Sony Multiscan HG VGA monitor. (Hardware Review) (Evaluation)
by Robert Bixby

If you want--or need--a monitor big enough to make people do a double take, this 20-inch model is the one for you. The box it comes in is the size of a small washing machine, and the monitor will take up all of the space on top of a standard AT case--though I wouldn't set it there.

Moving the monitor to change cards might put a crimp in your chassis. I suggest that you make room for the monitor in its own region of your desk or on a separate table--preferably one with wheels.

The 20-inch Sony Multiscan HG is a monitor designed for use in a classroom or conference room, or in an office where a user has vision problems. I set the monitor on a table across the room from where I work and had no trouble writing and editing even in Windows set for 800 x 600 resolution.

The Sony is an attention-getter. The entire unit has a Brobdingnagian appearance, as if it had suffered from hyperpituitary problems in its youth. For about a week after it arrived, people were stopping outside my office and asking, "What is that thing?" I'd invite them in to take a look. Everyone who saw the picture was impressed by its sharpness and brilliant color.

The controls are beautifully integrated into the front panel. A single button switches control through various adjustments: brightness, horizontal size, horizontal center, vertical size, vertical center, horizontal focus, and vertical focus. A single pair of buttons marked + and -- adjusts these parameters. A separate pair of buttons adjusts contrast. The power switch is also mounted on the front panel.

Even though you can read the monitor from a distance, there's no reason to put it into isolation. It meets the stringent Swedish standards for low ELF and VLF electromagnetic emissions.

Sony has filled out its high-grade monitor line with similar monitors in 14-and 17-inch screens. In addition to its value for shocking coworkers, I found that the 20-inch model also proved its worth at providing enviable sharpness and color, whether up close or across the room. ROBERT BIXBY

Sony Multiscan HG VGA Monitor-$3,995 SONY CORPORATION OF AMERICA Computer Peripheral Products 655 River Oaks Pkwy. San Jose, CA 95134 (800) 352-SONY

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