Sony KDL-32CX523 Review - before I upload to the Sony organisation
This relatively inexpensive LCD Flat Panel TV brings features that are simply amazing for the price. Internet connectivity is just one of them, and home PC users will welcome the ability to set this up via either Ethernet cable direct to their PC’s router if the two devices are located adjacent to one another, or a wireless connection if they prefer, using Sony’s USB wireless adapter. The other option - this writer’s preferred case - is to use a pair of Powerline Adapters which use the mains circuit in the building to carry the signal. These have to be previously configured for use on the relevant PC, but the setup works really well and is considered more reliable than a wireless connection, and far more likely to be appropriate for the typical house. PC users may find themselves already equipped to make these connections.
Internet options include the use of BBC’s iPlayer software to enable the viewing of time-limited legacy programs from the BBC. There are other, similar, offerings as well, though not yet ITV Player. Hopefully, this will be included in the software package soon as automatic or manual updates are received. Sony also bring their own range of attractive videos for personal viewing.
There’s even an Internet Web Browser thrown into the package, although it’s not considered much use as it comes. You can, though, zoom in to make it fill the display, and then you can rather laboriously type in any web address you like using an on-screen keyboard. So editing remains the stumbling block here, plus potential lack of memory for work on more demanding sites.
Connectivity options include four HTML sockets as well as three USB, one Scart, and audio connections. The latter includes a headphones socket, and using this the owner can easily add a redundant set of better quality PC audio speakers, for example, as we did. Audio fans will want to do this sooner rather than later as the integral speakers in the Sony KDL-32CX523 are what many will class as being of ‘modest’ quality; there’s simply insufficient space in the flat panel casing to house good speakers. Adequate volume was not the primary concern here, but rather various types of vibration/distortion, particularly in speech, which made it sound as if the speakers were not firmly located.
The Sony KDL-32CX523 is also capable of recording broadcasts to your own (or Sony’s) USB hard disk if it’s capacity is at least 30GB. The TV recognises the addition of the drive to the system and offers to reformat the disk to FAT32 for this duty (in the process wiping anything already on the drive). We did find that automatic (ie timed) recording via the excellent Program Guide named our recorded program on the disk by the name of the previous program in the Guide, an annoying little niggle. In manual recording mode, we also found that, occasionally, the recording could stop a minute or so before the end of the broadcast before you had the option to hit the stop recording key; another annoying little niggle which can be over-ridden by setting up for manual timed recording, ie not via the Program Guide.
Out-of-the-box picture quality we considered good without being great. We found we had to switch off, via the extensive menu options, the Light Sensor, whose duty it is to detect the ambient light strength in the room and compensate for it. With that switched on, the picture was considered somewhat dull and rather lifeless in colour rendition. Together with other minor menu tweaks, we finished up quite happy as regards picture quality, but we think we should not have had to indulge ourselves in this way.
As an introduction to online video hubs, as well as the basic television reception facilities, this product will satisfy the great majority of users, but promised software updates now being considered by Sony could make it an even greater buy.
Don
