Rating: 
Summary: Paradise Lost
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Incredible monitor: stunning image quality and size
Review: Full Review
I purchased the Sony GDM FW900 as part of the ultimate personal computer, which would double as a business and entertainment machine. The picture is INCREDIBLE. The picture quality is superior to anything I have seen, including the Apple 22" and NEC 21". There is one problem, however, size. It weighs 95lbs dry and is very deep. Moreover, I have not had any luck finding a graphics board or drivers that go up to 2304 x 1440. Yet, the 1920 x 1200 is still pretty incredible. There are two items besides size and quality, that really make this a profession piece of equipment. First, there is a nice cylindrical control panel (must see to understand) and the use of a profession five BNC video cable. The latter seems to improve image quality (not exactly sure why besides the shielding). While the monitor is targeted to engineers and researchers, it makes an excellent piece of entertainment hardware that can be used to watch DVDs and HDTV signals.
Rating:
Summary: Expensive but worth the price
Review: I have been happily using my FW900 12-24 hrs a day for over 3 years now. If I had to go back to using a 19 inch monitor, I would probably lose my mind. I previously owned a Viewsonic 21" monitor. This Sony GDM-FW900 is superior. Even a 21" monitor seems small now.
I find that the unit works best for text and picutres at 1600 x 1024 pixels resolution with True Color (32 bit. I have also used it at 1920 x 1200 pixels and High Color (16 bit) for more graphical work. I run at 85Hz refersh rate, which gives a nice, bright picture with minimal eye strain.
If you have never owned a large monitor, be advised that they are very sensitive to nearby elecrical devices that produce magnetic fields. It is best to allow at least 3 feet of separation between your monitor and other devices. If you decrease the distance, you will encounter distortion on the corners. Luckily, the Sony GDM-FW900 has a sophisticated menu that allows you to compensate for interfering magnetic fields.
Also be advised that larger monitors put out a LOT OF HEAT. Luckily, the Sony GDM-FW900 has circuitry to reduce power consumption.
This monitor is expensive (I paid $1700 for mine), but it is definitely worth the price.
Rating:
Summary: It's got the most OOOOOOHh factor.....
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: better than the best
Review: I recently upgraded to the fw900 from Sony's fw 500 21 inch monitor. The FW 900 seems to be much brighter and sharper. And boy it is big! (but not deep) Also heavy @ 92lbs. The adjustments are nicer and the color of the box is this nice silver gray. The usb ports are all on one side so it is easier to hot swap. One minor point: if you stretch the picture all the way to the horizontal edges, it will stretch the picture as well. circles turn into slight ovals. Overall a great monitor
Rating:
Summary: Simply awesome!
Review: I've been using this monitor for six months now. I work as a professional web-designer and the extra screen estate really makes a huge difference. No problem viewing two web-pages side by side, with extra space for other applications. The picture quality is *perfect*, the best color I've ever seen on any monitor and a really sharp image in 1920x1200x85hz which is the resolution I use most. Perfect for DVD and video as well, I've since thrown out my TV because the picture quality on this monitor is so much better. If you've got the money, don't even hestitate for a moment to buy this monitor now!
Rating:
Summary: SAweet
Review: I've had this monitor for about a week now and I'm thoroughly happy. You haven't played a game until you've played it on a 24inch monitor! Also, the pitch is .23 - .27, anyways! The screen functions are accessed from a console that rotates the buttons in to view from the bottom of the screen. Altering the look/appearance of your screen is a snap. Also it's possible to have multiple computers hooked up to this bad boy. ... You can have two word documents open and on screen at the same time without having to squint and break out the magnifying glass. If you want the best and don't mind dropping the dough, this is your best bet.
Rating:
Summary: SAweet
Review: I've had this monitor for about a week now and I'm thoroughly happy. You haven't played a game until you've played it on a 24inch monitor! Also, the pitch is .23 - .27, anyways! The screen functions are accessed from a console that rotates the buttons in to view from the bottom of the screen. Altering the look/appearance of your screen is a snap. Also it's possible to have multiple computers hooked up to this bad boy. ... You can have two word documents open and on screen at the same time without having to squint and break out the magnifying glass. If you want the best and don't mind dropping the dough, this is your best bet.
Rating:
Summary: The best money can buy
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Superb CRT Monitor
Review: 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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