Sony BRAVIA KDL-32CX523 Pro Reviews

For its current entry price, somewhere around the £300 mark, the CX523 represents excellent value. Prospective owners can put concerns over a host of uniformity issues, associated with LED technology, to bed with this little Sony. Throw in excellent contrast performance, able picture processing, a Freeview HD tuner and plenty of connected features and the 523 becomes a compelling prospect for those looking for an end of line bargain. It’s not perfect, of course, viewing angles are limited, fast moving action blurs and gaming responsivity isn’t the best but we’re far more able to tolerate these ‘traditional’ LCD weaknesses than put up with the panel banding, dirty screen effect, flash-lighting and haloing deficiencies commonly present in the average ultra-slim LED. Were we looking for a ‘second’ TV for a bedroom or kitchen, we wouldn’t cast our eyes far beyond the Sony KDL-32CX523.

The 32CX523 might lack the ‘sexiness’ in design and technology terms of an edge LED TV, but its CCFL LCD engine and excellent online features still make it a superbly good value second or even main room TV.

This set will almost certainly be available even cheaper – and it’s one of the best budget options, not least if the streaming appeals. But it’s not quite the all-conquering Sony we expected.

The Sony KDL32CX523 LCD TV is by no means a performance model, but it could have been, had it featured a better video processor and functioning greyscale controls. Nevertheless, the CX523 still delivers excellent value for money provided you’re not a serious gamer.

Picture quality good rather than great, but Sony’s CX523 has so many other features, it's a great budget TV.

Just as X-Reality does with poor quality video, the few niggles we have about the KDL-32CX523's ultimate picture quality should also be glossed over; this is an exciting package from Sony. Destined to be some people's first taste of an online video hub, and with smartphone control, networking (albeit wired) and the possibility of Skype video calling for upgraders, the KDL-32CX523 has the potential to be one of the best mainstream TVs yet. The phrase 'entry-level' just got a whole lot more exciting.

Well-specified LCD TV that makes up for its lack of LED backlighting by piling on the features. Smartphone control is worth considering while the presence of BBC iPlayer and DLNA streaming make this a thoroughly modern effort - and one that punches above its weight enough to redefine the “my first flatscreen” category.