Sunday, May 25, 2014

Sony Trinitron KV-27FV310


A Link to the Past, muthafackas

When I first started my gaming collection a few months back, I had to hook up my SNES to an HDTV. Needless to say, I had a bad time. It looked plain awful. So I went on the web and did some searching, and found out that the best way to play retro games is through a CRT TV. But not just any CRT will cut it. Apparently, the best CRT's were made by Sony and Mitsubishi, with Sony's "Trinitron" product line being much more common. Thus, I made it my mission to find the perfect Sony Trinitron TV.

The KV-27FS100 and KV-27FV16

What followed was a series of awkward, back-breaking journeys to random people's houses. I had to scour Craigslist, which is basically the place to look for old furniture, and call up strangers to set up risky appointments. I also had to find a friend willing to carry 100 lbs up some stairs with me each time I got a new TV (I have 3 in total). It was brutal, but it was well worth it.

My first TV, and the TV I used for the longest time, was the KV-27FS100. It's one of the most common Trinitron's out there, and it actually gets the job done quite well. The FS100, and the slightly newer FS120, are the models to get if you can't find the rarer (and better) models. I also grabbed the KV-27FV16 on my second journey. This was mostly the result of me not knowing what I was looking for, since the FV16 is a much older model.

My crown jewel, the KV-27FV310

I was going to stick with the FS100, but there was a convergence issue at the bottom of the screen that just wouldn't leave my OCD alone, so I found myself scouring Craigslist once again. That's when I found it; the TV many gamers consider the best CRT ever made: the FV310. The FV310 is one of the last Trinitron models that Sony made before switching over to HD TV's, so naturally it's a combination of the best features. It has more s-video and component ports than the FS100, and it has ridiculously good speakers. The bloody thing has subwoofers!

I grew to love this thing, and consider it the most important part of my gaming collection. A classic gaming console is useless without a proper TV to display its graphics, after all. My Trinitron journey ended here, as I've been using it ever since, so here's to hoping that my TV lasts me a long time. God knows I can't fit any more CRT's in my storage closet.



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27 comments:

  1. Awesome bro! I just found the same model! The KV-27FV310 for free on Craigslist! Going to pick it up tomorrow. I sure hope it's in nice shape. I have severe OCD as well, so I understand where you're coming from. It makes life really hard... Anyway, I'm going to play some Ocarina of Time on it! Using the REAL N64 hardware running through S-Video of course! Haha =)

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    1. Oh man, well if you're OCD as well then I'm just gonna tell you right now that you're not gonna have a nice time. Just remember that at this point in time, there's probably not that many Trinitrons that DONT have screen geometry issues. Make sure you test it when you get there, and try to settle for something acceptable.

      But yeah, otherwise congrats! It truly is a great TV for retro games, and you're gonna have a blast playing stuff through s-video

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  2. Based on your blog post I just picked one up yesterday. I had a wega in HS but this one blows it away!

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    1. Wow, glad I could help! I guess that was my intent; I wanted to make sure fellow gamers knew exactly what they needed to have the best experience. None of Sony's other CRT models are going to compare to this one.

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  3. damn, I have a sony kv-13FS100 and it's nice, but the 13" is way too amll and the speakers are weak. I have scoured the internet looking for one of these bad boys but i can't find one near me

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  4. I got one of these on craigslist a year ago, please send me where you read it's regarded as one of the best crts ever please :P

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  5. I have a 27FS100 which I like ok, but I have not been able to find a FV310 model! Been looking forever, every day on CL.

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  6. I saw someone selling the Sony FV310 27 inch TV with the matching stand for 55$, but their in Connecticut.
    http://newhaven.craigslist.org/ele/4861139578.html

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  7. Another guy in Queens NY selling the Sony FV 310 27 inch TV for 50$
    http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/ele/4868159546.html

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  8. I just found one on craigslist for $40! Waiting to hear back from seller, they say it's in perfect shape. Question: with retro games, do all crts show warping on the sides of the picture. I've been using a JVC I'ART 24 inch, which is pretty decent actually, but the top and sides of picture warp with certain games. And it changes when going from a start menu to gameplay, to pause menu, etc. I guess it has something to do with the colors? Do you have this issue with the trinitron? Is this pretty common?

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    1. Yes, warping is pretty common. I think it just happens with age, and all trinitrons that exist are old now so it's almost impossible to find one without geometry issues. I looked a looong time for the trinitron I have now, and I made sure to test it at the person's house before taking it home.

      Basically, just make sure to test it first, and settle for the best you can get. You won't find anything with perfect picture. You can also fix certain geometry issues with the secret menu on trinitrons.

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    2. Yeah, I'll definitely test it out. Thanks for the reply!

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  9. Actually this TV has a high voltage regulator, that's the unique advantage it has over other CRT's and this prevents the warping on scenes that shift to brighter colors that usually show the picture expanding as it changes. The FV300 is probably the next best tv and it conveniently comes in smaller sizes as well.

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  10. Thanks to you I made a quick decision when considering the "crown jewel" at a good will. Gave away my last CRT a while back and had regretted it mostly from the loss of light gun use. This beast is much better than what I previously had and I had even brought back a unique Sony from Japan.

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    1. I personally have not tried going to goodwill for this sort of thing, but I've always meant to. I've heard plenty of people saying they found good trinitrons at goodwill, so I'd give it a try.

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  12. Question- I picked up a 2004 KV-27FS100L and like it a lot. Hooked up my Saturn S-Video with it, SNES, GEN, NES, and Gamecube and all look great. My question is I saw on Craigslist someone is basically giving away ($10) a Sony kv-34xbr800. The semi rare Crt with the 1 HDMI, 2 Comp, and like 2 or 3 S video. Its the widescreen one. Do you guys think its a big upgrade from what I recently picked up and worth getting?

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  13. Lol I have on but I want $50

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  14. I have KV-27FV310 and I am located in Charlotte, NC. If anybody wants to buy it, please comment on here.

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    1. Hey, you still got it?

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    2. Sorry I have not checked this in a while.. And yes I still have it. You can reach me from ktayla@gmail.com

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  15. So which is better the Wega KV-27FV310 or Trinitron KV-27FV310?

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  16. I drove 4 hours one way and managed to pick one of these up for $15. Excellent TV that's definitely better than my previous KV-27FS13. The speakers are awesome, additional inputs convenient, and picture quality outstanding. Cleaner scanlines, better geometry, just awesome overall.

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