Review of the Sanyo CE32LDY1 32" LCD Television
We love the introduction of modern technology that continues to make our lives that little bit easier, so we were more than happy to find a designer-looking Sanyo 32” LCD with a built-in 160Gb hard-disk recorder, with such a modest price tag. Design |
| With interchangeable frames, the Sanyo CE-32LDY1 fits in nicely with any living room design. The revolutionary design with globular corners, and attractive pedestal stand refreshingly stands out in amongst all the boring piano black frames. The polished aluminium frame on the CE-32LDY1 surrounded the 32” screen gorgeously. The two 5-watt speakers are rear-mounted on poles. |
| Setup and Connectivity |
We utilised the easy-to-use auto-programmer with success in approximately 7 minutes. The menu system is easy to navigate and offers all the options that you could possibly require. For such a small LCD, this TV has got great connectivity coming out of its eyeballs. With one HDMI, 3 scarts, component video input, S-video input, CAM slot for adding subscription services, stereo audio inputs, PC input, and composite video input, the CE-32LDY1 is keeping us more than happy. We normally get annoyed when the latest TVs don’t feature more than a solo HDMI, but on this occasion we don’t mind, as the HDD recorder is already in-built. |
| Features |
| We’ll cut to the chase and tell you about the HD player’s features first, as we know that is why you are reading this review. First up is the 160GB hard drive, which provides between 37 and 180 hours of recording time. It comes with multiple recording modes, including chasing playback, automatic buffering, and the chance to view another programme while another one is recording. This LCD TV, in all its HD readiness, boasts a 1366 x 768 native resolution, and 1000:1 contrast ratio. It comes with an integrated digital tuner; this is great for kids as they can watch all the Freeview channels. The auto-archive feature means you can keep track of the channels that have most recently been watched. There is also a 7-day Electronic Programme Guide to help you manage your viewing. The CE-32LDY1’s pair of 5-watt speakers are managed by the Timedomain Speaker System offering pseudo sound. Picture processors take care of dynamic skin, tone correction, and noise reduction. |
| Performance |
| Our highlight offered by Sanyo’s CE-32LDY1 performance was HD by a long shot. It provided the best of everything, the least noise, the sharpest pictures, and the best motion handling. The wide range of saturated colours was nice, providing a realistic performance. On watching a DVD we were slightly less impressed as motion handling was poor, with enough blurring to distract the eye. The colours were above average still, and detail was good. The HD BBC Sport programme was nice and colourful with good detail too. SD and Freeview put on a less than average show in all fairness. Images had fuzzy edges, and other annoying noise. Poor black levels were the most noticeable downfall for the CE-32LDY1, and with such a bad performance in this area, it puts the dampers on everything else. On the plus side - a nice amount bass was provided by the powerful sound system, and dialogue was crystal clear on all sources. For recording we wouldn’t recommend that you use a mode lower than HQ, this mode is great, but anything less just didn’t cut the mustard. |
| Overall Opinion |
| The Sanyo CE-32LDY1’s contemporary design initially caught our eye, and when we found that it was backed up by a good spec, we were excited about seeing what it could do. Unfortunately we were let down by its poor picture performance. It really struggled to compete with many other 32” LCDs on the market, and in our opinion, there really is no excuse for this. The HD performance was a pleasure to watch, and sonically it impressed us. However, beware if you don’t yet have HD programmes, as we guarantee you’ll be disappointed. |
| By Lisa Malyon |
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Pros + 32” LCD + Contemporary stylish design + Integrated 160GB Hard Drive Recorder + Powerful sound with good bass + CAM slot for top-up TV + Superb HD picture performance + Futuristic connectivity |
Cons - Poor HD and Freeview picture performance |
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Picture Quality 5/10
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Sound Quality 7/10
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Connectivity 7/10
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Future Compatibility 6/10
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Ease Of Use 6/10
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Overall Rating 
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31/10/2006 at 2:00:51pm
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