SONY KDL32S300

GadgetHeat Rate the SONY KDL32S300 HDTV 8.5/10

UPDATE – I’ve added a second video review of the Sony KDL32S3000 – You can watch it here

Don’t know about you but I’m dying for a HDTV to hook up to my PS3. That is literally the only reason I want a HD TV, so my PS3 can have a worthy companion to play with…. So looking around, the Sony KDL32S3000 caught my eye. I’m not too big a fan of SONY (apart from the sweet looking nwza818) but by all accounts this is supposed to be one of the better HD TV’s out there in the current market. Ok so here’s my first HDTV review, buckle up.

On first impressions the Sony KDL 32S3000 HDTV is as sexy to look at as any other LCD flat screen (not much difference between them looks wise these days to be honest). The Sony KDL32S3000 HD TV is available in 20, 26, 32 & 40″ screen sizes and the bigger the better in my book but for now the 32″ will do for review (the 20″ inch comes in an array of colours but who really wants a pink TV…..really). Click the images below for more pictures.

You can get a detailed breakdown off sites like Amazon and the like but suffice to say that one of the key features of this HDTV is its 3 (yes 3!!) HDMI sockets and the integrated digital Freeview Tuner (eliminates another set of wires from the room as the separate Freeview box goes out the window). You can also twiddle with the spaceships worth of options to get that crystal clear HD image you’ve been looking for (although the plug and play option will suit the vast majority of users).

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Check out the video reveiw below:

Technically the Sony KDL 32S3000 is a ‘lower’ HD TV as it has a native resolution of 1366 x 768 but it will also accept a 1080i signal (which is that picture purrfect quality that makes people start to drool and go out and buy an expensive gaming console……).

A negative (if you can really call it a negative) of the Sony KDL32S3000 HDTV is that it comes without a motion chip. Now for those of you without Xbox’s and PS3’s this will not bother you in the slightest. For those of use who do have Xbox’s or PS3’s, well, we still won’t be bothered. Motion chips simply makes games play much smother on screen but seeing as both the Sony KDL32S3000 and the PS3 operate at 60Hz (input v output), getting a 120Hz TV with a motion chips is kinda pointless.

I’ve tried to find something negative to say about this TV and believe me, I’ve really tried but there’s just nothing bad to say. It’s incredibly easy to set up (easy enough to give to your parents as a gift) with auto tuning etc and it even auto finds any new Freeview channels that are released without you having to retune (like I do with my current Freeview box). It even comes with a 3 year guarantee making it a little future-proof.

The only odd little quirk of the Sony KDL32S3000 is the annoying channel number in the top left of the screen but that can be eliminated by pressing the button on the top left-hand-side of the remote to disable and enable it.

The other slight niggle is that if you use the VGA connection for your Xbox 360 or whatever you can only get 50Hz which isn’t such a big deal but if you’ve got a state-of-the-art TV and console, you’ll be wanting state-of-the-art graphics to go with them…

Sound wise the Sony KDL 32S3000 may not be up to the exact same standard as the rest of the product and given that it is a SONY (you, know the walkman specialists..) you would expect better. It’s still good but if you are using the KDL32S3000 as your main TV you may want to consider hooking up some amplifiers or rerouting the sound to your existing sound system.

GadgetHeat Rate the SONY KDL32S300 HDTV 8.5/10

Online, the Sony KDL32S3000 is going for under £500 which is £200 cheaper than high street retailers and for that price, nabbing a SONY is a bargain. No doubt after Christmas the prices in most high street stores will drop but probably not by as much as you can find it online.

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