Do You Want a 16:9 LCD Monitor Now?

Sony MFM-HT75W

I know what you're thinking: "Another expensive Sony screen he's going to pan because of the X-Black filter and throwback latency," you say. Well, not necessarily. We conduct our tests without prejudgment, and while this Sony MFM-HT75W doesn't have everything, what it does have is nice.

Diagonal measurement 17"
Native resolution 1280 x 768
Contrast 800: 1
Brightness 450 nits
Latency 16 ms
Colours 16.7 M
H/V viewing angles 170 / 170
Loudspeakers 2x 3 W + 5 W subwoofer
Connectivity VGA, DVI, S-Video, cinch, YUV
Average price £350
Design and Finish

The MFM-HT75W is a handsome 17" monitor in 16:9 format with an all-aluminium finish. The MFM-HT75W has the ambition of being both an LCD TV set and a computer monitor, and Sony has taken the challenge seriously. The unit has a remote control, connectivity that's clearly television-oriented, and a built-in tuner. But Sony hasn't forgotten what they've built their reputation on up to now: design. The MFM-HT75W is built in one elegant curve. The loudspeakers are set into the lower part of the panel, behind a very handsome grille. The remote control is high in quality, though it doesn't attain the perfection of some the ones that come with Sony TV sets.


The ergonomics is excellent. The monitor obeys your every command, either via the control buttons or the remote control. The OSD is the one used on Sony's office monitor line, with programming for the analogue tuner added.


Connectivity is very complete. The standard VGA/DVI, headphone jack, cinch, S-Video, and YUV video are all here. There are also two quality speakers.

So far so good. Sony is clearly aiming at a clientele for whom space is more the major issue. Putting a TV and a PC monitor into one unit is basically a good idea. Let's see if the product can hold up performance-wise.