Sony KDL32EX403/KDL32EX403U Review

By David Mackenzie • Sunday, 18 April 2010, 12:45 pm BST • Supplied by Direct TVs

Sony’s TV ranges appear to have undergone a shake-up for 2010. Until recently, their product catalogue showed an escalating number of coded TV series: V-Series, W-Series, X-Series, and so on. This year, though, Sony have categorised all of their displays into one of four ranges: the Network range, Signature range, Cinematic range, and Essential range, to help simplify things.

The Sony KDL32EX403 LCD television is positioned near the top end of the Essential range, which means that Sony has designed it to include desirable features at the same time as being light on the wallet. That doesn’t mean that Sony has been stingy, though: keeping up with market pressure, the KDL32EX403 HDTV includes both a 1920×1080 panel, and a tuner that can receive Freeview HD. The higher-up Essential models include “Edge LED” sidelighting and 100Hz Motionflow technology, whereas the Sony KDL32EX403 reviewed here does not feature a 100hz system and uses standard CCFL backlighting. Let’s see if a pared-down Sony TV can put out an impressive image.

Note: The specific model we tested was the Sony KDL32EX403U, denoting the 3-pin-plug United Kingdom version. High street stores like Currys, John Lewis and Comet, and online retailers such as Amazon and Dixons may sell this LCD television as the Sony KDL32EX403, Sony KDL-32EX403, KDL32EX403U or KDL-32EX403U… all referring to the same TV. While we did not review the 40-inch Sony KDL40EX403/ KDL40EX403U within the EX403 model range, we do not expect any drastic difference in picture performance as they share nearly identical specifications.

Design

Sony KDL32EX403 Front

Despite being a value-conscious design, the Sony KDL32EX403 is pleasing to the eye. Like almost all modern displays, it relies on heavy use of gloss black. The bottom of the unit features an attractive transparent grey strip with a silver SONY logo prominently displayed. Naturally, the build quality isn’t 100% solid at this price point, as this transparent strip feels a little loose.

Closeup

The Sony KDL32EX403 is packaged with a stand, which is also styled in gloss black. Unlike some other HDTVs, the stand does not have any swivel functionality, staying firmly put at all times. Some light assembly is required upon unboxing, as two parts must be fitted onto the stand before the TV can be secured to it. The provided diagrams made this process very clear and quick.

Remote controls are generally unremarkable, but Sony’s new design merits some attention. The battery compartment is invisible (so much so that one of the included leaflets lets users in on the mystery of how to insert batteries), and there’s an On/Off button conveniently located on the back of the remote as well as in the normal front position. The top of the remote curves inwards slightly and features a smooth surface (but not a glossy one, thankfully), which features a very subtle glitter finish.

Connections

The Sony KDL32EX403 features a total of 4 HDMI inputs. Inputs 2 and 3 are located on the side of the TV along with the USB input. The back panel also features some legacy video connections (SCART, Component), as well as a PC Input and the RF aerial connection.

Rear: 2 x HDMI, VGA, Component, 2 x Scart, aerial, ethernet & audio outs

Side: DVB card slot, USB input, 2 HDMI inputs, Composite video, headphone jack

Operation

For some time now, Sony’s TV menus have been modelled around the Xross Media Bar concept, which will be familiar to anyone who has used a Playstation 3 or PSP games console. This does take a little bit of getting used to, but there is very little wrong with this design other than the fact that it’s a bit unfamiliar. The on-screen menus now feature button-click sounds, which provides some welcome feedback to the user.

The [Settings] column has undergone a welcome simplification, but no apparent reduction in functionality. The [Display] subcategory now houses settings for [Picture], [Ambient Sensor] and [Screen], meaning that (almost) every control affecting the image output is located in one convenient place.


[Picture] menu

The remote control features a button labelled “SCENE”. Pressing this brings up a menu which presents 8 different viewing modes which affect video and audio (some of which are not always available). The [Cinema] mode is the most accurate out of these.

As with most recent Sony LCDs, the remote control features an orange [THEATRE] button. The idea behind this is apparently to promote the use of accurate picture characteristics during film viewing. This button is really just a shortcut to selecting the [Cinema] scene mode, so we simply left the Sony KDL32EX403U LCD TV in this mode permanently, which saves the hassle of having to press the orange button every time the display is turned on. Contrary to Sony’s promotional material, there is little reason to select a different “Scene Mode” depending on what you’re watching, as all HD film and TV video material shares the same targets for white point, colour and gamma.

In typical Sony tradition, settings can be saved per-input, which is great to see on a lower-end model. Control is given over Backlight Intensity, Contrast (White Level), Brightness (Black Level), Colour, and Hue (which is active for all video signals). There is also a [Noise Reduction] (temporal smoothing) feature which can reduce video noise in analogue-sourced material, an [MPEG Noise Reduction] control (which is a fairly basic spatial filter which blocks high frequencies in the image, causing it to become blurrier) and a [Film Mode] setting.


[Advanced Settings] menu	[White Balance] menu

The [Advanced Settings] menu contains various picture processing controls, most of which we left off for the sake of accuracy. There is a useful [Gamma] option which can be raised or lowered, and a very welcome [White Balance] menu which lets calibrators adjust the Sony KDL32EX403’s Greyscale, without having to enter a service menu.

The [Screen] menu allows the aspect ratio of 4:3 material to be preserved without distortion, and also houses the [Display Area] setting. With SD material, this can be set to +1 to minimise (but not eradicate) overscan. With 1080i/1080p HD material, “Full Pixel” can be selected here, which removes overscan for a 1:1 relationship between the video signal pixels and the LCD panel’s pixels.

Calibration

Greyscale

After a quick setup process, the Sony KDL32EX403 allowed us to press the SCENE button and select [Cinema] mode. This preset delivered the most accurate out-of-the-box image:

Pre-calibration CCT in [Cinema] mode

Pre-calibration RGB tracking and delta errors (dEs)

In this configuration, the Sony KDL32EX403 HDTV was actually displaying a colour temperature that measured as slightly too low (with a slight bias of red) in brighter areas. This is unusual, as manufacturers tend to introduce an excess of blue instead, to make the picture seem superficially brighter.

After some adjustment in the very easy-to-use [White Balance] menu, Greyscale errors were reduced as much as possible. Unfortunately, because the colour temperature was slightly too high in dark areas and slightly too low in bright areas, we could only really reverse this relationship and essentially flip the errors around. In the end, we were left with a blue tint in dark areas, but for the most part, Greyscale tracking was of a good standard.

Post-calibration CCT in [True Cinema] mode

Post-calibration CCT in [Cinema] mode

Post-calibration RGB Tracking in [True Cinema] mode

Post-calibration RGB tracking and dEs in [True Cinema] mode

Prior to calibration, overall Gamma had measured at around 2.14, which is somewhat close to our target of 2.2. The most accurate setting for Gamma we could find was to set this control to -1, which brought the closest result of 2.16.


Gamma curve in [Cinema] mode	Corresponding gamma tracking

Colour

Like several LCD TVs in this price range, the Sony KDL32EX403 doesn’t feature a Colour Management System. The controls provided for altering the LCD television’s colour output consist of the basic [Colour], [Hue], and a control called [Live Colour] in the Advanced menu (the latter of which raises the brightness of the colours in a bid to make them appear more vibrant). Fortunately, recent Sony displays have featured colours that are quite accurate already, so the realism of on-screen images is not greatly impacted as a result of there being no CMS.

After calibration, Primary and Secondary chromaticity was excellent. The LCD panel fitted to the Sony KDL32EX403 doesn’t appear to be capable of fully saturating Red, Green and Yellow, but these colours are still on-hue, which makes this slight deficiency much less noticeable. Certainly, this writer prefers slightly undersaturated colours to the more obvious error of over-saturated ones! A gentle adjustment of the [Tint] control was also required to improve the hue of Magenta, which will have an impact on skin-tones in the image.

Post-calibration CIE chart in [Cinema] mode

Post-calibration CIE chart with reference to HD Rec.709

Benchmark Test Results

Dead pixels	None
Screen uniformity	Excellent
Overscanning on HDMI	0% with [Display Area] set to “Full Pixel“
Blacker than black	Passed
Calibrated black level	0.06 cd/m² usable (varies according to Backlight setting)
Black level retention	Stable with [Advanced Contrast Enhancer] off
Primary chromaticity	Very Good
Scaling	Excellent
Video mode deinterlacing	Below average – no bars smooth on HQV test
Film mode deinterlacing	Excellent – Full resolution with 2:2 576i and 3:2 480i
Viewing angle	Good for an LCD TV
Motion resolution	300 lines
Digital noise reduction	[Noise Reduction] control present, offers temporal noise smoothing
Sharpness	Defeatable edge enhancement; full detail from HD source with no Luma or Chroma bandwidth limitation
1080p/24 capability	Accepts 1080p/24 video signal; no telecine judder
Input lag	40ms in all modes, compared to a lag-free CRT

Power Consumption

Default [Standard] mode	72 watts
Calibrated [Cinema] mode	64 watts
Standby	1 watt

Picture Performance

Viewing Angle

Like all LCD displays – and especially those based on VA (Vertical Alignment) technology – the Sony KDL32EX403’s image characteristics shift when the LCD panel is viewed from the sides rather than from the front. The image loses contrast, and colours quickly lose saturation. This is not at all surprising, as viewing angle is still the one of the biggest weaknesses of LCD (and LED-backlit LCD) when compared to rival technologies. This phenomenon does make compression artefacts (even in higher quality Standard Definition content) more apparent; when sitting from the sides, it’s possible to spot coarsely compressed, blocky areas in dark portions of the picture, which are not normally visible.

However, unlike many other LCD TVs, viewing the display from the sides does not cause too large a decline in black level: dark scenes remain relatively black, even off-angle. This is a welcome change from TVs which produce an obvious glow when viewed from the sides.

Black Level

The black level on the Sony KDL32EX403 is excellent for an LCD TV. Exactly how deep the blacks are (and how bright the whites are, for the matter) depends on the setting of the [Backlight] control. At our calibrated target levels (which set peak white at around 112 cd/m²), blacks measured at 0.06 cd/m². This is excellent for an LCD television, and is indeed a better result than some cheaper Plasma TVs, particularly 2009 models. Indeed, when used in a brighter room, the Sony KDL32EX403U fought the ambient light brilliantly and displayed deep blacks, instead of turning grey like a Plasma display would. (Of course, the tables are turned when viewing in the dark, and in that case, Plasma has the obvious advantage – but the KDL32EX403 puts up a fight that’s better than most other LCDs).

The Sony KDL32EX403 LCD HDTV uses standard CCFL backlighting, as opposed to the LED side-lighting of some of the more expensive ultra-slim TVs on the market. This is one occasion in the electronics industry where “more expensive” does not necessarily equate to better performance, as traditional CCFL-backlit LCDs so far have demonstrated superior screen uniformity when compared to their ultra-slim side-lit counterparts. That is the case here: although unevenness generally rears its head on larger displays (40″ and above), we were still happy to see that there was no clouding or patchiness to be seen on all-black screens on the KDL32EX403.

In its default configuration, [Adv. Contrast Enhancer] is active, which causes the Backlight intensity to be raised or lowered relative to the average picture level of the on-screen images. For example, dark scenes will cause the Backlight brightness to fall, bright scenes will cause it to rise, and mixed scenes will cause the backlight illumination to be somewhere in the middle. The fluctuations in brightness (and some other ill effects) can be quite noticeable, so we left this system turned off. Even with this feature turned off, the Sony KDL32EX403 would quickly shut off its Backlighting if it detected an entirely black video signal for more than a few seconds, which is smart from a power-saving perspective but potentially annoying if it impinges on actual viewing. Fortunately, during testing, this feature never made itself visible.

“Black Level” is probably the most appropriate section within this review template to discuss dithering. The Sony KDL32EX403 presents a very subtle “checkerboard” pattern in dark areas of the screen and also presents some visible contouring, which becomes noticeable during fades to and from black. This would appear to be the result of the TV featuring an LCD panel featuring a lower bit depth. This is rarely a problem with high quality content, but the dithering process means that coloured transitions can take on a very subtly noisy appearance.

Standard Definition

Like all Sony displays, the KDL32EX403U presents standard-def Digital TV broadcasts from its own tuner without any form of hard-coded noise reduction, so what you see is essentially exactly what was encoded and broadcast. Ultimately, this is a good thing, because in-TV MPEG Noise Reduction controls are generally fairly crude and don’t solve the underlying problems associated with poor quality encoding (this is the case with the KDL32EX403’s optional noise reduction of this type).

The LCD TV’s video processor did not effectively conceal jaggies during the video deinterlacing process, which is consistent with the results from Sony displays in the past. Fortunately, because most standard definition content on Digital TV is inherently blurry anyway (due to the low-pass filtering used to reduce high frequency image content), the limitations are far more difficult to spot in actual broadcast signals.

The Sony KDL32EX403 did a great job with 576i (SD PAL) and 480i (SD NTSC) Film content, successfully detecting and compensating for the 2-2 PAL, 2-2 NTSC, 2-2-2-4 NTSC, and 3-2 NTSC cadences without so much as a hitch. This is noteworthy, because many in-TV video processors either fail the 2-2 PAL test, or give inconsistent results. As a result, the Sony KDL32EX403 displays full vertical resolution from standard definition film sources.

Finally, the TV did a good job of scaling SD content to the 1080p HD panel. A resolution test chart showed that the image was suitably sharp and was capturing all of the detail present in the source signal.

High Definition

Although the benefits of display calibration are by no means limited to High Definition, this seems the most appropriate place to talk about the calibrated image, due to the large amount of great HD content available on Blu-ray Disc which really makes a correctly configured flat panel display shine. When viewed face-on, the calibrated image looked satisfyingly rich and deep thanks to the Sony KDL32EX403’s high on-axis contrast. In darker rooms, the problem of blue-tinted blacks was more visible than during daytime viewing.

Like several other displays we’ve reviewed lately, the overall Gamma of around 2.1, while imperfect, wasn’t so far away from 2.2 to be irritating (or even noticeable for the majority of users) during viewing.

As part of the “Essential” range, the Sony KDL32EX403 HDTV doesn’t feature any sort of 100hz/200hz motion interpolation system. Generally, we recommend leaving these systems off during film content, and 24fps film content does not really reveal the motion limitations of LCD technology anyway, so if films (or content that features film-like motion) makes up most of your viewing, you shouldn’t be too bothered by this omission. Using the FPD Benchmark Software disc, we were able to gauge the motion resolution of the display at around 300 discernible lines – an entirely predictable amount for an LCD television without 100hz. There were some “trailing blacks” in very dark areas of the image, however, which is an effect we’ve witnessed on Sony VA-based screens before. Here, the effect is milder than previous models.

Of course, the Sony KDL32EX403U features a DVB-T2 tuner, which means it is one of the new Freeview HD TVs that can receive Freeview HD signals if they’re currently transmitting in your area. Although not up to the (potentially) pristine standards of Blu-ray, HDTV broadcast content looked very good indeed on this display, within the limitations of the content itself.

Console Gaming

The Sony KDL32EX403 features around 40ms of input lag, when compared to a lag-free CRT monitor. This is a tolerable figure that will probably go generally unnoticed, but speaking as someone who’s on the lookout for it and who is used to very fast displays, the difference was noticeable in the first-person shooter games I demo’d on the TV. In fact, the slight delay in images hitting the screen had the interesting effects of making the game controls feel tighter and weightier, and bizarrely, it gave fast-paced “one hit and you’re dead” games an almost peaceful feeling (assuming you’re still winning, that is).

Media Support

Above: Video features on Sony KDL32EX403

Via the Ethernet connection on the back of the TV (or via an optional Wireless networking dongle), the Sony KDL32EX403 can connect to internet video services such as YouTube, DailyMotion, LoveFilm, etc. The HDTV can (supposedly) also access media files stored on connected DNLA-capable devices, but none of the documentation included with the TV (or on the TV in its on-screen manual) made it clear how this feature was to be enabled.

Conclusion

The Sony KDL32EX403 is a very serviceable 32″ LCD HDTV. From our point of view as image quality enthusiasts, its stand-out features are its deep black level and high contrast ratio, which are unusually good for an LCD TV in this price range. Its Greyscale tracking is mostly good, and its Gamma and Colour accuracy are all very good, which is fairly consistent with other TVs that we’ve recently seen in this price category (although there is room for improvement). Its handling of SD content, while not perfect, does have its strengths with Film material, which will be of note to anyone who watches a lot of films from a standard definition source (such as standard definition TV, or an older non-upscaling DVD player).

Its biggest down-sides are the slightly limited viewing angle (not something Sony can really avoid, given that this is an LCD TV) and its slightly high price, which may, for some users, be justified by its internet video and DNLA networking capabilities. Users looking for a smaller TV will find the Sony KDL32EX403 to be a solid choice that sits comfortably within the limitations and strengths of LCD technology.

70 Comments So Far... Add Yours

Georgi Georgiev on 19 April 2010 8:57 am

Hi, David
Interesting review, but I’d rather prefer to see a review of the EX500, which according to other reviewers turns to be a bang-for-the-bucks TV. I’m also looking forward for a review of the NX800, which looks to be representative for the upper part of the Sony’s 2010 mid-range TVs.
One question, is there any particular reason not to post the calibrated settings anymore ?!
nenito2k on 19 April 2010 1:23 pm

Thanx for another very detailed review. One very surprising thing is the fact that you forgot to mention that the TV uses BRAVIA engine 2 and not 3 !! this for me is a huge turn off….i am waiting for the review of the panasonic g20 et LED LCD’s….
ertoil on 19 April 2010 2:33 pm

Thanks for these professional tests !
AV fans truly appreciate your work !

Sony again show his quality heritage
and show that a good CCFL LCD
most of the times is better than
a weak LCD !
ertoil on 19 April 2010 2:34 pm

than a weak LED i mean !
aim120 on 19 April 2010 3:04 pm

@nenito

the sony EX403 does use BE3.
SRK on 19 April 2010 3:30 pm

@Georgi: feature-wise, the EX500 is just the EX400 + motionflow + a few extra little things. *But* not sure if they use different panels.

I’d also like to see what the post-calibration settings were. I’ve got an EX500, so that might give me some tips.
David Mackenzie on 19 April 2010 4:43 pm

@Georgi:
Thanks for the interest in calibrated settings. I’ll ask to see if we can include them from now on, but obviously remember that the ideal situation would be to have your own individual TV calibrated.

@Nenito2K and @Aim120:
Thanks for that information. Sony have never given a totally concrete answer on what the “BRAVIA ENGINE” branding means these days – is it their own custom chip built into the TV to add features? Or is it an off-the-shelf OEM TV chip which meets certain Sony performance criteria? Or is it both, depending on what’s available for each model at the time of manufacture?

My point there is that, regardless of what branding Sony has used for the TV (and indeed what’s inside it), we’re really only interested in how this translates into real-world performance.
Jirka on 19 April 2010 6:45 pm

@David Mackenzie:
EX400 use Bravia2 engine and 50Hz, EX500 use Bravia3 engine and 100Hz. So EX400 is little cripled V5500 and EX500 upgraded W5500 (net functions, AVCHD playback from USB and DLNA)
Bravia Engine is marketing name for chipset generation, Bravia 3 has better deinterlacing performance than Bravia 2. But older TV with Bravia 2 failed to detect film cadences, so firmware in EX400 is updated.
aim120 on 19 April 2010 6:48 pm

@Jirka
the tv tested in HDTV is a european version which is advertized as BE3.
Adam Hornsby on 19 April 2010 7:19 pm

@jirka & nenito2k

The 403 does not have BE2. Check the sony website or any electronic store and you’ll see it clearly states BE3!

Great review anyway, its made my mind up
Jirka on 19 April 2010 7:19 pm

@aim120:
I don’t know how much differ EX403 and EX402 that is sold in Czech Republic (central Europe). But here is EX402 advertized as BE2:
http://www.sonystore.cz/default.aspx?server=1&shopcat=19&shopitem=3291
Jirka on 19 April 2010 7:38 pm

@aim120, Adam Hornsby:
I finally found it. EX400, 402 have BE2, EX403, 40B have BE3.
Andrew on 20 April 2010 5:09 am

Hi,

Especially with the 32″ -sized models under review, is it possible to make mention of a TV’s performance as a PC monitor? Thanks.
Andrew on 20 April 2010 5:13 am

further to my above, to clarify what I was asking for…

I remember many reviewers mentioning the Sony LCD’s of a few years ago were not entirely suitable as a computer monitor, due to edge enhancement or something similar affecting text on screen.

You could use a “text” mode but then you lost a lot of the image-enhancement processes.

Is this still a problem?
David Mackenzie on 20 April 2010 1:03 pm

Hi Andrew,

That’s a very good point, I’ll keep that in mind from now on.

In this review, I mentioned that there is no undefeatable edge enhancement on this TV. I would not be kind to a TV that featured a flaw like this (see this review from 2 years ago: http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Panasonic-TX37LZD85/Conclusion/ )

One thing I will mention in reviews from now on is whether or not a TV accepts a 4:4:4 signal and displays it as such.

Interestingly, you say that a lot of the image enhancement processes were lost. Which ones?
aim120 on 22 April 2010 8:48 am

@ Davud Mackenzie

Is it possible to include the close up pixel structure,so one can determine the lcd panel used.
I believe the 40″ version have slightly better contrast then the 32″ panels
David Mackenzie on 22 April 2010 1:27 pm

@aim120: sorry, the TV has already gone. I believe the panel was an SPVA one – it was definitely a panel from the S-LCD facility; I looked through the vents on the back of the TV and the sticker on the back of the LCD panel module had a model number beginning with “LT”, as the Samsung/Sony panels do.
starre on 26 April 2010 9:29 am

hi – thanx for another good review. really a disaster that SONY has changed the S,V,W,X lineage as i was finally able to differentiate features, price categories, etc. more confusing than ever to have to learn a whole new alphabet soup. can you tell us what family the EX403 would have belonged to? – seems to me to be a S or V. what are the new EX models that would have been the natural progression of the W and X models? many thanx!
Tzereen on 26 April 2010 1:47 pm

EX400 would be V series,
EX500 would be W series,
HX700 would be Z series.
HX900 would be X series.
Other (EX600, EX700, and NX series are all new with addition of Edge LED)
starre on 27 April 2010 10:05 am

thanx Tzereen! i had a look at the SONY site. i could surmise:
EX400 no motion flow, no LED
EX500 motion flow 100 hz, no LED
EX600 no motion flow, LED
EX700 motion flow, LED
so basically the S series has been dropped
matengawhat on 30 April 2010 7:34 pm

thanks for all the info and settings but couldn’t see what you set the backlight to with the settings above – would be interested in knowing
David Mackenzie on 30 April 2010 9:56 pm

The Backlight setting depends mainly on your viewing environment. If it’s dark, set it lower, if there’s a lot of light hitting the screen, you’ll need to raise it so the screen can fight the ambient light.

In this slightly dim environment I used a setting of 4, if I remember correctly.
matengawhat on 30 April 2010 11:35 pm

thanks david
Kendo on 1 May 2010 1:39 pm

im wondering if generic usb wireless adaptors are compatible with this tv or do we have to buy the heavily overpriced sony adaptor?
David Mackenzie on 1 May 2010 9:47 pm

That’s a good question. I’ve not tested it, but I bet the answer is the one that we won’t like!
giddyup on 2 May 2010 9:12 am

Thanks for the review David.
I was comparing this model to a Panasonic TX-L32S10 which was playing the same demo loop in a store and the KDLEX400 walked all over the Panasonic during the dark scenes.

I’m interested in this model as a bedroom TV and it will also be used as a PC Monitor. I also like the fact that the USB port plays video files.

Our model is the KDLEX400 and has the Bravia 3 engine.
http://www.sony.com.au/product/kdl-32ex400
Bohannon 67 on 3 May 2010 7:06 pm

Hi David,

Appreciate the informed and balanced review, I get delivery of the 40EX403 on friday and really looking forward to it. Was really hoping to get your calibrated settings also to set up my new Bravia as they will be much better than factory ones as HDTVTEST did for my last LCD ” Samsung 40F6″.
Any chance they could be retrieved and posted???

By the way Nenito2k and Jirka, the 403 does indeed pack Bravia Engine 3. Its stated everywhere on UK versions.
Bohannon 67 on 3 May 2010 7:09 pm

Should read ‘Samsung F86′!
Miguel on 5 May 2010 3:49 pm

Any ETA on the KDL HX700 review or the KDL NX700?A real review of this sets is needed!
Steve P on 6 May 2010 10:21 pm

Good review – and the basis for my purchase of this tv. Colour and picture is great – but am disappointed with the audio – my 7 year old 23″ lcd sony sounds better…

Tinny to say the least – anyone out there found the best audio setup yet?

Steve
Matt on 8 May 2010 12:10 am

You’re luminance reading of 0.06 cd/m2 was with the backlight set at 4?

Do you know what the reading would be with the backlight set to minimum?

Are you reviewing the ex503?
David Mackenzie on 8 May 2010 8:03 pm

Hi Matt, Yes, that’s correct.
Setting the backlight to maximum would increase the figure by a lot, but I didn’t take a measurement at that setting.

I’ll see if we can get an EX503.
Scott Granger on 10 May 2010 11:57 am

I hesitate to ask this in cae my ignorance gets a well-deserved flame (!) but. . .

We enjoy watching movies on TV; our son likes playing games on the TV when we’re out or away from home.

We’re not “tecchies” so are easily confused, but we seem to remember reading *somewhere* on the Internet that, for folks like us, we *need* 100Hz processing (in fact, one person we asked said we shouldn’t go anywhere near a set with 50Hz.)

So my question is (bearing in mind the huge cost difference bwteen the Sony 40″ without 100Hz and with 100Hz):

Is the 100Hz really that important for us? And is 100Hz “justiied” by the cost???

( I note from hdtvtest’s superb review that watching a movie with 100Hz isn’t actually necessary where 24fps playback is provided annyway.)
David Mackenzie on 10 May 2010 8:56 pm

No flames here!

If you watch a lot of films and play a lot of games, 100hz is actually one of the last things you want. You might notice at HDTVtest we often turn off the 100hz/200hz systems for films (since most of them cause the motion to look strange) and for games (because it causes a video processing delay which makes the game less enjoyable).

So no – don’t worry about 100hz too much. It has its uses, but for the most part, it trades one set of LCD flaws for another. And if you are especially concerned about motion, a Plasma TV is your best bet (they start at 40 inches, though).
Gavin on 13 May 2010 12:30 pm

Hi David,
Thanks for the review – i was favouring the LED version (32ex703) but am now wavering. I like the idea of lower power consumption, but maybe it’s better to hang on for full LED rather than just edge lit?

Did you do any tests of sports programs via the aerial or set-top box? I’m just wondering if the 50/100Hz and presence or lack of motionflow will make a difference to a fast moving football game for example

Many thanks
matengawhat on 13 May 2010 9:52 pm

i have a sony 37ex403 and sony bdp370 – what does the orange theatre button actually change

when i press it the picture changes but if i go into the menu settings for the tv i can’t see any changes to my saved settings which are as above – what does this actually change – it also locks out some settings on the blu ray player?
Vincent Teoh on 14 May 2010 12:50 pm

@matengawhat: from my experience with the 2009 and 2010 Sony Bravias, the [Theatre] button switches your KDL37EX403 to [Cinema] mode. It sounds like you were already in [Cinema] mode when you pressed the button, which might explain why you are not seeing any changes.

Warmest regards
Vincent
diane purcell on 16 May 2010 11:55 pm

Have the Bravia KDL40EX400 40″ lcd. Does anyone have a problem with the need to turn the sound up to about 12+ in order to hear the TV? Most TV’s I have had do not need to go abouve a volume of 3.
matt on 20 May 2010 8:15 am

Anyone who’s decided to buy this I just thought I’d let you know Makro have it for £429.99 or if you trade-in your old TV you can get it for £379.99 until June 1st
Gavin on 21 May 2010 9:10 am

Got a 32EX403 yesterday and have to say I’m not impressed. SD pictures via the aerial are blocky and very pixellated, while via sky box are better but still very pixellated. Most obvious when white text is on the screen where there is a very noticeable halo effect around the edge of the text.

Taking it back for a refund
Rob W on 22 May 2010 9:50 pm

Anyone got this problem with the 32ex403?
TV turns itself off automatically and furthermore when switching back on it freezes on channel 301 (freeview) and disables the entire remote. Thus we can not access any menu or apparently do anything other than watch Over the Rainbow forever. Help!

TV purchased 20/05/10.
Dave Marks on 23 May 2010 8:04 pm

I have just purchased the Sony EX403 32″ and am generally please, but –
how do I remove the additional Audio comments from AD listed programmes,
(i.e additional voice over commentary) – I cannot see any options to remove this
though clearly I am missing the obvious !

Many thank
Dave
Dave Marks on 23 May 2010 10:28 pm

AD audio issue sorted , – senior moment on my part -please ignore previous question!
osman on 24 May 2010 2:32 pm

Could you review the 40EX403 please?
osman on 24 May 2010 5:26 pm

How bad is the 40ms of input lag?

Is this better than the 40W5500?
duzzey on 25 May 2010 11:01 am

Have just purchased The Sony KDL32EX403 online not sure if I can mention name of retailer but it begins with A priced at £399 It will be used in a bedroom where I can banish my husband during world cup hope it lives up its positive reviews
Reg Yarwood on 26 May 2010 8:58 pm

i have the KDL40EX403 can i use any dongle to use wirless or do i need the sony one???
DNA on 28 May 2010 9:00 pm

You can get it for £350 at John Lewis.com (after using £100 Sony trade-in for any old TV). This also includes a free 5 year warranty and free delivery. For this price, I think it is a bargain – much cheaper than the 100Hz models (which don’t seem to add much anyway on LCD panels from what I can gather – different story on CRTs though where refresh rate definitely has a big impact).
slarn on 30 May 2010 6:54 pm

Any chance of a review of the ex703? Just bought a 32″ one, in a line up view with all of it’s competitors, it spanked the rest in BBC HD Freeview. Also, how do I calibrate it?
Terence on 1 June 2010 11:16 am

Where can I obtain the calibrate settings for this TV in this page?
Adam Hornsby on 1 June 2010 11:23 am

Hi David, very good review. I have recently bought this exact TV, and wouldbe interested in seeing the callibrated settings if possible

thanks
Raj Summan on 1 June 2010 4:44 pm

DNA’s comment is spot on unbelievable bargain!
KDL32EX403 at £349 after trade in at John Lewis.com but all sold out
Next batch due in on 7th June still in time for world cup.
This TV has it all 1080p, Freeview HD, Internet prep, Bravia Engine 3 only slight note is only 50Hz but agree with previous comments shouldnt matter too much on a 32″
Cant wait!
Regards
Warren on 2 June 2010 9:30 pm

Hi David and Vincent! Thank you for an amazing and informative site. It is really difficult to find professional and objective reviews on the net, but your site is the best I’ve found. I’m on the verge of buying the 40 inch of this set (its actually a 40ex400, which is the same in South Africa as the 403 but without the digital tuner) but the issue of input lag is worrying me. Is 40ms too high for gaming? What’s the sweet spot or highest u would say is suitable? I don’t play online, but it would annoy me if it was highly noticeable. Also, the 503 is SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive here, so is it justified for the 100hz? I’m so scared to buy the wrong tv, and would really appreciate your expert input! Regards, Warren
giddyup on 3 June 2010 11:20 am

I got to try this panel as a monitor by using a laptop with windows 7 at a store.

1920×1080 on a 32″ screen is not sharp enough as a PC monitor.
It needs a higher resolution, otherwise the text is blurry.
big tony on 3 June 2010 1:44 pm

could someone that has this tv please confirm if it plays .avi files through the usb port.

im interested in a few of these to put up in my bar for the world cup to be in hd as i am not allowed to put a sky dish on my building and cable is not availiable in the area.
however after the world cup i want to use at least one at home and would like to be able to play .avi files from it.

thanks
roy on 3 June 2010 1:47 pm

will feeview hd work with an indoor ariel does anyone know?

ive got perfect signal with it on normal freeview already and hd is fully availiable in the area. its an amplified ariel too athough i get great signal with a normal indoor areil too.
Andrea Hetherington on 6 June 2010 7:28 pm

Hi

Partly on the basis of your review, I have just bought one of these TVs.
When I set it up on Friday all was fine, but now I can’t get some of the Freeview channels which were working fine when I first turned it on.
They are coming through loud and clear if I switch to my PVR, (other than the transmitter problems at Emley Moor which have robbed me of most of the commercial channels until the work there is done)
Anyone got any ideas? Is this TV a dud which needs to go back or is this likely to be a temporary problem?
Many thanks for any advice!
Warren on 8 June 2010 8:49 am

@David

Very satisfied with this TV, thank you for the review!

What was the backlight setting that you used when calibrating?

Anybody else here have there own calibration settings for me to try?

Regards,
Warren
Phil Harvey on 10 June 2010 8:03 pm

I got the 40 inch version :KDL32EX403… and the image judder / blurring is awful with moving images (whether HD or not). And I can’t get a refund because there’s nothing actually wrong with it (aprently image judder is normal with LCDs with a 50Hz refresh rate).
Some on Freecycle is in for a treat! I’m going to start again.
David on 10 June 2010 10:42 pm

David Mackenzie, can you please post your calibrated settings for this model – this would allow us here to use this as a baseline to optimize the settings for our Sony.

Thanks in advance.

David
Metalex on 22 June 2010 1:44 pm

David, I’ve just noticed that the review says this TV has an input lag of “40ms in all modes”. As it’s in all modes, does this make the game mode redundant and therefore not neccessary to activate when playing games?

I’m trying to decide between this TV and the EX503, which obviously has higher input lag of 60ms. Do you remember if the 60ms on the EX503 applied only to game mode, and if lag was higher in other modes?

If I don’t have to switch to game mode every time I want to play a game, I think my mind is made up.
DR Gennings on 5 July 2010 11:57 am

Having just purchased the kld 32EX403U Sony tv im having trouble trying to get a manual for this model can you help
eko on 5 July 2010 5:10 pm

I’m looking to replace a Sony Bravia 32V2000, which has a claimed 8 ms response time (on a label at the front of the TV, in fact). Will the 40 ms on the 40EX403 be noticeable different (worse?) to make gaming a chore?
David Mackenzie on 6 July 2010 1:25 am

@Eko: your BRAVIA’s input lag will be much higher than 8ms. The 8ms is the LCD panel response time, not the video processor response time (aka input lag). The new Sony will probably be about the same.
eko on 6 July 2010 2:43 pm

@David Mackenzie: Thanks Dave, good to know this. I guess the best way to choose is to try it.. let’s hope the local Sony store has a PS3 to hook up to their demo set.
chocky909 on 10 July 2010 7:41 pm

Anyon wanting one of these today (10th July) should go to M&S website. This TV is deal of the Day at £329 inc delivery and 5 year warranty. 3% quidco available too.
ian on 3 August 2010 1:10 pm

I have got a KDL40EX400 and it keeps turning on by itself in the middle of the night. The timer is not set. does anyone have any suggestions?
Richard on 4 August 2010 8:25 pm

I have just changed my 28 inch CRT tv for the Sony 32EX503 LCD .

Your very infomative review – and the lots of comments – questions and anwers , have been very helpfull. But I am still confused with the following.

The Orange Theatre Button (Remote Control) – Is this only used when watching
DVDs ? ie the button is in the Bravia Sync group of buttons. Also what does it do?

Film Mode – Should this be on at all times ? . Set to Auto 1 or auto 2 ?

Hope you can help. Thanks
Cloudus on 29 August 2010 3:44 pm

Hi,I’m italian.
In Italy there is the Sony KDL-32EX402 at 430euro,is the same of the Review?
I am undecided whether to buy the Sony 32EX402 or Plasma Panasonic S20 to 630euro.
Rich on 1 September 2010 12:11 pm

Can anyone advise me how to set this TV to its brightest, as my dear Gran is complaining her set is not bright enough?

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