Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony SDM-HS93/G Flat Panel 19" LCD Monitor (Gray)

This is the best looking 19inch monitor available. It has great 700:1 contrast ratio (good for blacker blacks and whiter whites) - making movie watching an awesome experience.

Although there is no DVI, picture quality is superb. Text is supersharp (I use window's Cleartype to smooth it out) even with analog only input. Sony understands the importance of picture quality and included a VERY short and thick analog cable. The shorter the cable is, the smaller the chance of signal deterioration. Buyer beware, placement might be an issue due to the short cable.

25ms response time is enough for most games, but when playing fast games, ghosting IS there. For example, in Unreal Tournament 2003, the flyby cam is fast enough to cause ghosting.

Also, I'm not sure how consistent Sony's quality control is, but my particular LCD came with ZERO dead or hot pixels. That's GOOD for a 19inch LCD.

PROS:
+picture quality is superb
+excellent 700:1 contrast ratio
+25ms reponse time fast enough for movies and most games
+beautiful frame/monitor design (the best looking series of flat panels right now imo)
+1024x768 native resolution is perfect for gamers (1600x1200 is too high, and 1024x768 is too low)

CONS:
-cost is among the most expensive 19" LCDs
-no DVI support (but includes short analog cable to minimize signal loss)
-no height adjustment

*for reference I am using this monitor with an ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 Pro

Check it out, Sony is not the only company that has the 8 dead pixels return policy. Most if not all manufactures have this policy. The other individuals that complained about dead pixels on there monitors got unlucky. This is the risk you take with ANY LCD monitor, not just sony ones.

I can say that I have NO dead pixels, woohoo! If you do any research on LCD's you will see that this is an issue for all LCD's from all manufactures.

Okay so with that said let me tell you how great this monitor is. I upgraded from a 17" CRT (big and bulky) monitor to this 19" LCD. While it wasn't very cheap i'd have to say it was one of the first purchases I have made without feeling guilty afterwards, the common feeling from impulse buying.

The Sony rep knew less about the monitor than I did so he was of no help at the time. For all you gamers (like me) you will be pleased with the low refresh rate (25ms). Okay so it could be lower but it's a 19" and I hardly notice any ghosting effects. If you guys don't know what refresh rate means let me put it like this. The higher the number (ie 25, 30, 35...) the slower your monitor reacts to fast moving images on the screen. So you get what is called a "ghosting effect" where transitions on the screen seem to blur across the screen. I've seen refresh rates as low as 15ms (milli-seconds) and I bet that is the best bet for gamers. But for me playing most First preson shooters and race car games it is hardly noticeable. And i'm picky too!

The monitor is very light and comes with a very sturdy stand. I am confident in an earthquake it will stay put. The back of the monitor has a black piece of plastic that covers the cords coming out of the back giving it a sleek look. Probably the coolest thing about this monitor is the fact it doesn't heat up my bedroom like my old monitor. This puppy stays cool to the touch unlike most of the other monitors on the market. No frying eggs on this bad boy.

Finally, the software that comes with it is pretty cheasy. It lets you fine tune your monitor for optimal display but mine came without any adjustments needed like yours probably will. I have this monitor in front of a glass door with the sun coming from behind the monitor but this monitor is so bright and vivid i can clearly see every detail. This monitor matches my Microsoft Wireless desktop keyboard and mouse so that is another plus. My desk is no longer cluttered by wires and a giant monitor (my old 17").

You all shouldn't be dissapointed with this purchase. Like i said, it's the first purchase i've made and didn't feel guilty afterwards. I love watching DVD's on it because it's almost like having a T.V. Keep in mind it doesn't have built in speakers so if that's what you are looking for you wont find it here. Oh last thing, this monitor comes with a 3 year warranty. When was the last time you bought something with a 3 year warranty? I can't remember either! Installation couldn't be easier! Get this one :)

I haven't had a problem so far with this monitor like the other reviewers, and all I can say is the picture is sharp, colors are vivid, and the monitor just looks good. It is a downer that this monitor only has analog input, however I can't tell the difference. This monitor was a pretty penny, but I think it's worth it. It's definitely much easier on the eyes than my old CRT.

I have this monitor and it is without question the best monitor I have ever owned. Right now it is running side by side with a Viewsonic G90m CRT and the Sony HS93 LCD is much better. I don't know if Sony had a bad batch, or if the users in the other comments don't have video cards that can fully support this monitor, but my experience has been great. Everyone that sees it in operation comments on how good it is.

I love the exterior look of the poduct, but the product has not worked correctly from Day one, (The display has black dots all over it, my son said they were dead pixels? We also could not get the image to focus properly.) and forget about going through the Sony service, they direct you to a service center in your area, and when I went there the wait was over an hour just to drop off the product for repair, my son is the computer guru in the family, and he told me that the Sony Flat Panel Monitors are not quite as flat as evryone elses. Needless to say after going to the Sony service center 3 times now and not having enough time to wait to drop it off we took the monitor back wheere we bought it, not from Amazon.com. I purchased another brand for alot less and it has worked flawlessly right out of the box.