Summary

Sony's very first sets with component inputs released in the USA in late 1997, introduced alongside the new DVD video format. There were three models released; one 32" manufactured in Mexico, and two 35" models in the USA. Speakers are bassy and rated for 15W. Has an S-Link for connecting to other Sony devices. The chassis is an AA-2-series which formed the basis for the first FD Trinitrons released the following year.

(Special Thanks to Sal C. for most of the gameplay pics!)

Manuals

• User Manual
• Service Manual

Media & Promo Materials

• Sony Product Page

Notes

Generally this model is highly regarded due to its rare combination of having a curved screen and component inputs alongside its bassy speakers and above-average geometry. However there are some quirks about the set that need to be addressed in order to get it looking its best.

Velocity Modulation

There is no specific setting in the standard menu or service menu to turn off VM, so you have a few alternative options. According to Sunthar:

Method 1: Permanently disconnect the 8-pin cable coming from CN941 on the WA board, which is the board on the CRT neck placed between the deflection yoke and the neckboard.

Method 2: Remove the white wire from the 8-pin cable coming from CN941 on the WA board. To do this, unplug the cable from the WA board, place a pointed object in the catch on the plastic housing where the pin is located, pull out the wire from the connector housing while holding the pointed object in the catch to release it, then plug the cable back into the WA board without the white wire connected. It would be a good idea to isolate the metal crimp on the wire with Kapton tape to avoid shorting it out.

A much simpler method is to change the picture preset in the menu to MOVIE MODE. This will turn off the VM circuit, but you may have to deal with with other potentially undesirable color processing. Here is a comparison:

Color Settings

In the standard menu, there are three color presets you can engage called TRINITONE, or "White Intensity Adjustment".

According to the manual:

HIGH: Select to give the white colors a blue tint.

MEDIUM: Select to give the white colors a white tint.

NTSC STD: Select to give the white colors a red tint

There is also COLOR CORRECTION. Turning it ON emphasizes reds and blues, while turning it OFF de-emphasizes them. However, even after turning it off, reds and blues may still have some over-saturation.

On later Trinitrons, one could go into the service menu to disable the red push for NTSC video sources by turning off AXNT, and for component, AXIS. Unfortunately however, those options are not present on these sets. Worse yet, there is no option to adjust red drive or cutoff in the service menu either. The only solution is to adjust the blue and green settings.

RGB Mod

If one were to RGB mod this set, the improvement in picture quality will be noticeable. There are no luma transition errors, oversaturation of colors, or other processing nonsense. The image looks perfectly clean as a result. For those who are interested, a link to Sunthar's RGB mod guide HERE