A popular choice for entry level HDTV, Sony targeted this LCD for the mid-range market to strengthen the company’s position in the low-to-midrange niche. While admittedly not top-of-the-line, the KDL-32S3000 delivers performance that is decidedly first rate in its class.
Design
A trendy all-black finish, except for the Sony logo below the screen, greets the user upon opening the box. The screen is surrounded by a bezel in matte black, which sits atop and protrudes above another frame also
Sony KDL-32S3000
in matte black. The lower part of the screen contains a glossy black strip, and below it the perforated grille that conceals the speakers. The non-swivel stand in – what else – matte black, completes the simple but handsome design of the KDL-32S3000.
The remote control that goes with this LCD is the basic one from Sony – no backlighting or even glow-in-the-dark feature, but at least the keys are large and logically placed, buttons are easily differentiated, most useful functions are there and the slim wand feels comfortable to hold, so there’s not much complaint there. But the PS3-style Xross Media Bar is too complex and cumbersome for comfort, and its use in this TV makes us wish it were not so. Sony could have designed a simpler menu for the KDL-32S3000 and we would surely be delighted to use it.
Screen/picture clarity
The main attractions of this set are its relatively dark blacks and excellent colour accuracy. Test material shows respectable black levels – nowhere near the reference black of plasmas – but not to far afield from other LCDs, even high-end ones. The great blacks make other colours much more lifelike, result in more detailed shadow areas, with just a tendency to turn bluish at times. Unfortunately, fine adjustment of colour temperature isn’t in the menu, so users are left with not much option in temperature settings other than the preset ones.
Since the KDL-32S3000 has a native 1366 x 768, it handles 480i and 720p exceptionally but losses some resolution when scaling 1080p and 1080i materials. Thus, it is recommended to set HD sources to 720p output mode, to make the best out of this LCD. Standard-def sources are handled beautifully, and the KDL-32S3000 works excellently as a wide-screen PC monitor too.
Features
As it is in the lower end of the price spectrum, the KDL-32S3000 understandably sports fewer features than its more pricey siblings. Picture and colour temperature controls are limited, but the set has picture-in-picture capability, favourite channel list, freeze-frame function, and Display that shows more information than usual: signal resolution, source, aspect ratio, and time. It has two HDMIs, component-video inputs, VGA-style PC port, USB port, slot for Sony’s Bravia Internet Link and a host of other input/output jacks.
Buyers looking for a great all-around TV should put the KDL-32S3000 in their short-list. Provided one doesn’t raise too much expectation, this TV is the perfect set to start off one’s great HDTV experience. And best of all, you got a nice TV without breaking the bank.
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