I agree with what other reviewers said, my main purpose is to provide an update since the model number is no longer correct. I believe the current model number is KV-20FV12 (that's what i got in Dec. 2000). None of the data sheets i've seen provide any clue to what might be the difference between 20FV10 and 20FV12. May be some other reviewers can shed some light on this. I found Sony electronics website very user unfriendly and poor on in-depth information.

There is also another 20" WEGA model by Sony - KV-20FS10 (the "FS", the last 2 numbers in the model number also vary, i believe) - but the "FV" has got better sound subsystem (by BBE), 5W built-in speakers instead of 3W, and - what was a deciding factor for me - an S-video in. The FV was $50 more expensive.

When i first saw this model in a store the picture looked awful. I wasn't shopping for a TV-set at the moment but i could not believe "the bad picture on the Sony" and i stopped and fiddled a bit with the controls just to see if this was the first Sony i saw that sucked picture-wise... Well in a couple of minutes i realized that it was just the opposite... Some simple adjustments gave me the most amazing picture on a non-HD TV i ever saw. (So if you don't like the picture in a store -- play with it, it is easy to adjust.) Needless to say that right then and there i realized that we needed a new TV... And i was right: the output from our 6-months old DVD-player (also Sony) looks twice as as good on a flat screen.

$400 is the least i could find it for in Dec. 2000 although it was a discount season but with Sony TVs it is very hard to get a bargain since they are so much better than the rest. I got mine shipping-and-tax-free from Outpost.com and got $12 back through ebates.com. That was the best deal on/off-line after a month of searching.

Oh, yeah... surprisingly, i also liked an AIWA flat-screen model while checking out various stores. The picture was comparable to that of WEGA's and the pricetag a $100 lower. i liked it so much that i was deciding between the two and could not make a decision based on picture quality alone. Have to admit in the end i decided to pay an extra $100 "just for the name" (Sony also looks much classier and have a superior sound which was not as important to me as a $100 at the moment - i use an external sound system anyway). So give the AIWA a look if you like the WEGA series but find it way too expensive (i do too)... The flat screen of the WEGAs is their main advantage and other manufacturers are moving there too. Recently, i saw a flat-screen Panasonic that wasn't half bad (in a store) and i think there are Toshiba flat-screens so the WEGAs are not the only choice...

there are a few little things i don't like about the remote control so i gave a 4 for Ease of Use... My problem with the remote is very minor it is mainly the fact that i have a Sony DVD player and a TV and although both remote controls provide some functions for each other it is still impossible to use just one of them. The TV remote is missing some very basic DVD player functions, while the DVD remote doesn't have the buttons for changing channels on TV. Further, although the TV remote can be switched from "VTR/DVD" to "SAT/CABLE" to "TV", some of the buttons are only used for one of this devices (e.g. TV/VTR button). These buttons will not work unless you switch remote to a correct device which should be unnecessary. I definitely think that Sony should work on their remote some more and come up with a unified TV/VTR/DVD design. Additionally, i find the remote control to be extremely "touchy", it goes off with a slightest touch which can be an annoyance. The angle range of the remote (i don't know the proper term, i mean the widest angle at which you need to point at TV for the remote to be sensed) is very comfortable to me. My VCR (damn you GoVideo!!!) is very "spoiled" in that respect, wouldn't do a thing unless you point directly at the sensor. With the Sony the angle is pleasantly forgiving yet not too wide. I believe, this is not limited to this model or even the entire WEGA series.

The controls on the TV set itself include:
- input selector (3-way: TV, VIDEO 1 (back input), VIDEO 2 (front input), the labels can be changed through the MENU, i changed "VIDEO 1" on mine to "DVD"),
- volume up and down,
- channels up and down,
- power on/off.
In a common covered compartment with the VIDEO 2 input on front panel there are 4 buttons to navigate through the MENU to program the TV. Operating the controls on the set is very easy.


Recommended: Yes