If you’re looking for a really low price mid-size TV, the Insignia NS-32DF310NA19 might seem like an appealing choice. This 32-inch set remains a good bargain with Amazon’s Fire TV built-in. The Insignia NS-32DF310NA19 is an incremental update from last year’s version. It’s also notably better than its closest competitor, the TCL 32S3800 Roku TV.
Still, the best feature I this TV remains its quick and responsive implementation of Fire TV OS and all the rich features that come with it. At first, you may be disappointed by the picture on the LCD screen due to the way it is set up out-of-the-box, but with a few tweaking, it produces good picture for the price.
Insignia Fire TV Edition review: Design
The 8.15 x 28.86 x 19.02-inch NS-32DF310NA19 looks like what it is: a simple, inexpensive TV. It sports a dark plastic case that doesn’t breathe any air of prestige or luxury like pricier TVs do. And unlike many newer (and more expensive) TVs, it maintains a fairly thick half-inch bezel around the edge. But for a budget TV, it isn’t an eyesore, either. The screen stands on a pair of V-shaped feet that face inward holding it up very stably.
Around the back, there are three HDMI inputs, a USB port, and an optical audio output facing the left edge. There is also an Ethernet port, antenna/cable connector, and an RCA composite video input facing downward, in the same location. On the lower right corner of the back of the TV, there is a power/input combo and other buttons for physical controls.
Fire TV Remote
Included is a Fire TV remote that is customized for TVs, that is a bit larger and more complex than the common voice remote included with Amazon Fire TV media streamers. The design remains the same, though, a slim black plastic wand with a prominent glossy black circular navigation pad. Just above the pad, there are three menu buttons and another three playback buttons sit below the pad, with the power and microphone buttons sitting on the top of the remote near a pinhole mic.
Apparently, that’s the standard layout for Fire TV streamer remotes, but Insignia does add a volume rocker, and live TV button below the playback controls. Plus, there are dedicated buttons for Amazon Prime Video, HBO, Netflix, and PlayStation Vue. The remote sends signals via infrared alongside Bluetooth, meaning you can use it to control the TV if the Bluetooth connection drops, without necessarily needing to re-pair the remote.
Fire TV OS & Alexa
For you to get the most of Fire TV features, you’ll need to sign in with your Amazon account, which is very typical of Fire TV streamers, that are built around using your account for transactions like purchasing app and renting media. However, on the Insignia Fire TV Edition, you don’t absolutely need an Amazon account to use the TV. There is an optional Basic mode that lets you use the TV as a TV, without access to most streaming features in the interface, but providing access to the TV’s varied inputs.
Still, most of us would want to use our Amazon account to access the full features on the Insignia Fire TV Edition, bearing in mind how robust it is as a smart TV platform. For instance, it lets you access most streaming services, including Amazon Video and Music, Hulu, Netflix, Sling TV, Spotify and Twitch. Curiously, Google Play Movies & TV as well as Google Play Music are absent, and YouTube loads only via the Firefox or Silk web browsers.
Not surprising at all, while the Fire TV OS is ideally based on Android, rarely do you see Amazon and Google get along much on content. The Fire TV includes access to the Alexa voice assistant, which you can easily use on the Insignia Fire TV Edition by pressing the microphone button on the remote and speaking into it. Sure, it may not be handsfree as the Echo or Echo Spot, but it’s still functional out of the box with the press of a button.
Performance
For an entry-level, budget HDTV, the Insignia NS-32DF310NA19 performs well, in fact, better than most budget TVs. The 32-inch model we’re reviewing doesn’t support high dynamic range (HDR), which is only available in the 4K Series (43”, 50” and 55”) of the same model. With that, it does not offer a particularly wide color gamut, and doesn’t exceed broadcast standards with reds appearing undersaturated. As for the colors, they are balanced and not tinted, though very vivid something we always expect from a 720p panel with a 60Hz refresh rate.
It produces sharp picture overall, but it’s far from the butter-smooth viewing out of the box. The underwater scenes in A Life on Our Planet are crisp and realistic. But don’t move from the center while watching, the TV has limited viewing angles that change color significantly when you get to 45 degrees from the middle.
Even with the limited color range on the Insignia Fire TV Edition, BBC’s Life Story looks vivid and very detailed. You can easily pick fine details like fur and leaves at very sharp detail, with colors looking natural and balanced. Only that they aren’t as nearly vivid as they are on the TCL 6-Series 55R635 Roku Smart TV.
The only caveat is, that TCL’s Series 6 only has two models: 55-inch and 65-inch. Thus, if you’re looking for a small home TV that doesn’t cost a fortune, the 32-inch Toshiba TF-32A710U21 and the 32-inch Insignia NS-32DF310NA19 are among the best choices you can find right now.
Input Lag & Power Consumption
Input lag (time between display receiving signal and updating screen) isn’t impressive at 70.6 milliseconds in Movie mode. Changing the mode, for instance into Game mode, will give you a reduced input lag but it eats on the general picture quality. Not a worthy trade-off.
Viewed under normal conditions, the 39-inch set will consume 86 watts of power. The Insignia Fire TV Edition doesn’t have any significant power saving modes other than the normal backlight dimming, of which it reduces consumption to 63 watts, and reduces screen brightness considerably.
Verdict
When you’re looking for a super-affordable TV, you often have to compromise a feature or two. With the 32-inch Insignia Fire TV, you don’t have to give up a full-featured smart OS or a sharp picture, making it one of the better bargains for one of the best mid-size Fire TVs. Of course, you will have to deal with some color issues and blurring, but adjusting the TV’s settings makes everything vibrant.
Cheaper 32-inch TVs are available. The TCL 32S335 (2021 model) runs for around the same price, you get similar picture quality, but it is powered by Roku Smart TV OS. Having Alexa inside the Insignia NS-32DF310NA19 brings a lot of value, from voice control of TV functions to your smart home devices. And that may make the trade off in price worth it.