Sony BRAVIA KDL-32M4000 32" HDTV LCD TV

I recently made a little addition to my bedroom: the Sony KDL-32M4000. Too long had I lived without knowing the joys of getting to stay in bed to watch my morning cartoons and CNN. Now I have what I fully believe to be one of the true spices of life, right up there with the love of a wife and children, professional success, and the respect of my peers - a beautiful flat panel TV I can see as soon as I open my eyes.

All joking aside, this is a great TV and although pricey for its size category, it does include many of the niceties that you won't find on other similarly sized TVs. These extra features are what you pay for when you get a Sony product. If the more appealing look, deeper blacks, better sound, and ease of use are not important to you, then this TV and its features are not worth the extra price. For me, knowing that I wasn't going to spend $2000 on a larger TV, I thought it made sense to buy a better, if smaller, TV.

This TV has a far better visual appeal than others in this range. Although a glossy black finish is common today, the rounded corners and other contour details put this model above the others in its category. The front of the TV is, of course, adorned with a bold silver Sony logo. I actually found that while investigating this purchase and observing friends' TVs, some of them had logos on the front that were large enough to actually cause a reflection while viewing. Light bouncing off the back of the room would cause brief flashes on the logo that would be temporarily distracting. While I do realize that this is not normally what one considers when buying a TV, this was one of the few things that I actually noticed that might differentiate all of the fairly similar TVs in this category.

The setup of this TV was fantastically easy. While I consider myself adept at these "plugging-in trials", this was a particularly easy job and is well within the reach of even the least tech savvy. A simple plug of the power and the cable wire is enough to get the TV going. Of course, "optimal" placement and angle are another story and one could adjust this ad nauseum without ever feeling like the TV was just right. This is made easier if you choose to mount this TV to the wall because the angle is decided for you. If, like me, you keep the TV on a stand, my advice is to put it down, aim it toward the couch, and start enjoying your TV. No amount of fiddling will make it that much better so you might as well be satisfied with where it is.

There are some on-screen user settings that you may choose to adjust. The most important ones are conveniently grouped together in the shortcuts menu. These include aspect ratio, closed captioning, and input selection, amongst others. The rest of the menus allow for fairly detailed adjustments of the screen picture. As I usually do, I played with these settings a little bit and then just decided to trust the factory setup. Perhaps someone far more in tune with their TV can tell the difference, but I imagine the average user will get used to and enjoy the screen just the way it arrives. I have watched several movies so far as well as quite a bit of normal television and I have no complaints about the color and I have never noticed anything looking grossly worse than I remember it on my older TVs.

The remote that comes with this television is well made and is one of the few I have seen that don't have me running for an intelligently designed universal remote. There are two things that I appreciate in a remote: as few buttons as possible and the ability to know which is which without looking at the remote. This remote meets both criteria. There are fewer buttons on the remote than one of my old DVD players and, the better of the two: I can absolutely hit the button I want even near the end of the movie during one of those I-don't-want-to-miss-any-of-the-movie-and-i- tried-to-hold-it-but-i-really-have-to-go...if-you-know-what-i-mean...moments. The spacing as well as tactile differentiation built into the buttons means that there is a minimal learning curve and just a few days will have you bopping all the right buttons even as your entire body is asleep, save your hand and the tiny part of your brain that keeps those fingers moving in the right direction.

The Sony KDL-32M4000 is a performer. It looks good and works even better. I think it fits right into the old adage that one should try to move into the worst house on the best block. I'm pretty sure that doesn't apply to TVs but the idea is right. There are cheaper TVs out there and there are better TVs out there. This one is in the middle - it won't break the bank but it gives you a little taste of the something you will find when you are ready to introduce your hammer and the little porcelain piggy on your shelf.