Sony KDL32EX403U Flat Screen Heaven
The Sony KDL32EX403U has been on the market for a little while now but it’s one of those TV’s that keeps on going and going (Comet and Currys have been selling it for some time now so it must be popular). So, what’s so great about it? Part of Sony’s premium Essential range of televisions, the KDL32EX403U BRAVIA sits near the top of end of their range of TV models and brings a breath of fresh air to the line up.
Sony have also managed to keep prices down which means you get some of the latest must have features withougt having to break the bank. But what’s this TV got that makes it such a compelling buy?
For a start, Sony have bundled both a a 1920×1080 full HD panel and a Freeview HD tuner into the KDL32EX403 HDTV. The recent trend of building edge lit LED TV’s with Sony’s 100MHz Motionflow technology has been continued but isnt’ available in all variants of the KDL32EX403 . Be sure to check out the full specs before you buy – most of us are happy with slightly lower specs if we’re simply after a television for normal use. If you want higher end features you’ll need to look at the KDL32EX403U (the model we’re talking about here)..
KDL32EX403U Specifications
The 32″ Full HD format TV is still the most popular sized TV in the UK shops. Compact and easy to mount on the wall but still big enough to give you quality viewing and entertainment every time. Sony have crammed the KDL32EX403 full of gadgetry that makes it seem cheap at the price (especially compared to the prices seen when LED TV first launched).
So, what’s it got onboard? For starters, there’s 32-inch Full HD 1080 plus 4 HDMI connectors giving you plenty of ports to plugin your media centre, games console, etc. As I said before, there’s also a HD Freeview tuner and the, now pretty standard,. Wi-Fi capabilities which makes streaming media through your television easier than ever before.
The BRAVIA Internet Video lets you connect your TV directly to the Internet. There’s access to online services and you can stream full-screen videos to your TV.
BRAVIA ENGINE 3 lets you view images with impressive detail. The BRAVIA ENGINE has featured on many of Sony’s LCD’s and the latest iteration is even more impressive than previous versions.
Rather than give a full listing of all the features here’s a quick rundown of the KDL32EX403U technical capabilities:
- Ambient Sensor – automatic optimisation of image quality based on ambient light levels.
- DLNA – stream movies, music and photos to your BRAVIA from compatible devices (PC, mobile, etc).
- 24p True Cinema™ – gives an you “authentic cinematic experience”!
- Energy Saving Switch for the evironmentally friendly shopper.
- Digital surround sound – I’d just like to add that, I’ve never been a great fan of the S-Force Front Surround audio technology. Yes, it’s good enough for normal TV viewing but if you really want to feel like you’re in a cinema you’re going to need to buy a decent surround sound system to compliment your TV.
Operation
Anyone that’s owned one of the more recent Sony LCD TV’s will recognise the menu system. It’s modelled on the Xross Media Bar concept (if you have a PS3, you’ll recognise it straight away) and, from some, can feel a little clunky. Once you’ve got your head around the KDL32EX403U’s menu system you’ll love it – there’s a huge selection of customisations that can be stored per input level.
Some users have complained about the loss of colour saturation when viewing the TV from the side but, honestly, how many of you want to try to prove this point?
There is some lag in the KDL32EX403U – around 40ms – which is within tolerance and, to be honest, you’d have a hard time noticing it unless you’re playing games that put a really heavy load on the graphics.
Final Thoughts On The KDL32EX403U
I like the KDL323X403U. It’s not the cheapest TV on the market but for the price you get a lot of hardware crammed into a very attractive body. There are plenty of user reviews out there and most buyers are giving this HDTV the thumbs up. Anyhow, the bit you’ve probably been looking for… Sony KDL32EX40U price comparisons (hint: there’s some good prices over at Comet.
