Sony SDM-HS75P

The SDM-HS75P/S is an attractive 17-inch LCD with a hinged design that effortlessly tilts forward and backward. It has a shiny, bright screen, and a 1,280-by-1024-pixel resolution. Sony uses a clear coating, called XBRIGHT, that blocks less light than typical anti-glare screens. With it, colors seem to really pop and dark areas appear richer, giving images more depth than most LCD displays. (The S indicates the silver color, the model we reviewed, but it also comes in black, with a /B designation. Specifications for both are identical.)

When I switched on the display for the first time, the colors were pleasing, but a bit on the blue side. Once calibrated, the grays became more neutral. Though most users will be perfectly happy with the default mode, it’s good to know that you can fine-tune the panel if you need to.

Though touted as a benefit of XBRIGHT, the HS95P/S’ viewing angle was not as good as some other displays we’ve seen, but more than acceptable. Horizontally, it begins to lose contrast at about 45 degrees off center, so unless you regularly have crowds gathered around your display, this shouldn’t be an issue.

When looking closely at the display, I noticed that the individual columns of pixels were more visible than in other displays, creating a faint grid pattern on some lighter areas of the screen, and making text a little jaggy. Sony says because XBRIGHT monitors don’t have a diffusion layer across the screen, it makes the panel brighter, but also makes the panel characteristics a little clearer to the eye. The grid pattern was less noticeable in this display than in its larger sibling, the 19-inch SDM-HS95P/S, and would probably never be noticed by most users.

Macworld’s Buying Advice

Although it is short on bells and whistles—this display doesn’t have built-in USB, speakers, or the ability to pivot—the HS75P/S is a good choice for people with limited desk space who are looking for a bright and shiny, well designed, and good performing display.