Sony NSX-32GT1 (Google TV)

Looking to add Google TV to your living room this holiday season? Sony's NSX-32GT1 32-inch HDTV is one of the best bets, next to Sony's NSZ-GT1 Blu-ray player ($199.99, 4 stars). It originally came out for $799.99 direct, but the price has since dropped to $499.99, putting it in line with other feature-rich 32-inch HDTVs. It's also recently received an upgrade to Google TV 3.1, which uses Android Honeycomb. The new version features a more visually appealing menu design and supports the Android Market to bring apps to your TV. For a deeper dive into Google TV 3.1, read our?hands on story.

Design
As with the Sharp Aquos LC-52LE820UN ($2,999.99, 3 stars), the NSX-32GT1 looks more like a desktop monitor than an HDTV. Its rounded edges and glossy white cabinet are right out of Apple's design book, as is the thin metal stand. The panel is framed by shiny black bezels and covered edge-to-edge in glass that gives the set a slick look, but makes the screen a bit reflective. The stand, while sturdy, does not provide any sort of adjustability (not even swivel), so keep that in mind when determining where to place the TV.

HDTVs with edge-mounted LED backlighting usually offer ultra-thin cabinets, but that's not the case here; at 2.25 inches thick, the NSX-32GT1 may be thin compared to the 3-inch-thick Mitsubishi LT-55265 ($3,199.99, 4 stars), but it's still about an inch thicker than the LG 47LE5500 ($2,099.99, 3.5 stars). There are no functions buttons to be found on the NSX-32GT1; all picture settings and other adjustments are done using the remote (the same gamepad-like Bluetooth QWERTY remote found on the Internet TV Blu-ray Player). There is a power switch and power and sleep timer LED indicators located along the lower right bezel, as well as remote and ambient light sensors.

Features
Two of the set's four HDMI ports are accessible from the left side, as are a total of four USB ports (that's three more USB ports than you'll get with most TVs), a headphone jack, and a Connect button used to pair the remote with the TV. Around back are an IR Blaster connection, one set of component A/V jacks, a coaxial TV/Cable/Antenna jack, two HDMI ports, an Ethernet port, and one digital audio output. If you have more than one non-HDMI device, you're going to have to get a component switch. The NSX-32GT1 features built-in Wi-Fi that supports two bands (2.4 and 5.0GHz) and will work with 802.11 a/b/g/n networks. A pair of 10-watt speakers are moderately loud and predictably short on bass response, but they are adequate for small rooms.

Google TV brings with it a plethora of online features with a slick user interface, but at this point in time it doesn't quite stack up against the catalog of web apps that you get with sets like the Samsung LN55C650. You do get You Tube, Napster, Netflix, and Amazon Video On Demand, as well as a few kid-based channels and news channels, but for now, you still don't get popular streaming services like Vudu, Hulu, and Blockbuster On Demand. Several major networks have blocked content to Google TV as well, so you can't even watch full episodes from their web sites.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/aHt-jaZOgMo/0,2817,2374792,00.asp

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