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Sony SDM-S204/B 20.1" LCD Monitor | List Price: $1,199.99
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Brand: Sony
Binding: Electronics
Release Date: 2004-02-15
Warranty: 3 years warranty
Features: - 1,600 x 1,200 maximum resolution, 0.255 mm dot pitch
- Analog and digital DVI-D inputs
- 170-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles
- 250 cd/m2 of brightness, 500:1 contrast ratio
- PC and Mac compatible;
Beware of dead pixels. [Posted on 2004-09-04]
I have to admit that this is a very fine and beautiful monitor. The display is very crisp and vibrant and the 1600x1200 resolution on a 20" monitor is definitely worth the hefty price tag.
BUT...
BUYER BEWARE...
I purchased one of these monitors and after two months dead pixels began appearing right in the center of the monitor. Of course, two months is usually longer than the period you have to return the product to your retailer for an exchange (hopefully no questions asked) without having to deal with Sony.
Anybody who has used an LCD monitor with dead pixels can empathize with how frustrating they can be, especially dead pixels located in the center of the monitor. Yes, they're usually only visible on full color surfaces, and there are only one or two, but I would ask you to consider how much time your screen is being used for word processing, programming, or editing graphics. The probability is high that your screen is a solid color (white) for a considerable amount of time, during which these dead pixels are definitely noticeable and very distracting.
The warranty that comes with the monitor states that all parts and materials of the monitor are covered for three years if it is deemed defective. Unfortunately, I believe their definition of "defective" does not align with the consumer's.
I would argue that if a pixel does not light, it would be called defective. A monitor is comprised of several pixels, therefore it is considered a part of the monitor. Without the pixels, the monitor would be rather useless, don't you agree?
For whatever reason, defective pixels do not constitute defective material... unless there are several of them. I think it's analagous to having your car painted and returned with a visible scratch, but not being able to have it repainted because the scratch is not "big enough".
If you call Sony to have your monitor fixed or replaced due to bad pixels, they will NOT replace it. Instead they will give you some P.R. line about the incredible technology used to manufacture these monitors (blahblahblah) and therefore it is okay to have dead pixels and even though some don't work, they are not defective. Whatever reason they give you, I guarantee you won't care. According to Sony, your monitor is not defective and it will not be repaired or exchanged (even if you paid $1200 for it).
They will go on to tell you that most people who have dead pixels rarely even notice. I don't know if I believe that. Anybody who is considering spending $1200 on a monitor will surely notice and be annoyed by even one dead pixel.
All you can do is ask to file a complaint with the company, which means your name gets appended to the list of users with defective monitors. This, of course, means absolutely nothing.
I think this kind of treatment is EXTREMELY disappointing, especially considering this monitor retails for around $1150 after tax. The limited warranty does not even mention their policy on dead pixel returns.
I have four other non-Sony LCD monitors (with one of them being over three years old) and NONE of them have dead pixels, which makes me wonder...
I would like to advise buyers to research other vendors and find one with a zero-dead-pixel policy, or perhaps investigate smaller and cheaper monitors. This monitor is definitely eye-candy, but the joy you will experience (as expressed by other new owners) will quickly and painfully end as soon as the dead pixels start appear.
If you do decide to buy this monitor, be sure to get an extended warranty which will allow you to return it under any circumstance. You could be stuck having paid $1200 for a monitor with dead pixels after a few weeks of use.
Beautiful screen [Posted on 2004-09-10]
This monitor is expensive, but the resolution, crispness and lack of ghosting make it worthwhile if you can afford it. One cool feature that isn't really mentioned is that it has 2 analog vga inputs and one dvi input, which are all selectable.
This is a very nice, high end monitor. I would recommend it if you have the funds.
nice monitor [Posted on 2004-09-28]
I have used this monitor for around a month now and generally like this monitor. I have previously used a Dell 18" UltraSharp LCD monitor, a ViewSonic 19" LCD monitor, and I would rank this one second to the Dell monitor. Reasons:
Pros:
1. Bright and contrasty. ViewSonic model scores worst although its spec says differently.
2. Very big screen, enough for professional work (coding, for example). However... see Cons part for detail
3. Lots of connectors available, two VGA connectors, one DVI. You can switch between them easily. THis make multiple PCs situation much easier since you don't need to buy extra monitor switch (and monitor switch tends to have display quality issue when resolution is 1600X1200).
4. It even has a small slot for laptop lock use. If you are worried about theft of the monitor, this feature is very convenient.
5. All control buttons are located at the right side of monitor. They are black (the same color as the monitor board itself) so they don't distract your attention during operation.
Cons:
1. Resolution is 1600X1200. Although its screen size is big, at this resolution, font appears to be too small to view. This affects almost all applications on Windows. Although you can tune Windows font size, but it does not apply to every application. And tuning each app is a major hassle. I actually like this monitor to have a native resolution of 1280X1024 so screen font is big and easy to read. Adjusting your computer's setting to 1280X1024 is not an option since the resulting blurring effect will drive you nuts over time (the screen has to stretch certain points to display in a lower resolution).
Disapointed [Posted on 2005-01-12]
I bought this monitor in April 2004. It broke December 19. It started going to sleep in November and then on December it went permanetly black. The paper work needed by Sony inorder to send a replacement (refurbished) monitor was faxed and recieved by Soney that day. After many calls to Sony and promises of prompt replacement still nothing almost a mounth later. With warrenty service like this you should count on keeping a back up monitor if you buy a Sony. At the time we were in the market for a wide screen plasma TV. We got one but it was a Pioneer not the Sony we were looking at.
Nothing but great! [Posted on 2005-09-19]
I have had this monitor for almost a year (I did not buy it here). I paid too much for it, but it has proven to be a great monitor - especially using the DVI connector. The VGA modes using the 25pin VGA cable aren't as clear, but I have no real complaints. No dead pixels or problems with the unit so far...
Just LOVE IT! Thinking about buying a second one to extend my desktop. Just wish I could find a wall mount bracket for it.
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