Richard Baguley

Sony HMD-A400/L

The single combined button-and-joystick control of the HMD-A400/L makes the monitor a breeze to set up and configure, and the unit also gives you a built-in, four-port USB hub. Text looked sharp on the flat screen in our tests, easily readable at a range of font sizes; its graphics had strong, true colors.
This is an expensive monitor. At $499, it is significantly pricier than other monitors that performed as well in our tests. Sony offers only a one-year warranty, which seems rather short compared with the three-year warranty offered by Samsung and the five-year warranty from Hitachi.
Like other monitors that use the Trinitron tube, the HMD-A400/L has two faint horizontal lines--caused by the wires that support the aperture grille--that you can see against a lighter screen. However, these aren't visible under most situations and don't detract from the quality of the images. The documentation is fairly basic (and there is no setup sheet), but it does cover the basic information required to install and use the monitor.
Great text and graphics image quality, but the high price will put off most users.

Buying Information

Sony HMD-A400/L 18-inch viewable area,.24mm stripe-pitch FD Trinitron tube, 75-Hz maximum refresh rate at 1280 by 1024 resolution, Plug and Play ready. One-year warranty, 24-hour daily toll-free support. $ 499 18-inch viewable area,.24mm stripe-pitch FD Trinitron tube, 75-Hz maximum refresh rate at 1280 by 1024 resolution, Plug and Play ready. One-year warranty, 24-hour daily toll-free support. http://www.sel.sony.com 800/571-7669