Customer Reviews

Sony SDM-M51D 15.1" Flat Panel LCD Monitor

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have had the M51/D for about a month. It is the second LCD monitor I had the chance to use (the first one was a Samsung 170MP - a great piece of hardware). The M51/D was tested with ATI All-in-Wonder 128 (VGA connection), ATI Radeon VE (DVI connection), and ATI All-in-Wonder Radeon (DVI connection). Before I tested my M51/D, Nanao FlexScan T2-17TS and Samsung 170MP they were used through the same VGA port (through the same 15ft cable) - I haven't had any quality problems with the Nanao or Samsung. First M51/D tests have been done through VGA. The results were extremely disappointing. There were lack of sharpness, faded colours; I couldn't believe it's a Sony. I decided to switch to DVI. The M51/D became a DIFFERENT monitor altogether. It had brilliant colours and exceptional sharpness. I noticed however, a minimal shadow after letters and vertical edges, though I think it was from the cheap cable M51/D came with. I ordered a quality 10ft DVI-DVI cable through ... and the shadows completely disappeared. The current picture is absolutely PERFECT. I tried switch back to my Nanao - I couldn't believe I used it for years. It is still a great monitor, but after couple days using a LCD switching back is almost impossible. Final conclusion: VGA experience 3, DVI experience 5++, average 4
Note:
There are three types of Sony M51 monitor (M51, M51D, M51/B).
M51D has analog and digital interfaces.
M51 and M51/B have analog only.
Please check SONY web site for more details (http://www.sonystyle.com/vaio/displays/sdm_m51d.shtml)

I got mine last night, and was a little bit disappointed that it only came with an analog cable (RGB-DVI, the monitor needs the DVI connection). So I had to switch the monitor to analog, although I have a DVI out on my computer (ATI Radeon All-In-One Wonder).

So, you'll have to buy a DVI-DVI cable to be able to enjoy the full digital experience.

SDM-M51D is both analog or digital (includes a switch on the back of the monitor), the SDM-M51 is just analog (I think it comes in black or white).

...

Be carefull-a VERY large number of these had capacitor problems.
The unit may work for a few hours-or weeks or even months, then will go bad, sometimes intermittantly, manifested by colored vertical lines on an otherwise blank white screen.
SONY at first denied the problem, then sent eveyone a REFURBISHED model.
BEWARE!
Some may try to sell you a unit that works only FOR THE MOMENT, thus cheating you or else the Post Office for "shipping damage".
Others will try to sell you a "Refurbished" Model NOT fixed by SONY.
When it works, this is a great monitor-and the built-in speakers are a great convenience...

This is a good overall monitor for the price. I bought mine at a reasonable discount, plus the manufacturer's rebate. The picture is good quality, brighter colors than some other monitors I looked at. You can use this monitor on either a regular VGA/RGA graphics card, or one of the newer DVI cards. I use mine four+ hours a day, good picture all around. I recommend this if you don't want to spend the money on one of the newer models.

The previous review gives this monitor 5 stars *with a DVI connection* but the technical specs per Amazon give the input as analog only. Is the review actually for a different product model, or are the tech specs incomplete? This is a key point for any LCD display, as digital input has the potential for significantly better display than analog.