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Introduction
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01.Tour & Design
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02.Calibration
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03.Blacks & Whites
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04.Color Accuracy
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05.Motion
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06.Viewing Effects
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07.Remote Control
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08.Connectivity
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09.Audio & Menus
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10.Formats & Media
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11.Power Consumption
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12.Vs JVC LT32J300
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13.Vs Samsung LN32A450
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14.Vs Sony KDL46W4100
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15.Conclusion
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16.Series Comparison
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17.Ratings & Specs
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18.Comments
Sony Bravia KDL-32L5000
Previous: Page 5
MotionNext: Page 7
Remote Control
Viewing Effects Summary
• Poor viewing angle
• Reflective display
• Calibrated using DisplayMate software
Viewing Angle (5.44)
We measured the Sony Bravia KDL-32L5000's effective viewing angle at 26 degrees from center, for a total viewing angle of 52 degrees. What this means is that the contrast ratio for the television fell below 50% at 26 degrees off center. We also looked at how well colors held up across viewing angles, and were generally pleased as we noticed no significant solarization fading of colors.
Still, the KDL-32L5000's viewing angle isn't particularly good, the average viewing angle for HDTVs is almost 40 degrees off center. It isn't the worst we've seen either. For example the Samsung LN32A450 had a viewing angle of only 19 degrees, while the Sony KDL-46W4100's viewing angle was a very poor 15 degrees.
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The practical result for viewers is that this HDTV isn't a good choice for a room where you're going to want to be able to view it from oblique angles. If you're sitting directly in front of it, or just off center, you'll be ok. Beyond that you'll get a washed out picture.
Reflectance (4.0)
The Sony Bravia KDL-32L5000 has a very reflective display that does not do a good job of diffusing light. The small display size exacerbates this problem, as light shined on the screen creates an obvious halo that takes up a large portion of the display and is very distracting. This is particularly noticeable when watching content that has dark scenes. We recommend you be very careful about where you place lighting in relation to the KDL-32L5000.
Video Processing (2.0)
As with most HDTVs the Sony Bravia KDL-32L5000 offers a variety of different video processing options. These are supposed to address specific situations you might face by introducing new picture processing algorithms. Generally we turn these features off when we calibrate as they tend to do more harm than good, but in this section we look at each one to see if actually does anything, often they do not. As you can see below the Sony Bravia KDL-32L5000 offers two options, and both of them actually did some good.
| Setting | Claimed Function | Our Impression |
| Noise Reduction | 'Select to reduce the picture noise level.' | Did a very good job of reducing noise on an analog cable broadcast. No apparent difference between low, medium or high so we suggest keeping it on low. |
| Black Corrector | 'Enhances black areas of the picture for stronger contrast.' | A visible darkening to the picture. |
| Compare the Sony Bravia KDL-32L5000 to other HDTVs | |||||||
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| JVC LT-32J300 32 inches |
Samsung LN32A450 32 inches |
Sony KDL-46W4100 46 inches |
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Shop for the Sony KDL-32L5000
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