Monitor Reviews

This monitor is adequate but it's not best of breed. Lack of a DVI input means it is difficult to make text razor sharp and there is some shadow effect when black text is displayed on grey background. On the positive side colour reproduction is good and latency is low enough to make gaming and video playback entirely possible. This monitor will probably more than satisfy an average customer but those looking for top notch quality (and are prepared to pay premium for it) have to keep on looking. I'm returning mine as text quality is absolutely paramount for me and this monitor doesn't quite deliver.

I don't know what's up with the "electronics fan" from Brooklyn, but when you set this monitor to the native resolution of 1280x1024 in combination with Windows XP's ClearType option enabled, the results are absolutely amazing. It looks anything BUT grainy to me. For a monitor with a total response rate spec'd at 50ms, you think you would experience the "ghosting" effect (also known as screen noise). However, after four days of putting this monitor to the test with games, office apps & Internet browsing, I have seen no signs of it yet.

I also think it is worth mentioning that this is my third NEC LCD monitor purchase since 1998, and I have yet to see one dead pixel between the three of them. I have also purchased two Viewsonic LCD's during this time period and returned them both in exchange for the NEC's due to multiple dead pixels in both of them, so I think that says something about NEC's LCD quality control.

If you are considering an 18" LCD flat panel, all I can tell you is that I can't imagine it getting much better than this!! The display is just gorgeous and you are sure to be the envy of all your computer savvy friends & relatives.

This monitor is amazing!! After looking at many LCD monitors and doing my homework, I decided to take the plunge and spend the extra money for this masterpiece. Sure, I could have gone for a less expensive, or perhaps a smaller monitor, but after I got this out of the box and watched it perform I was in complete awe. The picture was even better than my Sony Wega T.V.!!! I urge you to strongly consider this monitor if you can swing the funds- you will not be dissappointed unless you decide on something else.

First let me say that this is an outstanding monitor. The picture clairty is great as is the contrast and brightness. Its easy to hook up and adjust and the +- tilting stand is great. The huge 1920x1200 resolution is additive.

But here's the bad news. Sony's Q/A on this is piss-poor. I have 4 of these monitors and every single one of them has had to be returned due to between 1 and 10 stuck on pixels. Typically they are the green ones, but there have been a few red ones too. Most recently I just bought two more of these monitors and the both had stuck on pixels! One had just one, but the other had 10 or more. I took that later back and just got the replacement... Much to my dismay, it too has at least four stuck on pixels. I know that they make them without any stuck pixels because the first two I bought last year had stuck pixels, but the replacment units did not.

Its just a crying shame Sony can hire some Q/A staff without Coke-bottle glasses. These are truely awesome monitors, but this having to take them back is a huge pain. In summary, I've had my hands on seven of these monitors and 5 of them have had stuck pixels. Check your's closely by selecting an unused input in a darken room.

I highly recomment this monitor, and its definatly worth the dorking around to get one without defects. Just beware that the chances are high you're going to get one with stuck pixels. Choose your vendor carefully, as I've noted that many of the vendors are now applying disclaimers that say something like "no returns for less that 8 defective pixels". That's an unacceptable return policy, and they should be avoided, especially on a monitor that costs $2600.

I went into fry's and set up the sony sdm-p232w/b side by side with the apple cinema hd 23 inch. Ostensibly these are the same monitor, however it is my perception that the apple has more vivid colours (aussie spelling ;-)). Here's my guess at why .... Some time ago I was looking into anti-glare coatings for glass for framing pictures. There is a huge variation in quality of anti-glare coating and a comensurate range in costs. The really really good ones used for "museum" jobs render the glass invisible and cost an order of magnitude more than the next step down which are still good, but not in the same ball park. The cheaper the anti-glare coating, the more the colours wash and the more "visible" the glass itself is. Same rules apply when the coating is applied to plastic. So my take on the situation is that the apple and sony monitors probably come off the same production lines but then have different anti-glare coatings applied. In my case, I still bought the more expensive, less vivid, but more PC friendly Sony ... too many issues with DVI-I to ADC and finding a KVM switch that would deal with DVI instead of analog (I run my monitor off analog and it looks great).

I just installed this 23 incher on two PC's. It's great! This thing is huge, it's gonna take some getting used to! It's my second PC LCD monitor, replacing an early 15" Sony.
The only thing I could wish for would be a split screen button.
I wish I could split the screen and view both of my PC's at the same time, as opposed to the switch to toggle between input #1 and #2. It's still great in that I now have one monitor on my desk's top, but split screen would be much better for me at times. Also worthy of mention, is the lag beteween toggling from 1 to 2. There's a little more than a split second of black, for the other desktop to render. Most people wont mind this I'm sure, but I hope newer models would provide an instant transition.
I'm also interested in a new video card to unleash this beast, the ATI line is looking good. Seems like they have earned some rave reviews with the 9700 and better lines. Also, all the pixels on mine seem to do their job perfectly. I read about someone having a problem with a few of theirs, glad I didn't.

I'm looking forward to not having to slide left to right just to see the entire canvas I'm working on in Photoshop. I'm not a graphics designer by trade. But I do my fair share of Photoshopping for my websites, so this is a welcome addition to my business.

All in all, if you can spare the cash, get this Sony without looking back.

When it was time to purchase a new TV, I shopped around with the intent of getting something in the 32-35" range. I knew about Vega's, but thought they would be too expensive. However, once I saw this model I was hooked. The price was a bit higher than other models, but the picture quality was just incredible. The flat screen and rich color quality made other models look "conventional".

There are several other features on this TV that make it worth the extra money: - It offers a 16x9 enhanced mode that make DVD watching incredible. There is a very noticeable difference between watching DVDs with this feature and on a standard TV. - The "fake" surround sound is actually pretty good. I haven't picked up a true surround sound system and was pleased to find this TV manages to fake it quite well with just 2 speakers. It's really good enough for watching most movies. The only thing missing is deep bass.

So, in case you couldn't tell, I've been thrilled with this TV. For what you get the price is reasonable (especially if you can live without picture-in-picture, which this model doesn't have) If you're looking into this model (or any of the other Vega's for that matter) I would also recommend checking out the matching stands. They fit the TV perfectly and match the silver/grey color of the unit.

I love this TV. I recieved it as a Christmas gift and it is awesome. I don't have any problems with the sound as I have the sound run through my stereo surround system (Harmon Kardon). The picture is outstanding and I do not have the wave effect that some people have been experiancing. I had to return my first one because of damage during shipping, but it was worth the wait. Everyone is amazed at the picture quality. The menu is user friendly, it auto programs very fast, and it has enough video hookups to allow you to attach just about anything you want to . My only gripe with it is that it is ridiculously heavy and long (please measure the depth of the shelf you want to place it on). Overall, this is a great buy for the price.

My husband and I are not heavy TV watchers, but we watch a favorite show or two and lots of DVD movies (Netflix, anyone?)
Our Sony Wega 32" TV was one of our first purchases after moving into a new home, and it was an easy choice. We have a large room with a very high ceiling where we watch our Wega (with Bose Surround Sound speakers), and suffice it to say our place is THE place the family comes to watch new releases or favorite movies.

I have no complaints about the Wega. The unit is classy, the performance is unequalled to any other TV I've ever owned or watched, the picture is walk-into-the-scene sharp and the price was right.

VERY BAD PRODUCT.- I have EN 985e 19" Flat Monitor
DIGUSTING MONITOR
GEOMETRY IS ALL MESSED UP. I WORK ON 1280 BY 1024 AND MY VERTICAL DISTANCE IS MAXED OUT WITH ATLEAST HALF AN INCH BEFORE THE BORDERS.
It always messes up the geometry whenever I restart my computer. I work on GeForce FX 5200 (256 MB AGP) and still this monitor is the most useless product sold in the American markets.

I strongly suggest NO ENVISION Monitors.
NO WAY
NO WAY

Wasted my money :(
Sigh !!

I was pleasantly surprised by this monitor--the picture is better than I really expected in this price range. And XP recognized it without a hitch. I'm pleased.

I've bought and re-sold 6 of these monitors over the last year and kept one for myself. Not one complaint from anyone who I sold them to. I'm very happy with the one I use, it is bright, clear and always been like the day I brought it home from the store. I've had it about a year now. Hard to beat for the price.

I bought this for its 1280x1024 resolution, but in fact its native resolution is only 1024x768 (XGA) -- at least, that's what it says on the carton. The manual says nothing (in 14 different languages) except that the recommended resolution is 1024x768 and the maximum is 1280x1024 (on a PC). It is possible to run it at 1280x1024, but then text looks fuzzy. The monitor works very well at 1024x768, but there are much cheaper alternatives that also work well at that resolution.

Wow, three 5-star recommendations in one day. If I was the suspicious type, I would think that someone with an interest in this product decided to raise the average.

It's now a week after my initial review (and three months that I've been using this monitor) and I still feel the same way about the monitor.

It is great from a technology stand-point. Nothing better on the market in its size.

But what the specs don't tell you is how inconvenient the technology is. We have come to expect our computer to be more than beige boxes. Shound't we expect our keyboard, mouse and monitor to reflect a deep understanding of human-machine interface design? Keyboard and mice manufacturers have risen to the challenge. Monitor manufacturers haven't. And this product is a reflection of that failure.

My recommendation still stands. If you care only about technology, then buy it. But if you bought a high end VCR a few years ago and hated it because it flashed 12:00 continuously then you should probably pass.

I was familiar with the ViewSonic brand so when I went out to purchase an LCD flat panel I figured I needed to do some exploring due to the pricing. I checked out several other brands & came back to the ViewSonic for numerous reasons. This was the most impressive display I have found. It fit all my needs along with price. It has super wide viewing angles & the picture in picture is a fabulous feature. It allows composite video input from your DVD to run live while working real time on other PC applications with a resize and relocate feature. The monitor pivots to landscape and portrait modes. This unit can be wall mountable. It is lightweight and very attractive to look at. I could go on and on about all the advanced technical features but seeing is believing.

When looking for a viewpanel I highly recommend the VP151. You won't be disappointed and ViewSonic remains on Top.

How does 20 ms rising, 30 ms falling qualify as Fast Response times? The standard for games and video is 25 ms combined !

I highly recommend these monitors; I just got two, and out of the two only one of them has a single dead pixel (stuck on greeen), the other one's perfect. I don't think it can get much better for the price. Somebody else commented on text shadowing - I don't have any of that, and I'm running them on an ATI Radeon 9000. Perhaps they're a bit bright, but they're completely adjustable.

This monitor is awesome for the money! The guy who was complaining about the text and all that obviously had a [bad] video card. My sister bought one, and she had a cheap video card and her computer did the same thing this other guy is describing (shadow text, strange artifacts, etc.). Once I put in a good video card (i.e.-more than $50-75 bucks), it worked extremely well (and she has a tough time with most monitors). This is my current monitor and will be for a long time (until I can afford a 24" LCD with amazing resolution).

OK, it's a cheap flat panel monitor. But it looks sylish, good image quality, and it has built-in speakers.

I wonder if the guy from Circuit City bought the extended warranty. I had a problem with another product and they gave me a voucher, no questions asked .. and I replaced the product. But if you dont buy the warranty .. and the company goes out of business, you are dead in the water.

Regarding the monitor. I like it. It is not the greatest but for the money a good value.

Just picked up one of these from Circuit City. I generally like to shop at Circuit City becase the service is a little bit better than the others. Of course you still need to have your credit card waving in your hand and dress well; otherwise, no one is going to ask you what you want.

I was going to spend $500+ for a 17" 16ms LG from Best Buy but the LG was made in Mexico not in Korea. Sony looked really nice but it was made in China and it had 25ms instead of 16ms. Basically, I was out of selection. So, I took a look at the CRT but I didn't like any of them nor I was strong enough to put one of these 19" CRT in my car.

I remembered that there were couple of LCD moniters (...) for $399. So, I headed to Circuit City and found this monitor on sale. I had never heard of LiquidVideo but this monitor looked pretty bright and sharp compared to the others on display in Circuit City. This was made in Taiwan. My good old Viewsonic was made in Taiwan and it lasted for 10 years without any problem. I though since there was only a number of companies who supplies the actual LCD screen to various companies to build the LCD monitors, the name brand was not important I guessed. And there was a (...) rebate and I could carry it to my car with ease, LiquidVideo it was.

(...). I plugged this monitor and started my computer. It turned right on without any problem. It automatically adjusted the screen for my computer. Unliked my old CRT monitor that I needed to adjust this and that before I could use the monitor. The screen was bright and sharp. I checked for dead pixel and didn't find any. I then set the resolution to the native resolution (1240x1024) of the monitor. The screen got even better. (My resolution was 1024x768 before). The on-screen control was pretty good. The manual was well oraganized. I didn't have to scroll up and down liked in my ViewSonic.

Ok... screen is good and sharp and bright, and there is no dead pixel. Can't ask for anything better for this price.

The only weak point I think is the speakers. But at least it has a pair of speakers to save me some space on my desk. And I can get rid of couple wires under my desk.

(...)

The set I received had some problems. The user convergence of 9 point convergence, could not fix the edge convergence problems. The TV as it was originally received had screen tilt of about 3/4" to the right. The picture size was not adjusted to fit the screen (too big), and when picture was centered according to instruction manual, I noticed uneven presentation between left and right side of the screen.

I had service technican come out to fix the above noted problems. Technican found that he had to manually adjust the RGB guns as well as use the service screens(software adjustments were not enough), and even after gun was adjusted, the edge convergence was not very good. The 64 point convergence screen does not allow technican to adjust the bottom and the top row of cross-hairs(very strange). So, after all these adjustments, it looked better, but, still the convergence was not very good at the edges. When each gun displayed the grid separately, some of the gun could not be made to display straight lines on some of the lines, especially the bottom line.

I have other issues with this unit such as poor and insufficient manual, RF inputs that forgets channel memory when switching from cable to broadcast, and two RF input requirement of having same type of input (cannot have RF of cable, and regular broadcast), poor PIP adjustments/control etc.

But, basically, this unit is going back.

I recommend that you stay way from this unit. The factory settings were horribly out of spec. There must be QA problems at Panasonic. My experience with Panasonic has not been that great in recent years.

After several purchases of Panasonic, this will be my last.

When I bought this TV in fall '03 it was by far the best value for an HDTV. Value is very subjective. I moved up from a fairly low end 27" tube to this. Compared to that, the picture is great. Compared to plasmas and LCD (direct not projection), it is certainly flawed. From 10 feet away the difference is noticable but unimportant. The only time I am aware of picture flaws is during credits. For some people that might be important and if it is I suggest spending the big dollars for a plasma or direct view LCD (or wait).
For the rest of you, TV viewing habits are important. We do not watch TV (no cable, no antenna), just DVDs via a progressive scan player. 3 to 5 every week. If most of my viewing was regular (non-HD) TV, I don't think the widescreen would make sense (nor can I tell you anything about the built in tuner or PIP because we don't have a use for them).
I have yet to see another name brand HDTV of this size in the just under eleven hundred dollar range.
I'd recommend this set for those who plan to use it mainly for DVDs and/or get HD programming (cable/sat.) and are not videophiles. As an analogy, we moved from a used Ford Fiesta (or old 27") to this Honda Accord V6 but if you currently own a Corvette, you probably should look into a Ferrari. Makes sense?

I bought this TV three months ago and like everybody said before, TV has to be carefully adjust. This TV has a high contrast and default picture is too flashy, too much color but once ajusted, very very nice. Also, convergence is easy to setup with the nine points adjustment, but for best adjustment, better go into the service setup menu where you have a generated color bar where it is much more flexible to setup convergence instead of the nine points adjustment in the customer setup menu. Very happy with this TV and watching a DVD with it is simply unbelievable

Had it for a year. Perfect and problem free, and it's on almost all the time. Rock solid, sharp, even color. Flawless.

Re two of the above comments, the OSD shows the current refresh rate when you press "menu." And any yellowish areas ("stains") in the corners can be fixed by tweaking the LANDING controls.

This monitor has one the best CRT monitor award in more than one magazine. is grille pitch is yet to be challenged and it has good refresh rates at high resolutions. one problem is that there are 2 wavy lines that go down the screen but only some people notice them and most people just ignore them. I recommend that you at least try this out if you are going for a high end CRT.

Having listened to many of the best consumer headphones available, I cannot recommend the MDR-V900s to anybody. Yes, they are very comfortable and have outstanding build quality, but the sound quality is really bad, especially considering the price tag.
I would suggest to anybody interested in Sony headphones- take a look at the MDR-V6 or MDR-7506 models. These have sound that is literally at another level than the muddy, grainy V900. And they retail at about half the price.
The secret is, you can go even cheaper yet and get something that sounds light years beyond the V900. A pair of Grado SR-60s or Sennheiser HD497s will completely embarrass the Sony V900s- I'm talking about crystal clear highs, excellent tonal qualities and near transparent sound. Compared to a good pair of headphones, the V900s are quite muddy. For what they cost, the lack of excellent sound is totally inexcusable.

Because of the variety of music we listen to, from pop to classical, from small ensemble to full orchestra; and the variety of equipment, from tiny Walkman radios to CD players; and the quality range of headphones, I can't imagine listening, especially on headphones, without the help of an equalizer to bring it all together.

Currently I have 1986 Sony V6s, Grado 325s (2002), and Sony V-900s (2002). I chose the 325s after reading the reviews at www.goodcans.com (recommended reading), and the following quote is important:
"Some of you may have read notes from one headphone retailer on the Internet that say the Sennheiser HD600's are better than the Grado SR325's because the Grado's emphasize the treble too much. I assume what they are calling too much treble is what I am calling detail. To me, since I really do like the sound of the SR325's and listen to Grado's constantly, (mids are clearer to me also), the Sennheiser's sound seems muffled to me." This is true, and for full orchestral music I reduce both the bass and trebble with the equalizer when listening with the Grado 325s, but they work perfectly with my Sony Walkman FM for pop and jazz. I think that reviewer would say the V-900s sound, like the Sennheisers, is a "muffled" one.

So, based on my good experience with the Sony V6s, I got the Sony V-900s. Like the Grado325s they have more bass than is needed for full orchestra and, depending on the recording I slightly increase the trebble. Comparing the 325s and V-900s I find the 325 sound cooler (crisper, harder, more transparent--pick a term) than the V-900, whose warmer midrange and more subtle highs I prefer. A cymbal over the V-900s sounds like "pshhhhh;" on the 325s it sounds like "pisssss." Take your choice, but with an equalizer you can fine tune your sound. One other solution: get headphones that aren't so good! The Koss Portapro phones have received excellent reviews, and I am getting a set for "on the road" use. Now, back to the music.

When I started shopping for headphones, I had some very specific criteria in mind: first, they must have good noise reduction, as their primary use would be in my dorm room where I wanted to decrease background noise as much as possible when studying.

Second, the sound must be of high quality because I'm picky in general and also because I intend to use them to analyze and learn music (both classical and popular) by ear.

Thiry, they must be large and comfortable. I have slightly big ears, and I wear my headphones for long periods of time, so they have to be of the highest comfort rating.

Finally, and equally significantly, they must have a low impedance. This refers to the electrical resistance of the headphones (their Ohm rating, or the omega symbol). The higher the impedance, the more power you need to run them properly. As you ascend through the price range of headphones, you will find that the impedance increases as well. High-quality headphones have higher impedance because the manufacturer assumes you will be plugging them into a home stereo or studio amplifier, which are typically set up to power headphones of 150-300ohm.

However, if you're like me, you may want to use these headphones elsewhere. Most portable devices like CD players are best suited to run 32ohm headphones at the most, and if you tried to run a pair of 150-300ohm headphones on something with this power rating, it would sound like a dying cow. More importantly to me, however, was the fact that my computer's sound card was rated at 32ohm. Since I do not have a home stereo in my dorm room, and most of my headphone use occurs on the computer, I had to pass up many great sets of headphones because of their high impedance ratings.

Every pair of headphones I looked at or listened to fell short in one of these areas - every pair except the Sony MDR-V900. I listened to them on a whim in a local music store while looking at Sennheisers, and they really impressed me. I thought they sounded great, and they sealed out background noise exquisitely. I thought they would be great if only I had a stereo at school, but then I looked at the back of the box: 32 OHMS IMPEDANCE! WOOHOO!!!

The bottom line is, these headphones sound amazing, have good sealing, are amazingly comfortable, and you can run them from practically anything with no loss in quality. I have not experienced the tinny highs or excess bass that others complain of. They perform great with classical music (orchestra, solo, quartet, etc), jazz, folk/bluegrass, and rock. Bowed instruments and woodwinds sound sweet and warm, guitar is clean and clear, drums are crisp and defined, bass is smooth and well-articulated, brass is clear as a bell, piano resonates like you're in the room with it, and vocals will feel like they're being sung directly to you.

The sound-proofing is good enough that I can really rock out in my fairly quiet office with no noise leakage except when I take them off and they aren't sealed around my ears. It's not so thick that I can't hear my phone ring, but my co-workers have trouble getting my attention vocally.

On a typical day, I wear these headphones almost continuously for 4 hours before and 4 hours after lunch, and have never needed to take a break because of discomfort. They do not get heavy, and the cups are so large that even my big ears barely touch them. They also look pretty sharp. The MDR-V900's are the best piece of musical reproduction equipment I have ever owned, and I would recommend them to anyone.

P.S. If you're shopping for headphones and plan on listening to a few, burn a CD to take with you to the store. They won't mind if you pop it in when you're spending these kind of bucks. I suggest having the following tracks: "Helplessly Hoping" - Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young for vocals, "New World Symphony mvt 4" - Dvorak for strings and brass, "Wish You Were Here" - Pink Floyd for guitar, "Stratus" - Billy Cobham for drums/bass