Review: Sony MFM-HT205 monitor

Certainly the most distinctive looking display in this round-up, Sony’s MFM-HT205 is in the truest sense a multimedia monitor.

Its physical appearance makes it equally at home on a desk connected to a PC, or thanks to its built-in analogue TV tuner, as a standalone TV.

There’s no computer-style pedestal stand. Instead, Sony’s ‘rising design’ concept presents you with a sweep of brushed metal so stylish that you would never, but for its comparatively small 20in diagonal, suspect it of being anything other than a modern, living-room friendly TV set.

It has all the inputs you’d expect, including component video and Scart. Combine this with a full-size wireless remote control and a level of brightness and contrast seldom seen in the PC world, and you have a display capable of delivering some truly exceptional visuals.

Sony’s X-Black technology gives you a screen with a rather shiny finish and contrast ratios of up to 1,600:1.

Audio is also well catered for by a pair of 3W stereo speakers, combined with a 5W sub-woofer unit. However, the MFM-HT205 isn’t just a TV with PC inputs. Its native 1,680x1,050 resolution exceeds that of most HD-ready TVs.

With the brightness turned up, most users would find this display somewhat uncomfortable to use close-up, so Sony has included a number of preset modes so you can switch quickly between spreadsheet work and movie viewing without fiddling with the on-screen menu.

It also includes a sensor to automatically adjust screen brightness in response to lighting conditions.

Although the lack of the usual swivel and height adjustments make the MFM-HT205 unsuitable for prolonged office work, it’s great for home use and superb for gaming and movie-watching. If these are your main requirements then it is well worth the price.

This article is part of a group test of HDCP Vista-ready TFT monitors.
See also
Dell 3007WFP
Samsung SM205BW
Samsung SM215TW
Viewsonic VP233wb
The HDCP chain
How we tested the monitors
How HDCP works

Performance graphs and table of features can be read via our pdf downloads

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