Sony Bravia KDL-32BX330 LCD TV Review

Introduction

The BX330 didn’t exactly blow us away, but it does have decent motion performance, a good viewing angle, and a simple menu system. For a TV that can be found for under $300 online, those are some nice features.

Design

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Don't expect a revelation in TV design from Sony with this TV.

The BX330 uses the same tried-and-true designs found in many other budget TVs: wide bezels, a thick profile, and a plastic slab for the stand. The on-set controls, located on the bottom-right part of the bezel, are touch-sensitive. This adds a touch of class to the cheap-feeling nature of the BX330. On the back, there are only minimal ports to be found: two HDMI ports, a component input, and a digital audio output are the standout connections.

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Smart TV Features

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The menu interface on the BX330 is clean and simple.

The straightforward menu interface on the Sony BX330 is a nice departure from the overly complicated menu system on Sony's higher-end models. There are six menu categories to choose from: Picture, Sound, Screen, Channel, Lock, and Setup. While there aren't a ton of settings to choose from, there are enough options to keep most consumers happy.

Inserting a USB drive will allow you to browse files stored on it. Unfortunately, the BX330 likes to pick and choose what files it wants to display. We had no problem playing .mp3 music files, but pictures were hit-or-miss: some .jpg files worked fine, but the BX330 refused to show others.

{{photo_gallery "Software and Internet Landing Page Photo", "Internet Features 1 Photo", "Internet Features 2 Photo", "Internet Features 3 Photo", "Browser 1 Photo", "Browser 2 Photo", "Browser 3 Photo", "Apps 1 Photo", "Apps 2 Photo", "Apps 3 Photo", "Local Media Playback 1 Photo", "Local Media Playback 2 Photo", "Menu Main Photo", "Menu 2 Photo"}}

Picture Quality

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For a cheap LCD, the BX330 is a respectable performer.

The BX330's screen performance is nothing revolutionary, but it does an adequate job in some areas. The viewing angle, for example, is good for an LCD television: We were able to measure a 75° total viewing angle. Likewise, the motion performance was pretty good. Detailed images moving quickly across the screen suffered some minimal blurriness, but it wasn't too drastic.

The colors and contrast on the Sony BX330 were not the best in the world, or even the best among budget TVs. Greens and blues will appear slightly more vivid on this TV, while the peak brightness was very dim for an LCD.

Conclusion

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For the price, you could do a lot worse.

Consumers who would consider purchasing the Sony Bravia KDL-32BX330 need to know that this TV is nowhere near top-of-the-line quality. For the asking price of $329, you will get a minimal selection of ports, a boring design, a dimly-lit picture, and some colors that are a bit off. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, though. The viewing angle is quite good on the BX330 and the motion performance was decent, as well. That said, consumers will have to make the choice on whether these pros and cons warrant spending $329.

Science Introduction

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Color accuracy and contrast ratio were not the Sony Bravia KDL-32BX330's strongest features, but its decent viewing angle surprised us.

Color

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Greens and blues are more vivid on the BX330.

Greens and blues are slightly oversaturated on the BX330, which means that they will appear more vivid than they should. The biggest flaw on the BX330's color gamut is the white point, which is totally off. The white point, which affects color temperature, is in blue territory, which can give the picture a slightly cooler tone. More on how we test color performance.

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Contrast

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This is one dimly-lit LCD.

The black level of 0.10 cd/m² we measured is pretty good, especially for a budget LCD. The peak brightness is another story: 107.60 cd/m² is extremely dim for an LCD TV, and is more in-line with the peak brightness displayed on plasma sets. More on how we test contrast.

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Viewing Angle

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Not a bad viewing angle for an LCD.

The total viewing angle of 75° that was measured on the BX330 is very good for an LCD television. Due to the nature of LCD back-lit or edge-lit technology, LCD TVs usually produce much narrower viewing angles than plasmas. The BX330 is able to produce an image that does not have its contrast ratio degrade too much at wider angles. More on how we test viewing angle.

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Other Tests

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