The Sony FD Trinitron WEGA, KD-27FS170 27" TV: A Solid Value for a Smaller Set.
Written: Dec 17 '06 (Updated Dec 27 '06)
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Pros: Image Quality/Clarity, Sony Brand, and Overall Value.
Cons: Sound Quality/Clarity
The Bottom Line: Standard to below expectations in sound, impressive image quality and it should have a decent lifespan around the household.
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| DeRango's Full Review: Sony KD-27FS170 27 inch TV |
After purchasing a similar television from Sony, my father requested my assistance in replacement of the family room secondary set. His only stipulation was that it would easily fit in his entertainment cabinet upstairs. Well the maximum size that the cabinet allowed was a 27 inch set. So after comparing several brands of flat panel televisions, I convinced him that this would be an excellent purchase.
Flat Panel Televisions are amongst the best quality units available on the market today, Sony does an excellent job of delivering fantastic picture, color, and clarity in the KD-27FS170 FD Trinitron. Sony is a name found in many areas of electronics and I usually shift my purchases towards this particular brand because of reliability and overall quality.
Manufactures Description
FD Trinitron WEGA Flat Screen Technology is the basis of Sony's award-winning line of visually flat televisions. The KD-27FS170 FD Trinitron set delivers incredible image accuracy, wide viewing angles, outstanding contrast, and corner-to-corner detail. The visually flat FD Trintron tube minimizes annoying glare from light sources, which enhances contrast. Detail, corner-to-corner, is rendered more accurately because images aren't distorted by a curved screen. Squares are square, straight lines appear straight, and circles are circular. It's all in the details with the KD-27FS170 FD Trinitron WEGA Flat Screen from Sony.
Out of the Box
Setting up the KD-27FS170 FD Trinitron TV was somewhat of a challenge to get situated due to its bulky size; however the experience getting started proved exactly the opposite. Even with a weight of 100lbs it was still a bit tricky to help get it into the cabinet. My main concern was not to damage the cabinet or Television because the space was somewhat limited by using the maximum size allowed by the cabinet.
The remote, menu features, and front buttons make using the set simple, which is a nice bonus. The menu comes up clearly and there are few submenus, which typically confuse people rather than assist them. Lucky for me my father is fairly competent when it comes to electronic equipment, and Sony did a nice job of making the setup easy enough for people of any skill level.
Contemporary Style
A Silver Cabinet Color, which encompasses the exterior of the entire television set. The buttons are clearly visible from the front of the unit and it should compliment a contemporary decor for most households. The silver color is fairly neutral so it should go with both dark and lighter cabinetry and woods. The television has a sharp appeal to it, and the quality is visible apparent when compare it to other similar sets. The cabinet where the television is currently place is a considered a lighter wood tone, no issues in matching color schemes as it complements it quite well.
Picture Quality
Comb Filter Digital 3-Line
Adjustable Color Temp.
The Sony Trintron flat tube delivers a truly high quality picture, along with fantastic clarity to compliment the rich realistic colors. Anyone into watching football will really appreciate the clear picture and extremely realistic detail the Sony delivers. Referring to the picture quality is known as clarity, which has proved quite excellent, with clear crisp images that do not offend the eye. Usage of this television has been quite comfortable, as the television is extremely clear in images for videos, action based movies, and. Again the Trinitron WEGA Flat Screen Technology produces an excellent overall picture in clarity, quality, and colors. Furthermore the clearness compliments the flat panel TV with glare reduction and increased viewing angles.
Movie Night
Watching action movies on this particular gives a realistic, and if you have a higher quality DVD player with the right cables, all the better. Enjoy watching movies as the picture quality compliments the overall experience with fantastic colors and crisp images. My father's favorite movies are James bond flicks, and this is the first thing we watched on it to verify the picture quality.
Sports Fans
Even though it is not as large in terms of screen size the quality is still excellent, and if you are enjoying your favorite sports game all the better. Sports channels like ESPN and Fox look sharp and the images of the field and players really look fantastic. The flat screen is great because of the glare reduction and realistic images, so even though it is not a big screen it still delivers a great picture.
Little Gaming Action
My brother was home for the holidays and I helped him setup the X-Box for a quick round of Halo. Very impressed with the clarity of grenades exploding and gun fire, unfortunately the sound quality did not compliment this experience. I used some of the jacks up front to quickly plug it in and we were off blowing up alien scum.
Daily Use
For those of you whom could not miss an episode of The Simpsons, the picture quality will be extremely satisfying as color tones and images will appear realistic and vibrant. Seeing this was the most important area of performing duties, the Sony FD Trinitron WEGA, KD-27FS170 27" TV: received high marks in this category of performance.
Sound
SAP / MTS Stereo SAP / MTS Stereo
Surround Sound Type Dolby Digital / AC3
Currently my father is using the speakers which came with the television. Personally I am not impressed with the highs, lows, tone, or quality of the overall sound. Yes it is good enough for day to day use, but I would still recommend hooking up the unit to a receiver. This would give a more realistic sound, by installing some surround sound speakers or even floor mounted speakers. The unit lacks a subwoofer, but then again most sets this size do not include this feature; however it would be nice if the unit produced a louder sound. This area of the television is mediocre, but unlike picture quality, we can improve this with aftermarket equipment.
Speakers
2 Speakers
Speaker Power: 2 x 5 Watt
Input/Output Jacks
Rear Input Connectors
• S-Video x 1
• Composite x 2
• Audio (RCA) x 2
• RF x 2
Front Input
• Composite x 1
• Audio (RCA) x 1
A smaller amount of room for hooking up several devices in the future, some connections could be for a receiver to increase the sound quality and capabilities. The location of these inputs is fairly standard, but it is nice to have some front inputs for hooking up Playstation, Xbox, or even a DVD player. Even though less input/output jacks are available than other models we looked at, the televisions main purpose will be for watching programs or movies, nothing to extravagant.
Remote
The layout of the remote seems fairly common, nothing to really report in the positive or negative category, it just seems average really. Functionality of the remote would be much easier to use if contained an illumination feature, which would light up when the buttons are pressed. The remote included batteries, yes it actually had them in the box. A smaller remote than most, but average in size, it does match the set in terms of color and appeal.
Recommendation
If you can see past a few sound flaws and the expensive technology costs, the overall picture quality for daily use really makes up the difference for the higher cost. The best experience would include the extremely clear picture, fantastic clarity of the screen, and the strong versatility for different day to day uses. The standard areas would clearly the remote, initial setup, and input/output jacks. Finally the major areas of improvement would be the sound quality and speaker size considering the money spent verses the overall performance of the speakers/sound. Overall if you are looking for a unit that fits into a cabinet, this would be a great choice, just make sure you have someone help you move it in.
At about $400.00 w/tax, the TV proves a good value, and overall positive recommendation as either a primary TV in a smaller room/home, or a secondary TV in a bedroom or Den.
Availability
Best Buy, Circuit City, Fry’s Electronics, and many online stores including Sony.com and Amazon.com
Features
Digital TV Standard SDTV
Screen Type Flat Screen
Diagonal Screen Size 27 inch
Display Capabilities
Aspect Ratio 4:3 • 16:9 Enhanced
Broadcast Format Supported 480i (SDTV)
Broadcast Format Displayed 480i (SDTV)
Built-in Tuner ATSC • NTSC
Details
Parental Control V-Chip
Sleep Timer
Energy Star Compliant
Screen Text
Channel Labels
Without Closed Caption On Mute
OSD Languages English • French • Spanish
Dimensions
Width: 30.25 in.
Depth: 19.63 in.
Height: 23.25 in.
Weight: 98 lb.
Warranty
Tube Warranty 2 Years
Overall Warranty 1 Years
Other Sony Products & Electronic Links
Toshiba 27D46 27" TV
Sony KD-34XBR970 34" TV
Terk TV5 TV Antenna
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 400.00
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