Sony KV-27FS120 27-Inch FD Trinitron WEGA Flat Screen TV
Best small/med non HDTV with clean 16:9 mode for DVDs
I've had a slew of uninspiring 19 inch conventional televisions, so this Sony 27 inch is practically perfect in size, picture quality, and function.  No, this is no HDTV and when viewing cable and tv shows, you can easily see more graininess and lines than an HDTV if you do a direct comparison, but for a conventional TV, it still is the best that I have seen.  <br />The picture is sharp, clear, and lively when you sit close and from afar.  Colors are saturated, but not overly so- the result is pleasing to my eyes and I enjoy watching it.  The biggest feature in my mind is the 16:9 mode.  This mode allows the TV to use all of its resolution for widescreen viewing, making it a mini 25-26&quot; widescreen.  In this mode, I cannot see any lines and the picture is clean and vivid.  Watching widescreen DVDs in this mode is so rich and clean- I cannot describe it- I swear it is close to HDTV, but in tiny form, but the clarity and resolution are still very high- Finding Nemo is very sharp and there are no lines visible to my eyes.  <br />There are some downsides that I have noticed- Even though this is a flatscreen, the glass has some distortions and lines are not perfectly straight.  This is normal in all tubed TVs.  Also, for this basic model, the 16:9 mode is activated in a menu so it takes like five button presses to get to turn it on.  The sound quality is improved, but you still need a surround system to get full sound.  As another reviewer has said, to turn off the TV sound (to use your own surround sound), you have to go through a menu.  I think the more expensive versions have direct buttons for these features.  <br />Dudes, you know how important a TV is when you get home and just want to veg- HDTV is great, but costly and not really ready for anything other than basic TV channels and DVDs.  If you are watching regular non HDTV channels on an HDTV, you will need a 34&quot; widescreen to get the same conventional 27&quot; picture.  For the price, I'd rather get this TV now and wait for HDTV when it matures (in about 2006).  The 27 inch TV is perfect for a small apartment or a large bedroom.  At a viewing distance of 6-7 feet, it feels intimate, but not &quot;large.&quot;  This TV is the cream of the crop in its class and provides entertainment without digging a large HDTV hole in your wallet.