Insignia Insignia 32 review

The third can be found on the back-side panel for easier access.

Performance
Calibration was relatively simple since the NS-LCD32-09 lacked fine controls for color temperature. We didn't have any directly comparable TVs available at review time, but we did set the Insignia up next to a couple of larger sets, namely our reference sets for black level and color along with a couple of recently reviewed budget models, the Vizio VO47LF and the NS-PDP42 from Insignia itself. We watched Man on Fire on Blu-ray for most of our image quality tests.

Black level performance: The Insignia NS-LCD32-09 produced a depth of black that was perfectly acceptable in a budget TV, appearing a bit deeper than the Vizio and the other Insignia in areas such as the shadows of Denzel Washington's room. Details in shadows appeared distinct enough, although not up to the level of higher-end sets. We did notice that darker areas were tinged bluish, much like with the Vizio, which definitely detracted from the realism of dark scenes.

Color accuracy: The Insignia's color wasn't bad, exhibiting relatively accurate skin tones thanks to its close adherence to the color temperature standard in Warm mode--at least in brighter areas. Primary colors measured quite close to the HDTV standard, although the greenery around the mansion, for example, was still tinged noticeably bluer than it should have been. We also had to turn down saturation a bit to deal with the Insignia's slight red push, which took some punch out of the colors.

Video processing: According to resolution patterns, the NS-LCD32-09 truncated more detail from 1080i sources than many 1,366x768 displays we've tested, but watching the sharp Man, that loss wasn't noticeable at all. We also didn't notice the set's improper 1080i de-interlacing. The Insignia couldn't take 1080p from our PlayStation3, but on a smaller TV of this resolution that's hardly a knock.

Uniformity: The Insignia's biggest weakness was in maintaining a consistent brightness across the screen in dark areas. We saw brighter corners in the letterbox bars above and below the film, and the edges of the screen, especially the right side, looked noticeably brighter in dark scenes, such as when Denzel drives through the tunnel. In most scenes, these uniformity issues weren't visible, however. The screen also lost lots of depth in black when we moved to either side, while the darker areas took on a red tinge.

Standard-def: The NS-LCD32-09 didn't quite resolve every detail of the DVD format, and the stones in the bridge and the blades of grass looked a bit softer than we'd like to see. We also saw quite a few jaggies in moving diagonal lines. The High noise-reduction setting cleaned up the shots of sky and sunsets quite well, and the Insignia engaged 2:3 pull-down quickly and effectively.

PC: When we connected the Insignia to our test PC via HDMI, our video card drivers identified the display as a "Zoran Matrix," which basically doesn't exist according to a Google search. No matter, the set passed all of the resolution of a 1,360x768 source perfectly, as we expect from any LCD. It also performed the same via VGA.

Juice box

Insignia NS-LCD32	Picture settings
	Default	Calibrated	Power Save
Picture on (watts)	143.2	81.63	N/A
Picture on (watts/sq. inch)	0.33	0.19	N/A
Standby (watts)	1.09	1.09	N/A
Cost per year	$44.15	$25.45	N/A
Score (considering size)	Poor
Score (overall)	Good