Sony BRAVIA KDL-32L4000 32 LCD TV - 32 - ATSC, NTSC - 178 Horizontal / 178 Vertical - 16:9 - 1366 x 768 - HDTV

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there are limited places to purchase the 37 inch TV; the closet to me is Target. My Primary TV is a Panasonic 50 inch, with Yamaha Surround Sound.

The set up out of the box was fairly simple by attaching 3 phillips head screws to the pedestal provided. However, the TV was pretty low on my current TV stand, so I purchased six 8x12 black shelves and raised the TV up to a better viewing level. The TV is not top heavy and remains stable on the raised shelves. I expect in a home with a child, a more secure option would be warranted.

The local cable was simple to hook up and numerous High Definition channels are available, from the bigger networks, PBS, etc. There are numerous inputs for DVD, computer, gaming, etc. There is even the older one line video input as well as the S video input, which will complement the older AV equipment.

This TV is 720P and will accept the 1080I and 1080P, but only displays 720P. The screen refresh rate is said to be 60hz (From a review I saw), but I have not seen this confirmed by Sony. The pixel response time rating varies by site and I have seen it rated at 8 ms and/or 10 ms.

Depending on the film stock the image clarity is excellent to fair. High definition channels and DVDs like Finding Nemo are fantastic. Standard TV is great too. Older DVD TV shows need more tweaking for a better viewing experience.

I tweaked all of the settings for Vivid, Standard and Custom for cable and component one. Each input requires calibration to adjust settings. Another nice feature is that the backlight has a level adjustment to raise or lower the brightness, to suit your room light level (Day glare, night level, etc). Also, there is a video noise reduction control, which is a must for the poor DVD transfers that need the grain reduced, but it also darkens the screen - NOTE: Before tweaking your settings, make sure the noise reduction is set to off....

I opted to tweak all of the image controls comparing Hi Definition, regular TV and DVDs. I used an older 480i DVD player with component cables. I have THX DVDs that have a calibration option - The best use was to set the blackness level and sharpness from the DVD disc. Otherwise, I set the other options by eye for my best viewing experience.

The sound quality was pretty good right from the TV, but my viewing on this set is mainly nightly news or older TV shows on DVD. The TV audio does not need to be maxed for a favorable listening level. I did tweak the audio a bit for my desired sound. A negative is that the audio out (Stereo L & R) is fixed - I have the stereo audio run through an older Sherwood amp era 1980s, which I do not use very often. With the TV having fixed audio out, the volume on the amp is not raised by increasing the volume on the TV (Something my old Toshiba TV was capable of doing).

When inputting with component cable sources (DVD player, etc) for video, only a stereo (L & R) input is available. I do not use HDMI cables and can not confirm or deny their usefulness. I have heard that inexpensive HDMI cables are available on Amazon and the in store $60 to $100 plus varieties are overpriced.

The Digital Audio out port is an Optical Audio out (Thin line for Digital Sound). There is no Component Audio out, (One Cable for Digital Sound). I am not a fan of the Optical audio lines.

Above, I noted that there is an audio optical out port. However, I can not confirm or deny that the audio optical output will actually transfer a 5.1 sound from the TV input sources, such as coax cable, HDMI inputs, etc. to an amplifier.

Logic tells me it is doubtful if the TV can process or transfer sound to an amplifier in 5.1 sound.

The closed caption feature works well. I was playing an older DVD TV show (BBC), with no caption features, but the TV picked up the closed captions, which was great. The size of the caption font is easily read.

The TV also has a display button for the information banner - TV channel and displays (when available for the channel) - the show title, time remaining, resolution, etc. The downside is the display banner font is too small for my viewing distance, and can not be changed (as far as I can tell).

Another great feature is the widescreen mode, which fills the screen rather well with the pan and scan pictures of the older DVD TV shows. The Full mode feature expands the picture, which looks too stretched to me.

Overall, I am happy with the quality of this TV. With the price drop of nearly $200 since I purchased it, it is now the deal of the day at $498. I have not seen a sale ever on the Sony 37 inch TV. If I did, I would have returned the 32 inch TV, within the ninety day return period and purchased the Sony big brother.

NOTE: If you go to the Crutchfield web site, the owner's manual can be downloaded, plus there are many TVs to compare with.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_15832L4000/Sony-KDL-32L4000.html?search=kdl+32l400&tp=161

What's in the box?
32" LCD TV
Pedestal stand
Wireless remote control (RM-YD025)
2 "AA" batteries
6' AC cord
3 Machine screws (each with a flat washer and lock washer)
Cable strap
Operating Instructions
Quick Setup Guide
Instructions for attaching the table top stand
Diagram for attaching the table top stand
Instructions for wall-mounting television
Warranty sheet
On-line product registration card
"Notices and Licenses for Software Used in this Television" sheet

NOTE: I added a few pictures on the main product page of the TV with a widescreen and Pan & Scan picture for comparison.

Hope this helps, j.

Sony BRAVIA KDL-32L4000 32 LCD TV - 32 - ATSC, NTSC - 178 Horizontal / 178 Vertical - 16:9 - 1366 x 768 - HDTV

...

picture quality are excellent for the price. You can choose Custom, Vivid or Standard settings (I chose Vivid). 720p resolution is great for a TV of this size. 1080p does not play a part in resolution until you get up to 46".

SOUND QUALITY:
With the external speakers, I thought that the sound would have been above average. However, I think this is where the price point reveals itself. Sacrifice sound for everything, else. This is definitely not a deal breaker, you can always opt for an external speaker system or run the TV with a receiver or speaker - if this is your primary TV.

PRACTICAL ISSUES:
2 HDMI inputs allow for a cable box and Blu-ray player. Component input for HDTV is another option.

VERDICT:
Overall, this is a nice value for a television that will be primarily for the guests - or when I want to get away from the crowd in the house. Just keep in mind, the sound is just average in quality.

Sony BRAVIA KDL-32L4000 32 LCD TV - 32 - ATSC, NTSC - 178 Horizontal / 178 Vertical - 16:9 - 1366 x 768 - HDTV

...

picture quality are excellent for the price. You can choose Custom, Vivid or Standard settings (I chose Vivid). 720p resolution is great for a TV of this size. 1080p does not play a part in resolution until you get up to 46".



SOUND QUALITY:

With the external speakers, I thought that the sound would have been above average. However, I think this is where the price point reveals itself. Sacrifice sound for everything, else. This is definitely not a deal breaker, you can always opt for an external speaker system or run the TV with a receiver or speaker - if this is your primary TV.



PRACTICAL ISSUES:

2 HDMI inputs allow for a cable box and Blu-ray player. Component input for HDTV is another option.



VERDICT:

Overall, this is a nice value for a television that will be primarily for the guests - or when I want to get away from the crowd in the house. Just keep in mind, the sound is just average in quality.