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-20S3050, 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? “Mocha.”

Displaying an image with 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 flexible. Behind the screen, you’ll benefit from 3D Comb Filter technology and other image enhancing goodies.

Though the KDL-20S3050 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, BDE Sound, and an Auto Volume Adjustment feature are also hard at work inside this model. Finally, a headphone jack offers up the option of privacy.

The connectivity options for this model are actually fairly robust. You’ll enjoy an S-video in port, a standard AV input connection, an RF in, two SCART ports, one HDMI port, a component video connection, and a 15-pin PC AV connection. To top it all off, the KDL-20S3050 sports a PCMCIA slot for expandability!

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-20S3050 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.

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-20S3050 might be just the thing you need.