Sony R400  TV Review

Reviewed Jul 16, 2013 at 12:00am
Tested using Methodology v0.8 
6.7
Mixed Usage 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

 0
Notice: This TVs was replaced by Sony R420B
If you can get past its limited viewing angle and motion blur, the Sony KDL-32R400A offers great contrast and very little reflection. This makes it suitable for both daylight and nighttime viewing.

Our Verdict

6.7
Mixed Usage 

The Sony KDL-32R400A is a good buy, except if you have a relatively bright room. With the lights off, the picture quality is excellent, but with the lights on, it reflects too much.

Pros
  • Low input lag. This is great for playing fast-moving video games.
  • Good picture quality. The contrast ratio is above average and it doesn't have a lot of reflections.
Cons
  • Slight amount of motion blur on fast moving footage. This isn't an issue when watching TV shows or movies, but could be when playing video games.
  • Narrow viewing angle. You need to sit in front of it to fully benefit its picture quality.
  • 6.7
    Mixed Usage
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Jul 16, 2013: Review published.
    2.  Updated Jul 14, 2013: Our testers have started testing this product.
    3.  Updated Apr 19, 2013: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

    Check Price

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    How We Test TVs
    How We Test TVs

    We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests are done with specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.

    Test Results

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    Design
    Borders

    0.63" (1.6 cm)

    Thickness

    2.71" (6.9 cm)

    Picture Quality
    8.2
    Dark scene
    Black0.032 cd/m²
    White101.2 cd/m²
    Contrast3,162 : 1

    The picture quality in a dark environment is very good. It shows plenty of detail in shadowy scenes.

    7.0
    Uniformity

    The screen uniformity is better than average.

    9.4
    Dark scene in a bright room
    Reflection2.4%

    Thanks to its matte panel, the Sony KDL-32R400A can be watched in a bright room without issue. It doesn't reflect a lot of light.

    5.4
    Bright scene in a bright room
    Max white116.8 cd/m²

    It is even better when watching bright scenes.

    5.0
    Viewing angle
    Viewing angle15°

    The viewing angle of the R400A LED TV is very narrow. As soon as you are off angle, the colors change. The LG 32LN530B is a better option if you often watch it off axis.

    Pixels
    4kNo
    Motion
    5.0
    Motion blur

    Unfortunately, the Sony KDL-32R400A has significant motion blur. It won't bother you in movies or TV shows, but it is a problem for gaming.

    Inputs
    7.7
    Input lag
    Input lag45.8 ms

    It has low input lag for gaming.

    Side inputs

    1 HDMI
    1 USB

    Rear inputs

    1 HDMI
    1 Headphone Out
    1 RF In
    1 Component In
    1 Composite In
    1 Digital Audio Out (Optical)

    Smart Features
    Remote