Sony TFT 18
Written: Jan 21 '02
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Pros: Goods Looks, Fast 30FPS DVD Movies Fluid, DVI and Analog, swival, height.
Cons: Limited Height adjustment. Contrast Ratio.
The Bottom Line: Best thing I ever did was leave the CRT world, looking at it 10 hours a day and I walk away feeling refreshed and my eyes love me for it.
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| whitneyjj's Full Review: Sony SDM-M81 18 inch LCD Monitor |
Overall Nice Monitor. I purchased this June of 2001. Since then TFT monitor specs have improved. Went from a extremely nice 21 CRT monitor to this monitor which is 18.1 inches. I miss the 2 extra inches, especially since the native resolution is 1280x1024, the same config I ran on my 21, however since it's smaller 18.1 everything seems a little small. But the clarity of the Sony is so remarkable it really becomes a non issue unless your looking for just more desktop space. With it's dual inputs (DVI-Analog) monitor I ran two computers off it, with a push of the button on the monitor I could switch between PC's.
The DVI based AGP card with the DVI hookup on the Sony produces an easily 15%+ sharper image. Don't buy a TFT without DVI, your missing some of the best things about a Flat Panel. My biggest gripe per say, is the monitor only has a 300:1 contrast ratio. A big mistake in my opinion to by a monitor with this low of a contrast ratio. The brights are bright and clear but the darker colors, say a dark blue or black are not accurate, they become a little washed out: Black might be a deep charcoal grey, not a true black. I think personally a major drawback. I'm now buying a TFT with a 500:1 contrast ratio which is much better, but still that is short of a CRT but darn close. In it's day it might have been leading edge but many monitors have better specs. Move on to a higher brightness level and contrast ratios. But if your determined to buy one, the monitor itself is fast, Movies and Games have been non issue, very fluid and quick.
Down scaling to 1024x768 is very good. Internal speakers are extremely week, don't count on them, I used them on my second PC for email, because that's all there worth.
Monitor came with No Dead Pixels, excellent. Since then I have only lost one pixel over 7 months, which says a pile for quality on this panel. If contrast ratio's mean nothing, and 1280x1024 on a 18" monitor is what your looking for, it's a nice monitor.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1250
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
whitneyjj
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Reviews written: 3
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