I Can See Clearly Now (And Save Space Too).

Author's Rating:

Pros: Compact, large screen area, great picture.

Cons: Still not as clear as a CRT.

The Bottom Line: 
When it comes to LCDs, its the cat's meow.

Author's Review
It's Christmas, so everybody is (hopefully) getting lots of cool gifts. Some they asked for, some they didn't, some they never dreamed of getting (but were glad they did). The latter category describes my Sony SDM-S73 17 inch TFT LCD Flat Screen Computer Monitor. I had wanted one for quite some time, but never expected I would get one. Happily, I did.

LCD monitors remain relatively expensive. While the prices of most electronic gadgets have fallen in recent years, this axiom hasn't held true for LCD computer or TV monitors. It seems they are still expensive to make, and yet they continue to sell-a clear sign of their intrinsic value.

Reliability
To be sure, there are less expensive brands on the market than Sony, but I prefer known and proven brands. You know what you're getting with them, and these manufacturers generally stand behind their products. This is true for Sony-they offer a full three-year parts and labor warranty on the SDM-S73.

Setup
Installing your monitor is a breeze. Simply connect the supplied video and power cables to the back of the monitor and to your computer and power outlet. The back of the monitor features a slide-down panel that conceals the cords and holds them in place. Special drivers are supplied on CD-ROM, as is a utility that will guide you through optimization of monitor settings.

Size and Display Area
Unlike a standard 17 inch CRT monitor, you're getting full screen size here. The 17 inches are comparable to a 19 inch CRT monitor, and the flat screen viewing area is very attractive. As is the monitor itself, with its shining silver-gray finish. What's more, the monitor is very compact, taking up about an eighth (or less!!) of the space a CRT monitor does. It's only about two inches deep , and can be mounted on desk or wall, too.

Durability
The SDM-S73 is surprisingly hefty despite its compact size. The base accounts for that weight, and ensures that you won't easily tip your monitor over. It should withstand many years of normal use, hence the lengthy standard warranty. You do get what you pay for, after all.

Picture
This is the most important aspect of any monitor to most. The SDM-S73 truly shines through in this department, with vibrant colors, sharp detail, and vivid true-to life images. Is the picture as clear as a CRT monitor? I don't think so, but to be frank, I haven't seen any LCD unit that is. And the SDM-S73 comes very, very close.

The SDM-S73 does come closer than most, however. Web graphics are displayed in sharp detail, and DVD movies played on my computer look just great. In fact, the flat screen display is perfect for video use. You can adjust the screen angle, too, to fit your personal preference.

You can also easily adjust the brightness, contrast, color, pitch and more from a series of buttons located on the side of the monitor. Best bet: choose the Auto function for brightest, clearest picture.

Power Saver
The SDM-S73, like most monitors today, automatically detects shutdown of your computer, and goes into a power-saving sleep mode.

Overall
I just love this monitor. It looks stylish on my desk, and it displays a sharp, clear image. Whether I'm surfing the web or watching a movie, I can depend on the SDM-S73 to perform exceptionally.

When I was a kid, this was the kind of thing I saw on Star Trek. Thanks, Sony, for making a space-saving, large screen monitor with a great picture a reality.