Like a woman-good but expensive (Sony Premierpro SDM-P232/W)

Member Name: somebodyrandom

Product:	Sony Premierpro SDM-P232/W
Date:	10/07/04 (320 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 23 inches, Sharp and clear picture

Disadvantages: almost £2000!!!

Isn't it good to know there are still designers out there who like to design products that cater for all ends of the market, and whoever designed this, must have just finished reading the 'Rich List' in the Sunday Times.

Why? Because it is so cheap. Oh...hang on... is that a pound sign?

NINETEEN HUNDRED QUID- they can stick that where the sun don't shine, and no, I don't mean underground.

So, what do Sony, who are quite happy to take this money off you, willing to give you in return? Well, you get a 23inch flat screen TFT LCD. (23 inches, that?s even bigger than my........arm).

I'll start with the looks. It has got a sexy looking, slim silver base. The actual screen case is in an orgasmic black, which surrounds the 23 inches of pure heaven, the flat screen. The manufacturer's name 'SONY' is clearly displayed in silver letters just above the stand/base, so you can show off how posh you are buying posh Japanese makes. There are brightness, contrast, H/V position, gamma correction, input select, colour temperature, zoom, and phase and pitch buttons on the side. They are nicely sunken into the case so that they don't stick out. They are however easy to use and feel nice to press (you just wish every woman you fancied would invite you to press her buttons to turn her on!).

Now for the actual monitor. The actual screen is 23 inches wide (that?s 56cm). It is 25cm tall as well, giving a large viewing area. It is only about 7cm thick, so it will fit on even the thinnest shelf, and look both stylish and modern. If you don't have a shelf, then you can mount it on a wall, making it look really impressive. (Please note though, the actual fixings for the wall mount is
not included with the monitor, they are about another thirty to forty quid). The wall mount is easy to put up, all it requires is a spirit level, eight screws and eight wall plugs.

The screen comes with a power cable and the cable to connect it to a computer (not a techno freak, so don't have a clue what it is called!). It can be used with either a PC or Apple Mac.

The box boasts that this monitor can display 16.7 million colours. I think this is a lie though, I could only count 15,836,396. The liars. It has a maximum resolution of 1920 X 1200. To put it in perspective, normal computer monitors have a resolution of 1024 X 768, so you get a much better and clearer picture.

The monitor is meant to have some anti glare technology that means it is easier to see. I find that as long as I keep my eyes open, I can see it fine!

To install this monitor was a piece of luxury chocolate gateaux with flakes of white chocolate (cake). Simply a case of plugging the cable into my computer and plugging it into the socket. There is a driver CD provided, however the monitor works fine without it, so I haven't installed it yet (even though I probably should!).

The instruction manual was brief, yet comprehensive, with step-by-step instructions. A customer support phone number was provided (national rate cost), but I don?t know what it is like because I didn't need to phone it.

I found the picture on this screen to be of superb quality, with it being suitable for everyday office use, but even better is everyday gaming! There isn?t much more I can say about it, it has got superb picture quality, that?s it!

What is good is that a three-year guarantee is included in the price, and they will even send an engineer out to you to sort it out. SONY however is a make renow
ned for its quality, so the chance of it needing repairing within the first three years is extremely remote. However, I would strongly recommend that after three years you take out extended cover for it, as out of guarantee repairs set you back at least £75 in labour costs minimum.

A couple of final points. Firstly, if you are going to wall mount it, get a professional to mount it up securely, so there is no chance of it falling off the wall.

Secondly and MOST IMPORTANTL Y is to tell your home insurance company about it, as it is very unlikely to be covered against fire and theft otherwise.

Is it worth the money? To be honest, no. A normal 19inch TFT for four hundred quid will do exactly the same job (it just might not look as good or be wall mountable), but you will then be one and a half grand better off. Your choice!

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