Consistently competent in every test, the Sony SDM-S81R was an instant contender for an award in this category, but its price/performance ratio was what sealed it as the winner. $2,099 is a high price, but you get a hell of a lot of bang for your buck with the Sony SDM-S81R.

Firstly though, the screen is quite sparse on connections and features – D-Sub
and power is all you're presented with (no speakers, DVI or S-Video), but it does have a highly respectable 20ms response time, which it uses to good effect. Even though it scored last in the specifications, its performance raises it to third overall in
the category.

The SDM-S81R scored highly in some of the trickier colour and greyscale tests, and was one of the few monitors able to display good, solid, black levels. It also has strong contrast that outweighed its brightness, which lent it to sharper pictures, particularly when we performed the real-world DVD and gaming tests. We also liked the text quality on this monitor: it was clear and sharp and easy to read, even with very small type.

Aesthetically, the SDM-S81R has a smooth and sleek finish with the OSD buttons unobtrusively arrayed along the right hand side, and a long but solid neck. The rear of the panel features a hinged flap with a slot to keep the power and RGB cables tidy.