Customer Reviews

Sony Bravia XBR-Series KDL-V32XBR2 32-Inch LCD HDTV

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This TV had the best picture in the store in the 32" LCD category. For the space I had- the viewing area was 55 inches from the TV - anything larger would have been too much. The rule of thumb is to buy a TV whose diagonal is ½ the distance that you'll be sitting from the TV. I would have bought a plasma if they had a 32 inch size, but the smallest I could find was 42"

The LCD HDTVs still lag behind the other HDTV types in the area of color and motion. The Sony KDLV32XBR2 comes darn close colorwise. It is fabulous. This is my second sony. I also own a 34 inch 9x16 WEGA CRT-type HDTV. Watching a football game is slightly better on the WEGA, due to its better motion processing. If you buy a cheap LCD HDTV you'll definitely notice the inferior color and motion.

On the other hand, LCD TVs lead the others HDTV types in terms of space-saving, no-burn-in, longevity, power consumption, and brightness. These TVs are better in a well lit room than the plasma variety.

The Comcast technician connected the cable box to the TV using the component input, which requires 5 cables. I had bought an HDMI cable beforehand but he said I bought the wrong cable, which was incorrect. He said that cable box has a HDMI output but after reading the cable box manual he was referring to the DVI output, which isn't HDMI. Be careful if you use the HDMI input on the set because I've heard that you'll have trouble using the zoom feature on non-HD channels. I have a regular DVD player connected to the other component inputs. I am going to use the HDMI input eventually for an HD DVD player , when they come down in price.

This is a 720p HDTV. Make sure you set up the cable box or satellite receiver to output 720p. It doesn't look as good with an 1080i signal, which is what my cable box was originally set to (the comcast technician who set it up didn't know the difference , the idiot). Fortunately he left the manual for the cable box and I figured it out after he left. If I were you I would call Comcast or your satellite TV provider and make sure that their box can output 720 p. As far as waiting to buy a 1080p set, I do not believe it would be worth the wait. The difference between 720p and 1080p on a set this small would not be noticeable. You will not get better motion processing on a 1080p set for the same response time, which is 8ms on this set and all of Sony's LCD TVs at this point.

CONS: One annoying thing is that you have to cycle through all the 7 input selections, even if they are not being used. It would be nice if the TV could be set up to skip inputs that are not in use- all I'm using are two, one for DVD and one for cable. Also, I would have liked if Sony would have put a "ZOOM" button on top of the set(you can ZOOM but use have to scroll down the menus). I set up the TV so my sister doesn't have to use the TV remote, just the cable remote. It is confusing for a non-techie to have all these remotes around. She turns the TV off and on using the power button on top of the set. She switches from the DVD to cable by hitting the TV/VIDEO button, again this button is on top of the set. Some of the regular DVDs are made to work in the ZOOM mode. If that button was on top of the set, she wouldn't have to pull out the TV remote at all.

There is no picture-in-picture, which is not important to me especially on a set this small.

All-in-all, this is a spectacular set. Once I had the cable box configured correctly, the picture is an unbelievable WOW. I'm very happy with it.

After doing some shopping for a nice HD LCD tv, I found that although this Sony is definitely pricey for its size, it more than makes up for the price difference in pure quality. Picture is very detailed, and the HD is AMAZING. I was initially going to go with a little larger set, but with a lower quailty brand...and when all is said and done, I'm glad I ended up with the 32" Sony.

For my space, anything larger would have been overkill, and I'm thrilled with it. It was two minutes to set up out of the box, and the menus are very easy to navigate. (ie you do not have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out).

I would highly recommend this television to anyone that wants an extremely nice tv, but would like to keep their tv from dominating their space.

sorry kids but i have to give you a heads up. we just got this tv and yes - there they are - the infamous sony "clouds".

for those who don't know what i'm talking about - on many of these sony's (no one knows exactly what percentage), when your screen is dark - you don't see a uniform black. instead you see clouds of grey. granted it's pretty hard to see them when you're watching a bright moving color image but for the price - sony should be embarrassed and ashamed.

furthermore - they are deep into corporate denial mode (not unlike many politicians). in fact - up until very recently - they denied the problem even existed. recently however, they've begun to acknowledge that maybe perhaps some people could experience some problems under certain conditions and they're promising a partial fix sometime soon that may in some cases possibly reduce the severity of some of the problems.

wow - way to take a stand sony!

my advice?

buyer type #1:

if you are not the fussy type - this is an awesome tv and you should go ahead and buy it. for example my mother would probably never even notice the clouds so she would be thrilled.

buyer type #2:

if the clouds are going to drive you crazy - but you're gonna be too lazy to return the set - then you're just setting yourself up for heartache. i wouldn't buy this tv until sony gets it right.

buyer type #3

if the clouds are going to drive you crazy - and you are a fight-the-power-activist type - then you might consider buying it at a place you can keep bringing it back to again and again until you get a good one.

ultimately - the only thing that will get sony to change their behavior is if it becomes cheaper to deal with the problem than to pretend it doesn't really exist.

for more info on clouds - google "sony XBR clouds" or check out the reader reviews on cnet.

While I only have had the set for 4 days, I felt I had to add my input. The picture quality on HD channels exceeded my expectations. If the picture signal input is not that great do not blame the TV.I live in NYC and use Time Warner cable with a HD box with DVR. The DVR box is highly recommended. Only $9 a mo. but so easy and convenient to use.
READ the manual! You cannot expect to get top performance if you never read the manual. My wife and I spent about an hour figuring out the manual. Setting are easy and no problem. Don't buy expensive HDMI cables. Buy cheap on Amazon. Saved $600 by buying on Amazon!

I purchased this TV from Amazon. I'm not an expert on HD LCD TVs, but I don't see how one could expect a better picture. It also makes regular TV look very good too, almost like HD. I've always had good luck with Sony "top of the line" products.

I saw the quality of the XBR Bravia unit next to the "non Bravia" set in a store and could tell the difference easily. I finally broke down and got this TV and couldn't be happier. The programs that are broadcast in HD are incredible. I'm a sucker for the educational shows like those on the Discover Channel and the images on Discovery HD are amazing. You know those images you see in the store on the great tv's and wishing that you had that at home. THIS UNIT DELIVERS THAT!!!

I'm also a sucker for Football and Hockey and the games on HD are a totally different experience than on regular TV. My wife noted that she can actually follow the puck now during Hockey games.

The only negative with this tv is that shows are still broadcast in a non HD format. That's not so much a problem with the tv as it is with the networks. I guess they'll catch on soon enough. For those tv junkies out there, this is a must.

Wow, am I glad we waited to buy ourselves a flatscreen TV.
So many options yet so little real good advice out there. Ended up buying this Sony Screen (mainly because the DVD-R's also from Sony, as is the home cinema set).
Five top reasons to go out and buy one yourself:
1. Great colours and contrasts
2. Sleek Classy Design
3. Not too big, which fits a modest living room/master bedroom just fine
4. Easy set up features
5. If you hook it up with a HDMI cable (to your Home Cinema Set) you're really off

One minor flaw:
1. Sound is limited (mediocre at best); but a medium to up market Home Cinema Set should have that covered.

I recommend to anyone, who's still debating which type of LCD to buy, to opt for this beauty. You won't get much more value for money anywhere else.....

I love this TV. The sound is great and the picture is fabulous. The delivery was really more than I expected. I got a phone call to set the delivery time and they actually showed up at the right time. They unboxed the TV and set it up for me. I could have done it myself but it was really nice to be able to see the TV working before the delivery folks left.

previous channel memory a problem. picture quality is nice. remote control is very limited and not programable to other things, such as dvd player

My wife and I got this TV for Christmas. The picture quality is awesome. We initially thought the built in tuner was great too. We could receive time warner high def channels with no problem. Now after 3 weeks, the tuner has died. At first, it was taking a couple minutes to warm up before displaying the picture. Now, it just displays static. Called Sony, and they say it needs a new tuner. Luckily, I bought it from Best Buy so I can just return it to the store.