Sony CX523 TV - any good?

ericpode · 03-08-2011, 12:02

I'm just about ready to buy a new TV for use on Freeview. I haven't done much research yet but noticed the 32" Sony CX523 in the latest copy of Computer Shopper got a good review.

It has Freeview HD built-in.

I haven't thought about it until now but apparently it has internet access for iPlayer, YouTube, Facebook etc which sounds like an excellent bonus.

Apparently you can also attach a hard drive and to it and make recordings, though I can't find any more details about how this works.

Seems like a great package for 350 pounds.

But as I say, I haven't done much research yet, so are there any other models I should also be looking at?

Nigel Goodwin · 03-08-2011, 12:48

It's a good set from a top manufacturer, from a Sony dealer it comes with a five year warranty as well.

ericpode · 03-08-2011, 16:05

Thanks Nigel. I just checked the price via the sonycentre web site and it's £430.

Another alternative for the 5 year warranty might be

http://www.richersounds.com/product/...ony-kdl32cx523

for £385 (or the usual £350 for a presumably 1 year warranty)

Incidentally, I managed to find a thread discussing how the "record to external hard drive" feature works, and apparently you have to ensure the hard drive is formatted to FAT32 and plug it in - the TV then "registers" the hard drive. But you can't record one channel while you watch another and you can't pause live TV.

Nigel Goodwin · 03-08-2011, 16:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericpode

Thanks Nigel. I just checked the price via the sonycentre web site and it's £430.

Another alternative for the 5 year warranty might be

http://www.richersounds.com/product/...ony-kdl32cx523

for £385 (or the usual £350 for a presumably 1 year warranty)

The RS warranty is amazing value, but it's NOT a manufacturers warranty - there are also a number of concerns about it in the trade (both in viability and administration of the scheme).

However, you can't beat it for value.

Quote:

Incidentally, I managed to find a thread discussing how the "record to external hard drive" feature works, and apparently you have to ensure the hard drive is formatted to FAT32 and plug it in - the TV then "registers" the hard drive. But you can't record one channel while you watch another and you can't pause live TV.

It's a TV not a PVR

I keep meaning to have a play with one, but I haven't got round to it yet (so much to do, so little time).

ericpode · 04-08-2011, 00:21

Thanks. The concerns about viability are presumably just about the warranty, not Richer Sounds as a business?

I got the sonycentre price wrong - it should have been £450, and it's marked as "temporarily unavailable" for some reason.

http://www.sony.co.uk/product/tv-80-32-lcd/kdl-32cx523

I think I'll give the 5 year warranty a miss and buy at £350, then just take the hit on buying a new set if the worst happens.

It comes with a WiFi dongle which is handy - I just hope that it can be set up to use WPA2 and join a network which doesn't broadcast its SSID.

Quote:

It's a TV not a PVR

That's what I'll have to look at next.

UCLGeogPhD · 04-08-2011, 09:14

Richer is a viable business and I've personally used it for years, well over 14 years in fact. As for the 5 year warranty, its not manufacturers, but they will take items away to fix leaving behind temp replacements as part of the deal, and if cannot fix then replace with a current equivalent model. And if you don't use the thing, you can get that money back after five years by taking the warranty back in. So in theory you can still just pay £350 and in 5 years treat yourself to something when you get the £35 back.

I've personally got the Sony 32EX503 (got from sony centre with full 5 year sony warranty as it was cheaper than richer at the time) and cannot fault the picture quality. Only disappointment is that sony doesn't have 4oD on its bravia internet service.

Oh and the wireless dongle is optional, ie you have to buy it separately for about £60.

Nigel Goodwin · 04-08-2011, 10:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by UCLGeogPhD

Richer is a viable business and I've personally used it for years, well over 14 years in fact. As for the 5 year warranty, its not manufacturers, but they will take items away to fix leaving behind temp replacements as part of the deal, and if cannot fix then replace with a current equivalent model. And if you don't use the thing, you can get that money back after five years by taking the warranty back in. So in theory you can still just pay £350 and in 5 years treat yourself to something when you get the £35 back.

The money back doesn't apply to TV warranties, as RS have pointed out here many times.

Quote:

I've personally got the Sony 32EX503 (got from sony centre with full 5 year sony warranty as it was cheaper than richer at the time) and cannot fault the picture quality. Only disappointment is that sony doesn't have 4oD on its bravia internet service.

Such services are 'dynamic', they can be added at any time - I've no idea if or when it might appear, or indeed what the circumstances are for adding such services.

But it's certainly very possible that it may appear in the future, along with other services.

Quote:

Oh and the wireless dongle is optional, ie you have to buy it separately for about £60.

I don't know if it's free as a special offer?, I've installed a number of Sony's lately, and all had free dongles - including the lady who had a Thomson Speedtouch USB modem, no wonder I was struggling finding a wireless signal

ericpode · 06-08-2011, 13:12

Quote:

I don't know if it's free as a special offer?, I've installed a number of Sony's lately, and all had free dongles

Well, I just bought the CX523 from RS, and the dongle is not supplied with it. I bought it anyway at the same time for £50 - overpriced in my opinion.

Rather than duplicate a thread, see this thread for more details of the struggle to get it working.

http://www.avforums.com/forums/lcd-l...fi-dongle.html

Nigel Goodwin · 06-08-2011, 13:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericpode

Well, I just bought the CX523 from RS, and the dongle is not supplied with it. I bought it anyway at the same time for £50 - overpriced in my opinion.

RS aren't a Sony dealer, so wouldn't have the free dongle offer, which is apparently on certain models - which I 'think' includes the CX523, as I'm sure one I fitted last week was a CX523.

£50 is a bargain price for a dongle, they are normally £80 or so - it's not just a standard cheap PC one, it has to be the specific correct dongle.

03-08-2011, 12:02	#1
ericpode Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 249	Sony CX523 TV - any good? I'm just about ready to buy a new TV for use on Freeview. I haven't done much research yet but noticed the 32" Sony CX523 in the latest copy of Computer Shopper got a good review. It has Freeview HD built-in. I haven't thought about it until now but apparently it has internet access for iPlayer, YouTube, Facebook etc which sounds like an excellent bonus. Apparently you can also attach a hard drive and to it and make recordings, though I can't find any more details about how this works. Seems like a great package for 350 pounds. But as I say, I haven't done much research yet, so are there any other models I should also be looking at?

03-08-2011, 12:48	#2
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	It's a good set from a top manufacturer, from a Sony dealer it comes with a five year warranty as well.

03-08-2011, 16:05	#3
ericpode Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 249	Thanks Nigel. I just checked the price via the sonycentre web site and it's £430. Another alternative for the 5 year warranty might be http://www.richersounds.com/product/...ony-kdl32cx523 for £385 (or the usual £350 for a presumably 1 year warranty) Incidentally, I managed to find a thread discussing how the "record to external hard drive" feature works, and apparently you have to ensure the hard drive is formatted to FAT32 and plug it in - the TV then "registers" the hard drive. But you can't record one channel while you watch another and you can't pause live TV.

03-08-2011, 16:44	#4
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by ericpode Thanks Nigel. I just checked the price via the sonycentre web site and it's £430. Another alternative for the 5 year warranty might be http://www.richersounds.com/product/...ony-kdl32cx523 for £385 (or the usual £350 for a presumably 1 year warranty) The RS warranty is amazing value, but it's NOT a manufacturers warranty - there are also a number of concerns about it in the trade (both in viability and administration of the scheme). However, you can't beat it for value. Quote: Incidentally, I managed to find a thread discussing how the "record to external hard drive" feature works, and apparently you have to ensure the hard drive is formatted to FAT32 and plug it in - the TV then "registers" the hard drive. But you can't record one channel while you watch another and you can't pause live TV. It's a TV not a PVR I keep meaning to have a play with one, but I haven't got round to it yet (so much to do, so little time).

04-08-2011, 00:21	#5
ericpode Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 249	Thanks. The concerns about viability are presumably just about the warranty, not Richer Sounds as a business? I got the sonycentre price wrong - it should have been £450, and it's marked as "temporarily unavailable" for some reason. http://www.sony.co.uk/product/tv-80-32-lcd/kdl-32cx523 I think I'll give the 5 year warranty a miss and buy at £350, then just take the hit on buying a new set if the worst happens. It comes with a WiFi dongle which is handy - I just hope that it can be set up to use WPA2 and join a network which doesn't broadcast its SSID. Quote: It's a TV not a PVR That's what I'll have to look at next.

04-08-2011, 09:14	#6
UCLGeogPhD Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 54	Richer is a viable business and I've personally used it for years, well over 14 years in fact. As for the 5 year warranty, its not manufacturers, but they will take items away to fix leaving behind temp replacements as part of the deal, and if cannot fix then replace with a current equivalent model. And if you don't use the thing, you can get that money back after five years by taking the warranty back in. So in theory you can still just pay £350 and in 5 years treat yourself to something when you get the £35 back. I've personally got the Sony 32EX503 (got from sony centre with full 5 year sony warranty as it was cheaper than richer at the time) and cannot fault the picture quality. Only disappointment is that sony doesn't have 4oD on its bravia internet service. Oh and the wireless dongle is optional, ie you have to buy it separately for about £60.

04-08-2011, 10:51	#7
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by UCLGeogPhD Richer is a viable business and I've personally used it for years, well over 14 years in fact. As for the 5 year warranty, its not manufacturers, but they will take items away to fix leaving behind temp replacements as part of the deal, and if cannot fix then replace with a current equivalent model. And if you don't use the thing, you can get that money back after five years by taking the warranty back in. So in theory you can still just pay £350 and in 5 years treat yourself to something when you get the £35 back. The money back doesn't apply to TV warranties, as RS have pointed out here many times. Quote: I've personally got the Sony 32EX503 (got from sony centre with full 5 year sony warranty as it was cheaper than richer at the time) and cannot fault the picture quality. Only disappointment is that sony doesn't have 4oD on its bravia internet service. Such services are 'dynamic', they can be added at any time - I've no idea if or when it might appear, or indeed what the circumstances are for adding such services. But it's certainly very possible that it may appear in the future, along with other services. Quote: Oh and the wireless dongle is optional, ie you have to buy it separately for about £60. I don't know if it's free as a special offer?, I've installed a number of Sony's lately, and all had free dongles - including the lady who had a Thomson Speedtouch USB modem, no wonder I was struggling finding a wireless signal

06-08-2011, 13:12	#8
ericpode Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 249	Quote: I don't know if it's free as a special offer?, I've installed a number of Sony's lately, and all had free dongles Well, I just bought the CX523 from RS, and the dongle is not supplied with it. I bought it anyway at the same time for £50 - overpriced in my opinion. Rather than duplicate a thread, see this thread for more details of the struggle to get it working. http://www.avforums.com/forums/lcd-l...fi-dongle.html

06-08-2011, 13:25	#9
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by ericpode Well, I just bought the CX523 from RS, and the dongle is not supplied with it. I bought it anyway at the same time for £50 - overpriced in my opinion. RS aren't a Sony dealer, so wouldn't have the free dongle offer, which is apparently on certain models - which I 'think' includes the CX523, as I'm sure one I fitted last week was a CX523. £50 is a bargain price for a dongle, they are normally £80 or so - it's not just a standard cheap PC one, it has to be the specific correct dongle.

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Sony CX523 TV - any good?