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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Blows away the competition!"
Pros: Brightest, clearest, most vibrant monitor available (this actually applies to all of Sony's new XBrite monitors); ultra-fast response time; no dead pixels
Cons: No height adjustment available, back panel doesn't secure the cables well, monitor controls are not the most intuitive, expensive
Summary: I'm actually not a huge Sony fan, so it's a surprise to myself that I spent the extra cash for a Sony monitor. I had been holding out a LONG time on purchasing my first LCD monitor for a few reasons. 1) I didn't want to deal with the dead pixel issue that invariably crops up on most LCDs. 2) My previous 19" CRT monitor was working just fine and didn't warrant a replacement. 3) Previously, with exception of a few models, most monitors have slow response times resulting in screen drag with movies, videos, games, etc.
My main motivation for purchasing a new LCD was to take advantage of the split monitor functionality with WinXP (invaluable if you're the type to have several windows open at once). Since my current monitor was an analog CRT monitor, I decided now would be the time to add an LCD. I was pre-biased towards Samsung's reputation for building great LCDs but was also open to Panasonic, NEC and Viewsonic. In previewing those models, I could see some slight differences between them in both screen quality and appearance, but the differences were only slight in my opinion. That all changed the very moment I saw this Sony model. The difference is astounding! My comments really apply to Sony's entire new line of XBrite monitors including a couple of combo LCD/HDTV-compatible monitors. These monitors are even brighter than most CRTs. To put a finer point on this, next to my older 19" Mitsubishi DiamondPro CRT, this Sony LCD (at the lowest lamp-level and brightness level) is still brighter than my Mitsubishi CRT at it's highest brightness level. In fact, it makes my old monitor look VERY old. This is actually a slight source of frustration because I use both side-by-side and the overall screen quality of my old CRT just looks horribly outdated next to this Sony. This monitor will likely have that effect next to ANY other monitor you currently own. As for the response time, you'll find that most monitors of this size will not be able to meet the fast 12msec response time that Sony advertises (especially not at 19"). Finally, of all these new Sony models that I saw on display and (more importantly) the one I have in front of me, I have yet to see a single dead pixel. Very impressive! Highly highly recommended!
As for the cons I listed above, they're all quite easy to overlook in my opinion. The height adjustment is not too terribly important in my case (I'd only raise it an extra couple inches if given the chance). The issue with the back-panel not staying on can be compensated for by positioning your cables differently (besides, it's in the back, where I can't see it anyway). The controls don't bother me (I really only have to deal with the controls once when first setting it up and then I'm done with it). For the price, I could have considered a larger Samsung screen, but as much respect as I have for Samsung, the screen quality was the final deciding factor. There was just no comparison.
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