Sony KDL-32P3020 or KDL-32D3000 - Is KDL-32D3000 wasting money?

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Very soon I am hoping to purchase either a Sony KDL-32P3020 or a Sony KDL-32D3000.

I am aware that the 32D3000 is Sony’s flagship 32 inch television and the 32P3020 is their budget model.

However, the 32P3020 won a group test in a recent "What HiFi" review.

Also, according to Sony’s website the “On Screen Contrast” is better on the 32P3020 compared to the 32D3000; 1800:1 on 32P3020 and 1600:1 on 32D3000.

See Sony's comparison here –

http://www.sony.co.uk/product/CompareProducts.action?site=odw_en_GB&pcReturnUrl=%2Fproduct%2FProductComparisonWizard.action%3Fsite%3Dodw_en_GB%26sectiontype%3DProduct%26deepestLevelCategoryId%3DTVP%2B32-40%2BSony%2BBRAVIA%2BTV&models=KDL-32D3000&models=KDL-32P3020

Is this a case of a newer yet cheaper television showing improvements in technology because it is more recent?

Also, two other reviews of the 32D3000 suggest that some of the extra features it has could be wasted on a 32 inch screen.

You can read the conclusions to those reviews here –

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39030218,49293403-2,00.htm

and here

http://www.trustedreviews.com/tvs/review/2007/08/14/Sony-Bravia-KDL-32D3000/p3

I watch at about a 10.5 feet viewing distance and don’t particularly want to go to a 37 inch model.

Bearing in mind the 32 inch screen size and viewing distance, do you think I would see the benefit of a 32D3000 over the 32P3020?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[Anonymous]

that 200 difference in contrast ratio is nothing... the D3000 has 100Hz facilities which does make a difference in this screen size

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your reply.

........and yet, here is another review (three I have come across now) questioning the need to spend more for the KDL-32D3000.

http://www.tech.co.uk/home-entertainment/tv/tvs-displays/lcd/review/sony-kdl-32d3000-whc?indexToolsVariables=com.pricerunner.web.service.analytics.impl.IndexToolsVariablesBase%402ae471

Rather than wading through those webpages, I have instead copied the main points below -

CNET -
.given the 32D3000's rather high price tag of around £750, is that maybe you don't really need all the features that Sony has thrown at this relatively small TV's pictures. For instance, sat at a perfectly normal viewing distance we didn't totally appreciate what the 10-bit engine was doing to colours. Nor could we fully see any extra clarity that might be forthcoming from the 32D3000's apparent friendliness with 1080p/24fps high-definition material, or the extra motion clarity made possible by the MotionFlow system. It's only with your nose pretty much pressed up to the screen that the benefits of all Sony's features become visible. This means, of course, that you might be better buying a rather cheaper, less feature-heavy 32-inch LCD TV instead. Conclusion We have nothing against showing off. Indeed, some of the finest TVs around have come about as a direct result of manufacturers deciding to prove to the world just what they're capable of. But with the Sony Bravia KDL-32D3000, the simple fact is that while the TV is certainly very good, it's just too small to really benefit from some of the features it's making you pay good money for.

TRUSTED REVIEWS -[/b]
[/b]There's another, slightly more controversial reason why we haven't given the 32D3000 a higher overall mark than eight, too, namely that the TV isn't big enough to get the most out of all the picture processing finery it contains. What we're getting at with this is that even with our face stuck pretty much right up against the 32D3000, we just didn't feel that we were fully appreciating the potential benefits of, say, the extra colour subtlety made possible by the 10-bit engine; the extra clarity made possible by the 24p True Cinema engine; the extra shadow detailing made possible by the impressive black levels; or even to some extent the extra motion clarity made possible by the Motionflow system. Verdict

In terms of features and specifications the 32D3000 is a huge step forward from previous Bravia LCDs - and there are definite picture performance benefits too. Yet we just can't shake the feeling that with some of the features appearing somewhat wasted on a set as small as this, perhaps the 32D3000's slightly premium price is more than you really need to pay for a good 32in TV.

[/b]
TECH.CO.UK -[/b]

Also strangely troubling is the KDL-32D3000's size. While new features like the 24fps handling, 10-bit processing and Motion Flow are welcome on paper, there's a sense that the benefits they deliver are rather hard to fully appreciate on a 32-inch, 1366 x 768 screen. In other words, you may be as well saving yourself a few bob and getting a slightly less heavily specified 32-inch alternative.

It does put me off a bit - but should it?

Is there a definitive answer?

 

[Anonymous]

the definitive lies within your own eyes. Judge the picture quality youself and forget about the specs whilst doing this.

 

[Anonymous]

I haven't had the opportunity to do that yet, but I am sure I will.

In the meantime though, any informed advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm thinking about getting this TV now, it's only £600 now on Amazon.

Having such a hard time finding a 32" TV to buy, first was swayed by the style of the Samsung but now looking for the best set I can get around the £600 mark.

 

[Anonymous]

Im also in the market for a new 32" LCD.

I'd been looking at the Panny LXD70 as I'd found it at £600 at some places with the new models coming in, but then I saw the Sony 32D3000 on Amazon at £600 aswell.

Anyone know any articles comparing the LXD70 and 32D3000?

 

[Anonymous]

the panasonic outperforms the sony in my opinion