Sony KV-34HS420 34-Inch FD Trinitron WEGA HD-Ready CRT TV

Review by davidmbfonz for Sony KV-34HS420 34-Inch FD Trinitron WEGA HD-Ready CRT TV
Rating:
I bought this new Sony earlier this week and it is amazing. Of course, the grain-of-salt part of this review should be stated – this is my first HDTV and I am still in awe of the images. Truly remarkable. I was looking for a 34-inch direct-view tube TV (CRT) mostly because of the price. But, what I’ve found out since (even finding this out AFTER my purchase), is that direct-view tube TVs have better image quality, especially blacks and contrast, than plasma or LCD! I couldn’t believe that at first, because I truly thought I was making a compromise by opting for a CRT display. Not so.

I also must admit my slight embarrassment when I found out that I bought the biggest direct-view widescreen tube TV that there is. This was also an accident, as I thought there must be bigger. In the store, of course, this TV looks much smaller than many of the others that surround it. But in my decent-sized living room, it’s big! Oh, and so crystal clear. I’m not usually a documentary buff, but I’ll watch ANYTHING in HDTV at this point… the Olympics will be awesome in HDTV.

One last thing – I feel like I received two presents in one because the widescreen display now makes all of my DVD collection look brand-new again. It’s truly awseome! Oh, and by the way, I insisted on the salesman at circuit city showing me a better model for my money (limiting to approx. 34-inches and only widescreen considered) and he couldn’t do it. The only better model I was considering was the XBR version of this TV (which comes with a built-in tuner, but with cable or satellie, you won’t need a tuner). But, it was $600-$700 more! No way!

In summary, I don’t usually consider myself a top-of-the-line A/V guy (“good enough” has always been my and my wallet’s motto), but this new Sony makes me feel like a big spender! Enjoy!

October Update: It’s been almost 3 months of sheer joy with this TV – the price hasn’t gone down yet either, and that makes me think I got a good deal ($1350 on sale at Circuit City pre-olympics). The sleek, uncluttered look combined with the bragging rights of Sony quality and reliability make me the envied early adopter in my neighborhood. The HD channels that I get through Time Warner are adequate, but I always want more. Discovery channel in HD is your best bet for showing off to visitors. One last thing – I’ve talked with a number of people and done some more reading and it’s pretty clear that the CRT (tube) version of HDTV is a safe bet now – it’s cheap, but also tried-and-true technology that has been perfected over a 50-year period. Forget expensive warranties. This Sony is at the top of its game! 🙂

Review by Brandon Stanton for Sony KV-34HS420 34-Inch FD Trinitron WEGA HD-Ready CRT TV
Rating:
This HDTV has me and all my friends glued to anything and everything that we watch on it. Regular tv shows are improved, HDTV shows are unbelieveably realistic and vivid. My DVD’s, XBOX, and Playstation2 games seem like they are the next generation of games yet to come. I highly recommend this TV and be sure to get all of the top of the shelf cables, and power strips/power signal cleaners for it. Give this tv the best and it gives it right back to you.

One thing though…be sure to have this baby delivered! Have the stand ready for the delivery guys (probably gonna be at least 3 if not 4) to set it up onto. This baby weighs in at a whopping 200LBS! and is very front heavy and awkward to lift. My 3 friends and I almost dropped mine a few times getting it up the stairs; and where they placed in on my entertainment console, is where it is going to stay for a long time I am sure. And where I plop myself down on the couch in front of it, is where I will be for a long time too… Maybe I should upgrade my couch too…

Review by Mark Somol for Sony KV-34HS420 34-Inch FD Trinitron WEGA HD-Ready CRT TV
Rating:
I spent 3 months researching TVs before finally selecting this sony. I learned that CRTs still have some of the best pictures out there, particularly in this size range. My brother has a 42″ rear projection HDTV and I have watched TV on some of the big plasmas, so I had some first-hand experience to compare this Sony.

In the end, my decision was based on a combination of size and cost — 34″ was the biggest I could go, $1500 max price. So, I took a careful look at many TVs and narrowed a list down to the following: Panasonic CT-34WX54, Philips 34PW8502, Zenith C34W37, Toshiba 34HF83. Several of those manufacturers have new models, so make sure to check on them. Each were around the same price (I got in on the $1350 deal for the Sony at Circuit City in July, as a previous reviewer noted) and had similar features. I picked this list as these manufacturers have reputations for good quality CRTs — you can’t go wrong with any of them. As many will say, you have to see TVs to really tell what you like. The Sony won for me.

I would highly suggest anyone buying a new TV also invest in AVIA’s Guide to Home Theater or Digital Video Essentials. These products will help you calibrate your TV so you get the most out of your investment.

I have had this TV for about 6 months and I am extremely pleased with it. Everything works flawlessly and most importantly the picture looks fanastic. Watching the Sox win the World Series in HD was a great sight!

Review by D. R. Schryer for Sony KV-34HS420 34-Inch FD Trinitron WEGA HD-Ready CRT TV
Rating:
Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t have to buy an expensive plasma or LCD (liquid crystal display) TV to get a great high-definition picture. In fact, many experts (including Consumer Reports) assert that high-definition TVs using traditional cathode-ray tube technology — as this high-definition Sony does — currently offer a sharper picture than plasma and LCD TVs, plus they are much less expensive and more reliable. This widescreen HD Sony TV has a very good picture with standard broadcasts and an outstanding picture with HD broadcasts and DVDs. If you’d like to get a widescreen high-definition TV now but you don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on an expensive plasma or LCD set, please consider this 34″ Sony. The picture is superb and the price is quite reasonable.

Review by M. Fabro for Sony KV-34HS420 34-Inch FD Trinitron WEGA HD-Ready CRT TV
Rating:
After much research, I still believe that the CRT technology is unmatched for HDTV. Take your time and visit the stores and watch how images are refreshed on LCD or plasma then compare to CRT. There is only one reason to by the flat screens: if you have space problem.

Picture quality (your first requirement in a TV) is outstanding. In HD is breathtaking. I fully agree with another review listing the Discovery HD channel as your “guest amazement” option. I got hooked up to that and it is now my channel of choice. The image is so perfect that I wish I could print it out to create posters.

Audio is very good, of course you can connect it to a HT system, good values around 400 $ will give you a great improvement.

This SONY 34″ HDTV is awesome but will take one whole corner (about a four by four feet space) out of your living room. It is also extremely heavy (about 160 lbs) so forget about dragging it very much upstairs.

There are only two things I would improve: add a second HDMI input (a must if you want to connect an up-converting DVD) and add a ‘toggle’ button on the remote for the input sequence. The TV has seven different inputs (from regular analog cable, through a sequence of S-Video and composite inputs, to the high end HDMI). It would be nice to be able to, say, ‘toggle’ between HDTV cable box and DVD without having to go through all of them.

So, if you are looking for an HDTV now, this is your match. For the next few years the quality of CRT will still remain on top. Be sure however to decide between the 30″ and 34″ size. I felt that the 30″ was too small for my living room but I have to say that the 16:9 aspect ratio may throw you off: this is a large TV.