16 August 2007 – Sony shows little sign of slowing down in its bid to keep the Bravia flat panel range fresh and innovative.
This 32in D series television is the first to feature the manufacturer’s own MotionFlow Plus 100Hz technology, not to mention the ability to display 1080p pictures at 24fps (frames per second) from a blue laser source.
The KDL-32D3000 is arguably the best-equipped TV in the entire Bravia range. Take the two new features mentioned above, for instance. MotionFlow Plus-100Hz is a frame doubling technology that takes the original 50Hz video signal, runs it through an algorithm and outputs it as 100Hz. The idea is to create smooth, judder-free motion.
The 24p compatibility mode is starting to crop up on more and more high end screens (see Pioneer’s PDP-428XD review on p46), but is only really an important feature if you own (or have future plans to own) a Blu-ray or HD DVD player.
It allows the user to watch a high-definition movie at its native speed of 24 frames per second. Cinema buffs will know that this is the speed at which real cine film runs, so you’re getting your movie presented to you at the precise speed the director intended – and not, as with most televisions, four per cent faster, with a slight increase in audio pitch.
Bravia Engine
Other picture-related technology includes the Bravia Engine and a 10-bit panel for smooth colour transitions, as well as preset picture modes for video games and films, the latter optimised by Sony Pictures Entertainment.
The television also boasts fantastic connectivity, with no fewer than three HDMI sockets on offer (with two hidden away at the back, one conviniently positioned on the left side panel), all conforming
to the latest v1.3 specification. Component, VGA and a pair of Scart sockets are also available, so you’ll have few problems hooking up all of your kit.
The TV uses the same, simple menu system as other Bravia models, which makes setting up the digital and analogue tuners a breeze, as well as selecting an external input (there are eight altogether, so it’s a good thing you don’t have to cycle through them) or adjusting the picture and sound settings.
The remote control is a slightly revamped design that sits nicely in the hand. It comes with a useful Tools button that takes you straight to a menu of all the main picture and sound settings and all the main controls are well positioned.
The new features work impressively well. MotionFlow ensures that the picture remains smooth, even during the sort of steady lateral pans that has traditionally caused LCD screens a number of problems in the past.
Watching King Kong on HD DVD, we did notice some shimmering on the edges of some objects during quick movements – occasions, perhaps, when the algorithm doesn’t perform as well as it should – but overall it works to create a better picture.
The 24p compatibility is a strange one, because while it works perfectly well – HD DVD movies look beautiful and move without any of the jarring we’ve seen on many non-24p compatible screens – the television’s resolution and smallish size means you’re certainly not getting much benefit from the ability to accept a 1080p signal.
The TV has to downscale the picture slightly to fit the 1366 x 768 panel, so that extra bit of detail you get with a 1080p image is lost.
That’s not to say a high-definition picture isn’t great here. In fact, the fantastic colour range, smooth motion and myriad other picture enhancements make this one of the best 32-inchers we’ve seen when it comes to HD.
Even the contrast ratio is reasonably good, so unless you’re watching in a completely dark room, black areas actually do look, well, black.
The presets for movies and games also work quite nicely. The Theatre setting simply tones down contrast range and brightness to create a slightly more film-like picture, one that’s designed to work well in a dimly lit room. The game mode creates a vibrant, colourful image with no blurring or smearing during fast movement.
The television comes with a new virtual surround sound technology called S-Force and to be honest it’s about as underwhelming as previous efforts. It does widen the soundfield from the stereo speakers slightly, but you never get a real impression of 360º audio.
Other than that, stereo is good and solid, and you can always hook the TV straight up to an external audio system if you want something more substantial.
Sony’s website is currently selling the 32D3000 for just under £1,000, which is a lot of money for a 32in TV, but a bit of judicious web trawling should knock at least £100 off that.
That £900 price tag isn’t exactly cheap either, but you are getting a lot for your money: great connectivity, smart design, some truly advanced features and a top class picture – it’s just a shame the new technology isn’t quite used to its full potential here.
SUMMARY
Sony KDL32D3000 impressed us so much that it earned HDTVTest’s first ever "Highly Recommended" award.
PROS
> Balanced beautiful picture with excellent shadow detail
> [Motion Enhancer] reduces LCD motion blur
> Very good video processing
CONS
> Slightly oversaturated colours from WCG
> Service menu needed to calibrate greyscale
> High price tag
Pros
* Balanced beautiful picture due to consistent greyscale profile
* Excellent shadow detail due to flat gamma tracking
* [Motion Enhancer] reduces LCD motion blurring
* Very good deinterlacing (both film & video) and mixed edit handling
* Very good baseline noise reduction circuitry
* Impressive standard definition performance
* Abundant connections: 3 HDMI ports, optical audio out, etc.
* Multiple controls available in user menu (except white balance; see Cons)
* Independent memory settings per input source
* Auto-adjustment over VGA (1360 x 768) to achieve 1:1 mapping without overscan
* Above average viewing angle (≈ 120°)
* Responsive on-screen menu and channel navigation
* Near-silent operation (effectively no audible buzzing)
* Table top stand already attached for quick setup
* Remote control improved ergonomically and aesthetically
Cons
* Slightly oversaturated colours painted by WCG (Wide Colour Gamut)
* Service menu access needed for greyscale calibration
* Premium price tag compared to similarly sized rivals
* Pre-fixed table top stand does not swivel
* Bland EPG and poor DTV info bar placement
Conclusion
To be brutally honest, I never thought this day would come so soon, due to our stringent test criteria and uncompromising reporting style. But the Sony KDL32D3000 deservedly earned HDTVTest’s first ever "Highly Recommended" award, if only because it exhibited the least flaws among all the HDTVs we’ve reviewed so far… and these flaws might not even trouble viewers who are less picky than us.
Sure, the price ranks among the most expensive for a 32" LCD TV, but what you’re getting is class-leading picture quality. Armed with consistent greyscale tracking, respectable video processing and convincing motion interpolation, the Sony KDL32D3000 delivers a splendid performance not only in high definition, but perhaps more importantly in standard definition where so many other HDTVs have found difficult to negotiate.
Specifications
Supported Format (Interlaced) – 1080i, 480i (SDTV), 576i
Supported Format (Progressive) – 768p, 576p, 720p, 480p (EDTV)
Remote Control – Yes
Power Consumption (Operational) – 149 W
Power Consumption (Standby) – 0.3 W
Connectivity – Coaxial, VGA, Scart, S-video, HDMI, Composite Video, Component Video,
MPN – KDL32D3000
Price at Launch – 900 GBP
Audio Output Power – 20 w
Sound Output Modes – Nicam Stereo
Brightness – 450 cd/m2
Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) – Yes
HD Ready – Yes
LCD Progressive Scan – Yes
Teletext Details – 700 page memory
Weight (kg) – 17.5 kg
Warranty Length – 1 Year
Aspect Ratio – 16:9
Contrast Ratio – 1600:1
Display Resolution – 1366 x 768
Display Size – 32 inches
Display Standard – WXGA
Display Type – LCD
Max No of Colours (billion) – 1.07 billion colours
Screen Size – 32 inches
Viewing Angle (Horizontal) – 178 Degrees (180 if CRT)
Viewing Angle (Vertical) – 178 Degrees
Clock – Yes
Memory Card Compatibility – Memory Stick
Auto-tune – Yes
CI Slot – Yes
Comb Filter – 4H Adaptive Motion
Digital Text – Yes
Teletext – Yes
Tuner – Yes
Wall Mount – Yes
Widescreen – Yes
