Sony has made all the right moves with the KDL-23S2010, a 23-inch LCD HDTV member of the BRAVIA line. This attractive widescreen TV combines a solid picture with a generous feature list, although like many other Sony sets, the KDL-23S2010 lacks picture-in-picture functionality. PIP is a hit-or-miss feature for many shoppers, so if you love to multitask your TV viewing, you should keep looking. On the other hand, if you are one of the many people who would never utilize PIP if you had it, the KDL-23S2010 makes a great LCD purchase.

The KDL-23S2010 has a native resolution of 1,366X768, and all content is scaled to display at 768p. A backlight control lets you adjust the screen brightness, and digital noise reduction and Sony's proprietary BRAVIA processing engine produce an accurate picture that exhibits only minimal picture blur in fast-moving images. The KDL-23S2010 looks great with all types of content, and it excels displaying video games, something with which many LCD televisions struggle.

This LCD HDTV also does a good job in the audio department. The KDL-23S2010's digital amplifier produces 20 total watts of output for the under-the-screen speakers, and audio options include the usual automatic volume leveling and simulated surround sound. Sony also provides three sound presets (standard, dynamic and custom) for different types of content.

As previously mentioned, the KDL-23S2010 omits any PIP or other multiwindow viewing options, but it does have a picture freeze. Other convenience features include a pair of on/off timers, a sleep timer and a favorite channel memory. Sony includes an easy-to-use remote control, but it can only operate the TV. The KDL-23S2010 offers a broad selection of connections, with an RF input, three composite video inputs (one on the side panel), two S-video inputs (one side), two component video inputs, a PC input with audio, an HDMI digital-to-digital input and a headphone jack, among others.

If you need a compact LCD HDTV for a bedroom or den, Sony's KDL-23S2010 is hard to beat.


Pros:  Solid video and audio performance, good connection selection
Cons:  No PIP options

Warranty
1 year parts and labor