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Sony KDL-32P3020
For the first time, here is a budget Sony product that does little to disguise the fact. They are normally so well turned out, from the TV itself to the on-screen menus, but this set looks a bit, well, cheap, The menus, though still slick and easy to use, just don’t have the same smooth style we’re used to from the Japanese giants – and even the speakers are a touch disappointing.
Still, running the THX set-up tests and getting the set tweaked correctly quickly shows that all is well when it comes to delivering a picture. From the off – and even given the rocky start to its review – we can’t help but love this set’s images.
Sony’s digital TV tuners tend to be pretty reliable, and sure enough colours are natural, images are stable and largely free from any digital noise, and there’s plenty of detail.
There’s also an analogue tuner but, as ever, use Freeview in preference.
Blu-ray brilliance
Watching the Blu-ray disc of Casino Royale, we’re treated to a picture that has real finesse, delivering brilliantly realistic skin tones alongside deep, accurate black levels and a picture that’s simply chock-full of detail. The weaker sets here struggle to offer a sufficient range of varying hues, but this Sony displays a range of colours that together make for a brilliantly rounded, three-dimensional image.
It’s the same with DVD, The Bourne Identity looking smooth and sharp, while delivering class-leading black levels and insight.
The Sony KDL-32P3020 isn’t pretty, but is a class-leading ultra-budget set: concentrate on the performance and value, not the aesthetics.
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