Sale prices make the KDL-26S2010 a best buy!

Back in November we bought a new armoire for the bedroom. While it looks nice, it also made our existing 27-inch tube TV obsolete. Since then I have been shopping and researching and fretting about a TV that will fit inside our very shallow armoire. Recently I finally settled on the Sony 26" Bravia KDL-26S2010.

My Search and Criteria
The first and most important thing I wanted was for the TV to fit in the armoire. While the armoire was in the mail I was very worried that I would not be able to fit a 32-inch TV in it due to the width. Then it arrived, and it turns out the width was fine, but not the height. So I had my hopes set on a 32 inch Sony, but that was dashed and so I searched for any 32-incher I could fit. I found none. They were all too tall. So I arrived sort of back at the beginning with a Sony, but a 26-inch TV this time. I also strongly considered the Samsung LNT something or other, which actually compared very favorably to the Sony but when looking at them side by side I liked the Sony a touch better and the price was not so different. Other than something that would fit, I was looking for a great TV of course, and since I someday soon would like to add a media center PC to the mix I wanted something that could also be used as a PC monitor. The Sony 26" Bravia KDL-26S2010 delivers nicely on all my needs.

Setup
I was very well pleased with the ease of setup on the Sony 26" Bravia KDL-26S2010. If you are organized and determined I think. You could be watching TV within 60 seconds carrying your television to its room of destination. That is not an exaggeration. After I cut through the tape holding the top of the box closed I removed two Styrofoam pieces at the top corners of the TV. Once those are gone you can lift the TV out of the box. There is a second package inside with remote, manuals, wires, etc. I had to drill some holes in the back of my armoire, but assuming you don't, just set your TV in its new home, plug in the power cord, attach a coax cable, antenna, component cables or whatever you happen to be using. (The included stand comes pre attached). Initially I attached old-fashioned coax cable from the wall. Insert included batteries into your remote. Hit the power button and you have TV. TV's have gotten pretty complex but that is easy like it used to be. While I was getting programming the Sony 26" Bravia KDL-26S2010 also asked me a few setup questions… Do you want me to program your channels, Yes. Do you want me to search for digital channels, Yes. There was literally nothing to it.

Specifications
I have spoken about needing certain dimensions. For your enjoyment…. the Sony KDL-26S2010 measures (with stand) 20.3 inches high by 25.9 inches wide by 8.6 inches deep. It weighs 28.7 pounds. Sony's generally seem a bit more expensive than their counterparts of other brands, but in this case I think you get the full package for your money. For starters you get the full array of inputs. Believe it or not, not everyone gives you that. The Sony 26" Bravia KDL-26S2010 comes with; 2 component video inputs, 2 S-video inputs, 3 composite inputs, 1 RF input, and 1 HDMI input. Obviously you could need more than two component inputs for instance in some scenarios, but you aren’t missing anything altogether.

Beyond the measurements and inputs you get a 26 inch LCD screen, as mentioned with an NTSC/ATSC tuner (full high definition tuner, as opposed to just being HD ready). The Sony 26" Bravia KDL-26S2010 is a wide screen orientation with a 3D digital comb filter. The resolution is 720p and the contract ratio is 1300:1. You also get SRS TruSurround, but other than guessing that it is some sort of faux surround sound I don’t know what that is.

The Sony 26" Bravia KDL-26S2010 does come with a stand, but not a wall mount. The stand swivels. There is also a universal remote. Finally, the Sony 26" Bravia KDL-26S2010 comes with a 12 months parts and 12 months labor warranty.

Use and Performance
This section is the real punch line of this review. How does it work? What is the picture like? I have been thrilled overall. I have two fairly minor complaints, so lets get those out of the way first. For one thing, I am not overwhelmed by the remote. It works well and there is nothing wrong with it, but for as much as this TV costs I was kind of expecting something cooler, and more beefy. Essentially it is just like the remote that came with my 1998 27-inch Sony tube TV, but with a few more buttons. Not a really problem, but I kind of thought I would get a cool remote with my cool TV. The one and only thing I really don’t like about the Sony 26" Bravia KDL-26S2010 is switching between inputs. From the remote you just hit the TV/Video button. Well that is easy enough but as mentioned above, this thing has a lot of inputs. There is no direct or easy way to get to one without just cycling though them. To add insult to injury they take a few seconds to switch and you can’t work ahead. For instance, if you know you want the Video input 5 and you are on 1, you can’t just hit the button four times. You have to hit it once wait for it to catch up, hit it again and so on. These are minor points, but things that could be improved.

Beyond those little things I really like the Sony 26" Bravia KDL-26S2010. Using straight out of the wall coax cable I would describe the picture as good, not great. But give it a good signal and this baby starts to shine. So far I have connected my computer (via the proper monitor connection and not an S-video or anything mind you), a DVD player using component cables and a high definition cable box also using component cables. I was stunned at how great my laptop looked on the TV. True, surfing the net from bed can be a touch hard on a 26-inch screen if the text is small, but that is because it is small, not because it is unclear or blurry. Likewise my DVD player (standard not HD, Blue Ray, or upconvert, etc.) looks great as well as the HD cable box. A+ for all of these.

I also like the various modes by which it fills the screen. You can view standard and see bars down the sides but I have always hated that. Conversely, on many TV’s I have seen it stretch the picture to fill in those bars, but then leave you with a headache from the strangely misshapen people and objects. I don’t know how they do it but the Sony 26" Bravia KDL-26S2010 manages to stretch a picture in a way that leaves the people looking pretty normal. If you don’t agree, there are several options including normal and zoom.

One final note, I have been pleasantly surprised by the sound quality. I really wasn’t concerned with sound. I have mentioned that I plan to hook this up to a media center PC, and I may also add on a stereo. Nevertheless, the sound was much more robust than I expected out of a little 26 inch TV.

Conclusion
I very highly recommend the Sony 26" Bravia KDL-26S2010. I think it has great picture quality and good features. I bought mine for about $915. These days they seem to be going for about $850, which probably means the next generation is around the corner. Still, I think you could do much worse with your $850. If you need a nice TV in a small space then this is it.