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

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.

for the best comparison,
just get a bit of paper and cut out/glue it to have 19.08" x 11.92" size, that's 22.5" 16:10.

Or if you know how to use a graphics program print out a 1920x1200 screen shot set to 100dpi or a 1680x1050 set to 88dpi.
 
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.

There's a 22" 4:3 CRT vs. 24" in this thread: http://www.hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1028726815&postcount=919

And then there's my FW900 vs. NEC20WMGX2 which is a 20.1" widescreen:

fw900_20wmgx2.jpg
 
Anyone know where I can buy a widescreen crt at a reasonable price? Post all the site links you can. I've tried all the top of the line 2ms LCDs and it doesn't even come close. CRT for serious gaming, LCD for everything else.

Thanks in advance.
 
So anyone has had a little ghosting in theirs? I hear an overhaul on good quality cables help?

What option is best? I have a 8800gtx dual dvi

DVI adaptor to a VGA then have a VGA cable run to monitor
cable that goes DVI and converts to VGA
or DVI or BNC?
How is BNC?
 
Anyone know where I can buy a widescreen crt at a reasonable price? Post all the site links you can. I've tried all the top of the line 2ms LCDs and it doesn't even come close. CRT for serious gaming, LCD for everything else.

Thanks in advance.

Check ebay and craigslist. Local would be even cheaper and ideal as you can check out the condition. Search for HP A7217A or Sony GDM-FW9012 or Sony GDM-FW900. There may be another model or 2 thats the same set.

I got mine for $100 and its awesome.
 
So anyone has had a little ghosting in theirs? I hear an overhaul on good quality cables help?

What option is best? I have a 8800gtx dual dvi

DVI adaptor to a VGA then have a VGA cable run to monitor
cable that goes DVI and converts to VGA
or DVI or BNC?
How is BNC?

No ghosting on mine.. I just use the DVI-VGA adapter and VGA into the monitor.. Also using 8800GTX SLI.

I've heard that BNC makes no difference.. Only both with that if you want to use both inputs on the monitor. though using BNC will be a pain cause the system will not recognise the monitor using that connection. It will see it as a standard plug and play monitor and you'll have to use something to customise the settings for the monitor.
 
OK Here are the pics of my FW900 when it come in from AccurateIT. I still need to take good pictures of the screen, as I have not been able to yet...Like I said the screen is perfect and I did not need to calibrate...I will be uploading more pictures later as soon as I figure out how to take good pictures of the screen.

IMG_3121.jpg

IMG_3122.jpg

IMG_3123.jpg

IMG_3124.jpg

IMG_3125.jpg
 
wow yours was packaged entirely different than mine...that packaging looks like it could take a beating....

Some idiot there must have screwed mine up...
 
Loker, was yours the HP badged version or Sony?

Overall I like the packaging....When I do get mine, it will be a dream. Whenever you can get pics up of it in operation doadea I'd appreciate it, take your time. ^_^...looking forward to your thoughts.

I'm just hoping the extra 200 dollars for the a- FW900 will mean better packaging/tweaking...So far the packaging is top notch. Curious on how well they tune these for 700 though. =P
 
wow yours was packaged entirely different than mine...that packaging looks like it could take a beating....

Some idiot there must have screwed mine up...

That packaging is still not as good as it could be, though.. with weak spots on the top and the lower sides (in the 2nd last picture).

When I sold one on Ebay, I used nearly $40 worth of jumbo bubble wrap, wrapped all over the monitor with at least 4 inches thick of pure jumbo bubble plastic.

Heck, I could even throw it around like that without the box and watch it bounce around!!! Actually, the big roll (about 40" wide and 18" thick) cost $40 but I used about 2/3 of it, so it was $25 worth of bubble wrap (like using up 2/3 of a toilet paper roll).
 
That packaging is still not as good as it could be, though.. with weak spots on the top and the lower sides (in the 2nd last picture).


The second to last picture is not an accurate representation of the packaging, as I had already removed most of the small black foam inserts (there was like 10-15 in all)...they were all around the sides as well...the only reason I took the second to last picture was to show that it came with a power and vga cable.
 
You should be able to replace that VGA mounting screw. Pull one off another monitor or old graphics card. You would think with the amount of money you paid for it, they would of fixed that since an easy fix.
 
You should be able to replace that VGA mounting screw. Pull one off another monitor or old graphics card. You would think with the amount of money you paid for it, they would of fixed that since an easy fix.

Actually, no..I wish it was that easy. If you look a little closer to the picture you will see that it is actually has half a broken screw in it. My only solution would be to get a very small drill bit and drill it out.
 
Actually, no..I wish it was that easy. If you look a little closer to the picture you will see that it is actually has half a broken screw in it. My only solution would be to get a very small drill bit and drill it out.

Oh.. Well then its still fixable just gona take a special tool.. a drill bit that will drill slightly into it and pull it out at the same time. Or you could take the case apart and probably get to it since you should be able to reach the other side of the screw.

Either way, yeah not that big of a deal to stress over but i'd do it myself as it would bother me everytime i'd see it.
 
Loker, was yours the HP badged version or Sony?

Overall I like the packaging....When I do get mine, it will be a dream. Whenever you can get pics up of it in operation doadea I'd appreciate it, take your time. ^_^...looking forward to your thoughts.

I'm just hoping the extra 200 dollars for the a- FW900 will mean better packaging/tweaking...So far the packaging is top notch. Curious on how well they tune these for 700 though. =P

I would hope that they would not package things differently depending on their worth...IMO everything should be packaged well no matter if it is a $20 item or a $1000 item. But as loker points out, maybe they do package A- monitors better, I am not sure what he ordered though.
 
My A- HP branded one wasn't packed that well. It had a bunch of little foam things in it, buy wasn't wrapped in the big white piece.

My ghosting problem is still present even after ordering a cable from the website listed a few posts back. Text and other dark items still have multiple faint shadows to the right on light backgrounds. I can't run 1920x1200 at any refresh rate. I can, however, run 1920x1080 60hz and have the problem completly disappear. 1920x1080 70hz - 85hz still have ghosting.

Very disappointed that I can't run this thing at the recommend resolution. :(
 
My A- HP branded one wasn't packed that well. It had a bunch of little foam things in it, buy wasn't wrapped in the big white piece.

My ghosting problem is still present even after ordering a cable from the website listed a few posts back. Text and other dark items still have multiple faint shadows to the right on light backgrounds. I can't run 1920x1200 at any refresh rate. I can, however, run 1920x1080 60hz and have the problem completly disappear. 1920x1080 70hz - 85hz still have ghosting.

Very disappointed that I can't run this thing at the recommend resolution. :(


Did you install the drivers for the monitor? What graphics card?
 
My A- HP branded one wasn't packed that well. It had a bunch of little foam things in it, buy wasn't wrapped in the big white piece.

My ghosting problem is still present even after ordering a cable from the website listed a few posts back. Text and other dark items still have multiple faint shadows to the right on light backgrounds. I can't run 1920x1200 at any refresh rate. I can, however, run 1920x1080 60hz and have the problem completly disappear. 1920x1080 70hz - 85hz still have ghosting.

Very disappointed that I can't run this thing at the recommend resolution. :(

Hmm...strange...well to tell you the truth, I am running Sherlock Holmes Awakened (great game btw) at 2048x1280 85hz and I can see ghosting, but if I play Crysis at 2048x1280 85hz, no ghosting at all. I do not have a problem with text either...just in that one game...Did you see a improvement at all with the nice cable? I am thinking of upgrading mine, just so I know I am getting the best signal as I can get. Right now I am using a generic cable. I have a Nvidia 8800Ultra PCI-E (not SLI)
 
eclypse: Drivers are installed. It was one of the first things I did when I got it. Graphics card is an evga 800GTS 320MB.

doadea: I can't really be sure. I think there may have been a small improvement, but it's really hard to tell.

The weird thing is, I can't see any of the problems in games. Text in games at 1920x1200 85Hz is crisp without any of the shadow problems Windows shows. Though I can see the shadows on the left side of the screen (like in the pictures posted a few posts back) in games and windows no matter what I'm doing.
 
Flipin strange.. Never heard of that prob before. Hopfully someone has an idea or has had the same prob and fixed it. Though i bet maybe a professional calibrater may beable to fix that.. or a tv repair shop.
 
My A- HP branded one wasn't packed that well. It had a bunch of little foam things in it, buy wasn't wrapped in the big white piece.

My ghosting problem is still present even after ordering a cable from the website listed a few posts back. Text and other dark items still have multiple faint shadows to the right on light backgrounds. I can't run 1920x1200 at any refresh rate. I can, however, run 1920x1080 60hz and have the problem completly disappear. 1920x1080 70hz - 85hz still have ghosting.

Very disappointed that I can't run this thing at the recommend resolution. :(

Try running at 1600x1200 and see if it works fine then. At 1920x1200 I have major issues with focus and brightness (especially on bright colors) but at 1600x1200 it's much better.
 
Ok since I just replaced the bezel on my fw900 I figured I would post some pictures and a mini guide on how to do it.

First, purchase a new bezel through this link:

Sony Bezel Link

and do a search for part # 407750001

WARNING! Please be careful taking your CRT apart and do not touch any inside parts...these monitors can store an electrical charge enough to fry you crispy. EVEN if they are unplugged. The FW900 has enough aluminum covers on it though to protect you but I figured I would post this warning anyway.

Here is my monitor with old, scratched bezel:
0.jpg


It helps to do this on a carpeted floor so you can safely turn the monitor over on it's face.

First,

Remove the two top screws as shown in the following picture

1.jpg


Then, flip the monitor over and remove the two bottom screws as seen in the following picture:

2.jpg


Then, remove monitor back casing. This may need some playing around with the side of the monitor to get it to "unlatch"

3.jpg


Next, there are four rather large screws, which you can remove with with a screwdriver or a socket wrench. See the following picture:

4.jpg


Next, there are 2 smaller screws on each side to remove as seen below:

5.jpg


Finally, flip the monitor on it's face once more and remove the final 2 screws on the bottom:

6.jpg


You are now able to remove the old bezel:

7.jpg


And attach the new one:

8.jpg


Then follow this guide backwards to replace the rear casing and all screws.

This guide will be updated and improved as I find better ways to improve it.
 
Nice guide! I'll use that to take off the front so i can remove the anti-glare coating on my monitor. Also will eventually do it again to paint the case black later on this summer.
 
Ok since I just replaced the bezel on my fw900 I figured I would post some pictures and a mini guide on how to do it.

First, purchase a new bezel through this link:

Sony Bezel Link

Hi,
Great job, Looks nice! How much was the bezel? Also, how hard did it appear it would be to get the AR Layer off. Mine has some bad spots on the ar coating. Hmmmm, wonder if you can buy the AR layer and replace it?

Les
 
Hi,
Great job, Looks nice! How much was the bezel? Also, how hard did it appear it would be to get the AR Layer off. Mine has some bad spots on the ar coating. Hmmmm, wonder if you can buy the AR layer and replace it?

Les

The bezel is $55 plus shipping. I did not really look at the AR layer, sorry....but I would think it should not be too hard to remove...
 
I'm looking into buying one of those, and would like to ask if it can do the resolution of 1920 x 1200 at 100Hz or, if that's not possible, what the highest refresh rate is for that resolution, and what the highest resolution would be for a refresh rate of 100Hz.
Thanks in advance.
 
I'm looking into buying one of those, and would like to ask if it can do the resolution of 1920 x 1200 at 100Hz or, if that's not possible, what the highest refresh rate is for that resolution, and what the highest resolution would be for a refresh rate of 100Hz.
Thanks in advance.

At 1920x1200, the max refresh rate is generally 95 Hz (a few people can do 96 Hz or a couple more). 90Hz is generally recommended for better image quality and monitor longevity, though--far less jittering and/or wave patterns on the sides.

The max widescreen resolution possible at 100Hz is probably 1680x1050. You could do a custom resolution somewhere in between 1680x1050 and 1920x1200 but I don't know the exact numbers. 1920x1080 could also be done at 100 Hz (the vertical Hz refresh is dependent on the vertical number of pixels, which is 1200 pixels in a 1920x1200 resolution or 1050 pixels in a 1680x1050 resolution), but 1920x1080 is a 16:9 format, which is more "widescreen" than a full resolution that would fill the whole 24" screen in a proper 16:10 format.

It is actually less widescreen than 16:10. For example, it would be better to use 1600x1024 rather than 1600x1000 for a better display ratio that fills up the entire 24" screen. I can't remember my calculations (too tired to do it now), but the actual screen ratio is 16:10.3 or something like that.
 
Thanks alot, this information helps me greatly.

I too am a sucker for a correct aspect ratio. The screen has a ratio of 1.564:1 (482.1mm viewable width / 308.2mm viewable height), so at a height of 1200 pixel the width should be close to 1877pixel (1200 pixel x 1.564), while at a width of 1920 pixel, the height should be close to 1227 pixel (1920 / 1.564).
 
Thanks alot, this information helps me greatly.

I too am a sucker for a correct aspect ratio. The screen has a ratio of 1.564:1 (482.1mm viewable width / 308.2mm viewable height), so at a height of 1200 pixel the width should be close to 1877pixel (1200 pixel x 1.564), while at a width of 1920 pixel, the height should be close to 1227 pixel (1920 / 1.564).

Cool... 1.564:1 or 16:10.23 so 1600x1024 is almost exactly accurate on this screen. Strange because 1600x1024 still feels a little stretched out vertically when I completely fill out the edges! A perfectly round object would still look little like an vertical oval. Oh well, so I just reduce the vertical size until I'm satisfied.
 
At 1920x1200, the max refresh rate is generally 95 Hz (a few people can do 96 Hz or a couple more). 90Hz is generally recommended for better image quality and monitor longevity, though--far less jittering and/or wave patterns on the sides.

Are you guys using some sort of program to force refresh rates or something because i only ever get the usual 60-75-85hz options.
 
Both ATi and nVidia have options in their drivers to force refresh rates for various resolutions. If the screen can handle them is an entirely different matter, but you can still try. Frying a CRT for running it outside specs is a thing of the past, because if run outside specs, 1995 and newer screens will tell you so.

@Bo_Fox
Maybe a circle looks odd because you're kinda trained to perceive a stretched circle as being perfctly round? I'm going to have an eye on myself for that effect when my 24"er arrives, already collecting a couple of round objects that can be held next to a circle on the screen for comparison.
 
I need help with my fw900.

I purchased it about 6 months ago and it has been working very well for me and any issues I had with it this thread helped me fix them.

However last night the monitor would not turn on. The power would come on, but I did not hear the tube turn on and it would go into sleep mode. I tried different computers with the same result, I also did the self diagnosis and nothing as well which told me it was the tube.

I left it over night and this morning it started right back up like normal.

Is there something I can do to prevent this from happening again or is the monitor on its way out?

Thanks for any help
 
Are you guys using some sort of program to force refresh rates or something because i only ever get the usual 60-75-85hz options.

Nvidia's control panel also allows you to set custom resolutions/refresh rates so you don't really need Powerstrip unless you're using ATI.
 
Both ATi and nVidia have options in their drivers to force refresh rates for various resolutions. If the screen can handle them is an entirely different matter, but you can still try. Frying a CRT for running it outside specs is a thing of the past, because if run outside specs, 1995 and newer screens will tell you so.

@Bo_Fox
Maybe a circle looks odd because you're kinda trained to perceive a stretched circle as being perfctly round? I'm going to have an eye on myself for that effect when my 24"er arrives, already collecting a couple of round objects that can be held next to a circle on the screen for comparison.

Huh? I never found that in ATI's CCC or CP. Is that a new feature with Catalyst drivers like after 7.1 or something? I havent used this monitor with an ATI card for a while, since an X800XT to be sure.

Yeah, my eyes aren't perfect I know and gotta verify this by comparing it with something perfectly round on paper, of same size. Or I could just measure the vertical diameter and the horizontal diameter on the monitor and make sure they match. I did that a while ago, but forgot the perfect ratio--the tricky part is filling your screen all the way to the edges because the monitor has to warm up first (the screen position will move and rotate a little bit while warming up).
 
Nvidia's control panel also allows you to set custom resolutions/refresh rates so you don't really need Powerstrip unless you're using ATI.

Yeah but it only goes up to 85hz or the out of range 100hz, I can't get 90 like everyone else seems to be able to.
 
The monitor is designed to do 1920x1200 @ 85hz. I suggest you not try to run it beyond it's specifications. What's wrong with 85? Sure beats the hell out of 60hz
 
I just picked up my second FW900 (HP version) for $100. It's in excellent condition...not a blemish on the screen and the case has a couple minor scuffs and I do mean minor. I happened to see it on craigslist, so I went and looked at it. This one is going to sit on a shelf in my basement safely covered up until my current FW900 throws in the towel. I should be covered for a good long while. :)
 
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