Superb CRT TV
Written: Nov 03 '07 (Updated Jul 29 '08)
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Pros: Reference quality picture. Cheap!!!
Cons: Big, very, VERY heavy. Might be unreliable.
The Bottom Line: If you find an example in good condition that hasn't given a previous owner any problems, go ahead.
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| cmdr's Full Review: Sony KV-34HS420 34 inch TV |
OK in today's world of fast turnaround electronics this set is something of a dinosaur and no longer available as a new unit so, you might ask, why am I reviewing it? The simple answer is that these sets are now turning up quite commonly on the used market and if you shop around you could find yourself with a steal of a deal.
My former main TV was a Toshiba 42" rear projection which, although it offered superb performance, spent more time in the repair shop than in my home. I thought I'd got it fixed for good and then BAMM!! it went again. The repair guy told me it needed a new main board which would cost $600 inc. labor. I advertised it free to pick-up and it went to a grateful electronics student.
So I have a big hole where my TV used to be. What to do?
I wanted a new Panasonic 42" plasma but I just got back from a long overseas trip so I had a few more pressing expenses.
I started browsing the used market for a temporary replacement. I found this one on Craigslist for $500 and offered $350 which was accepted. I've seen this set variously advertised up to $900, used, so I guess that's a bargain. The owner was moving cross country and though he loved the TV it was just too big and heavy to transport. This and replacement with a new flat-panel seems to be the most common reason people are selling off sets like these and there seems to be a glut forming so keep your eyes on those classifieds.
Did I say heavy? I meant really, really heavy? If you're going to pick up one of these I recommend a minimum of three strong people. Two are needed to lift it and a third to stabilize the weight which is almost all canted to the front of the set. Ignore me at your peril. Once you've paid for the set you drop it, you lose it. There are no warranties in used TV land.
Having fought the thing back home I started to examine the features.
What we have is a 34", flatscreen, High Definition, CRT, direct-view set. Around the back it features one HDMI (high definition multi-media interface). Two, high-def capable, component video inputs, three standard definition inputs two of which have s-video sockets the third is composite video only, monitor out (composite video and stereo audio) for sending to a VCR/DVD recorder and one set of stereo audio outs for routing the sound through a stereo receiver. All of the video inputs, even the HDMI have matching stereo audio inputs. HDMI carries audio so I don't see the point here but I always like to see more rather than less flexibility. There is one additional set of inputs (s-video, composite and stereo audio) under a flap at the front of the TV though most current gamers would probably prefer an extra HDMI there in these days of High-Def video combat!
There is no headphone socket which is a shame because unless you have the TV hooked upped to a receiver there's no option for late night silent viewing.
This set was in 100% spotless "as new" condition. One careful owner indeed. Look out for signs of abuse such as worn anti-reflective coating on the front glass, broken front input flaps, case damage etc. and, if you see any of these, move on to the next vendor. Some reviews have suggested reliability issues but the owner reported three years faultless service so I guess he did the "break-in" for me. So far no probs in that department.
Size wise, sitting on a hastily acquired "TV stand" (make sure it's a strong one!!), the TV takes up about the same estate as the Toshiba. The frontal area is 44.5" diagonal so about the same as a 42" plasma. The set is very deep at 25" so factor this in.
OK the TV's hooked up to a Denon upscaling DVD player via HDMI, a Pioneer DVD/Hard Disc recorder over component and a Samsung SIR-T451 High Def ATSC tuner also over component. How does it look?
Initially it was a little disappointing. The major problem was some warped geometry which I don't think the previous owner had even noticed. It was worse on widescreen DVDs as the black bars above and below the screen were bent up in the middle and on-screen menus sloped down to the top right of the screen. A quick search of internet forums found this to be a not uncommon problem (and attributable to nearly all large, widescreen CRTs). I'm a tweaker so I found a service menu fix for this as did I also for the screen's tendency to "push" reds and "crush" blacks. Yep it's a CRT so black levels are stellar but the set's gamma curve (the gradation from black to white) is notoriously un-smooth. At first everything under a certain level of darkness disappeared into an inky black morass. There is a very quick service menu fix for this which involves raising the value of the sets SBRT (sub-brightness) parameter after which my set revealed an amazing control of dark shadow detail, you can clearly see people moving around and distinguish backgrounds in the most scantly lit night scenes. Why Sony didn't better calibrate these sets from the get-go is a mystery to me as poor set up really hampers the TV's ability to shine.
If the above adjustments sound a little scary for you then it's probably a good idea to factor in about $150 to have an ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) engineer do it for you. Some charge this figure "per input" but as most of the really important settings are global only one input calibration (the one you use most) should be necessary. Also TVs are increasingly being well set up from new these days (which means less work for engineers) so with this in mind you can probably barter a reasonable cost. Most engineers will be sympathetic to your budget, let's face it, you're not asking them to calibrate a 70 inch NEC plasma display are you?
Once tweaked you are in for a treat. The picture quality on these sets is out of this world. Colors are pure, rich and natural. Detail levels even in the darkest of scenes is off-the-chart good. Try watching a film like Pitch Black on most any LCD display and you may as well switch off the picture and just listen to the movie. Here you will see all the subtle gradations in dark backgrounds and shadows probably even better than your local movie theater unless you happen to live near an Arclight. Whites are natural and soft without that fake "blueness" so many displays suffer from.
There are four basic picture modes. Vivid which is awful: totally bleached out, oversaturated and with a ton of edge enhancement. Why oh! why? If you like watching that kind of picture you're wasting your money on a set like this. Also you'll probably burn out the tube much more quickly. The "Standard" setting is a little less overdone but still not great. I do occasionally use it for non-critical daylight viewing. The best pre-sets are "Movie" and "Pro". Pro works best in low light surroundings and in this mode, coupled with the selection of the "warm" color temperature setting, the TV comes the closest I've seen to true "reference" quality in any commercially available display. That is not a comment I make lightly.
The set has the capability to de-interlace 480i video signals and it does so very well. Sony call this setting "Cinemotion" and it removes jagged lines as well as many progressive scan DVD players I've seen.
High Def content is three dimensional and quality upscaled DVDs similarly compelling. You can see every detail and texture in different cloths for example. Blacks stay black even if another part of the screen is displaying a bright image. That's quality.
The only visual impairments I can see are a slight mis-convergence on the outer edges of the picture, hard to rectify on a CRT this big and an occasional green "ghost" image left after a bright object fades from a very dark background. This is rare and quickly disappears.
Sound quality is OK. The set's 10w per channel stereo speakers offer a crisp delivery and there are various ways to expand the sound spatially for a quasi-surround effect. Overall it's a little light in the bass compared to similar sets I've seen and I would recommend an outboard surround sound system, however humble, to get the most from your viewing experience.
Many of the comments I've made can be attributable to other 34" flatscreen sets from this era such as Toshiba's magnificent 34HF model and Sony's previous XBR800 and this set's contemporary XS955 model (with built in ATSC tuner). The later Sony XBR960 is purportedly the daddy of them all but its "Super-Fine-Pitch" tube has been plagued with reliability issues, so much that I would avoid it even if it is: "The best TV ever made".
The drawbacks to this type of TV are obvious. Big size, small screen. Truly excessive weight and minimal WOW! factor to impress the neighbors.
For me the pluses outweigh the minuses. After calibration this set delivers near reference performance (next step is to drop nine grand on a true Sony Professional monitor).
Before I bought this I must have visited about 40 stores both here and in the UK and drooled lovingly over Panasonic's latest 720p 42" plasma. I was determined that was what I was going to get and that this TV was only a stop-gap purchase. But now seeing the Panny in the store and comparing it to the memory of this Sony's marvelous picture I'm thinking "Nah! It can wait!".
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 350
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Epinions.com ID:
cmdr
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Location: Venice Beach CA, USA
Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
Musician with a love of Home Theater.
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