Sony GDM-FW900 Flat Widescreen 24" FD Trinitron CRT Monitor
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(3 out of 5)Paradise Lost
At the risk of being that guy who comes in and pulls down the rating of a product that everyone else loves and gives "This suxors!" as a reason, I must relate my tale of woe. I will go into more detail than the normal dimwitted party pooper.
Witness the death of a dream. Three years ago, I took the plunge and bought the truly awe-inspiring Sony GDM-FW900 monitor: 24 inches of viewing goodness, 16:10 widescreen ratio, flat screen, and a Trinitron tube. Bliss! The admission price was a hefty $2300, but I couldn't imagine needing or wanting another monitor for at least five years, maybe more!
The honeymoon was out of a dimestore romance. I had the brains, she had the looks, and together we made a lovely couple. Widescreen movies and gaming (in those titles that supported it) was intoxicating. Carrying her mammoth-like girth over my third-floor threshold nearly killed me (literally), but otherwise we had the makings of a solid, long-lasting relationship.
Then came the blues. Sadness and heartache, yes, but, more importantly, a blue cast that crept into the image about eight months from purchase. No amount of tweaking the color calibration controls could remove it. Changing cards, cables, and computers proved futile. Over the next year, the problem worsened, with blacks growing lighter and lighter.
Finally, after playing Fade to Blue, Blue and White, and Bluehawk Down, I called Sony for a replacement. Still under warranty, I said. Refurbished units only, Sony said. You've got to be kidding, I said. Read the fine print, Sony said. Within a week, the refurbished model arrived at my door. I nervously hooked it up, hoping that I hadn't undergone life and death drama-hauling the replacement up three flights of stairs and lugging the original down three flights of stairs-in vain. Lo and behold, the blue cast was gone! There was a green cast instead.
And that's how it was for nearly a year. I decided I'd rather deal with the green than face another game of upstairs downstairs (seriously, the thing weighs 95 pounds and comes in a gigantic cardboard cube that makes it impossible to hold or get through normal doorways or stairwells; carrying the monitor to a third-floor walk-up is a friggin' trial of Hercules). Fiddling with the color controls only resulted in changing the green cast to brown. At least I had options.
Last night, the refurb died. Well, it might as well have. The screen is now blanketed in serene, fuzzy white, as if fresh powdered snow had fallen inside the monitor overnight. I was afraid I'd developed glaucoma until I looked away. It occassionally flashes red and green, giving the whole room the ambience of Studio 54. No amount of calibrating, screaming, hitting, or crying makes any difference. I am now beyond my original three-year warranty and the refurb's 90 day(!) warranty. Both my huge monitor and my huge pile of money have passed on. All that's left is to write the eulogy.
GDM-FW900, I hardly knew ye. No, that's not true. Ye were a piece of crap.
(5 out of 5)Sony 24" CRT Monitor is the Holy Grail of computer gamers!
This monitor has to be seen to be believed. An awesome screen measuring 13" by 19" comes to life as you fire up this beast. The screen resolution, clarity, brightness and staggering scale absolutely blows away my former 21" monitors, which simply don't hold a candle to this monstrosity. The superlatives are inadequate to describe what a pleasure this monitor is, as I type out these words.
I am an avid computer gamer and beta-tester, as well as a writer, a pre-law student and a paralegal. I went through a large volume of research before settling on this monitor to replace my aging NEC 21" MultiSync P1150 monitor, which had served me well for several years. Possessing nearly the image size of the 27" television in my bedroom, this monitor is well suited for work or play. I can work on two 8x11 word documents side by side at the same time, and movies, games, trailers, all come to crisp, mind-blowing life. You can actually watch DVDs in their original 16x9 movie theatre format, and if you've seen Sony's WEGA flat-screen televisions, this monitor is cut from the same mold. Featuring a fine dot pitch of .23 in the center, the entire image is very clear and without distortion, even at the edges. Viewing regular web pages and my desktop in the unusual 16x10 format is not as distracting as it sounds at first, and having the extra screen real estate is much appreciated (nearly twice the area of a 21" monitor and almost three times that of a 17"). In short, while heavy (92 pounds) and expensive, I think it is worth every penny. This monitor will allow you to play games such as Quake III and Klingon Academy at 2048 x 1536, a mind-boggling, staggering resolution if there ever was one. As General Chang once said, "you have not experienced Shakespeare until you have experienced it in the original Klingon." This monitor is that "original Klingon," wihout a doubt, and simply incredible.
Don't fret about space. This monitor covers a footprint only slightly larger than my old 21" monitor, and weighs about 20 pounds more. The chassis is molded in a stylish silver and gray body, installation was a breeze and the four USB hubs in the base are much appreciated. I shopped this monitor against several flat panel monitors which cost thousands more (for a smaller viewable image size), making this is a comparative bargain. The image quality is similar to top of the line 21" monitors costing about $1,000, but the extra three inches in viewable image size is worth the upcharge. In short, it is bracketed well between the regular 21" monitors out there and the ultra-expensive flat panels costing up to twice as much. It is also the largest CRT monitor on the market today, as the larger presentation monitors are basically modified televisions with .74 dot pitch, so their images won't be anywhere as crisp as Sony's GDM-FW900. I'm very, very pleased with this product, as it is the Mercedes S-class of computer monitors. Enjoy!
(5 out of 5)An absolutely awesome monitor!
This is one of the very best monitors availibe in the market today. It has Sony's "Wide Aspect Display" technology riding on a 22.5" (viewable area) FD Trinitron CRT.
The display is perfectly flat and the extra width means it is perfect for viewing double pages side-by-side. I myself work a lot on CAD/CAM drawings (and watch the occasional movie!). The monitor has some of the highest refresh rates (80Hz at 2304 x 1440)and possibly the sharpest images I have ever seen.
It also has a USB hub in the back and that means that I can plug in my printer, mouse and keyboard directly to it. No more shuffling around the back of my CPU!
All in all a great buy. The only downside is the price. But if you can afford it, dont think twice!
(5 out of 5)Incredible monitor: stunning image quality and size
Full Review
I purchased the Sony GDM FW900 as part of the ultimate personal computer, which would double as a business and entertainment machine. The picture is INCREDIBLE. The picture quality is superior to anything I have seen, including the Apple 22" and NEC 21".
There is one problem, however, size. It weighs 95lbs dry and is very deep. Moreover, I have not had any luck finding a graphics board or drivers that go up to 2304 x 1440. Yet, the 1920 x 1200 is still pretty incredible.
There are two items besides size and quality, that really make this a profession piece of equipment. First, there is a nice cylindrical control panel (must see to understand) and the use of a profession five BNC video cable. The latter seems to improve image quality (not exactly sure why besides the shielding).
While the monitor is targeted to engineers and researchers, it makes an excellent piece of entertainment hardware that can be used to watch DVDs and HDTV signals.
(5 out of 5)better than the best
I recently upgraded to the fw900 from Sony's fw 500 21 inch monitor. The FW 900 seems to be much brighter and sharper. And boy it is big! (but not deep) Also heavy @ 92lbs. The adjustments are nicer and the color of the box is this nice silver gray. The usb ports are all on one side so it is easier to hot swap. One minor point: if you stretch the picture all the way to the horizontal edges, it will stretch the picture as well. circles turn into slight ovals. Overall a great monitor