When moving into our new flat I managed to get the main television, a 50” Sony Bravia KDF-E50A12U from A to B, up 3 flights of stairs and through a narrow doorway without any hassle at all, but managed to completely destroy our bedroom television, therefore a replacement was needed. After being ... Read review
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A review by Badger_Boy on Sony KDL-32U2000 May 15th, 2007
Author's product rating:
How is the Picture Quality?
Excellent
How is the Sound Quality?
Excellent
Ease of Installation
Very Easy
Range of Features
Excellent
Value for Money
Good
Advantages:
LCD display with anti - glare, stunning picture detail and colour, audio
Disadvantages:
Cost of auxillery products - stand or wall bracket
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
When moving into our new flat I managed to get the main television, a 50” Sony Bravia KDF-E50A12U from A to B, up 3 flights of stairs and through a narrow doorway without any hassle at all, but managed to completely destroy our bedroom television, therefore a replacement was needed. After being extremely pleased with the ease of set up, down right amazing performance and relatively cheap price of our other Bravia we decided that the replacement should also be a flat screen rear projection HD ready television and, if possible, a Sony Bravia. After much searching we couldn’t find a rear projection television cheap enough so opted for the Sony Bravia KDL-32U2000 an LCD television purchased for £540 from www.cheapelectricals.co.uk in January 2007.
In an ideal world I would have opted for another 50” Bravia, alas financial and space constraints meant that we would have to settle for a 32” television and was slightly concerned that I would struggle to adjust to such a smaller display. My wife made the comment “that it would look like a handheld console”. These concerns turned out to be completely unfounded as soon as it was delivered and removed from the protective packaging, as the display looks deceptively larger than it actually is thanks to the silver finishing.
The first and only mistake I’ll hold my hands up to here is that I didn’t even think about a stand or wall mounting when ordering the television and assumed that it would sit quite nicely on a set of draws. What I hadn’t calculated was that the base to the television would actually be longer than our sets of draws, so positioning it was impossible and a further purchase of a wall bracket was required. This added a further £150 onto the price and large amounts of DIY trying to fit it into the wall with screws roughly the size of my forearm. Thankfully the weight of the entire television is only 14 kilograms so positioning and movement doesn’t require an army of helpers. Now with hindsight, and if we had room within our bedroom I would have purchased a stand, as they do work out cheaper at only £79.
The television can be mounted onto a wall without any sort of hassle at it lacks the depth of the larger Bravia models. At its deepest point from the bottom speaker to the rear of the television is only 12.5cm, whilst the visible screen is 54.8cm high by 79.7cm wide. The screen is made from what feels like a very thin layer of glass which means that any form of cleaning has to be done very carefully and that it should be positioned well away from any sort of knocks or bumps as I can see it cracking if subjected to any sharp knocks. I am petrified of falling and head butting the display when drunk as it is now at face height!
As you would expect from Sony just looking at the television mounted on the wall switched off is enough to give you that warm and fuzzy feeling as it does just look so impressive and this experience was only intensified as soon as I started playing around with the features setting it up. The instruction manual and ‘useful tips’ leaflets will give you enough reading for a few days and I would recommend that after you have got the television tuned in that you take the time to read through and learn what your new television can do as I promise it will add a few inches to the perma-grin any new owner will sport for at least a month.
The KDL-32U2000 has only one High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) interface slot that allows a PC or laptop to be hooked up to the screen. As the television is positioned in our bedroom we haven’t done this, but if used in a lounge environment it would be a very useful little feature and from experience with my other Bravia, the quality and sheer size of web pages even on a 32” screen would probably be too much, but if used to watch films or video clips I can vouch that you will not get much better. The HDMI socket will also allow you to attach an HD DVD player with even clearer and crisper pictures.
As the television is High definition, the pictures projected onto the display are made up from 1080 lines giving a better, clearer and crisper picture instead of using pixels. As a simple rule the more lines used by the television to make up the picture, the better. The entire LCD display resolution is 1366 X 768 pixels.
In comparison to a regular, run of the mill television the Bravia KDL-32U2000 is streets ahead in terms of picture and audio quality. I have to admit that my levels of amazement were not exactly at bursting point but this is because I already expected crystal clear images and stunning amounts of detail as this is the second Bravia in our household, so there were no looks of disbelief at the amounts of detail being displayed in pictures, but in terms of quality it is on a par to the larger rear projection Bravia KDF-E50A12U and one of the best pictures I have seen from any television set without a digital HD box attachment. Every colour you could possibly image is produced without any effort. As with my other Bravia I still spot items of images within films that were obscured or not visible when watching on a normal television and that is what impresses me. When I am relegated to watching sports in the bedroom in favour of soaps I am not bothered in the slightest as there is no distortion with the picture, even as players move around quickly.
As the wall bracket we have has grooves things like DVD players or consoles can also be mounted just behind the display. Playing games on the Bravia is an out of this world experience and in all honesty, playing games on the 32” in comparison to the 50” is actually much better – something I never thought I would say when writing my previous television review. At the rear are two SCART sockets, so it is possible to attach a console and a DVD player at once without having to keep removing wires and messing about. From a personal perspective, I just attach my Xbox 360 and use it for gaming and as a DVD player.
Unlike the larger Bravia I have no problems at all with the quality of the sound produced by the two 10w speakers located at the base of the television. Whilst it has the same output (20w) as the larger Bravia is seems clearer and has more clarity when trying to distinguish certain noises whilst retaining the ability to deafen the students who leave 3 doors away. Again, if using this as a main television in a lounge environment I would strongly suggest a surround sound system to fully appreciate the viewing experience.
The television comes with the standard yet very basic Sony remote control that allows for the changing of channels (obviously), access to Teletext (in a choice of languages) and has the ability to move the picture around the screen. In addition to this, the Bravia KDL-32U2000 has a freeze picture feature and if attached to a suitable aerial access to digital channels thanks to integrated Freeview.
I have had no problems with the television and continually find myself discovering new features despite believing I had read everything there was to know about the Bravia KDL-32U2000. Like other larger televisions it does use up a touch more electricity but not that much that you will see a huge increase in your bills. My 50” attracts dust like a magnet, the Bravia KDL-32U2000 does not which is a relief and cleaning is only required on a fortnightly basis.
Overall I am delighted with my purchase but disappointed that the total cost came to £690 when the wall bracket cost is taken into account. If you have the room to purchase this without the need for a stand or a wall bracket I would say that £540 is an absolute steal, and would highly recommend the Bravia KDL-32U2000 as a great television for either the lounge or bedroom. It enhances viewing pleasure with a superb picture quality and has a sound system that will make you feel as though you are involved, especially when using it for gaming.
...replace a 15 year old Sony 25" Trinitron that had served me well but was beginning to show its age. The picture had gradually developed an orange/pink cast with fine horizontal streaks and a general loss of definition and brightness, so definitely the time had come for its retirement.
I chose the KDL-32U2000 because it offered some degree of future-proofing being HD ready with built-in Freeview, NICAM stereo and all the required sockets for connecting ... ...specification, and having confidence in Sony products, I took the plunge and ordered the set online from a well known e-tailer offering free 24 hour delivery.
Installation was a breeze with the on-screen menus and after a few minutes all the available analogue and Freeview channels where set up and available for viewing. The biggest problem I had was removing the old Trinitron, weighing in at a back-breaking 34Kg, twice as much as the LCD. As this ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
...the plunge and bought a Sony 32 inch HD T.V. I had been looking around for a while and didn't want to pay more than £600. When I spotted the Sony KLD-32U2000 in my local Tesco for £404 I knew I had to have it!
The first thing to say is that this T.V looks stunning! It has a silver surround and can be wall mounted if you prefer. Ours sits on a T.V table. For added safety you can fix the T.V to your table with the support belt included. The controls ... ...top box.
All Sony HD TV's use the brand name Bravia-best resolution audiovisual integrated architecture, put simply Sony claim that their TV's have the best colour of any brand available.
The verdict
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I love this T.V and am really pleased I bought it! The colours are really vibrant and sharp. The reds are deep and rich and the greens vivid. The brightness is near perfect and scenes shot at night are well lit.
The picture is very clear ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Again, follows the successful Sony Style, pitcure quality mostly good Disadvantages: quite expensive
...to the amount of sony stores around on every good highstreet. Picture: Extremely good, although it could be better on fast moving images, there appears (on my set i dont know if this is a renound problem) to be a slight lag on fast moving programme such as football or anything where there are quick cut screensor fast moving objects. The colour on the screen is superb, and this may be what contributes to the slight delays. It is vibrant and the contrast ... ...Sony have never let down on, they have always been pioneers in picture quality, and very few makes can rival it (Samsung being one of them).
Sound: The speakers are crystal clear, but it wouldnt hurt to rig up a home cinema system to improve it. There is no crackling or anything like that and I cant really fault the sound. It has an amazing top volume, and Is good even to use as a music speaker!
Style: Sony have always been subtle but stylish, ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
I purchased the Sony KDL-32U2000 after careful consideration and much research into LCD TVs. I was willing to spend a fair amount on one and so wanted to make sure that it was future proof, as well as being of good quality picture and sound wise.
The TV itself has all the modern features that will soon be required after the analog TV signals are finally switched off and digital takes over. It is digital compliant. The set itself is also HD Ready ... ...equipment will be needed to run High Definition transmissions.) High Definition means a better quality picture and sound, which is already available if you subscribe with Sky, and will slowly be introduced as standard in the future. High Definition also allows you to play High Definition games on consoles that are compatible, such as the Xbox 360. The TV has 2 scart sockets, 2 RGB sockets (for PC connection), 1 component video socket and a WXGA connector. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: bright and so real colours, cheap, not heavy Disadvantages: have not found any (yet)
I own this sony KDL-32U2000 for about 2 weeks and paid £489 for it and have to say that the product's quality for this fairly low price is very good. Mine measures 31.25 x 23.6 x 8.6 inches (WxHxD) with included stand, its wide color gamut produces deeper reds, greens, and cleaner/ lighter blues. I really do enjoy watching TV programes because the picture, the colours are so bright and real. And it is only 20 kg heavy so carrying it was ok. The 2 ...
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This panel TV is the very, very latest offering from Sony. The 26 inch screen has loudspeakers, with a 16:9 ratio and 50 Hertz energy. Basically, the big question everyone's asking about this is whether it's worth the money as compared to the Samsung LE... more
This twenty six inch high definition ready television can be described in one word: brilliant. It coincides with the excellent reputation Sony possesses and they have definitely delivered.
The product contains Sony Bravia picture enhancement for... more
I helped a friend buy a new LCD tv after their standard one went out. We searched the net and eventually she settled on buying this from Dixon's online store. I must say i was jealous of her new 32inch LCD especially as its part of the Sony BRAVIA range. more
