Is it a good buy?

Sony Bravia LCD TVs have earned a reputation for fine performance, and our tests of many of those models have borne that out. But the brand's high profile generally comes with a high price tag. Some of the Bravia sets—typically the most feature-rich—are among the priciest in their size. (ConsumerReports.org subscribers can verify that by just looking through our latest Ratings of LCD TVs.)

Given that reputation, you might not expect to find the Sony Bravia name showing up at Wal-Mart and Target. But there it is. Both chains are selling the Sony KDL-32ML130 at relatively low-prices for a 32-inch Bravia LCD TV. At Target (and via Amazon), the set is selling at Sony's list price of $797. But at Wal-mart's Web site, it's $767.

We decided to take a look at one of these sets to see if it lives up to its family heritage. We're still testing the LCD TV and hope to have more details available soon on ConsumerReports.org soon. But here's what we know so far:

It doesn’t have all the features you'd find on higher-priced Bravia sets, but it does offer fine picture quality, according to our preliminary tests. It did very well for black level, color, and fine detail. The viewing angle was decent—typical for most LCDs, meaning the picture changes slightly when you're off center, in this case losing some contrast.

We were less impressed with the sound, which seemed a bit muffled, but it should be fine for typical TV programming.

The menu is more basic than on many sets, but that actually makes it easier to get around. Among the features it lacks are RGB controls for fine-tuning color, but given the fine color accuracy, that's not a serious omission.

All in all, it's a good buy. If you want better audio quality, additional features, and a wider viewing angle as well as high-quality video performance, check out Panasonic's TC-32LX700 ($950).

More information about the Panasonic set, as well as full access to our latest LCD TV Ratings, is available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers only. But we'll have more information about the 32-inch Sony Bravia KDL-32ML130 LCD TV set up on our site soon.