Sony SDM-HX73/B 17" LCD Monitor (Black)

[Archived in 17-Inch, Monitors, Products, Sony]

Manufacturer: Sony
Price at amazon.com: Too Low To Display
Usually ships in 24 hours

List price $569.99



Product Features:

• 1,280 x 1,024 native resolution, 0.264mm dot pitch
• Analog and digital DVI-D signal compatibility, both cables included
• 400 nits of brightness, 500:1 contrast ratio
• Integrated stereo speakers
• PC and Mac compatible; 3-year warranty

Product Description:

Some monitors are serious workhorses, some are frilly playboys, and some, like the SDM-HX73, strike exactly the right balance. Supplying digital and analog data transfer (and including the necessary cables for both), you'll find all your images improved, from family movies to complex video games and web sites, thanks to vividly contrasting colors, smooth video transfer, and impressively fast response. The monitor also does an excellent job with serious tasks. A native resolution of 1,280 x 1,024, fine 0.264 mm dot pitch, 500:1 contrast ratio, and 400 nits of brightness work together behind the scenes to provide cleanly legible graphics and text that will keep you reading comfortably for hours. Sony's optimization technology automatically adjusts the screen to varying lighting conditions, while Automatic ImageSet keeps the display set precisely the way you like it. A softly curved base and shimmering frame create a subtle backdrop, outlining the display without detracting from the work at hand. Sony backs the display with a three-year warranty covering parts, labor, and backlight. What's in the Box Display; stand; AC power cord; DVI-D, HD15, and stereo audio cables; limited-warranty card; CD-ROM for PC/MAC with user's manual, utility files, Display Adjustment Tool; Quick Setup Guide
From the Manufacturer Sony HX-Series Displays are brilliantly designed with premium features that enhance your multimedia experience. Integrated stereo speakers with SRS WOW technology deliver a dynamic audio experience. Auto-sensing ErgoBright technology automatically adjusts brightness to every environment--brighter by day, softer by night. The perfect balance of form and function. Features: Form meets function. Innovative floating frame design brings an element of graceful style to your surroundings. Brilliantly... read more


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Description from Manufacturer:Some monitors are serious workhorses, some are frilly playboys, and some, like the SDM-HX73, strike exactly the right balance. Supplying digital and analog data transfer (and including the necessary cables for both), you'll find all your images improved, from family movies to complex video games and web sites, thanks to vividly contrasting colors, smooth video transfer, and impressively fast response.

The monitor also does an excellent job with serious tasks. A native resolution of 1,280 x 1,024, fine 0.264 mm dot pitch, 500:1 contrast ratio, and 400 nits of brightness work together behind the scenes to provide cleanly legible graphics and text that will keep you reading comfortably for hours. Sony's optimization technology automatically adjusts the screen to varying lighting conditions, while Automatic ImageSet keeps the display set precisely the way you like it.

A softly curved base and shimmering frame create a subtle backdrop, outlining the display without detracting from the work at hand. Sony backs the display with a three-year warranty covering parts, labor, and backlight.

What's in the Box
Display; stand; AC power cord; DVI-D, HD15, and stereo audio cables; limited-warranty card; CD-ROM for PC/MAC with user's manual, utility files, Display Adjustment Tool; Quick Setup GuideAverage Customer Rating:

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Comment: Better than expected Rating:
Just got this monitor along with my new HP m470n Media Center PC. Works great!! My previous was a Philips 17" CRT. There were no dead pixels, and the clarity is great. Very bright and clear images.

Make sure you install the drivers from the CD, and in particular, go through the display optimization steps for both Media Center as well as on the Sony CD itself. Otherwise the factory default settings may not get it right. I also found that the TV picture is clearest when it takes up one quadrant of the screen; otherwise you need to move back further.

Net/net I am very happy with the monitor.

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Comment: Excellent - for what it is Rating:
I tested this monitor using its DVI-D input connected to my PNY GeForce FX5900 128MB Graphics Card's DVI-D output. The presentation was bright and clean, although my unit had one dead pixel in the lower right quadrant. It was most noticeable on a pure white background. From what I have read, this problem with one or more dead pixels is quite common with all LCD monitors, so it's truly the luck of the draw to get a screen that doesn't have at least one. However, while it may be considered "normal", it is simply unacceptable to expect people to put up with such glaring flaws when shelling out this kind of $.

This is a beautiful monitor, aesthetically speaking, and the set up was virtually plug and play on my Windows XP Pro-based system. The controls include one-touch presets for different viewing modes (gaming, pc, video). I found that it was wonderful on strictly computer-based images (i.e., gaming, where its 16ms response time meant no blurring of moving images), text (although there was some lack of clarity with smaller fonts when running it at its recommended native resolution of 1280x1024), web surfing, etc. However, the rendering of high-quality graphics and DVD movie playback is similar to all LCD monitors, i.e., flat, lacking in detail and incapable of rendering accurate color - in other words, far inferior to a high quality CRT.

In spite of the fact that most computer stores are selling (pushing, actually) almost nothing but LCD monitors, they are simply inferior to CRTs for rendering accurate color, detail in high quality graphics and DVD movie playback.

For this reason, I returned it for a refund. I will instead purchase the new 22" IBM ThinkVision C220p CRT, which is listed by IBM on their website at $589. It is the top IBM CRT (Trinitron-based). Per IBM: "...the C220p is best suited for professional graphics applications such as CAD/CAM/CAE, desktop publishing, web design, digital content creation, video editing and high-definition image manipulation..." Basically it should blow away this or any other LCD monitor for reproduction of high quality graphics and DVD movie playback - not to mention IBM's 3-year Rapid-replacement warranty. They'll ship another one to you and take the defective one and even pay the shipping! I guess you don't get to be IBM by jerking people around on defective merchandise. Try getting the same deal from Sony. Yeah, right.

Given the caveats, only you can decide if the Sony SDM-HX73 monitor will fill your needs.

Posted at October 11, 2003 06:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)