Sony SDM-HS53

The Sony SDM-HS53 attempts to come off as slick and stylish, but it just ends up looking smudged. Its wide bezel--an inch and a half on the sides, an inch on the top and bottom--is made of shiny, black, reflective plastic that seems to serve no purpose other than to show off fingerprints. The parabola-shaped neck of the SDM-HS53, which is attached by a hinge to the fairly stable circular base, elevates the display 2.5 inches off the desktop (or 4 inches, if you include the wide bezel). But you can't raise, lower, pivot, or swivel the display; in fact, the only adjustments you can make are to tilt it slightly forward and backward or attach the unit to a VESA wall mount. A bowed, flimsy piece of the same smudge-attracting plastic on the back of the display effectively keeps the analog signal input and power plug out of sight.

The five buttons for adjusting the easy-to-navigate onscreen menu are the SDM-HS53's sole elements that actually succeed in looking cool. Resembling a row of tiny silver BB pellets, they are nicely tucked away under the bottom edge of the bezel.

What the SDM-HS53 lacks in looks, it makes up for in performance. A 15-inch LCD that delivers such good image quality for less than $400 is a pretty solid deal.

The SDM-HS53 comes with decent documentation, including a quick-setup guide and a CD with a complete user guide, driver software, and a rudimentary adjustment program that helps you sharpen and center the image within the frame. The SDM-HS53 is backed by a three-year warranty on parts, labor, and the backlight; toll-free tech support is available for the full three years.

Priced below much of the competition, the SDM-HS53 is a good deal for home and office users who don't mind the high-maintenance skin. Users who want superior adjustability or a more pleasing design should check out the Philips 150P4 and the HP L1502, respectively.

CNET Labs DisplayMate tests  (Longer bars indicate better performance)

Sony SDM-HS53 73  Philips 150P4 72  HP L1502 69  BenQ FP591 65

Brightness in nits  (Longer bars indicate better performance)

BenQ FP591 321  HP L1502 272  Sony SDM-HS53 236  Philips P1504 223

Note: Measured with the Sencore CP500.

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