect in excrutiating detail all their Wega units on display. Selected the CNN channel in all of them and fixed my eyes on the crawling words. 27", 32" as well as 36" Wegas, all had some degree of noticeable distortion. Another test I applied was to choose an input without incoming signal (e.g. video 3), then to turn the brightness all the way up. The screen should appear evenly gray. On my Wega at home, as well as on most Wegas in the store, next to the left border there was a vertical stripe slightly brighter than the rest of the screen, not only brighter but bluer, looking similar to a computer monitor when adjusting the horizontal position of the image and you take it too much to the left, so that it seems to wrap around. Incidentally, there was a 27" Wega on display right next to a 27" Panasonic Tau. Irregardless of brand, screen flatness really reduces lamp reflections greatly, something very convenient on both TVs. Channel switching is noticeably faster in the Sony though, the Sony has this 16:9 mode totally absent in the Tau, and Sony's menu and remote are way better than the Tau's. Actually, and contrary to many other people's opinion, I think the remote for this Wega is pretty good, but I have a learning AllForOne Cinema7+ at home anyway. The 27" Wega and Tau cost exactly the same price in [the store]. Overall, I preferred the features from the Sony, even though with the TV's turned off, the Panasonic box looks nicer to me. The images on both TVs are quite comparable I think. I changed the 27" for a Wega 32" to see if I got luckier with the bigger unit. This one actually had more problems than the 27". Same brightness/bluish tone all over the left border, but also bluish on the bottom right hand corner now. Take into account that the Wegas have automatic degaussing (demagnetization) everytime you turn them on. That's why there is this loud "cough" the TV makes when turning it on. In spite of that feature, these pigmentations never went away even after a couple of weeks. There was also a concavity on the middle-top of the image, and when choosing a no-signal input and turning brightness on, I saw this one also had very uneven brightness. It was brighter and bluer on the left border as I have previously pointed out, but also, if dividing the screen into three vertical sections of equal width, the left and right thirds were brighter than the middle one. So I changed the 32" back for another 27". This third Wega ended up being slightly better than (or rather, slightly not as bad as) the other two, even though the left border still was brighter and slightly bluer than the rest of the screen, there is still some mild distortion present when reading news tickers, there is also vertical distortion near the top on both left and right border, and there is a conversion problem (reds and blues slightly out of alignment) on bottom right hand corner. I've read on the web (haven't verified it though) that the convergence adjustment options are NOT available on the Sony special "service menu" of the 27" Wegas, so any convergence issues are particularly bad on any 27" Wega. In conclusion I'm very dissapointed with the annoying flaws that seem to appear so consistently in most Wega units, well in most flat screen CRT TV's after all. But unless you consider a good line doubler + a good computer monitor or a digital TV to watch regular broadcasts, you have to realize the image on this TV is acceptable, and hardly any other NTSC 27" TV will look any better. I actually considered the line doubler+computer screen option, but the DVDO line doubler alone is more expensive than this TV, and the computer screen would only reach 21" viewable area, as opposed to 27". On the other hand, the almost distortion-free quality, the richness of adjusment options, and the solution of flat screen CRT computer monitors (e.g. Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 2020u, even some Sony computer monitors) are just so beyond the ridiculous and terrible image quality of current mass market analog TVs (yes, the market is that immature believe it or not). Image quality of NTSC is just ridiculously bad and low compared to what display technology has been capable of for decades. By the way, watch out for the misconception of another reviewer: this TV does have component inputs, but only *normal* ntsc component inputs, which have nothing to do with the High Definition (HD) component inputs of digital TVs. So for any "Justin Case": THIS WEGA IS A PLAIN NTSC (ANALOG) TV, IT IS NOT A DIGITAL TV...
Rating: 
Summary: Pink Bar on Left Side
Review: I have had this KV-27FS13 TV for 4 days and so far I am very happy. However, in reading reviews on other sites that talk about a pink bar on the left side when there is a white background - We'll guess what? Mine has the faint pink bar also.
I think that I can live with it and would have not noticed unless I read other reviews from Circuit City and audioreview.com This TV has a great picture sound remote control and features. Do you think that the Pink bar stuff is going to get worse? I did not buy the extended warranty. Anybody else know about this?
Rating:
Summary: I love it, aside from...
Review: I purchased the TV from Circuit City almost a year ago. At the time, I was looking at both the Wega and the Tau. Since they were the same price I went with the Wega based on Sony reputation. I have a 20 inch Trinitron that has the same wonderful picture since I bought over 8 years ago. Anyhoo, I do like the Wega. The picture clarity is good, but I can't comment on the sound since I don't use the speakers. I like that my Sony satellite receiver can control it. My only problem with it is the pink bars on both the left and right side of the screen. They are quite noticeable on white backgrounds e.g. hockey games. I've read numerous forums entries where others have the same issue. Sony's response is to place unshielded speakers/devices more than 5 feet away from the TV. My speakers are Bose and are definitely shielded, but I've humoured them and tried it to no avail. If you're thinking of purchasing this item and are a hockey fan, you may want to reconsider...
Rating: 
Summary: Entertainment bliss
Review: I was lucky enough to have a roommate who bought this TV at the start of the academic year. It's a great TV, definitely worth the price, with really no flaws. Now that my roommate has moved out, I'm going to buy one for myself and would recommend this model to anyone looking for quality and value. Here are five reasons to get the 27" Wega: 1. Superb picture quality. I have a hard time imagining how HDTV could be any better... the images are vivid, crisp, bright, and ultra-realistic. Go to Best Buy and it will take you about two minutes to tell that this Sony model has the best picture of all the 27" TVs (a couple others are about as good, but I can't speak for their other attributes). Whether it's a cable feed or DVD, watching this TV for hours at a time is a pleasure. Monday Night Football games are awesome on this TV. 2. The flat-screen. It's 50% style and 50% substance. They just look cooler, though whether the image is better depends on the lighting conditions. If you turn off all the lights and watch from the front, a regular TV looks the same. But the flat-screen significantly reduces glare and reflections from windows and ceiling lights, and provides a better image from the side. I am living away from my regular apartment this summer and rented a normal 27" TV, and can definitely tell the difference. It's worth the extra [money]. 3. Sound. I felt no need to upgrade the speakers on this TV, despite giving it a heavy workload of DVDs, video games with surround sound, and NFL games. If you have mondo speakers lying around, then good for you, but if you don't want to lay down a few hundred dollars on speakers, then you'll do very well with the 27" Wega. 4. The size. 27" is a medium-sized TV, but it somehow looks larger. It's definitely big enough to get sucked into movies and whatever you're watching. I tend to think a bigger screen would stretch the image quality of a cable signal and you'd see some fuzziness. 5. Sony quality and reliability. It's never had a problem and functioned perfectly for a year. Having the classic SONY logo on your TV stand just makes you feel like you made a quality purchase. Sony isn't great at all things, but they make damn good TVs. All-in-all, it's a can't-miss purchase. Awesome picture quality for years to come with great sound and overall quality. If you have [money] to spend on a TV, this is the best the market has to offer.
Rating:
Summary: Entertainment bliss
Review: I was lucky enough to have a roommate who bought this TV at the start of the academic year. It's a great TV, definitely worth the price, with really no flaws. Now that my roommate has moved out, I'm going to buy one for myself and would recommend this model to anyone looking for quality and value. Here are five reasons to get the 27" Wega: 1. Superb picture quality. I have a hard time imagining how HDTV could be any better... the images are vivid, crisp, bright, and ultra-realistic. Go to Best Buy and it will take you about two minutes to tell that this Sony model has the best picture of all the 27" TVs (a couple others are about as good, but I can't speak for their other attributes). Whether it's a cable feed or DVD, watching this TV for hours at a time is a pleasure. Monday Night Football games are awesome on this TV. 2. The flat-screen. It's 50% style and 50% substance. They just look cooler, though whether the image is better depends on the lighting conditions. If you turn off all the lights and watch from the front, a regular TV looks the same. But the flat-screen significantly reduces glare and reflections from windows and ceiling lights, and provides a better image from the side. I am living away from my regular apartment this summer and rented a normal 27" TV, and can definitely tell the difference. It's worth the extra [money]. 3. Sound. I felt no need to upgrade the speakers on this TV, despite giving it a heavy workload of DVDs, video games with surround sound, and NFL games. If you have mondo speakers lying around, then good for you, but if you don't want to lay down a few hundred dollars on speakers, then you'll do very well with the 27" Wega. 4. The size. 27" is a medium-sized TV, but it somehow looks larger. It's definitely big enough to get sucked into movies and whatever you're watching. I tend to think a bigger screen would stretch the image quality of a cable signal and you'd see some fuzziness. 5. Sony quality and reliability. It's never had a problem and functioned perfectly for a year. Having the classic SONY logo on your TV stand just makes you feel like you made a quality purchase. Sony isn't great at all things, but they make damn good TVs. All-in-all, it's a can't-miss purchase. Awesome picture quality for years to come with great sound and overall quality. If you have [money] to spend on a TV, this is the best the market has to offer.
Rating:
Summary: Everything great but geometry!
Review: I'll not repeat all the comments of previous review, except to say the glowing praise of clarity and detail, as well as the 16:9 feature are on target. The complaints about the weight and deep menus are similarly on target. The only thing keeping me from giving this TV a 5 instead of a 4 is GEOMETRY! There are NO straight lines on this TV. I'd return it for a second time (this is the 2nd of this model I got from Circuit City) but the darn thing weighs 100 lbs, and the 16:9 feature is wonderful for my home videos shot in that aspect ratio. By geometry, I mean things like graphics and text crawls on news channels are warped, and not even in a forgivable symmetrical / concave way. It's odd and inexcusable. Others have experienced the same thing. [Please] look CLOSELY at it on a variety of channels before buying. If the geometry and price don't bother you, buy it. If you can see the warpage and hate it, and don't need the 16:9 anamorphic capability, there are probably better options from JVC and Panasonic. From here on out I'll probably take Sony off the very top of my list of brands, and notch 'em down one or two.
Rating:
Summary: 4.5 stars
Review: I've had this television for probably about a year. It is a fantastic set. I am no videophile but I can tell you that it has the best picture of any set that I have owned. I'm pretty sure that it also has the best picture that I have seen on just about any television that I have sat down in front of (not including a TV store). Pros: Great picture. Crisp and clear for television. I have a local cable company providers cable box hooked up into the S-Video input. It looks great.
I have a Sony DVD player hooked up through the component video inputs. The picture is incredible. I must add though, that some DVD's are not looking as good as I would have expected when compared to others. I think that has alot to do with the DVDs in these rare cases though. Star Wars Episod 2 looks insanely good. So do many others. Some, for some reason do not. 16x9 mode. This is also great for wide screen dvds. It increases the resolution in a very noticable way. I must add though that better instructions need to be given regarding the dvd players aspect ratio and what to do to make this feature work correctly. If done wrong, this feature makes the picture squish a little (very noticable). But when you do it correctly, it makes all the difference in the world. A very good option to have. I'm told the resolution gets to be about 33% better. It sure looks it. Cons: I too have seen some white patches at the top left and rights sides when playing certain dvds. The only time I see them is during the intro to star trek episodes on DVD when all you see is the stars against a dark backround. The white patches are there and are noticable during this brief period. I don't watch hockey like the others and have therefore not seen the pink bars on the side they see during bright white scenes. I have had no issues with bright white scenes. The more colorful the better is the impression that I get with this TV. One more con and that's all. Although the DVD quality is incredible for most DVDs, there are a few where during dark scenes you see what one person refered to as "hundreds of bugs running all over the place". I guess this is that grainy look that digital sometimes has. I think this comes from bad DVD's. Anyway, I do see this sometimes and am still pleased with this set. It can only be as good as what you put on it. All in all. I Love this set and would buy it again. I paid about 500 for it and didn't find it too hard to get it in my apt. It is very versitile. It was a little heavy, but I think that that is a good sign that everything that needs to be in there, is.
Rating:
Summary: 4.5 stars
Review: I've had this television for probably about a year. It is a fantastic set. I am no videophile but I can tell you that it has the best picture of any set that I have owned. I'm pretty sure that it also has the best picture that I have seen on just about any television that I have sat down in front of (not including a TV store). Pros: Great picture. Crisp and clear for television. I have a local cable company providers cable box hooked up into the S-Video input. It looks great.
I have a Sony DVD player hooked up through the component video inputs. The picture is incredible. I must add though, that some DVD's are not looking as good as I would have expected when compared to others. I think that has alot to do with the DVDs in these rare cases though. Star Wars Episod 2 looks insanely good. So do many others. Some, for some reason do not. 16x9 mode. This is also great for wide screen dvds. It increases the resolution in a very noticable way. I must add though that better instructions need to be given regarding the dvd players aspect ratio and what to do to make this feature work correctly. If done wrong, this feature makes the picture squish a little (very noticable). But when you do it correctly, it makes all the difference in the world. A very good option to have. I'm told the resolution gets to be about 33% better. It sure looks it. Cons: I too have seen some white patches at the top left and rights sides when playing certain dvds. The only time I see them is during the intro to star trek episodes on DVD when all you see is the stars against a dark backround. The white patches are there and are noticable during this brief period. I don't watch hockey like the others and have therefore not seen the pink bars on the side they see during bright white scenes. I have had no issues with bright white scenes. The more colorful the better is the impression that I get with this TV. One more con and that's all. Although the DVD quality is incredible for most DVDs, there are a few where during dark scenes you see what one person refered to as "hundreds of bugs running all over the place". I guess this is that grainy look that digital sometimes has. I think this comes from bad DVD's. Anyway, I do see this sometimes and am still pleased with this set. It can only be as good as what you put on it. All in all. I Love this set and would buy it again. I paid about 500 for it and didn't find it too hard to get it in my apt. It is very versitile. It was a little heavy, but I think that that is a good sign that everything that needs to be in there, is.
Rating:
Summary: Well Worth The Investment
Review: My choice of this TV was in large part based on the fact that I was going to have to live with it for a few years. The additional investment for a Sony WEGA was a no brainer. To save [$] or so now and live with less than what I really wanted for a long time was NOT something I was willing to do. I researched reviews and always came up with the conclusion this was the best in quailty and technology (short of spending thousands on HDTV). Now, I am not a technofreak who looks for every tiny flaw. I also believe that the highly experienced engineers at Sony bust their behind to produce a fine quality product. I believe Sony spends a lot of time and money to build a TV that you can take out of the box, plug it in and get a first quality picture and sound. That is EXACTLY what I got! I can not help but wonder if some of the negative comments about warping and color come from those people who believe they can do better than the engineers at Sony and go into the controls and begin to adjust. I didn't and you know what? I have NO warping of anything, the color and calirty of the picture and the sound is wonderful! I GOT EXACTLY WHAT I EXPECTED AND MORE! I would buy this TV again in a second. Last, I love Amazon.com. I am not a big fan of [store]though. I bought my TV from [internet store] for exactly the same price... If you'd be willing to spend what amounts to maybe a dollar a month for the next couple of years to have the best then buy this Sony WEGA. Every time you turn it on you'll know you got the best.
Rating:
Summary: Nice picture, nice sound, but...
Review: My previous TV, a 25-incher, conked out two days before Thanksgiving. After three days of furious research, I ventured out to my "local" electronics store (8 miles away!) at 8 am the Friday morning after Thanksgiving. I had already decided on a Sony 27" flat-screen and didn't need PIP, so the KV27FS13 was the one. It was rather difficult to judge the quality of the picture in the store; I couldn't get more than five feet away from the set, arrayed as they were down narrow aisles. But the price was right, and I've had a good experience with my Sony flat-screen computer monitor.
The punchline: The salesman asked," How many do you want? We have 19 in stock." Ooh. (...)One for every bedroom. As if. With bungee cords, the box barely fit in the trunk of my Caprice, but I got it home and in the door, courtesy of my trusty handcart.
Getting it up on the TV stand with no help proved harder. At 100 pounds and with few right angles for my hands to get a purchase on, it's a big'un. I'm glad I got the in-home repair plan, 'cause I ain't movin' that thing again till it's ready to go to that home theater in the sky. But enough of all that. You want to know about the picture. Well, it's flat, and there is less glare, but it's a picture. The ugly little secret no one will admit is that picture quality is dependent on many things, none having to do with the flatness of one's TV screen. This has been brought brutally home to me during the time I've had the set. On the stations with high quality signals, the picture is fantastically bright and clear. I can see the weave in fabrics, the blemishes, laughlines and stretchmarks on actors' skins, the veins on leaves and petals, the scratches and nicks in football players' helmets. Watching certain cable channels, old family videos or clapped-out video-store rentals, however, is an exercise in frustration. I can only compare the experience to trying to read fine print without my bifocals. Our local peacock-network affiliate has multiple ghosts and scratchy sound, as it has for the last three years. Around back, it's got more plugs and outlets than my stereo receiver. From the looks of them, you could hook up enough speakers to start a second Northridge quake. The cable connection worked, and that's all I cared about. A few minor quibbles. There's no flat surface on top to rest the cable guide and TV listings. Why bother putting volume, channel, and on-off controls along the top front edge of the cabinet? And the color of that cabinet can best be described as stained-with-a-few-years-worth-of-kitchen-grease-silver. Sony, please. Either make it bright silver or paint it black. Once you OPEN AND READ THE MANUAL, this TV's onscreen menus are a joy to use. And I have a Sony VCR, so I can use its remote and the TV's remote almost interchangeably. Very nice. Moms 'n' Dads who use TV as an electronic babysitter will be happy to know that through the use of this Sony's password-prompted parental controls, their progeny can be blocked from seeing anything but G-rated fare, so hopefully they will grow up be model students and upstanding citizens and not stand around smoking and spitting and making noise in front of my house. We shall see. Watching old CinemaScope movies that have been letterboxed is a much more pleasant experience than on my old 1989 25" bubble-screen. If you do a lot of that, you might want to spring for a 32" flat-screen, but invite some strong friends over for pizza and beer the day you bring it home. It's close to 200 pounds (Yes, I asked while I was at the store.) Sound? It's head-and-shoulders above that coming from my old TV, whose two integral "stereo" speakers were partially blocked by the housing. I've already tried hooking the TV up to my stereo system using both the back and front audio ports, and the sound is phenomenal. I got a pretty good idea of what surround sound would be like if I ever went that route. Again, the sound is best on newer shows that were in stereo to begin with. Old movies and TV shows(my favorite kind) didn't have clear-as-a-bell sound to begin with, and there's not much improvement in 1950's audio even on a 2001 flat-screen stereo set. So there you are, folks. If you're going to buy a Wega or any other flat-screen TV, buy it. Wonderful picture, wonderful sound under ideal conditions. But don't expect it to be a cure-all for weak output from the aforementioned sources. If anything, the high-quality display and the relative power of the speakers will exacerbate the flaws in these sources.As we used to say in the bad old days of DOS and the bad new days of HTML, "Garbage in, garbage out."
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