Sony CPD-E200
Staff Writers
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Nov 1, 1999 12:00 AM
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Sony |
RRP: $965 (time of review)
Quite simply, the outstanding monitor in what was a very competitive Labs. Pricey, but you"re still coming out under $1,000.
Overall Rating: 
User Rating: No user ratings.
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After taking the CPD-E200 for a run on our testbed we felt like the caveman who found fermented honey and declared this is good!
At the time of writing, Sony had not even released this model. It was so new Sony could not supply us with a manual to assist with documenting features and specifications. After taking the CPD-E200 for a run on our testbed we felt like the caveman who found fermented honey and declared this is good!
The first striking thing about the CPD-E200 is access to the OSD: it consists of a single button located underneath the front fascia next to the power on/off switch. By pressing it straight up the OSD menu appears and inclining the button one way of the other navigates you through the menus. When you reach a menu choice that you wish to adjust simply press up again and make your adjustments using the same navigation technique. It's difficult to describe and we're still debating whether we like it or not.
The only other adornment is a reset switch under the fascia on the left side. Some would call the whole effect drab but this monitor is plain and totally functional.
The task of playing with the geometry of the screen proved a little more difficult than expected in trying to come to terms with the OSD interface but once the display was in place we enjoyed a very comfortable 1,024 x 768 pixel screen at 100Hz refresh.
Trinitron tubes such as Sony's are usually flatter than shadow mask tubes. This one was the flattest yet seen. On our blackened screen test the anti-glare and anti-reflection treatment was excellent, just overshadowed by the Hitachi. There was a perfect score for the background interference test with no perceptible intensity fluctuations anywhere on the screen across any of the background colours.
We did experience some perceptible movement in the screen regulation exercises where the image expands and contracts again in pulses. The problem was most evident in the asymmetric and symmetric tests, which alternated the pulses in different parts of the screen, and was the one area where we found the CPD-E200 deficient. As this was one of the most stressful tests thrown at the monitors we allowed a degree of latitude for our contenders.
Sure some may baulk at the asking price for this model but in a historical context, compare the contenders of this 17in monitor Labs with offerings from three years ago and there would be little likelihood of finding a product with this quality under $1,000.
This article appeared in the
Online issue of PC Authority.