Sony's KDL-32R400A is a good small TV (pictures)

If you're looking at a small TV for a bedroom or game room, it can be tempting to simply buy the cheapest thing you can find, but it's worth shopping around a little. While some people would discount Sony for being unnecessarily expensive, the KDL-32R400A demonstrates that the company can make an affordable TV that still performs well.

Despite a couple of knocks, its picture quality, led by black levels and shadow detail, is quite good overall for a small, budget LED LCD. Moreover, its sound is among the best we've heard at the price. It's not quite the value proposition of a set like the Vizio E320i-A0, since it lacks smart TV, among other features. Still, the TV's benefits outweigh its negatives, making the R400A an excellent buy for small-screen TV seekers who prioritize performance and design.

Read the full review of the Sony KDL-32R400A.

For a television of its size, the Sony boasts very good black levels and shadow detail. The Sony did very well in providing blacks equal to or deeper than those of last year's best 32-inchers, the Samsung E4000 and Toshiba CS120.

Where it fell down, though, was in color fidelity; while greens and skin tones were natural, it was in yellow and cyan where the picture noticeably suffered. Cyan was rendered as blue and yellow was more of an orange.

It wasn't even color that was the worst part, but movement. While Sony has tried to amend this with the LED motion feature, the TV looks appreciably soft when movement occurs onscreen, whether the feature is switched on or off.

Read the full review of the Sony KDL-32R400A.