Sony KDL-32W650A Review (KDL32W650A)

32 Inch, LED edge lit LCD, Smart TV

by Jack Burden, Senior Editor

Sony decided to “go for it” with the KDL-32W650A. This little 32 inch dandy is loaded for this size TV. First, those bright LED lights are unusual, then 1080p is unusual for 32 inch, then you also get Wifi, Smart TV features, and the X-Reality Pro engine for a crisp, clean picture image.

Picture Quality

Sony didnt pull many punches with this little model, opting to go for best quality 32” TV. There are not a lot of quality 32 inch models in the market so this one is welcome.

Motionflow XR 240

This feature working in conjunction with the 120Hz panel can distort the natural background blur in the picture somewhat in movies or film-based content so use with care. It's great for sports programming though.

Sound Quality

Sony realizes that as a 32 inch TV, users will likely be using the speakers built into the TV rather than true surround sound. With that in mind they created the S-Force 3D Surround speakers for TVs such as this one. S-FORCE Front Surround 3D is a virtual surround technology that allows you to enjoy powerful and realistic surround sound using the built-in speakers. The effects are especially noticeable when you are watching movies.

Smart TV Options

The Sony Entertainment Network includes premium Apps such as Netflix®, Pandora®, HuluPlus™, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube™, Slacker® Internet Radio, Crackle and social networking through Facebook and Twitter as well as others. Sony claims Yahoo! Broadcast Interactivity Widgets as well.

Here are a few of the included Apps that we have viewed and rated:

Yahoo!: Widgets Internet Apps Button on remote takes you there.
Blinkx: quirky videos, funny shorts videos rating 2.5 out of 5.
Dr. Oz: Short tips on better health. One minute videos. Rating 3 out of 5.
Crackle: Has 220 free movies (with ads) but some pretty good choices 4 out of 5.
Slacker: Personal radio with lots of music choice. It gives some commentary on the tunes and you can set it to a genre and just let it roll – providing background music if you want 4.5 out of 5.
Sony Digital Concert Series: A limited selection of 7 live concert recordings from Creed, ThirdEyeBlind, and Chickenfoot – at least that's all they have at the time of this writing. Recording quality is average and is of the whole concert. Rating 3 out of 5.
Sony Video Unlimited: Paid movie service $5.99 for HD Movies.
Bilabong: Poor quality Surfing and island clips. Rating 2 out of 5.

Apps can be slow loading. When I tried to load the NHL Vault App, the menu prompts me to go online from a computer to register for the service.

Screen Mirroring Wifi

This feature uses Wifi Direct to display content from your smart phone wirelessly direct to your TV. It will use Miracast technology. This feature was introduced in 2012 but is only now becoming viable and is available on the KDL-32W650A.

Bang for the Buck

While this may not be the most economical 32” TV on the market it does give you lots of extras that are thoughtfully placed in this TV for those who want a higher quality experience from a TV that will fit into a smaller space.

Jack Burden joined the review staff of CEAG Inc. in May 2003 after finishing his graduate work at Harvard University. He has been reporting on consumer electronics and conducting product reviews for more than seven years... Read more about Jack