Sony Bravia KDL-32NX503 32in LCD TV

Smaller sized set with big screen extras

Sat 31 Jul 2010 // 08:02 UTC

There are easy tweaks to improve things – a dedicated Scenes button on the remote lets you choose between Sport, Cinema, Game and other settings. These were subtle differences on the whole, though the variations in audio were more pronounced.

Ticks a lot of boxes, so worth shopping around for

Sound, as usual on flatscreens, was decidedly average, lacking much bass or power. Not enough to spoil things, but not enough to wow you. Power consumption tests revealed the following: 72W cinema mode, 69W general mode and 13W in the relatively thirsty Quick Start standby, with normal standby being in line with Sony's 0.2W claim.

Verdict

If you like the styling of the Monolithic series of Sony TVs, this is a decent and affordable TV. It’s a shame there’s no 100Hz refresh rate but, for the most part, it’s not something you’ll notice, especially if you can tune into one of the HD channels. Blu-ray discs and HD content from Sky are similarly effective. Even standard Freeview has a warmth and precision that SD broadcasts sometimes lack. And those Internet extras are attractive too. There are better LCD TVs in terms of picture quality, but Sony’s set scores for strong connectivity, ease of use and reasonable – though far from outstanding – value. ®