Sony to cease hawking monitors
By Cyrus Farivar 
posted Oct 9th 2006 1:22PM
posted Oct 9th 2006 1:22PM
Farewell Sony, we will miss your curvaceous and courageous sense of monitor style. Yes, it appears for the moment that Sony's monitors will soon simply be a footnote in history, as the company has stopped marketing its flat-screen displays in North America, Japan, and by the end of the year, Europe. According to Heise Online, Sony made little profit on the monitors even though it was the 10th largest manufacturer of monitors worldwide, and sold 3.07 million units in 2005. Oddly however, the site also reported that Sony would be launching some new models from its G-series by year's end. Still, it seems well within the realm of possibility that you'll be able to snag that soon-to-be discounted remainder Sony monitor that you've been eyeing sometime early next year.[Via I4U News]
I'm very sad to hear this. I have Sony's X-Bright LCD flat panel monitor, which I use for my graphic design business. It's the best monitor I've ever had and have ever seen--images are so clear and sharp and the color so intense. I was just recommending it to a friend today, telling her this monitor has spoiled me, and I never want to go back to a regular monitor. I never knew it had been discontinued. I only hope the X-Brite technology will be used by other companies.
Remember when Sony Trinitrons were the shizits? I think that Sony's problem is that even though their LCD displays command a brand-name premium, there's little reason to go ga-ga over a Sony monitor these days. I'm more than content to get something from Samsung or Dell.
Sony < Samsung
first aibo, and now monitors!
I'd be a bit sadder if they were still enjoying their CRT heyday.
They were beautiful monitor a few years ago when LCDs were relatively new. It seems that they haven't made as many advancements and retained the same basic design. Boring.
Maybe its because everyone is boycotting Sony still? :)
But yeah I agree - their CRT stuff was/is decent quality, but LCDs all seem to be pretty much the same these days.
their CRTs (and CRTs in general) are still best for colour accuracy, IMO. LCD still isn't there for graphics editing, I'm afraid. (I use both LCD for general webbing and Trinitron for graphics work...).
The plus side of the popularity of LCDs these days is that Trinitrons are dirt cheap now second-hand; no average Joe wants them. Their loss :)
There's bascially no profit to be made from consumer centric monitors nowadays. Sony will still be selling (higher profit) industrial and medical montitors though; good thing engadget pointed that out..oops, no they didnt.
I'm currently using a Sony SDM-HS73 monitor that I bought years ago. I bought it because it fitted the style I wanted and looked nicer than anything else on the market at the time. It still looks good even now - although it's leagues behind modern day monitors on spec.
But bless 'em, Sony have never quite hit the mark with the image quality of their monitors, there were always one or two (or three) brands that could better them on all fronts.
I don't blame them for leaving this market alone, it makes sense.
I got their 19" xbrite display back in 05, it's simply amazing (probably because of it's glossy screen). i didnt see any other monitors with a super glossy screen, i'm not sure if others started doing it now.
My new laptop (Gateway MX6920) and screen (Gateway FPD1975W) seem pretty glossy--say, as compared to my two- and three-year-old Dell screens at work. Maybe it's become common since Sony introduced it?
SONY !< SAMSUNG
Spend anytime trying to resolve an issue with Samsung and you'll go insane. Lookup the SCH-A950. A phone with documented features that do not exist, and a customer support line that will read you the FAQ, and when you complete the steps and the exected result does not appear they "escalate" your call and you never hear back from them. I have been doing this for a YEAR!
At least Sony would make me send the product back (at my own cost) to have it looked at.
Basically the Samsung products are cheaper because they lack quality. Sure if nothing is wrong, great, but if something isn't working... good luck.
Case in point... if Samsung made all the LI-ion batteries that are exploding they would not recall them. Sony obviously is, because they are responsible for their products. Samsung is not.
In respone to Korexz respond of Sony !< Samsung because of Sony's techincal support, I just have this to share...
First, before you read the transscript of my SoapBox speech (I just kept typing because there's an obvious lack of correct information), lets start with this link:
http://www.ps3forums.com/showthread.php?t=3794
Describes the current relationship between Sony and Samsung that dates back to 2003 across multiple product lines (from LCDs to Memory Sticks). Kinda odd labeling the close partner of the "untouchable" Sony machine as "quality lacking" and "cheap." So, uhh, I guess you didn't know that Samsung and Sony share/develop technologies that go into both brands.. MMmmm yeah...
Now as to the statement of Sony's stellar support (which I won't even argue because I'm still shocked I read that, sure you don't work for them because I recall stellar incompetience when I think of Sony's support. Always loved $150 to fix a broken PS2 when you can buy a fresh new one for $200. Oh, and it wasn't really broke, it didn't like Sony's wonderful "Blue" PS2 Games.), I've thankfully never had a reason to support any of the Samsung products I've had. EVER! The darn things wouldn't break on me! I know, I felt duped when I bought all my Samsung stuff and the salesman swore to me that its going to break (because they all do), that's why he informed me of their wonderful extended warranty (or as Best Buy would call it, a PSP). However, I curse Samsung to this day for making me waste money on that extended warranty. They need to be stopped. A working product after years of use, the nerve of them...
Back to "Samsung being of inferior quality," by now the "based on blind-opinion" comes to mind (remember, the partnership). Well, besides the countless PS2 I've seen die (not even from misuse, well maybe misues of the manufacturing process), their shoddy personal audio devices (down from the Alarm/CD/Radio, passing the CD Barf Boxes, and ending with their miserable MD/MP3 Players line), and the life of their TVs in general (lets not even get info comparing Quality of Picture between Sony and Samsung, because if anyone can say "A Samsung LCD or DLP isn't breathtakingly magnificant" in comparison to a Sony then you shouldn't even be visiting this site. Oh... Hidden Rootkits within their Audio CDs damaging thousands of operating systems, batteries setting bonefires at Office Meetings and Airports worldwide, the worst DRM implementation in the history of its corporate fat cat birth with Satan as its father. I'm getting tired of typing, do I have to keep going?
Now keep in mind, Sony is putting out that new line of Bravia TVs that look and sound promising, their highly tot-ted and BetaMax Part II baby BlueRay, and finally the trojan horse to get Bet.. I mean BlueRay in ever household (I always confuse the two, must be the "B's") -- the PlayStation 3. Three major releases that has currently put Sony in a make/break situation. So my opinions are solely based on the last 3 years of the two companies (basically before the emergence of HD). Things always change and Sony can easily make all that I just typed obsolete and ridiculous if their long-awaited major releases actually live-up to what they say. Or they can further prove my point with the crashing sound of a bankrupt corporation because their zealousness got the best of them. They can say all they want about PS3 and BD, how it'll change the way I look and play, and oh how it whitens teeth and cooks those waffles to perfection. "BetaMax will be in every home with thousands of movies available." "MD Discs are the next standard for audio storage with recording and anti-skip techonlogy." "SWG will be better than ever with the advancements of the NGE." (Oh yes I did bring in their SoE branch, it all leads up to the same guy controlling everything else I mentioned of Sony.)
I was going to say I'm not a fanboi or anything, but then I just realized how much I ranted and even I can't believe it. However, what I've written is purely based on the knowledge, reviews, experiences, and trends that I keep up on. I'm a technology nut and love it. The last good thing Sony put out was the PS2, and even that wasn't a flawless showing. It took a good number of revisions on the product line to finally get it to work the way they said it would. Oh, but why mention that when you'll have to extend warranties for those that got stuck with early revision PS2s. No I have nothing to back this up. But would you put this past a company where somehow with all the people, all the production, distribution, Quality Checks, ALL THAT, and yet EXPLODING BATTERIES in the hundreds (if not thousands) with cases that were reported as far back as two years ago went unnoticed up until 3 months ago. Ya know why? No one died. Not only that, who realizes when they buy their Dell, Toshiba, Apple, etc. their battery is a Sony. The laptop maker takes the heat until finally they all realize whats going on, sit down for a big meeting, and pressure Sony to do something before they release all the case history and unanswered warnings to Sony to the public. Not a conspiracy theorist, but I put nothing past Sony these days.
It's not that I am boycotting Sony products, although I am, (not for rootkits or anything like that, but because of the premium pricing), I don't never understood the point of buying a sony anything in the computer/tv market when its all overpriced, underfeatured, and far from upgradable. You can't even customize the machines they do sell, as if the specs they give you are perfect for your individual situation. No, I don't want a graphics editing machine with integrated video, I don't want an integrated anything, are you mental? No I do not want a gaming machine with shared memory video processing. If I wanted an all-in-one machine that was overpriced and underpowered, I'd buy an iMac, at least it looks better.
I had a Dell 19" Trinitron all the way back when my parents bought a Dimension T550 (as in p3 550mhz), which they still use! The monitor is still banging out the best colors I have ever seen, even though my parents have never heard of power management or screen savers. Although, the only reason it exists in my house is because it came with the machine and it maxes resolution at 1280x1024, which was phenomenal in 1998 when it was made, but now monitors default at that res.
The less Sony-branded garbage we have the market the better.
"Sony obviously is, because they are responsible for their products. Samsung is not."
That's crap. You obviously never had to deal with a "Disc Read Error" with a PS2. Big lawsuit for a reason.
Problematic Sony DVD players: 5/5. Problematic Samsung DVD players 0/3 (one in each room).
What's a "hawking monitor?"
Did you mean "hocking?"
...or did Sony make a special Stephen Hawking series of displays?
hawking = selling
Heh, I'm still using a Trinitron Multiscan 20SF II from 1996. It's about 19 inches actual viewing area, goes up to 1280x1024 and 85hz (and probably above, it can do 210 hz on 800x600) and looks great, even though it weighs 80 lbs or so.
I'm happy to hear that I'm not the only one who misses Sony's CRTs. I've got a 21" Trinitron that I've used for about 4 years now. It's got great resolution, great color, and the only thing that has gone wrong with it, is it's a little blurry for a while at the edges while it's warming up.
I love my Sony CRT. I still have it with my lappy when I'm not on the go. I run it a 1024x768 at 100Hz. I'm sorry to say that through all the graphics work I've done (print media and digital) that I've never known anyone to prefer an LCD over a good CRT. I still remember our shop having dropped close to $3000 for a Sony monitor back in like 2000. I can honestly say that I have not seen anything represent colors more correctly than that particular setup. Oh well, as mentioned I guess it will be easier now to find one of their amazing 24" CRT widescreens on sale.
Korexz,
Show me proof before making any assumptions. Just because you have had a bad experience with your Samsung phone doesnt mean the entire company is at fault for everything. Besides the person who stated "Sony < Samsung " was referring to their monitors ya idiot.
Down Down Down SONY is going Down!
Sony... responsible? ...products?
Wha?
I knew about this a little more than two months ago. I know a couple of Sony computer reps that visit select stores. They told me that they are no longer selling "computer monitors", but they will be re-marketed as "multimedia monitors". With most of them have built in TV tuners and such. Basically a small LCD TV with the resolution of a "computer" monitor.
except the LCD TV has a fixed resolution, speakers, a tuner, and an extra 40% in premium pricing
I've got a 17" sony xbrite monitor and a similar display on my hp laptop, and the sony monitor is worlds better. They're regular lcds were mediocre, but they're xbrite displays rocked.
Its not fair to compare a full fledged desktop monitor with an hp laptop display. The reasons most desktop monitors don't use glossy finishes anymore with the exception of high end displays and sony monitors is that newer technologies have made them capable of creating a brighter screen with better colours without all the downsides of having a glossy finish. Laptops LCD's however need to be thinner and cannot nearly create as good a picture and thats why most laptops still have the glossy finish.
Sony does make good monitors but samsung dell and acer make monitors that are just as good that you can get without the sony price tag
Generally my experience with hp laptops has been quite positive especially with their support but their screens have not always been the best, similar to some dells, but toshiba and sony's xbrite still have better screens
CONC:sony is still overpriced, overhyped, and underfeatured.
Oh man, do I love my Sony CRT. I have yet to see a better CRT on the market. Sure it was heavy and bulky, but it had the cleanest, clearest picture on the market. I own a SamSung CRT of the same size(17") but the SamSung is 4 years newer. Out of the box it doesn't even compete with my Sony CRT at 4 years old! You will be missed Sony.
On a side note, my Sony Vaio Desktop has held together better than any PC I have ever bought(Granted, in the past 3 years I have only built my own PCs). Just for the sake of saying it, the DVD drive did die in the Vaio, I think Sony just doesn't like DVD...
This sucks, a lot. Besides Apple, and maybe LG, Sony was like the only monitor manutfacturer that had any style.
I personally own one of those 'curvacious' Sony monitors, and I can attest that it is not only a beautiful design, it's also awesome in quality and features. The screen is very bright, contrast is fantastic and colors are amazing. It's got amongst the widest viewing angles I've seen in an LCD (while in comparison, my fairly new Dell 19" starts washing out if I lean slightly to each side in my office chair while sitting straight in front of it). It lets me hook up Wii, 360, PS3 and a PC all at once (plus TV aerial), what else can anyone ask for? :P
Of course, there's nothing I can say to convince rabid Sony-haters, but whatever. Be happy y'all with your korean samsung shit, I don't care.
I never did like the Sony lcd's with their glossy displays. They reflect everything so are very distracting. Toshiba laptops with the same displays are agrravating in the same way.
I have a 18 year old 20" Sony TV whose display is simply marvelous. At the time it cost 800 + tax. Still working perfectly and I am using it but when I tried selling it for $ 50 I didn't get any takers. Their loss.
I also have a recent 20" Sony and a 24" Sony CRT TV's and their displays are marvelous as well. They also have some extra features that are really handy such as CC and different picture modes and sound environments..
i heard sony complaining earlier that the competition for hdtv's was bringing the price down too much. i don't think they want to fight for that market. they are waiting for new technology to come along and jump on the pioneer bandwagon.
I bought the sony 17 inch xbright in 05 and it still is the nicest looking lcd I have ever seen. its glossy but they made it slightly wavy so it does not have the bad reflections that my dell laptop has. the blacks are great on this and the response time has never been an issue. It was more pricey then other lcds of the time but it was worth it. other than sony monitors I would not touch a sony product, looks like they lost a customer.
How sad,
The Sony CRT was utilized in many high end large computer monitors for other manufacturers such as Dell , Digital Computer ( later Compaq div) among others.
The Sony Trinitron picture tube was among the best .
Among graphic designers there was even a distinctive line across the screen.
Less knowledgable computer users would sometimes return Sony monitors for the appearance of this monikor as in their view the Sony monitor was defective.
Still using multiscan g500 21 inch trinitron great picture handles any resolution I have thrown at it so far has built in kvm sort of has bnc connector plus svga connector so i can swithch on the fly. Paid 150 bucks for it and wouldn't sell it unless I was getting a 1080 p bravia or something in that category. Yes it's big and makes a lot of heat but it's like a honda you ride it till the body rusts away or the timming chain goes out.
Sony likely got out of LCD's because the price is getting ready for a big drop. Governmental trade-policing organizations in the US, Asia and Europe are taking the big manufactureres to court for artificially holding LCD prices high through price fixing. Sony know's the manufacturers are going to lose, and LCD prices will dive. Why stay in a business that you know is going to produce a lower net return? Why they got out of CRT's is anybody's guess.
Good,
I will not buy ANY Sony products no matter how good they are... ROOTKIT that SONY!