The Sony BRAVIA 32-inch EX 400 is part of a Sony series that includes a 40 and 46-inch TV.  This LCD TV uses TFT active matrix and CCFL LCD backlight technology to power its display.  The piano-black casing looks very elegant and compliments any room easily.

This TV supports 1080p video format that will enhance your High Definition viewing pleasure with your Blu-ray or any video or gaming console.  The screen has a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio.  Widescreen modes are available in Full, Zoom, Auto Wide, Wide Zoom and Conventional 4:3 settings.

This TV has an excellent peak brightness performance.  TVs using LCD technology have very strong peak brightness characteristic, and this TV is not an exception.  Peak brightness is about 378.5 cd/m² giving this TV excellent capability to produce details in highlights or bright images.  Deep black performance is not that strong for this Sony TV.  Deep black level is about 0.12 cd/m².  This TV can produce decent details in shadows and dark images; although there may be instances when deep black images may appear grayish.  Overall contrast ratio for this TV is average.

Color accuracy is very good for this Sony TV.  There are no noticeable errors or over saturation in any of the major colors.  Pictures remain vivid when viewed in dark or bright room environments.  There are picture adjustment settings available for this TV namely Standard, Cinema and Vivid.  These settings will allow users to control the saturation and quality of the images displayed on the screen to fit their viewing preference.  The TV is also equipped with Sony’s Ambient Sensor and Light Sensor technologies that automatically adjust the output color and brightness of the screen, based on the ambient light of the room.

The rated viewing angle for this TV is 78 degrees.  Its actual viewing angle though, is about 55 degrees from the center.  Viewing images outside of this range you will notice a drop in the TV’s contrast and color accuracy of about ten percent.  The 55-degree viewing angle is reasonably wide for an LCD TV.  Some LCD TVs, like the Samsung LN40C630, have a narrow effective viewing angle of only 40 degrees or less.

The TV has a refresh rate of 60 Hz and has a tendency to produce blurry images when watching fast action clips or videos.

This TV supports several Video input formats like 480/60i, 480/60p, 720/60p, 1080/24p, 1080/60i and 1080/60p.  There are HDMI, Component and Composite video interfaces to cater to different video inputs.  The TV’s main connection options sit in the side and rear of the device.  At the rear of the device there are three Audio line-in (RCA phono x two), one Audio line-out (RCA phono x two), two Component video input (RCA phono x three), one Digital audio output (optical – TOSLINK) , one VGA input (15 pin HD D-Sub, HD-15), one Audio line-in (Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm), two HDMI (19 pin HDMI Type A) and one Composite video input (RCA phono).  At the side of the TV’s panel you will find access to one Audio line-in (RCA phono x two), one Composite video input (RCA phono), two HDMI (19 pin HDMI Type A) and one USB 2.0 (four pin USB Type A).  This TV easily tops any TV in its category in terms of connectivity options.  The USB port will provide instant access to your thumb drives for playback of your MP3, video or stills.

Audio output is thru the TV’s internal speakers mounted at the left and right side of the device.  The two speakers rate at ten Watts each giving this TV a total audio output power 20 Watts.  Output sound is in Dolby Digital stereo mode.

The TV comes with a swivel stand for table mounting.  The remote control model that ships with the package is a Sony RM-YD035.  This TV is ENERGY STAR qualified giving it economical power consumption in both operational and in sleep modes.  The TV operates at about 170 Watts during normal operation and about 0.23 Watts in Stand-by or Sleep mode.  The TV’s dimensions are 31.5 x 21 x 8.75 inches (W x H x D) and weighs about 24.3 lbs.

The TV is Wi-Fi adapter ready giving you convenience of wireless connectivity for easy access to your online sites.  You need a Wi-Fi dongle to use the TV’s Wi-Fi capability – sold separately.

One of its main competitors in its category is the Samsung LN32C530 TV.  The Samsung TV also supports 1080p format and has a 60 Hz refresh rate.  The Sony TV has a higher peak brightness level but the Samsung TV holds the edge in the deep black performance.  Contrast ratio is identical for both TVs, although the Samsung TV may hold a slight advantage with its Dynamic Backlight feature.  The Sony TV has a wider viewing angle of 55 degrees compared to the Samsung’s 40 degrees.  The Sony TV also offers more connectivity options with four HDMI inputs compared to Samsung’s two.  At about the same SRPs, the Sony TV is a better choice between the two LCD TVs.

For a more environmentally friendly TV you may want to check the Sony KDL-32EX 700.  This TV features better performances in the deep black and peak brightness categories.  Its 120 Hz refresh rate gives it excellent performance in fast motion images eliminating blurriness or image judders.  It uses LED technology that enables the TV to consume 40 percent less energy than conventional LCD TVs.  Any TV from the EX700 series is a great deal for those consumers with the extra budget to invest in an LED LCD TV.  The 32-inch Sony BRAVIA EX 700 costs almost twice the price of the Sony BRAVIA 32-inch EX 400 TV.

A BRAVIA Engine 2 digital processor powers the Sony BRAVIA EX400 TV to provide vibrant images while optimizing color and contrast performance and significantly reducing noise.  This TV will be perfect to compliment your living room or office.  Its wide viewing angle coupled with its excellent color performance will provide vivid and clear images while maintaining excellent picture quality.  This 32-inch TV is perfect for a small room or office application; and if you are looking for a larger TV to fill a larger room then the other TVs in the EX 400 series can cater to your needs easily.

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Technical Specification

Video

• Video Signal : 1080/60p (HDMI™ / COMPONENT), 1080/60i, 1080/24p (HDMI™ ONLY), 720/60p, 480/60p, 480/60i