24" Widescreen CRT (FW900) From Ebay arrived,Comments.

doadea said:
I got the A- Sony Brand from AccurateIT...I paid a pretty penny for it, but I am a brand-name whore and the look of my equipment means just as much as the performance of it. I would not be able to stand the ugly white/beige color of the HP version, and if I got a B grade and if it had a screen blemish it would drive me nuts, no matter how small it was. I thought that the extra steps they take to insure that it is cleaned and calibrated was worth the extra money, plus the 1 year warranty...a 1 year warranty on a 5-8 year old monitor? Can't beat that...

I have not received the monitor yet...I ordered it on the 25th of Dec. I had hoped I would have got it by now, but no the holidays delayed it (which is understandable). Bax Global called me on Monday to set up a delivery time, which will be on the 7th of January. Not sure why they could not deliver it sometime this week, as it's sitting in Bax's shipping warehouse which is in Baltimore, only 2 hours from my house. I am going to be taking pictures of the package before I open it, along with the monitor and giving a full review of the service and monitor I have received from AccurateIT.
Click to expand...

If you could post a review regarding the quality and service in detail, that would be fantastic =P. I'm the same way, I'm a name brand quality whore =P. Can't stand the HP colors as well....

I have to admit though, it's unsettling to dump 700 dollars on a refurbed monitor that has only a 1 year warranty...But the fact that it at least has a warranty is somewhat calming. Bah.. I can't wait to get my new rig, this x700 pro and 3.2 prescott is just horrendous....haven't played a new game since the release of the first Half life 2....quite a long time...looking forward to get my game on...just 2-3 more months to go >_<.
 
Don't get me wrong, i love this monitor and have been enjoying mine for quite some time now, but i cannot believe that people are spending over $500 for them. $400 is max for me.
 
Foe-hammer said:
Don't get me wrong, i love this monitor and have been enjoying mine for quite some time now, but i cannot believe that people are spending over $500 for them. $400 is max for me.
Click to expand...

Last brand new ones I saw were going for $2500 (from Accurate IT)...

My only concern would be that even a monitor in otherwise perfect condition would still have the hours of usage on the CRT. And they are consumable items, kind of like light bulbs in a sense...

Old rule of thumb I heard was that after 3 to 5 years, a CRT monitor could no longer be fully calibrated for color accuracy. (That might have been before the days of the "Image Restoration" function and such though...)
 
SH1 said:
Last brand new ones I saw were going for $2500 (from Accurate IT)...

My only concern would be that even a monitor in otherwise perfect condition would still have the hours of usage on the CRT. And they are consumable items, kind of like light bulbs in a sense...

Old rule of thumb I heard was that after 3 to 5 years, a CRT monitor could no longer be fully calibrated for color accuracy. (That might have been before the days of the "Image Restoration" function and such though...)
Click to expand...

I bought mine brand new in 2001 for $1800

Les
 
I'm looking into picking one of these up, but I'm wondering what the average remaining lifespan is going to be on a refurbished unit. I'm not much of a gambler, and I'd consider $400-500 to be one hell of an expensive lesson if the monitor isn't going to chug along until LCD technology is drastically improved or replaced.
 
SH1 said:
Last brand new ones I saw were going for $2500 (from Accurate IT)...

My only concern would be that even a monitor in otherwise perfect condition would still have the hours of usage on the CRT. And they are consumable items, kind of like light bulbs in a sense...

Old rule of thumb I heard was that after 3 to 5 years, a CRT monitor could no longer be fully calibrated for color accuracy. (That might have been before the days of the "Image Restoration" function and such though...)
Click to expand...
Accurate IT would not be an option for me, they are a freaking rip off for fw900's in grade -A condition. I bought mine off ebay for $350 shipped. It has a perfect screen (no color problems or scratches). It did get a cracked case corner when shipped, though.

Best bet still is ebay, and in particular being able to pick up the monitor in person. That way you can get one for under $300, and have a chance to pick the best one they have.
 
les_garten said:
That's strange because I am waiting on a UPS delivery that is slated for the seventh also. I ordered it about the same time you did. It's like they shut down for a number of days from Xmas to new years.

Les
Click to expand...

Are you waiting on an FW900?
 
Crosshairs said:
Are you waiting on an FW900?
Click to expand...

Hi,
No, I have one. I had an order for a car part around the same time and UPS had a long ship time that was also on Jan 7 for delivery. I'm actually getting ready to buy a 30" LCD Monitor. I have a FW900 that reclaimed from death row because what I learned on this thread.

Les
 
les_garten said:
Hi,
I have a FW900 that reclaimed from death row because what I learned on this thread.

Les
Click to expand...


Glad to hear it...thats a much better attitude than the one you came here with...:)

Another one joins in on the happy wagon...:D
 
Crosshairs said:
Glad to hear it...thats a much better attitude than the one you came here with...:)

Another one joins in on the happy wagon...:D
Click to expand...

Hold on there Bobalou... I'm still pissed at what Sony did with their monitors in the 2000 -2002 time frame with Bad EPROMS and their software in the monitor. There are service bulletins out there about these monitors and that they need boards replaced to rectify this problem. I found out here how to "maintain" my monitor. I will have to tune it periodically with a hardware hack. My attitude of being pissed off about a series of Trinitrons with defective firmware is unchanged. Especially after I paid retail for the monitor in 2001 and had to park it for 4 years till I found this forum because it was unusable.

But, you are right, I am "happier" than when I came in. A little...

Les
 
les_garten said:
Hold on there Bobalou... I'm still pissed at what Sony did with their monitors in the 2000 -2002 time frame with Bad EPROMS and their software in the monitor. There are service bulletins out there about these monitors and that they need boards replaced to rectify this problem. I found out here how to "maintain" my monitor. I will have to tune it periodically with a hardware hack. My attitude of being pissed off about a series of Trinitrons with defective firmware is unchanged. Especially after I paid retail for the monitor in 2001 and had to park it for 4 years till I found this forum because it was unusable.

But, you are right, I am "happier" than when I came in. A little...

Les
Click to expand...

If parked means it's still got a pretty fresh tube, that's at least a little bit of a silver lining, for what it's worth...
 
This might actually seem stupid and absurb, but I have a question. The problem is that I found an FW900 in my country, but that it’s over two hours away by train, and I’ll need to find a ride to bring it back home. I don’t want to go all the way out there and arrange for a ride, if it turns out to be a dud. The seller sent me some pictures, so I was wondering if people could také a quick look at them and tell me if they see any of the more common problems with it? The pictures might not be good enough quality, but I figured I needed to give it a shot. Thanks for all the info in this thread!

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/ki_cz/ResizeofDSCF4038.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/ki_cz/ResizeofDSCF4039.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/ki_cz/ResizeofDSCF4040.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/ki_cz/ResizeofDSCF4041.jpg
 
ki_cz said:
This might actually seem stupid and absurb, but I have a question. The problem is that I found an FW900 in my country, but that it&#8217;s over two hours away by train, and I&#8217;ll need to find a ride to bring it back home. I don&#8217;t want to go all the way out there and arrange for a ride, if it turns out to be a dud. The seller sent me some pictures, so I was wondering if people could také a quick look at them and tell me if they see any of the more common problems with it? The pictures might not be good enough quality, but I figured I needed to give it a shot. Thanks for all the info in this thread!

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/ki_cz/ResizeofDSCF4038.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/ki_cz/ResizeofDSCF4039.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/ki_cz/ResizeofDSCF4040.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/ki_cz/ResizeofDSCF4041.jpg
Click to expand...

The monitor looks to be in very good condition from those images. Anyway, for hell sake take the short trip and chances are you'll end up with a great monitor. If not you'll end up just wasting only 4-5 hrs of your life. Do it!
 
les_garten said:
Hold on there Bobalou... I'm still pissed at what Sony did with their monitors in the 2000 -2002 time frame with Bad EPROMS and their software in the monitor. There are service bulletins out there about these monitors and that they need boards replaced to rectify this problem. I found out here how to "maintain" my monitor. I will have to tune it periodically with a hardware hack. My attitude of being pissed off about a series of Trinitrons with defective firmware is unchanged. Especially after I paid retail for the monitor in 2001 and had to park it for 4 years till I found this forum because it was unusable.

But, you are right, I am "happier" than when I came in. A little...

Les
Click to expand...

What was bad with their eproms?

And i assume you used winDAS to keep your monitor in good health?

I have to periodically use winDAS on both my trinitron tubes. G420S and FW900. Both were made in 2002. With winDAS i have to keep on lowering the G2 value, and increase the contrast to keep the blacks black, and the colors vibrant, on both monitors. I hope there won't come a time when there is diminishing returns.
 
Foe-hammer said:
What was bad with their eproms?

And i assume you used winDAS to keep your monitor in good health?

I have to periodically use winDAS on both my trinitron tubes. G420S and FW900. Both were made in 2002. With winDAS i have to keep on lowering the G2 value, and increase the contrast to keep the blacks black, and the colors vibrant, on both monitors. I hope there won't come a time when there is diminishing returns.
Click to expand...

I currently have a P991 that is getting a bit too bright for my liking, so I'm thinking about getting set up with winDAS for my future purchase as well! I've been doing some research but am seriously getting confused here, I'm hoping that maybe somebody in this thread could help me out?

I've been following the instructions at http://www.geocities.com/gregua/windas/ , but I clearly am not quite smart enough to fill in the blanks. I've figured out that I need to download the program (obviously) and that I need a cable:

http://www.digitalnemesis.com/products/rlc1/

I'm just wondering if I have to take apart my monitor to make the adjustments through the program? Is this something that is easy to handle? I've taken apart a monitor before, just wondering how easy the ecs port is to find.

Also, does anybody know of any cable suppliers in Europe? I found this:

http://www.papouch.com/shop/scripts/_detail.asp?katcislo=0221

But I'm guessing that I would need to buy something else ... and put it together ... that's where I draw the line!
 
Foe-hammer said:
What was bad with their eproms?

And i assume you used winDAS to keep your monitor in good health?

I have to periodically use winDAS on both my trinitron tubes. G420S and FW900. Both were made in 2002. With winDAS i have to keep on lowering the G2 value, and increase the contrast to keep the blacks black, and the colors vibrant, on both monitors. I hope there won't come a time when there is diminishing returns.
Click to expand...

You are correct, you can use WinDAS to compensate for the bad load on the EPROM. Their SW does not compensate properly for Tube aging. It sounds like it was too aggressive. There was a service bulletin outlining the boards that need to be changed. No, I don't remember the exact page I saw this on. If you read the ENTIRE thread and side threads referenced from where you get the WinDAS SW, you'll find it,

There is a narrow 2 year period of Trinitrons that have these bad EPROM boards. I only have 1 monitor from that period out of all my personal Trinitrons and unfortunately it is my FW900 that I was so proud of when I bought it. I have 5 other Trinitrons that go back to 95-99 and none of them do it. I think the offending years are 2000 and 2001.

Les
 
I have been checking ebay at least once a week ever since I first read this post and learned that this monitor existed. 2 days ago I saw this listing

USED SUN SONY 24" CRT GDM-FW9010

I realized fw9010 means it's not a sony brand but I figured it'd be fine since everyone in this post seems to agree the HP branded fw9012 is the same exact monitor with a different logo.

I live in Texas so the local pickup is not a problem, I was just skeptical since there were no pictures. When I asked about the condition of the monitor, most importantly the screen, he sent me these pictures:









I didn't know Sun Microsystems also made these, but it looks pretty good, so I bought it. I just hope I haven't been screwed out of 100 dollars. I'm trying to figure out why it's so cheap. I figure as with all great deals it's either because

A. He doesn't know how much they go for
B. He doesn't care and just wants to get something for it and get it off his hands
C. There's something wrong with it

or a combination of any of the three. I haven't got it in my possession yet, I'll have to send a relative who lives in his part of town to pick it up for me, but can anyone see or think of anything wrong with this purchase?
 
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MaxPower742 said:
I have been checking ebay at least once a week ever since I first read this post and learned that this monitor existed. 2 days ago I saw this listing

USED SUN SONY 24" CRT GDM-FW9010

I realized fw9010 means it's not a sony brand but I figured it'd be fine since everyone in this post seems to agree the HP branded fw9012 is the same exact monitor with a different logo.

I live in Texas so the local pickup is not a problem, I was just skeptical since there were no pictures. When I asked about the condition of the monitor, most importantly the screen, he sent me these pictures:









I didn't know Sun Microsystems also made these, but it looks pretty good, so I bought it. I just hope I haven't been screwed out of 100 dollars. I'm trying to figure out why it's so cheap. I figure as with all great deals it's either because

A. He doesn't know how much they go for
B. He doesn't care and just wants to get something for it and get it off his hands
C. There's something wrong with it

or a combination of any of the three. I haven't got it in my possession yet, I'll have to send a relative who lives in his part of town to pick it up for me, but can anyone see or think of anything wrong with this purchase?
Click to expand...

Hi,
It is the same monitor. People don't like the Beige looking HP. It's basically a "Paint" scheme issue. I would rather have the SUN branded one, because I'm a UNIX guy, and SUN in Particular. I think you got a hell of a deal!

But...

You know there's always a But! I believe you got it cheap because the guy who sold it doesn't know how to fix the Brightness issue. This monitor will need the WinDAS fix from the pictures. I also have a sneaking suspicion your guy knows it has an issue. He displayed a screen that really doesn't help much with seeing if the monitor displays well.

You may as well install the WinDAS sw and get you a cable asap, so you can hop on the problem when it arrives. From the photos you probably will be a little pissed when it arrives. You still got a great deal though, you just need to fix it in the EPROM. Read this thread, it has all the info.

He did not mis-represent it, he just says it works, be prepared for the brightness to be sky high. Use this thread to fix and MAINTAIN it and you,ll feel like a FAT RAT at $100.

Les

p.s. I have a lot of SUN branded monitors. The reason I didn't buy this Monitor with a SUN badge is because it would have cost me about $600 EXTRA!!
 
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That Sun branded one actually looks to have a similar issue that my HP one does. On the left side, notice that vertical line? I have that same thing. I'm not sure what it is. At first, I thought it was intereference, but my new cables didn't fix the issue.
 
Yeah, if that bright green rastor is suppose to be a black background, that monitor definitely has an issue.

(Though there is still a small chance it was just poorly adjusted or was just warming up...)
 
SH1 said:
Yeah, if that bright green rastor is suppose to be a black background, that monitor definitely has an issue.

(Though there is still a small chance it was just poorly adjusted or was just warming up...)
Click to expand...
I don't think so. Here's why. This guy bought a Dual zeon processor Computer, and some fairly nice NVIDIA Graphics cards. He owns a 24" Trinitron. All those things suggest he's got some Tech saavy. He also shot the last pic with no flash, I believe in an attempt to avoid some of the Flash Washout. He should have disclosed that the monitor has some issues. He worded his Ebay auction VERY accurately. He stated that the monitor functioned or some words to that effect. Because I think he is Tech Saavy, that's why he tried to only show a dark screen. I'm surprised he sent the color PIC. A Dark DOS screen was the only way to show that monitor and have way get away with the non-disclosure. Funny though, he said local pickup only. Meaning anyone who bought it would see if before paying?

If ya really want to get back at him for non-disclosure, tweak the Monitor and send him some before and after PIX, and let him know it was an easy free fix! It's an awesome deal for $100, if you don't mind the MAINTENANCE requirements of WinDAS.

Les
 
If ya really want to get back at him for non-disclosure, tweak the Monitor and send him some before and after PIX, and let him know it was an easy free fix! It's an awesome deal for $100, if you don't mind the MAINTENANCE requirements of WinDAS.

Indeed. :)
 
Alright, this is very strange. I noticed very bad ghosting on my monitor. Scrolling this thread and paying close attention to the text, there is a very distinct after image of the text. It's not just text, either, pretty much everything on this page had a ghost behind it from what I can see. It's the same way in games with even slightly dark areas. Anything light on a dark background creates a very faint trail behind it.
 
zerohaste said:
Alright, this is very strange. I noticed very bad ghosting on my monitor. Scrolling this thread and paying close attention to the text, there is a very distinct after image of the text. It's not just text, either, pretty much everything on this page had a ghost behind it from what I can see. It's the same way in games with even slightly dark areas. Anything light on a dark background creates a very faint trail behind it.
Click to expand...

Got a cheap cable. This monitor likes good cables. I also feel it makes a better Picture with a good quality BNC cable over the VGA cable. My experience, Good BNC beats GOOD VGA, and beats the hell out of bad VGA cables. Also eliminate all RFI and EMI sources close to your cables.

Les
 
What is considered a high quality cable?

I bought one of these and one of these for my switch (which isn't causing the problem, I just tested it before making the post above).

I'm open to suggestions as to where I can buy one that works well.
 
zerohaste said:
What is considered a high quality cable?

I bought one of these and one of these for my switch (which isn't causing the problem, I just tested it before making the post above).

I'm open to suggestions as to where I can buy one that works well.
Click to expand...

Hi,
Sorry, but I've got a lot of $2-$3 cables like you have and I use them with KVM switches in server rooms. I would NEVER use one at MY workstation. You got a $2500 monitor here, spend $30 on a good cable

http://www.networktechinc.com/cable-pc.html

I've used VGA cables 100 feet long from this company and they are awesome. Pick the BNC cable in the middle of the page.

I can't believe you would put a $3 cable on this monitor!

Les
 
These monitors are great, I've had mine for two years now. I was at a friend's house and was using his 46" LCD TV and Gateway FPD2485W 24" monitor ($600 when he bought it) for Cod4 on xbox360. Right away you notice the lag and motion blur on the LCDs and it took awhile for my eyes to adjust. Also, that computer monitor suffered from horrible ghosting when white objects would move around the screen. Completely unacceptable. I couldn't wait to get back to my fw900.

I was almost looking for an LCD tv since the price has come down a lot, but after this experience, I think I'll wait for a better technology.

It makes me sick that they would discontinue CRTs in favor of this inferior tech.
 
OK I got my fw900 today from accurateit, and I am trying to take pictures of the monitor while playing games similiar to what the guy did on page 1, but I cannot get them to turn out good...any suggestions? I have no idea how he got pics to look so good...it does not look like he used a flash......I have a digital slr. Just PM me with suggestions as not to bog this thread down. Thanks!
 
doadea said:
OK I got my fw900 today from accurateit, and I am trying to take pictures of the monitor while playing games similiar to what the guy did on page 1, but I cannot get them to turn out good...any suggestions? I have no idea how he got pics to look so good...it does not look like he used a flash......I have a digital slr. Just PM me with suggestions as not to bog this thread down. Thanks!
Click to expand...

No idea, my bro has a Digital Rebel XT...and it's a pain to use for specific settings...lol. Although I don't really want to put the time down into reading the entire manual to understand everything. After all, it ain't even my camera.

Good luck on the picture front though..can't help much there...But even before you go through the trouble...how would you rate the service and the monitor? Any notes you want to make about anything? Did they do a top notch job on the tweaking?
 
doadea said:
OK I got my fw900 today from accurateit, and I am trying to take pictures of the monitor while playing games similiar to what the guy did on page 1, but I cannot get them to turn out good...any suggestions? I have no idea how he got pics to look so good...it does not look like he used a flash......I have a digital slr. Just PM me with suggestions as not to bog this thread down. Thanks!
Click to expand...

looks like there was a pretty bright light behind him. i have a rebelXT myself, and i agree, it can be a pain in low light conditions.

just be as steady as possible if you dont have image stabilization on your lens
 
Ikasu said:
...But even before you go through the trouble...how would you rate the service and the monitor? Any notes you want to make about anything? Did they do a top notch job on the tweaking?
Click to expand...

The service from Accurateit was very good. I ordered the Monitor on Christmas day, and I got it on Jan 7th. The Monitor was packaged very well and it came on pallet. The monitor itself was a A- grade (according to Accurateit), and the screen is 100% flawless, and is beautiful. I did not have to do any color calibration, and the brightness was set at 10 , and seems to be bright enough.

Some things I am not too fond of: The bezel of the monitor is pretty scratched up...fortunately I am able to order a brand new one straight from SONY. Also, the VGA input has a broken holding screw (does not affect anything though)

I will be taking pictures of everything and posting them asap.
 
I would give up my 24 inch LCD and buy one of these, but I've had the worst nightmare going after good CRT monitors...

I would buy one new for $600

But I can only buy them used and refurbed (correct?) and they all seem to cost at least $700

So I guess I missed the ball on this one.

Of course the LCD was about $400, not quite...but then all the dead CRT's I've gotten off of eBay, and all the crappy blurry CRT's I've gotten...totals well over $1000

I just can't get any luck.

My 17 inch NEC monitor died in 2004, and I've been on this quest for a good monitor ever since.
My income is really scarce, and with it's increases I've been able to spend more money at one time...and that's why I couldn't have bought this monitor when it was brand new on the market, because in 2004, I made $3000 a year.
Bad.

Seven CRT's later, and a 21 inch CRT I finally got, and was happy with, I get the Geforce 8600GTS 512, and find that nVidia has disabled image sharpening.
Suddenly my monitor is a super blurry piece of crap again.

So I give up on CRT, bite the bullet, and get a $350 24 inch LCD.
Not having researched them here, thinking I knew what I needed to based on the specs.
It turned out to be a TN panel.
Viewing angle was so bad, even sitting directly in front of me, staring into the exact middle of the screen, the top half was super dark, and bottom half super bright.
Left was purple, right was yellow...if I backed up fifteen feet, the screen looked right.

So I sold it on eBay for a tiny bit less than I paid for it, and now I've ordered the Soyo VA 24 inch panel.
It comes tomorrow...and if it's a POS too...man I just don't know what to do.

I have no luck with monitors.

Do you think a refurbished one of these would have the sharpness it originally is supposed to have?
Image sharpness is what matters the most to me.
Then response time.

We know LCD really loses on response time, no matter what...but if the CRT is losing on image sharpness, I'm not going to put the money into it.
I won't be able to ship the monitor somewhere if I find I hate it's lack of sharpness...

Sorry if this post dragged on, but this monitor makes me want to eat my heart out.
I wish I had one. : (
 
Question.

If this monitor has 22.5" viewable image size and it's a 24 inch CRT monitor...

Does that mean that a 24 inch LCD monitor has a 22.5" viewable size as well?
Or is a 24 inch LCD monitor a 24 inch viewable size?
 
PimpUigi said:
Question.

If this monitor has 22.5" viewable image size and it's a 24 inch CRT monitor...

Does that mean that a 24 inch LCD monitor has a 22.5" viewable size as well?
Or is a 24 inch LCD monitor a 24 inch viewable size?
Click to expand...
Actually, a 24" LCD has 24" viewable. Only CRTs need to make a distinction between tube size and actual viewable area. So, yes, a 24" LCD will have more viewable area than the FW900. But, as so many of us here would say, there's more to it than just size. :)
 
doadea said:
The service from Accurateit was very good. I ordered the Monitor on Christmas day, and I got it on Jan 7th. The Monitor was packaged very well and it came on pallet. The monitor itself was a A- grade (according to Accurateit), and the screen is 100% flawless, and is beautiful. I did not have to do any color calibration, and the brightness was set at 10 , and seems to be bright enough.

Some things I am not too fond of: The bezel of the monitor is pretty scratched up...fortunately I am able to order a brand new one straight from SONY. Also, the VGA input has a broken holding screw (does not affect anything though)

I will be taking pictures of everything and posting them asap.
Click to expand...

Get some pictures of the focus tests in the nokia monitor test.
 
SH1 said:
Yeah, if that bright green rastor is suppose to be a black background, that monitor definitely has an issue.

(Though there is still a small chance it was just poorly adjusted or was just warming up...)
Click to expand...

My monitor always looks like that during the warmup period, but everything is fine afterwords (black is black). Seems to be a common symptom with these monitors.
 
Does anybody have any pictures of this monitor comparing it in size to a 19" CRT or something similar? I've seen it compared to the 24" LCD only, just want to get an idea of the viewable space with something else than a ruler.
 
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