At some point, all television broadcasts will be in HDTV. Of course, our government keeps moving the date when all TV must be broadcast in HD moved out, but it is coming. As well, most television programs are offered in High Definition. But which TV to choose? The technology is really in its infancy, so many technologies are competing for the dollar: projection, LCD, plasma. This review is of the Sony BRAVIA 32 inch LCD TV.
•• Hardware ••
The Sony BRAVIA 32 inch LCD TV is a flat panel wide screen LCD HDTV-ready TV. It is a thin, silver unit with a small base that swivels. The resolution of the TV is 1024x768 which is pretty basic. Most LCD TVs in this price range have this resolution. This works well with PCs and game consoles, though it isn't the highest resolution that any of these can produce. Videophiles take note.
Out of the box, the TV image looks good, but not great. And certainly looking at this in a store will undoubtedly disappoint since most people setting them up have no clue what they are doing. However, once home, the unit can be fully adjusted and a decent picture can be had. Be warned, the white tend to bloom and the reds are overly red for some reason. While the blacks are deep, they aren't as deep as a plasma, which is a problem with LCD TVs in general. Again, all of this can be tweaked in the settings, but it will take some time and know-how. Once you get your desired setting, though, the unit saves each input at the desired setting.
The DVD test includes some Pixar animation due to it's direct digital-to-digital format. Monsters, Inc showed excellent color with a fair amount of solarization. This is a slightly older DVD and sure enough, The Incredibles look beautiful. This just goes to show that while HDTV is great, it tends to reveal the flaws inherent in formats not originally intended to be viewed at high definition. Non-animated DVDs included Saving Private Ryan and Criterion Armageddon. Both films looked good, but not great. Again, some solarization was evident and skin tones didn't quite look right, a little over-saturated. Regardless, this picture looked much better than any Standard Definition TV.
The Cinemotion TV is used to "fix" the difference between the frame rate of film vs television.
Since TV is 30 fps and film is 24, the TV is supposed to recognize media that is in 24 fps and use something called reverse 3:2 pulldown. Why this is necessary is unknown to me since the show is not really broadcast in 24 fps, but has already been converted to 30. This extra conversion actually added a bit of artifacting and jaggies and just didn't look right. It's not as huge problem, by any means, but it didn't really make film-based sources look any better. Besides, I *like* the look of film. But I digress...
It should be noted that for the TV to show broadcast HD, a separate tuner box is going to be required from your cable company. That said, the HD looked very good, very sharp. Most broadcast TV is very bright, which seems to be the b point of this TV. Brights are bright and colors are rich. After further investigation, the darker, more muted stuff tends be the most problematic. However, I doubt your average viewer upgrading from Standard TV to HD will notice or be disappointed.
The console test consisted of an Xbox with setting all the way up to 1020i. Since most games don't support this resolution, the test is a bit moot, but it's something nonetheless. Halo 2 looked amazing as did MechAssault 2. The only problem is one of the unit biggest flaws: It only has one set of component inputs. This is a really a shame since my DVD player support component out as well as the Xbox. And when Xbox 360 arrives, the decision will be even more difficult due to the native support of hi def in the console. So the xbox gets the S-video hookup and the DVD player gets the component. I wish I didn't have to make the choice and higher end units don't force you to.
In addition to the component as S-video, the TV also supports HDMI, VGA, RF, and composite. This is not a b offering from Sony as I've seen standard TVs with more inputs that this.
For those who want Picture-in-picture, look elsewhere. Unfortunately, this TV doesn't support it.
Another problem with this TV and all LCDs is the angle of viewing. The brightness and contrast decrease drastically when viewed at angles greater than 30 degrees from straight on. Again, this is typical, but should be a consideration when thinking about placement.
•• Sound quality ••
The speakers on the unit are not going to replace your home theater system and I'm waiting for the day when a company releases an HDTV without any speakers at all. They should lose the speakers, spend the extra money on better picture and let the home theater take care of the sound.
While they don't sound bad by any means, they are small and therefore won't crank out much bass. The midtones and highs are decent, but that's about it. Luckily, the speakers can be turned off in the settings.
•• Conclusion ••
For those looking for an entry-level HDTV to replace their standard TV, will at first be wowed by the clear picture and bright colors of the Sony BRAVIA 32 inch LCD TV. But videophiles will be sorely disappointed.
Recommended:
No
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