The 32″ HD LCD TV market is booming as consumers move to these small compact HD models for use in a bedroom or kitchen or hooked up to a notebook in a study.

During the past 12 months the penetration of notebooks into homes and business has hit 50 percent and because of this many consumers are looking for a small HD screen that will deliver a great TV picture, high quality videos run from a notebook as well as general computer viewing.

In the 32-inch display market there are over 20 vendors competing against each other however only a few have got really stunning full HD models. So when it came to picking the top three models we struggled because of the sheer competition in this market.

The best choice in 32″ HD TV’s came down to 3 models: the Panasonic TX-32LZD800A, the Samsung LA32A650, and the Sony KDLV4000.

To be quite honest there is very little difference between all three. While Sony had vivid colours Panasonic had more natural colours and Samsung a very smart design.

So how did they stack up?

The Samsung LA32A650 sports a red-infused bezel that exudes elegance and style. It comes with two component ports, two composite ports, a D-Sub port, an S-video port, a USB port, as well as four HDMI ports. This means that you can hook up your Blu-ray player, PS3, and Xbox 360 all at the same time and still have an extra port to spare.

Despite being the ‘baby’ in Samsung’s Series 6 line-up, this telly is still a Full HD unit. The only thing this 32-inch missed out on is the 100Hz technology. The screen’s dynamic contrast ratio of 15,000:1 provided us with excellent pictures – blacks were deep, images were sharp, and the unit was able to minimise judders despite not sporting 100Hz.

The only thing we did not like about the unit is its speakers – we had to set the volume at 80-90 percent just to hear what’s going on in some of our movies.

Overall, this 32-incher is well worth the look for its stylish bezel, picture performance, and abundance of ports. It is available now for $1,999.

The Panasonic TX-32LZD800A is a Full HD television that comes with Motion Picture 2 Pro. Thanks to its 100Hz technology, the LCD was able to minimise blurriness and provided us with smoother, sharper fast-moving images. The unit comes with three HDMI inputs, two S-Video ports, a D-Sub port, two component ports, and four composite RCA ports.

The pictures looked natural, although it is not as vibrant as other LCD TVs currently on the market. What is good though is the 100Hz technology on this LCD – moving objects and camera pans looked clean and sharp, with the unit minimising judders on our Blu-ray test.

The TX-32LZD800A was able to do a good job in preventing judders, although we still found a couple of instances wherein the screen flickered in fast camera pans.

A full HD 32-inch screen coupled with 100Hz technology make this sub-$2000 set from Panasonic well-worth buying.

Click to enlarge

Sony’s 32-inch Full HD TV comes in black, red, or white, allowing users to choose that ‘perfect’ screen that can complement their living room. An abundance of ports (three HDMI, two Component, two S-Video, three Composite, D-Sub, and Digital Media port) means that a user won’t have problems hooking up their HD/SD gear. Besides sporting the latest Sony technology such as the Bravia Engine 2, MPEG Noise Reduction, Advance Contrast Enhancer, it is also easy to use thanks to its Xross Media Bar interface.

The picture quality from digital channels such as Ten HD looked clean and crisp. Blu-ray movies looked vivid and well-detailed, while dark scenes from Close Encounters of the Third Kind were very pleasing to look at (thanks to its high contrast ratio).

The speakers clearly lacked bass, but the overall sound quality (particularly the dialogues and treble detail) was good.

Go for this Full HD offering from Sony if you want a unit that has great picture and sound quality. It is available now for $1,799.

Overall Ranking:

Panasonic Viera TX-32LZD800A:
For: Full HD resolution, 100Hz technology, Motion looks natural
Against: Colours not as vivid as the Sony but when compared to real life colour it goes pretty close.

Sony Bravia KDL-32V4000:
For: Deep blacks, Excellent picture quality, USB input, Full HD Resolution, Ease of use
Against: Design, Only three HDMI inputs

Samsung LA32A650:
For: Design, Picture quality, Four HDMI ports, Full HD resolution
Against: Speaker performance, Missed out on 100Hz