Intro:
The Sony Bravia KDL-32L4000 is a 32-inch, liquid crystal display television.Compared to other liquid crystal display TVs on the market, it is relatively inexpensive at around $700.This unit is an LCD display, which is generally the best kind of flat-panel screen for viewing in brightly-lit rooms.
Noteworthy Features:
With built-in HDTV compatibility, this unit can display images that are significantly sharper and more realistic than regular television, as long as the source is high definition.(It can easily render standard-resolution digital TV broadcasts and also depict the full resolution of widescreen DVD video.)The 3:2 pulldown feature of this unit reduces artifacts that can occur when motion pictures are transferred to a digital format such as DVD.
Weaker Features:
Has only a rear connector location.
Suitability:
A liquid crystal display TV, suited for home entertainment as well as work place applications.Also, a wide aspect TV such as this one is ideal for DVD movies recorded in the popular 16:9 format, as well as high definition programming.
Value:
In view of its relatively inexpensive price, this TV has great features for the money.In terms of viewable size, liquid crystal display TVs with similar viewable size have an average cost of about $875.
Suggestions:
(1) For assistance in shopping for a new HDTV, read CNET editors' Ultimate HDTV Buying Guide.(2) If donating or repurposing your old TV is not a viable option, CNET encourages households to recycle their electronics.Please explore the following website to find a recycling center in your area Electronics Take Back Coalition.
Receiving HDTV broadcast:
The three common methods to receive HDTV broadcasts are via satellite-TV set-top box, cable system set-top box, and over-the-air reception from a digital HDTV broadcast station.
True HDTV:
True HDTV programming is now available in three resolutions: 720p, 1080i, or 1080p.
Tuner options:
An HDTV-ready satellite or cable box will act as an outboard HDTV tuner for your digital TV set that lacks a built-in HD tuner.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Excellent price for a quality television
This was our first HDTV and we've had it for just about a week. We were a little bit ...
This was our first HDTV and we've had it for just about a week. We were a little bit skeptical about going with a Sony, since we had had some negative experiences with their laptops, but Sony's history with tv's is much longer and I'm happy to report that we're completely satisfied with this product. In the interest of full disclosure, we don't spend a great deal of time watching tv, but we wanted to be ready for the all digital broadcasts in 2009. So we entered the HD market not wanting to spend more than $800 on a new tv. For us, the toughest call was whether to go with an economy brand (Vizio, Insignia, or Olevia) in a slighter larger size (37 inch) or to go with a higher quality image in a smaller size (the 32" Bravia L4000).
Once we got to the store (Target), we compared the Olevia to the Bravia, and that moment sealed the deal for us. The image quality on the Sony was so superior that we were blown away. In addition, we just felt that if we're upgrading to HD, the whole point was to get a good, quality picture - and that's exactly what we found in the Bravia.
Sony's L series Bravia is their new entry level HD tv; while it lacks the bells and whistles of the higher end Bravia's, she's got it where it counts. Picture and sound are terrific on this unit and the set up was really simple. We didn't really change the settings at all; just plugged it in and connected our existing rabbit ears, Sony did the rest. The TV scanned for digital channels in about 10 minutes, and that was it. We went from pulling down maybe 6-8 channels of analog tv to over 30 channels of over the air, free HD tv (we live in the Bay Area)!
The inputs and output are more than adequate for the average user. Admittedly, we didn't have to worry about hooking up cable or multiple A/V devices; just ran our existing antenna in, plugged in the DVD via an S-video input, and ran the audio out from the TV to our stereo. The tv speakers are fine for everyday viewing, but the audio output through surround speakers is fabulous.
The remote is pretty basic, but we like the slim elegance of it. And for the more technophobic, there's something nice about not feeling overwhelmed with the number of buttons on the remote. Aesthetically, we liked the matte finish on the casing around the tv and there's a fancy clear panel at the bottom that has a floating LED indicator lights (the glossy finishes on the higher end Samsung just never really did it for us).
I suspect that this TV lacks the horsepower that many may be looking for these days. It only has 2 HDMI's and the screen size may be too small for those hoping for a true theater experience. But I think a 32" is big enough for most average living rooms, and it's less likely to put you into serious debt (especially during these tough economic times). The set can't display at 1080p (most sets under 42" can't, and from what we're told, you can't tell the difference at that screen size), but according to the specs, it can convert a 1080p signal to 720p.
We highly recommend this tv and would buy it again in a heartbeat! We didn't find it available at a lot of places (amazon wasn't shipping it until June 2008; the Sony site had it available in early May 2008). Our local brick and mortar Target had it in stock for the MSRP of $699 (although, their floor model was actually last year's M series Bravia). If you can, go find a floor model and just take in the picture quality of the Bravia. The colors are richer (the whites are cleaner, the darks look more black than grey or blue on the Olevia), the backlighting creates a brighter image than the economy brands, and the lines are sharp without jaggies.
Because the L series is so new, you won't find (m)any reviews. Hoping this review will be helpful to those of you considering this tv!
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by stephenhochen (see profile) -
May 8, 2008
8 out of 10 - Excellent Very Good Sor Far.
I cashed in an annuity payment and with a portion of the money, I wanted to get a new HDTV. ...
I cashed in an annuity payment and with a portion of the money, I wanted to get a new HDTV. I had a 32 inch Tatung HDTV Ready Monitor, but it had no HDMI, only DVDI-D with HDCP and the contrast radio was teriible at 550. So while bright colors looked fine, dark films like AVP-R looked so muddy that they were almost unwatchable.
I have an Olevia in m home office and that TV blew way the Tatung, but it is only 27 inches and for group viewing, it is a bit too small. So I decided that since now I have an opportunity to buy a true brand namme HDTV, I'd buy a Sony and the Sony Bravia KDL-32L4000 fit the bill in terms of overall value for dollar and while not a huge step up, it is still better than the Tatung, which I have packed away as a "just in case" TV and the Olevia, which is still in my home office.
The first TV had dead pixels at the lower right hand corner so I returned it and exchanged it for another. I never realized how soft the image quality of the Tatung was before I bought the Sony. For the record, this is a 720p TV with a maximum visual resolution of 1080i via RF, VGA, and two HD component video inputs. Picture quality is sharp and the sound output is surprisngly full. I like the manner in which the screen menus are handled too.
I have a Sony BDP-S300 hooked up directly via HDMI and a PS3 as well as a Toshiba HD DVD Player HD-XA1 hooked up via HDMI sound and video through an Onkyo TX-SRS605(S) AV Receiver with both Sony BD players set at 1080p/24p and according to the menu on the TV, it says I'm viewing 1080p/24p.
Am I? I don't know for certain, I think I am viewing a virtual 1080p mode more than likely like 16 by 9 mode on Sony Wega TVs in the 90s. However, the Blu-rays have never looked better to me and the HD DVD and regular DVD titles look great too.
Using a high quality HDTV amplified indoor VHF/UHF antenna pulls in local HD and DTV stations in NYC, Long Island and New Jersey very well. Some stations I get over the air are not on Time Warner HD Digital Cable, which I also hooked up to the TV.
I have a fiber optic audio cable hooked into the receiver and the 5.1 broadcasts over the air sound just as good as the cable and somehow the TV seems to be able to pass through sound being sent VIA HDMI through the Fiber Optic as long as you are not on the Tuner channel itself. It's neat extra or quirk.
Outside of these things, I'd say I'm very pleased as long as it keeps woring well. I've only had it for 5 days or so anything can happen. I hope the TV lasts me a long time because as is, I love it. Thank you.
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by writerr5 (see profile) -
June 29, 2008
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Affordable Sony HDTV
I've had this TV for about a week and I love it. I have watched a couple of BluRay ...
I've had this TV for about a week and I love it. I have watched a couple of BluRay movies with the player set to output at 1080p even though TV downgrades it to 720p the picture is better than I've seen with my older HDTV at 1080i. Cable TV picture quality is excellent even though its only a 2000:1 contrast ratio instead of the 3000:1 my old TV had. The remote is simple to use though it does take some getting use to on the input switching. I have comcast digital cable and ran the channel setup and I did find all the over the air stations in both standard and hidef as well as the Music Choice channels. I guess comcast scrambles all other HDTV content though thats what my HD Tivo with cable card is for. My only minor gripes with this TV are there are only 2 HDMI inputs and there is no DTV channel guide like you get with some set top boxes. The No Guide made labeling channels a Pain as Comcast doesn't send the channel names with all channels so you have to manually label 90% of the channels. My only other minor complaint is that on the search I found 2 or 3 versions of the standard def Over the air NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, CW channels (I blocked the extras) Overall I love this TV and find myself more of a "couch potato" than ever. This is definitely worth the money.
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by jafarm66 (see profile) -
May 25, 2008
8 out of 10 - Excellent Best TV for the price that I could find!
I looked a alot of LCD TV's before I decided to purchase this Sony. I also did my homework ...
I looked a alot of LCD TV's before I decided to purchase this Sony. I also did my homework on a number of brands and it clearly came down to Sony or Samsung. The picture on the Sony Bravia was better by far. The HD picture is excellent. My only problem is that Cox Cable isn't capable of transmitting a picture good enough to show what this TV is made of.
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by mikesd21 (see profile) -
May 23, 2008
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