Sony GDM-FW900 Flat Widescreen 24" FD Trinitron CRT Monitor

Average customer rating: 5.0

one of the best ever made
It's got the most OOOOOOHh factor.....
Paradise Lost
The best money can buy
Superb CRT Monitor

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If I had money to burn
Project-Overload the PC

Sony GDM-FW900 Flat Widescreen 24" FD Trinitron CRT Monitor

Manufacturer: Sony
Product Group: CE
Binding: Electronics
ASIN: B00004YNSR

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Product Description

The Sony FD Trinitron Wide Aspect Display meets the exacting demands of graphic artists, CAD/CAM engineers, animators and other professional users who require extraordinarily accurate colors and crystal-clear images. This extra-wide 24" display offers an incredible 22.5" viewable image size in a monitor that requires about the same desktop space as most 21" class models. Its virtually flat screen surface provides more true-to-life images, so lines actually appear straighter and circles look round. Contemporary styling in shades of metallic silver and dark gray will appeal to your refined design sensibilities. The FW900 is perfect for graphic designers, architects, photographers, engineers and other professionals who need as much screen space as possible. Its panoramic 16: 10 aspect ratio means you can easily view double-page layouts with room to spare. Or see your entire design at once?without scrolling! Plus there's room to open more menus, toolbars and applications. Just imagine how much more efficiently you'll be able to work!The FW900 includes its own USB hub to make connecting your USB devices even faster and easier. Rather than fumbling in the back of your computer looking for an available USB port, simply plug your peripheral directly into the monitor's base. Now that's true plug and play!

Amazon.com Product Description

If you are a professional in CAD or other graphics, you need to get the most out of your monitor: the best image quality, reliability, and all the extras you can ask for. With the GDM-FW900 24-inch CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitor for Mac and PC, Sony has gone all out to bring you everything that you need. A 160 Hz refresh rate and 2,304 x 1,440 maximum resolution will satisfy any professional, while the 24-inch screen (20.5-inch viewable) provides 21 percent more display area than 21-inch monitors.

Digital Multiscan and Active Signal Correction (ASC) technologies help ease setup, while onscreen controls make adjustments a snap. The flatness of the screen, Sony's Enhanced Elliptical Correction System, and 0.25-0.28mm aperture grille pitch combine to bring you superior image quality. A USB hub for easy hookup to peripherals, an Accurate Image Restoration feature that resets your screen to its original brightness and contrast settings, and a three-year parts and labor warranty provide further enticement. If you demand high-end performance, the GDM-FW900 more than provides it.

Customer Reviews:

one of the best ever made.......2007-04-01

7 years after it's debut this CRT still defines what clarity is. Vibrant colors, clear text, and like with all crts, you can switch resolutions with no distortion between your applications. For 24", it isn't any bulkier (depth) than a 19". It is heavy but how often do you get to move it anyway. The tilt and swivel adjustement is precise, stable and smooth, surprising considering the base supports 100lbs.

Screen adjustments are as expected exhaustive, but the color selection menu shines. It is one of the very comprehensive ones ever, only rivaled by some viewsonic models. Resolution and refresh rates are a perfect match as one can see from the specs.

Glare is no worse and no better than the other sony trinitrons. Screen spread is perfect.. no dark corners, no distortion.

For CRT fans and people who need to change resolutions, there is really nothing else in this size that can compare. I wish i had a stock of those, for i can use them for life... Though i would like a 28" version i'll be honest, as an upgrade in 2007

It's got the most OOOOOOHh factor............2004-11-06

I have been using Sun's near flat 21" monitor, but when we finally started to have image problems with them (actually, they were getting really old..:o() I knew the time had come to pony up some bucks again for monitors. So after some research into what's out there today new and used, we found some 3 year old 24" tru-flat Trinitron's, off lease. I decided to give it a shot and picked up a handful of them.

Surprisingly, each one had a consistent picture either using graphics programs, viewing images, or even playing DVD's. While I can't speak on Sony's warranty support of the unit (not replacing defective new units with another new one, etc. etc.), I am extremely satisfied with each of the units I am working with. Since we weren't planning to shell out a few grand each for the latest widescreen L.C.D's, preferred to avoid a high interest lease payment, and flat our refused to downsize (perish the thought), we decided to roll the dice on these used Sony C.R.T.'s.

In retrospect, I'm glad we did. We have been extremely happy with this model Sony. In fact from my perspective, the image quality for hi-res graphics rendering (and the occasional game, off company time of course!)with the GDM-FW900 is superior to a comparable LCD.

I, like perhaps you, have also read on line that there might be a slight chance of an uneven or inconsistent image with this Sony monitor. So expecting the worst, I checked with a local repair shop on the cost of a CPU before I made this purchase. They told me a replacement would run me about $200. installed. Not bad considering the cake we saved.

While it's true that the big LCD's do take up far less desk space. And yes, it does take 2 people to move one of these bulky 95 pound things around. Do I also need to mention there's no warranty on 2nt owner monitors from Sony no matter how new they are?

Yet, I couldn't escape the wallet factor. While they weren't on fire sale by any means, I was able to keep nearly $1500 clams per monitor in the bank by moving in this direction. To me, while warranties and desk space are important, they ain't that important! (read I made my Xmas bonus and then some on this deal). And if one does happen to self destruct, it won't be that big of a deal to simply get it fixed locally. Plus, I don't have to worry about spending the big bucks to send a unit on a 4 week vacation to California for a warranty claim. Or even worse, have Sony charge me the freight to replace a defective one with a refurb.

Besides, I love the OOOOHh factor when someone sees them....There's nothing else like it.

Paradise Lost.......2004-08-13

At the risk of being that guy who comes in and pulls down the rating of a product that everyone else loves and gives "This suxors!" as a reason, I must relate my tale of woe. I will go into more detail than the normal dimwitted party pooper.

Witness the death of a dream. Three years ago, I took the plunge and bought the truly awe-inspiring Sony GDM-FW900 monitor: 24 inches of viewing goodness, 16:10 widescreen ratio, flat screen, and a Trinitron tube. Bliss! The admission price was a hefty $2300, but I couldn't imagine needing or wanting another monitor for at least five years, maybe more!

The honeymoon was out of a dimestore romance. I had the brains, she had the looks, and together we made a lovely couple. Widescreen movies and gaming (in those titles that supported it) was intoxicating. Carrying her mammoth-like girth over my third-floor threshold nearly killed me (literally), but otherwise we had the makings of a solid, long-lasting relationship.

Then came the blues. Sadness and heartache, yes, but, more importantly, a blue cast that crept into the image about eight months from purchase. No amount of tweaking the color calibration controls could remove it. Changing cards, cables, and computers proved futile. Over the next year, the problem worsened, with blacks growing lighter and lighter.

Finally, after playing Fade to Blue, Blue and White, and Bluehawk Down, I called Sony for a replacement. Still under warranty, I said. Refurbished units only, Sony said. You've got to be kidding, I said. Read the fine print, Sony said. Within a week, the refurbished model arrived at my door. I nervously hooked it up, hoping that I hadn't undergone life and death drama-hauling the replacement up three flights of stairs and lugging the original down three flights of stairs-in vain. Lo and behold, the blue cast was gone! There was a green cast instead.

And that's how it was for nearly a year. I decided I'd rather deal with the green than face another game of upstairs downstairs (seriously, the thing weighs 95 pounds and comes in a gigantic cardboard cube that makes it impossible to hold or get through normal doorways or stairwells; carrying the monitor to a third-floor walk-up is a friggin' trial of Hercules). Fiddling with the color controls only resulted in changing the green cast to brown. At least I had options.

Last night, the refurb died. Well, it might as well have. The screen is now blanketed in serene, fuzzy white, as if fresh powdered snow had fallen inside the monitor overnight. I was afraid I'd developed glaucoma until I looked away. It occassionally flashes red and green, giving the whole room the ambience of Studio 54. No amount of calibrating, screaming, hitting, or crying makes any difference. I am now beyond my original three-year warranty and the refurb's 90 day(!) warranty. Both my huge monitor and my huge pile of money have passed on. All that's left is to write the eulogy.

GDM-FW900, I hardly knew ye. No, that's not true. Ye were a piece of crap.

The best money can buy.......2004-07-27

I've had this monitor for well over two years now, and i'm still loving it as much as i did when i first got it. I've had very few problems with it, but i did/do have some.

First problem was the 'jittering' or shaking that occurs at certain resolutions and certain refresh rates. I'm not sure what causes this, dirty power lines, EMF interference from other electronic devices, or what, but using Powerstrip and setting it to a different refresh rate (like 83 instead of 80 or 85) will fix this. I believe my problem was EMF or something from other devices, because now i don't have the problem... but when i did, powerstrip fixed it.

Second problem is convergence... there just isn't enough options, and you can't get it to be 100% perfectly converged, but you can come close enough, and just expanding the screen so it fills up all the edges takes care of it just fine.

Last problem is the casing or bezel or whatever you want to call the front of the monitor, but it's quite fragile. I've nicked it twice now from bumping things into the monitor (coffee mug as i walked by, and lifting a computer and accidentally striking the bezel). They're very small nicks, but still.

Other than those problems... this monitor has been absolutely perfect. I paid over $3k USD for this over two years ago, and although the price has dramatically dropped over the years, this is still one of best (if not the best) monitors around. Everybody who has seen a game on this at 1920x1200 or 1920x1440 are absolutely amazed at it, including me after these years.

Oh, i guess i should mention a couple of problems... but these aren't Sony fault. One, not all games are available at 1920x1200 and higher... which means sometimes i end up playing at 1600x1200. The only problem with this, is that you'll end up having black bars on either side of the screen.

Second, is that when you're playing at such extreme resolutions, your computer - especially your video card - has to be very uptodate, especially for the newer games. This means i'm literally buying a new highend video card and processor every year.

So if you can afford this monitor, and you keep your system updated often, then treat yourself to this monitor. I see people spending $2000+ on a system, then $200 on a 19" low end monitor, and that just boggles my mind. To me, the monitor should be THE most important aspect of a computer. Buy a good monitor, and it'll not only be a treat and pleasure, but it'll last you YEARS, and live through several computer upgrades/purchases.

Superb CRT Monitor.......2003-04-10

I've owned this monitor for about three months now, and I must agree with Scott Pope's review in toto.

It IS quite heavy, but I don't mind this so much since I don't move my monitor very much, as a rule. It is also deep, but if you have the space for a 21-inch monitor, then you'll have enough space for this one.

I, too, use the 1920 x 1200 resolution, as I've been unable to find a card that supports the 2304 x 1400 res. Currently, I use an ATI Raedon 9700 Pro and am quite happy with the results. This monitor also supports inputs from two boxes, someting that may be of interest to people like me who have a small LAN but don't want the clutter of multiple monitors.

The controls on this monitor are quite easy to use. I quite agree with Scott that, although the monitor is targeted for CAD pros and such, there are many advantages for the more "casual" user: DVDs are SUPERB in widescreen mode (the monitor having a true 16 x 10 aspect ratio), desktop space is greatly enhanced; and applicatins like Adobe Photoshop and Pagemaker are greatly benefitted by the additional workspace that this monitor affords.

Web pages are no problem, either. Given browser controls, text size etc. are easily controlled, and surfing is actually more pleasurable.

In sum, don't worry about the weight or the space required of this monitor. They're not so much an issue. Just get a friend to help move it, and a sturdy table to put it on, and you'll be fine. The rewards this monitor offers more outweigh (pun intended) the physical proportions of the monitor.

Oh, if you do buy the monitor, be sure to visit the Sony site and get the .inf file.

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