Oh sugar, it's so much bigger than I imagined!
Written: Sep 17 '06
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Sound: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
|
|
| Picture Quality: |
|
|
| Durability: |
|
|
|
Pros: Crystal clear picture. A name I can trust.
Cons: The writing on the remote is difficult to read.
The Bottom Line: I would recommend this television for anyone needing a second television or a first-time television for a smaller room.
|
|
|
| grneyedcwboy's Full Review: Sylvania 6520FDE 20 inch TV/DVD Combo TV |
As I touched it for the first time a slight moan of pleasure, if you will, escaped my lips. I never expected this. Its larger size was strangely arousing something inside of me. That 'something' I like to refer to as 'my happy place'
I was smiling at the magnificent specimen before me and I was speechless. Yes, here in front of me was something I couldn't explain.
A manufacturer had actually exceeded my expectations right out of the box!
I am, of course, talking about my Sylvania 20" TV/DVD combo. Let me back up and explain how I could be surprised at something I should have taken much time and effort to shop for before buying.
My father in law was recently put into a nursing home for rehab. All this was resulting from a stroke he had at the end of August. His stay there is not temporary as of this date, so he needed the bare essentials to make his stay there more tolerable. That included a television he could see. We toyed with the idea of buying him a TV/DVD combo but soon scrapped that idea since he wouldn't be able to operate the DVD. Instead, we would give him our 19" from our office. This resulted in our need for another television.
We needed to go to our local (35 miles away) K-mart for some sweat pants for my father in law. While we were there, my husband and I wandered through the electronics section. I was going to peruse the music cd's when we both gravitated towards the televisions. I never gave much thought to what kind of television would replace the one we gave to dear old dad. I just wanted something else to dust.
As I stood there with my husband, my eyes came upon a television on the top shelf that had a sale tag attached to it. It looked as if it might be the last one of this model by the way this particular television was up high and had boxes stacked in front of it. I couldn't really see the entire television. All I could see was that it had a DVD built into it and had front video and audio jacks.
My husband took over at this point (like he normally does with purchases over $100.00) and talked to the gentleman at the counter about the television. My husband asked me if I thought the sale price of $150.00 was a good price. I scanned the price tag and saw it originally sold for $199.00. I, in my infinite experience of penny pinching, quickly surmised that the price seemed reasonable for what he was getting.
Minutes later, the clerk came from the back with a new television in the box. We paid for the goods and went on with our day.
The next day, my husband set up our new purchase in the office while I was in the living room. After mere minutes, I could hear that the television had found it's new home. It sat up on the cabinet where the old one used to sit. I heard the remote cover snap on and then the television fired up for the first time.
I walked into the office and that's when it happened. I stood in awe. This television picture was HUGE! I didn't remember it being this big. It may have been an optical illusion but to me it seemed as if this television was most certainly not just a 20" model. I plopped my behind in my chair and watched as my husband as he flipped through a few channels. It was my turn now.
The Remote
I gingerly took the remote (OK, I snatched it) from my husband and began my critique. I scanned it for a moment then found the buttons to change channels and control volume. The remote has green writing on a gray background on the remote itself which is not a good choice as it is difficult to read. The buttons are highlighted in orange and white writing on certain buttons. Those were much clearer as was the bottom part of the remote itself that had black writing on the gray surface. The buttons were small, but not too small for me.
The Picture and Sound
The picture was crystal clear. The sound was above average at any volume. I nearly immediately felt that I wanted to switch this television for the 32" one in our bedroom because it was so clear. That won't happen though, based on my poor eyesight and need for glasses to watch television when in bed. Our present television in the bedroom is rather far away given the size of our bedroom, so the smaller Sylvania would probably make it more difficult for me.
The DVD Player
I grabbed a DVD and popped it in. There wasn't a painful delay while the DVD player read the DVD. The picture was again, crystal clear. The remote has 2 separate zoom features and all the other standard features you would expect. Disc Menu, Repeat, Audio, Subtitle, Title and Search Mode were some of the basic button features. There is an angle feature which shifts the picture. I am truly not sure why anyone would use this, but it is there for the taking! It didn't impress me much. The DVD player is quiet and smooth operating.
The Television
The front of the set has the audio/video jacks right up front. I like that. The buttons on the front are separated. The channels and volume on the left of the infrared eye and the DVD control buttons are on the right. On the far right is a headphone connection. I won't be utilizing that feature in the office but was impressed that it too, was on the front. The cable was easy to connect on the back of the set. There was an audio jack in the back of the set, but I don't know what useful purpose that could have without a video jack to accompany it.
My Happy Place
As I sat here today, reading reviews and watching the Kansas City Chiefs get whooped up on by my beloved Broncos, I found that I could see the jersey numbers without straining like I did on our old television. I can only imagine this same television in a 32" model. I would never leave the bedroom. Here's hoping my current television in the bedroom bites the dust soon.
Thanks for reading.
Teresa
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 150.00
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
grneyedcwboy
|
|
Member: Teresa Whitaker
Location: LaCygne KS
Reviews written: 107
Trusted by: 101 members
About Me:
I have a tendency to show up here at the strangest times!
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.