| Product: |
Sony Deluxepro SDM-X73 |
| Date: |
22/10/04 (340 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: automatic brightness adjustment, space saving, in-built speakers, good picture quality
Disadvantages: similar products are available cheaper
At least it is in the computer world! Computers continue to get more high-tech every year with new features designed to make out lives easier and of course the aesthetic side has not gone unchanged either. Many of us were used to seeing the old box-style monitors a few years back but now the new flat-screen styles are becoming increasingly popular. Consumption of these monitors has undoubtedly bee increased by the vast number of businesses who are choosing to get rid of the box-style screens in favour of space saving flat screens.
There are a number of advantages to having a flat screen monitor firstly and perhaps most obviously they take up a lot less leaving more space on your desk for all those piles of paper work, numerous post-it notes and all the other general clutter that litters many an office desk! The particular model in question; the Sony SDM X73 has a super-thin bezel design and it is even wall mountable to save even more space but I personally prefer to mount it on the stand. The ErgoStand Control System comes with the monitor and includes wide range tilt, swivel, and height adjustments which basically just make viewing the screen more comfortable because as with most monitors you can adjust it accordingly to optimize comfort. This screen also has integrated speakers which again saves space and so frees up desk space, I haven’t noticed any difference with the quality of sound between using the speakers in this monitor and using separate speakers as I did with my old computer and it saves having separate plugs and extra wires trailing from computer to speakers. There is also a headphone jack tucked away on the outside edge of the panel's lower-left side.
This monitor is also considerably lighter than the old style screens and also lighter than many similar flat-screens. Weighing in at just 11 pounds without the stand means moving the appliance is a lot easier and more comfortable than carrying the hefty box-style screens.
As previously mentioned the screen comes with a stand. It has a perfectly round base and a backward-leaning neck which support the display. This means you can slide the panel up the neck to give the screen an additional four inches of height. The panel itself is adjustable and tilts 5 degrees backward and 20 degrees forward. You can also swivel the display 175 degrees to either side. However, I found that initially the base was quite stiff and it was difficult to adjust it without feeling like I was about to pull the whole thing off the stand. The movement certainly isn’t smooth but it does ease up with time if you adjust it often, if not once you get it into position you can just leave it there rather than having to adjust it.
The monitor sports quite a few connections for a 17-inch LCD display screen. It has two analogue and one signal inputs; each has a dedicated audio-in jack. These along with the power cable are cleverly concealed behind a smooth sliding panel on the back of the display. This gives an appearance of neatness and avoids the risk of cables being pulled out by accident. Sony also includes one of each kind of signal cable, as well as an audio cord with the monitor. There are two cable-feed clips provided; one of which is on the back panel and the other on the neck these keep the cords neat and tidy preventing then from becoming twisted or tangled up with each other.
One feature that I have found particularly useful is the automatic picture-adjustment feature. Using the contrast button, you can select one of four brightness settings: Low, Middle, High, or Auto and predictably the higher the setting, the more energy the monitor uses. When you set the brightness to the Auto setting, which works only when connected via the analogue signal, the monitor cleverly detects the level of ambient light in the room through a tiny sensor and sets the brightness accordingly. This state-of-the-art technology allows you to easily adjust the brightness to its optimum level of output at the touch of a button so you don’t have to waste time messing around trying to get the brightness at the right level. It also means that you will save money because the screen will automatically adjust to reduce power consumption wherever possible. At its highest brightness level, the colours look vibrant and they are generally well differentiated however subtle shades of lighter colours sometimes tend to blend together. Overall the 1,280 x 1,024 resolution is sharp and crisp for text, images and animation.
This monitor comes in two colours either black or two-tone grey. I have listed the technical specifications below if you are interested in purchasing this monitor.
•Compatibility: PC, Mac
•Panel type: TFT LCD
•Display size: 17 inches
•Diagonal viewable screen size: 17 inches
•Dot pitch: 0.264 mm
•Contrast ratio: 500:1
•Glass surface: Anti-glare, protective screen coating
•Horizontal viewing angle: 160 degrees
•Vertical viewing angle: 140 degrees
•Response time: 16 ms
•Brightness: Auto-Sensing ErgoBright Technology with 4 settings as follows -- Auto: 50 - 300 nits, High: 300 nits, Middle: 250 nits, Low: 100 nits
•Input signals: DVI, dual analogue
•Input connector/cable: DVI-D, HD15
•Auto-sensing inputs: Yes
•Native resolution: 1280 x 1024
•Horizontal frequency: 28 - 80 KHz
•Vertical frequency: 48 - 75 Hz
•Audio: Integrated stereo speakers with HPJ
•VESA wall/arm mount: 75 mm
•Additional features: Kensington lock compatible, internal power supply, cable management system, US government trade compliant
•Power management: Normal operation 45W maximum
•ErgoBright Technology power management: High: 35W, Middle: 35W, Low: 17W
•Regulatory compliance: Power Management: International Energy Star; Emissions/Ergonomics: TCO ’99 Designed For PC2001
•Operating systems: Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT, XP; Macintosh
•Plug and Play: DDC 2B
•User controls: Power, Menu, Contrast, Brightness, Input Select, Eco Mode, Colour Temperature, Backlight, Auto Adjust, H/V Adjust, Phase, Pitch, Reset, Gamma, Zoom, Auto-Sensing Inputs, Sharpness, Menu Lock, OSD Position, Multi Language
•Height: Up to 4 inches
•Tilt range: 5-20 degrees
•Swivel range: 350 degrees
•Bezel: 0.53 inches deep
•Width (without stand): 14.4 inches
•Height (without stand): 13.2 inches
•Depth (without stand): 2.4 inches
•Weight: 15.7 pounds with stand, 11 pounds without stand
•Warranty, parts: 3 years
•Warranty, labour: 3 years
In conclusion I have found Sony's SDM-X73 to be an efficient monitor which features a clean design, a pair of embedded speakers, a range of adjustability options and a useful automatic picture-adjustment feature. However there are plenty of monitors on the market that offer superior image quality at a cheaper price despite being the same size. However features such as the in-built speakers and Auto-sensing ErgoBright technology do give this screen something that others don’t have and that’s where the SDM X73 beats its competitors.
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