Sony delivers a veritable deluge of models to the 20-inch digital LCD television marketplace. The differences between some are as thin as exterior color, but each is aimed to please. The KDL-20S3020, one of Sony’s S3000 series, which is part of their BRAVIA line, goes after style and image quality in this relatively small LCD design. So what is this particular unit’s color? “Black.”

Displaying a 20-inch image at a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels in three variable aspect ratios — 4:3, 14:9, and 16:9 — this model may be small but its also feature packed. The viewable area is somewhat slim, coming in at a slender 160-degrees. Behind the screen, you’ll benefit from a Digital Comb Filter, Auto Noise Reduction, Picture in Picture, Theatre Mode, Picture Mode, and of course the BRAVIA image engine.

A life expectancy is not given for this model specifically, however the website of a competing manufacturer denotes that modern standards put the lifespan of most models in both the plasma and LCD categories at around 60,000 hours. That comes to just about 360 weeks of continuous use, but that kind of wear is unlikely. If you watch television for four hours per day, seven days a week, a modern digital television set like the KDL-20S3000 should last for roughly 40 years according to my calculations! There will most definitely be new broadcast and display technologies available for mass consumption before these things stop working, barring some kind of defect and assuming that Panasonic’s estimates are correct.

Though the KDL-20S3000 is not going to rattle your furniture, its built in pair of 5-watt speakers will deliver a decent, if not modest 10-watts of sound. SRS Viva, Dolby Pro-Logic, and BDE Sound are hard at work inside this model as well. Finally, a headphone jack offers up the option of privacy.

The connectivity options for this are fairly robust. You’ll enjoy an S-video in port, a standard AV input connection, an RF in, two SCART ports, an HDMI port, a component video connection, and a 15-pin PC AV connection. To top it all off, the KDL-20S3000 sports the BRAVIA Theater Sync system!

If you’re looking for a small, stylish, digital LCD television with a sharp image and don’t require very high-end sound, the Sony KDL-20S3000 might be just the thing you need.