Sony Bravia S-Series KDL-32S3000 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV
See it at Amazon.com for $887.99Average Customer Rating
(5.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First (5 out of 5)Oh yeah!! Sock it to me with this!
No stupid "Dynamic contrast ratio: 8000:1" gimmicks that merely flicker the backlight when the set's AI decides it ought to be, which is disconcerting and not to mention misleading in terms of real display quality...
Just a true, real contrast ratio that allows numerous shadow and hue detail that you're not going to see so clearly in any competitor's 32" set.
No washed out or dull colors, either - this Sony is a worthy replacement for dead-end, electricity guzzling, heat generating CRT technology.
And I looked at 6 brands, looking at every nuance, black level, color saturation, sharpness, detail, features, menu functions, et cetera, noting all TVs were at out-of-box conditions. I'd love to namedrop the worst ones, but that's a no-no... Here's a hint - those models are "inexpensive for their size". :)
Sony costs more, yes, but the difference in visual quality is formidable - worth every penny. Detail is exceptional, and sharp. Other models may not be as bright, may give edges jagged lines, colors may be flat, and so on...
If you are a videophile, this is THE set to get. Every setting under the sun can be changed (brightness, 'picture' (contrast), tint, et cetera). And this monitor also, much to my surprise and delight, includes filters to make DVDs (MPEG2) and broadcast signals look less grainy/noisy and sharper. You bet I'm a happy couch potato.
Casual viewers would probably be satisfied with any competing model, but why? As with lower quality screen technology, the hardware quality is bound to be lower as well. You do get what you pay for. If you read up on competing models where people say "it broke after 1.5 years", you'll see a pattern forming...
And if you looked at the competing model next to the Sony, you'd be tempted to buy the Sony anyway. Even if the cost difference was a mere $150.
I also apologizing for sounding like a shill for Sony. I'm not.
One small addendum (06/30/07): The stores' labels say it's 1600:1, the sticker on the left side of the monitor claims 8000:1. This TV set does alter the backlight's brightness - solely on the level of ambient light in the room, not the incoming signal. Either way, I've still had no negative issues with visual quality on DVD playback, NTSC TV, HD broadcast, or PC display (if your computer cannot handle 1366x768, try 1280x720 if possible.)
(5 out of 5)fantastic television!
I am a first-time buyer of a HD-LCD and just picked this television set up yesterday. Overall I am very pleased with the performance I am seeing. I went through two Samsung television sets: the first being the Samsung LN-S4095D 40" 1080p LCD and the second being the Samsung LNT3253H 32" LCD HDTV (after realizing I needed something smaller). Both models are full of video-tearing and audio-muting issues that Samsung has failed to resolve, so I decided that before any of these problems severely affected me, I would return them before the 30-day return policy expired. The sales person even mentioned that the LNT3242 model by Samsung was returned to his store over 7 times by the same customer (possibly in hopes of finding a non-defective set).
I ended up purchasing the Sony KDL-32S3000 and am very satsified with the purchase. I was initially hesitant to purchase a Sony, especially after hearing about the issues of clouding on XBR2 & XBR3 models.. but it seems now that most issues have been resolved for both the S-Series set & the new XBR4 model. I can certainly say it out performed the two Samsungs I purchased, especially in terms of picture quality. While both manufacturers have good television sets, the Samsung, while maintaining softer imagery, did not have as sharp and vibrant of picture-quality. From what I understand, the new Bravias (2007) are equipped with a 10-bit video processor, unlike the previous Bravia Models equipped with 8-bit processors (BR2-3 Models); thus creating more vibrant colors & making previous models look inferior. Sound-wise, this TV also does better than the Samsungs. The Sammys had a less than mediocre output from the speakers (no deep lows whatsoever & mostly high-ends).
In terms of the User Interface, the Sony sports a menu similar to that of PSP and PS3 interfaces. It can be confusing for the first time user, but I find the system to be rather easy to navigate through. The set itself is loaded with many options for tweaking video output, but does not have enough options to flexibly tweak color temperature (I.E. cool, warm, etc). It also comes with an Internet Link option, mainly for streaming HD to your television from the Internet using a proprietary Sony device. I am not sure if I would take advantage of this, but the option of having it is nice. The built-in tuner was also able to pick up a variety of HD 1080i and SD 420i channels. They look fantastic on screen.
If you are a gamer looking to use your PS3 on this, you will be pleased to know that games do output on this set at 1080p resolution. DVDs also display (according to the television information) at 1080p. Mpeg2-noise reduction is also available, in case you would like to reduce the amount of noise on DVD output. There is a PC-input on this television, which also displays very nicely, but only displays at a max resolution of 1360x768.
From my understanding, the only major difference between this set and the XBR4 set (the higher end consumer model) is the option of having "motion-flow" 120-hz display; however, according to other users who have purchased the XBR4 set, motion-flow is still not fully developed. Apparently, the system creates artifical frames in between frames in order to create a much more fluid and realistic picture (which I hear is quite amazing), but this also creates artifacts and other miscellaneous noise in the process. All in all, the picture quality is improved with this system, but whether you want to take a 200-300 dollar gamble on this is purely up to you.
I am usually not inclined to give products a 5-star rating and I do believe that there are products that are far-superior.. but this television is definitley worth its bang for the couple extra bucks.
(5 out of 5)Simply the Best in Every Way!
We're in the "senior citizen" class and were looking to replace our 27" Panasonic tube TV (which did serve us well for more than 10 years.) Being in our 70s did not mean I didn't THOROUGHLY check out and compare EVERY high-rated 32" LCD HDTV on the market--at Sears, Circuit City, Wal-Mart and other brick&mortar stores. I searched on-line, read technical reviews, and paid particular attention to what buyers said about the products. The hands-down winner for us (and apparently all accompanying buyer-reviews) is this awesome Sony product. It is in our opinion simply the best in every way. Period. ("Consumers Report" magazine recently also ranked this product best in its category.) [...]Now we enjoy a superb television picture with startling sound clarity. I like it when a plan comes together.
(5 out of 5)Best In It's Class Period
I have owned this TV for a month now and I am nothing but happy. Without getting into spec's and all that just put this TV up to any of the competitors and you will see the 200.00 difference. I highly agree with the other reviewer in all regards, you pay a little more than the others, but you get a lot more. This is a high quality set that will last you for long enough until new technology makes it obsolete. I have put this set up to the competition, both owned and viewed in store, more than once and the difference is clear. In an unrelated note I asked a salesman at a high end electronics store what XBR meant and he said, "it looks better." (BTW this TV is nicer than the old 32" XBR) My point is you can talk all day about contrast and backlight etc. etc., but in the end how does it look and how well is it made. Well after owning many a Sony in the past and in addition to this one, they have the BEST picture and are built to last, end of story. So, you could buy that cheaper model but in a year or two you may regret it! And in case you are wondering I DO NOT work for Sony or any of its affiliates.
(5 out of 5)Good looks, great picture, Sony reliability!,
I went over to Best Buy yesterday and took a look at all 3 of Sony's 32" LCD TVs. The KDL-32S3000 looks better than the 32M3000 becuase they have put a black stand on it instead of silver. The XBR does not look as good becuase they changed the speaker to a shiny black rectangle at the bottom that looks cheap. For looks I would go with the 32S3000. The XBR is supposed to be technically better though. The 32M3000 is their base model being phased out now. The picture on all 3 is great and I could not tell the difference.
I am very happy with this purchase. The TV has very good looks, sleek and discreet. The equivalent Samsung and Sharp had frames too shiny and looked cheap. The picture is great. SD cable looks very good, better than on my earlier Samsung 30" Slimfit. Audio is very good. Best of all is Sony reliability. My previous experience was the Samsung 30" SlimFit. That had bending issues at first and was replaced. Then it refused to turn on, and customer service was rude and unhelpful. The Slimfit has major reliability problems. I am very happy with this Sony that replaced it.
Adding to this review after 2 weeks of extensive use. I compared this TV to Sony's 37" KDF-37H1000 LCD projection TV. This 32" LCD TV won out because:
1. Sharper picture on HD signal - the KDF-37H1000 is a little more blurry. (Note the KDF-37H1000 picture is better than no-name brand LCDs). The Sony LCDs had better focus.
1a. LCD TVs have a brighter picture. The Sony TVs have 3 picture settings: i) Vivid (very bright, what you see in Best Buy, ii) Standard (less bright, what looks better at home), and iii) Cinema (softer, more reds and earth shades). On the KDF-37H1000, you have to set it to vivid to watch even at home. On LCDs, you have to reduce brightness becuase they're brighter pictures.
2. SD cable on LCD TV is much much better than on KDF-37H1000.
2a. Motion was much cleaner on the LCD TVs. Sports blurred on the KDF-37H1000. I watched a bit of "8 below" Disney's Alaskan adventure with lots of white dogs and snow, and it looked bad, blurry and soft on the KDF-37H1000.
3. LCD TV has much less depth. Looks sleeker. I also tapped my fingers and felt around the frames on the 2 TVs. The LCDs were firmer and fit better. The KDF-37H1000 frame was looser and cheaper materials like a toy.
4. Maintainence costs - the KDF-37H1000 will require $200-400 bulb replacement in 1.5 years. The sales people said this could even happen in less than a year due to bulb malfunctions, just like in a floor lamp or any lamp. Note, Sony is phasing out LCD projection TVs in favor of SXRD, Hence, parts for the KDF-37H1000 will become harder to find. The KDF-37H1000 lamps are already $400 (Sony parts are always costlier - look at their digital camera memories, compared to Canon's).
4a. The complex combination of chips, mirrors, projectors, lamps on a projection TV is more prone to break than the simpler LCD technology. I am an electrical engineer and design integrated circuits for a living.
5. The KDF-37H1000 generates more heat than LCD, but much less than plasma.
6. The KDF-37H1000 has moving parts, such as the cooling fan, etc., All of these are more prone to malfunction.
7. Consumer reports rates the LCD TV reliability higher than projection TVs after looking at consumer repair data. Projection TVs had higher rates of return and repair.
7a. The folks at Best Buy told me they saw higher rates of returns due to reliability on the KDF-37H1000 than on Sony's LCDs.
8. The LCD TV has higher pixel count 1368 X 768, compared to the KDF-37H1000's 1200 X 720. This leads to sharper picture and better focus.
9. Screen door effect on KDF-37H1000. When objects on screen moved, their individual pixels did not move as a group. The picture was constantly dissolving and reforming. Faces had spots that appeared and dissappeared.
10. 2-3 years from now, I can put the LCD TV on a dresser in my bedroom as a 2nd TV, or put it in my study as a computer monitor. Cannot do this with the KDF-37H1000.
11. Moving - when we move houses, the LCD TV will ride easily in the seat in my Honda Civic. Cannot do this with the KDF-37H1000, which will have to go in the back of the truck with my wife.
The KDF-37H1000 was better than the Sony LCD TV in terms of:
1. Sound was much better becuase larger speakers and probably more pwerful amp.
2. A few more features and options that I will not use.
3. Larger screen. However, you must sit further back to avoid seeing spots and motion blurs.
Note the KDF-37H1000 is an excellent TV and very reliable compared to no-name brands. Definitely more reliable than the Samsung Slimfit TVs. We just came out of a bruising warranty battle with Samsung, and their reliability and customer service is pretty bad. The KDF-37H1000 does look very good compared to Samsung or Westinghouse LCD TVs, which had cheap and shiny frames. However, the KDF-37H1000 is just not as good as Sony's 32" LCD TVs. If you want a bigger screen than Sony's LCDs, go 46" or 55" projection. The SXRD projection TVs had better motion. If you're thinking of 37", get an LCD.
One thing Sony's have going for them is Sony reliability. I work for IBM and we design integrated circuits for Sony's products. They require a 100 defective parts per million quality level from us. This is very good in the industry.
One other note: We only have standard SD cable channels 2 to 99. Yesterday we found that if we disconnect the cable box, connect the cable directly to the TV, go to Channel 2 and hit the channel down button on the remote, we get the 4 HD networks in HD for free! ABC, NBC, Fox and CBS, plus a local HD PBS channel. Try it at home kids and don't tell Comcast! The HD picture is amazing.