Sony KLV-23HR2S Review

Good Points
Very sharp, high-resolution picture that conveys incredible detail. Stylish, with a removeable back panel for organizing and hiding all the cables. Good speaker quality.

Bad Points
The small size of the on-screen menu. You really have to get close to see what's going on. The speakers underneath make for a slightly boxy feel, distinct from the side speakers on most LCD TVs. No VGA input, so the KLV-23HR2 can't be used as a monitor.

General Comments
The Sony KLV-23HR2S is a very stylish TV, with an exceptionally good picture. While at 23 inches, it will be too small for most large rooms, it's ideal as a bedroom TV, or for smaller living rooms. A bit too small for the Home Theatre lover, but that's not what I wanted anyway.



It's an easy setup, which meant I was connected and watching a program 20 minutes out of the box -which is very satisfying!



It comes on a pedestal base (which I use) or you can purchase a wall mount and hang it. It's so slim and looks so great, wall mounting seems a gimme. But I prefer to be able to swivel it for viewing from different locations and it feels very solid on it's pedestal. So I table-topped it.

A lot of the competitive TV's, notably Panasonic's 22 inch and Toshiba's 26 inch, felt a bit delicate to handle. But this Sony model feels quite substantial and that was a big bonus for me.


This TV comes with a Memory Stick slot, for uploading images - something that isn't attractive to me, although given the amazing resolution, photos would no doubt look awesome on this screen.



The LCD screen has a resolution of 1280 X 760, although I have yet to realize the full value of this: there isn't much in the way of high definition TV to be had. I can say that DVD's have tremendous impact on this screen. The first DVD I put on was Finding Nemo, and the beauty in the underwater detail was simply hypnotizing. I challenge you to find a better picture quality in the price range.



The speakers handle music, sound and dialogue equally well. You will be impressed by this over time but given the presence of the screen image, it won't be the first thing you notice.



In summary, I would say that I am completely satisfied with this LCD TV and I have no hesitations recommending it. A bit pricey, but worth it.