Sony Bravia KDL32EX403U 32-inch Widescreen Full HD 1080p LCD Internet TV with Freeview HD
Posted by Notcot on Jan 10, 2011 in Home Cinema & Video |
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Lovely set,
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Having last year changed my TV downstairs for a 40″ Sony set, I was reluctant to spend more money changing the old 21″ CRT upstairs in my study. However, Sony ran a deal during the World Cup to trade in old sets and I managed to get £100 off the price of the KDL32EX403U so I went for it.
The build of the set is not quite as sexy as a Samsung, but feels somehow more ‘grown up’, while still looking very nice in the living room. The stand is a non-swivel model, which is annoying, but does hold the TV firmly and took only 5 minutes to put together. Without this, the TV can be wall mounted as well.
Picture quality on HD is as sharp as you’d imagine with Sony. Colour is well represented and I was very impressed with the blacks from this non-LED set. On my Xbox 360 the quality was perfect for games like Gears of War 2 and Modern Warfare 2, where detail is very important. On SD the picture was less impressive until I found that turning the extra settings for picture quality off. I’m assuming these are used for HD and not SD pictures as the SD picture improved greatly. The Sony set seems to smooth out rough pixels fairly well and the SD picture is watchable, if not the best. It doesn’t have the benefit of 100HZ either so on fast moving pictures some ghosting can occur. With a Humax Freesat HD box, however, picture quality on SD was greatly improved due to the box upscaling the picture.
One feature on all new Sony sets is the ability to read USB sticks or Hard Drives. I added my portable 130GB Hard Drive to the side of the TV and it read it immediately. MP4 and DIVX video worked fine, a few lesser known formats didn’t run though. Pictures and Music also worked well from the Hard Drive. The TV also allows you to stream from a computer, which I’ve tried and it works if you can fiddle around and set windows up.
Youtube, 5 on Demand, Lovefilm and several European internet channels are also built in if you plug in an Ethernet cable. Youtube worked well but I found that the search was a bit fiddly on the remote. It’s a shame that there is no BBC iPlayer as with other sets.
One last feature which impressed me was the Picture Frame mode. It uses a very low amount of power but produces a lovely quality picture (several supplied, but you can use your own) which actually looks like you have a picture frame. I can imagine this would be perfect if you had the TV on the wall in your sitting room.
Sound is fairly good, the bass felt solid and voices were clear, though it’s never going to replace a separate set of speakers. The surround effects are actually pretty good too, supporting Dolby formats and changing 5.1 and DD to a more simple surround method but giving a good result from the two speakers at the base of the unit.
Overall, then, this is a great little set at a good price. Those using it for 360 or PS3 will find that it delivers well. People with just an SD signal may not get the most out of the TV though until Freeview HD comes to their area.
Edit: This set has now had a Firmware update and I’m pleased to say that both BBC iPlayer and a new system called Quiocity, which has a load of up-to-date on demand films in HD and even uses an existing PSN account if you have one, have been added. There is talk of another firmware update to all current Sony sets to add 4OD and ITV Player as well, making the TV even better value for money.
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|Sony 32″ LCD TV – why this one and are we happy with it?,
When my parents old 26″ Toshiba CRT set died I suggested they look at this set in Comet and use it as a benchmark to make their choice. After looking at the same size & same spec Samsung and Panasonic there was clearly little to differentiate one from another as they would all have satisfied the requirement, so it really came down to price. The decision was made on the basis that Sony are currently running an offer to refund the VAT – £67 in this case – so decision made.
One thing we found confusing at first was why the same size Sony set was on offer at a very much lower price in various supermarkets. It was only when we started checking model numbers and features that we realised the most heavily discounted sets only have standard SD Freeview built in rather than HD Freeview built in as this one does.
What do we think of it? Picture – unable to fault the quality of SD or HD as even the SD is better than the old Toshiba.The HD picture is superb. Installing the set and hooking it up to the DVD recorder was simplicity itself, but why oh why have Sony done away with the printed owners manual?
The last Sony product we purchased (DVD recorder with Freeview) had a super manual showing everything you could ever need to know. The main user manual for the TV is now viewed through the TV screen , but is nowhere near as comprehensive and Sony use too many generic descriptions and diagrams covering all models rather than just presenting specfic information applicable to just this model.
Once up and running (which took all of 10 minutes) the only challenge left would have been to master use of a new remote contol, but then we realised that everything that my parents wanted to do could be done by continuing to use their existing Sony DVD recorder remote control thus making life very straightforward.
Another big + was that we found that we were able to dispense with the signal booster that had previouly been necessary to get a decent picture with the old Toshiba set. All in all, a very pleasing purchase.
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|Great TV- even for a CRT Fan,
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If like me you are a CRT TV fan and are not yet convinced by flat screen tv, then check this TV out. I have had this a few weeks now and am totally impressed by the picture quality on this TV. At 32″ I find Freeview SD perfectly good, and Freeview HD is superb. I have watched different programs including rugby and movies and am very happy with the TV. Another reviewer mentioned jaggies/border on a newscaster against a CGI background – yes this does exist on this TV, but it is also there to some extent on my 100Hz CRT; all other content I have found to look really good. The ambient light sensor, after a few minutes adjusts to the brightness of the room, as a result I find the picture adjusts and works well in varied light conditions.
I really enjoy the new BBC1 HD and the other HD channels.
The picture is 5 out of 5 – detailed, good colour tones, smooth movement – no judder, the sound is 4 out of 5 – slightly flat, but otherwise pretty good for flat screen. Freeview sd, HD and DVD all look good on this TV.
Great buy – I got ten per cent off and paid quite a bit less a few weeks back – still think its good value at current price – I am going to buy the 37″ for the living room next. Was let down by the HDNL delivery company as they said they had delivered the telly – but I could not find out where; Amazon showed sorted by sending a replacement set by an alternative courier company.
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