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Apple AppleVision 850 vs Sony GDM-F520

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleAppleVision 850SonyGDM-F520
Overview
ReleasedMay 19972001
Display
Screen size19″19.8″
PanelCRT (Nominal 20-inch Trinitron CRT, 19-inch viewable image, 0.26 mm stripe pitch and 0.25 mm grille pitch per Service Source; no fixed native pixel matrix)CRT (Flat FD Trinitron aperture-grille CRT; marketed as a 21-inch tube with a 19.8-inch viewable image. No fixed pixel matrix or native refresh rate.)
Colour modesDigitalColor calibration to original factory measurements, with ambient-light and phosphor-age adjustments; ColorSync support for screen-to-print matching. Brochure white-point selection 4100–9300 K and gamma controls.PROFESSIONAL, STANDARD and DYNAMIC Picture Effect modes; EASY, PRESET, EXPERT and sRGB colour settings; 5000 K, 6500 K and 9300 K presets with 5000–11000 K adjustment in EASY
Pixel pitch–Uniform 0.22 mm aperture-grille pitch across the screen; not an LCD pixel pitch
Supported signal modesService Source lists 640 × 480 at 60, 67, 72, 75 or 85 Hz; 800 × 600 at 56, 60, 72, 75 or 85 Hz; 832 × 624 at 75 Hz; 1024 × 768 at 60, 70, 75 or 85 Hz, plus 87 Hz interlaced; 1152 × 870 at 75 Hz; 1280 × 1024 at 75 or 85 Hz; and 1600 × 1200 at 75 Hz. Horizontal scan range 30–94 kHz and vertical range 48–120 Hz. These are supported CRT signal modes, not native resolution or native refresh. November 1997 brochure instead prints 55 Hz for the two lowest modes; Service Source's detailed timing tables are retained.Sony specifies a maximum 2048 × 1536 at 85 Hz and recommends 1600 × 1200 at 85 Hz. Horizontal scan range 30–137 kHz; vertical scan range 48–170 Hz. These are supported timings, not native resolution or refresh. Maximum viewable area approximately 403.8 × 302.2 mm; standard image area 388 × 291 mm (4:3) or 364 × 291 mm (5:4).
Screen coatingMultilayer antireflection panel and antistatic coatingHigh Contrast AR screen coating
Calibration–RGB gain/bias, horizontal/vertical convergence, top/bottom vertical convergence, corner landing, geometry and moiré controls; automatic/manual degaussing and Image Restoration after a 30-minute warm-up
Connections
Video inputsDA-15VGA
USB-C chargingNoneNone
USB ports–4 × USB-A
SpeakersNo–
Other connectionsCaptive Macintosh DA-15 analogue RGB video cable with integrated ADB connection; supplied PC VGA adaptor. Two ADB pass-through output ports. Non-AV 850 has neither integrated speakers nor microphone; AV connections and audio specifications are not copied.One HD15 VGA input and one analogue RGB video input comprising five BNC connectors (R, G, B, horizontal sync and vertical sync). Separate/composite sync and sync-on-green supported; DDC Plug & Play is available over HD15 only.
USB hub detail–One square USB-B upstream connector and four rectangular USB-A downstream connectors on the right side; hub operates while the monitor is on or in power-saving mode
Design
Stand adjustsTilt, swivelTilt, swivel
Weight with stand30 kg30 kg
Tilt−5° to +15°5° down to 15° up
SwivelAt least ±45°90° left or right
Size with standService Source gives 474 × 484 × 515 mm, each ±3 mm (height × width × depth); November 1997 brochure gives 47.5 × 48.5 × 51.5 cmApproximately 497 × 499 × 487 mm (W × H × D)
Weight detailService Source publishes 30 kg (67 lb); November 1997 maker brochure instead gives 30.6 kg (67.4 lb), distinct from 35.7 kg fully boxed. Main field retains Service Source's monitor weight.Approximately 30 kg for the complete monitor; Sony's instructions say not to remove the stand
ControlsFront power, brightness, contrast and five buttons for on-screen controls. Additional geometry, colour and gamma controls through Mac Monitors & Sound control panel or Windows on-screen controls; automatic power-on degauss.Front input selector, Picture Effect button, menu button and up/down/push control button; automatic sizing/centring, control lock and nine menu languages
Power and support
Power useService Source and November 1997 maker brochure 150 W maximum; brochure less than 30 W standby and less than 5 W suspend/CPU energy-saving. EveryMac's secondary 180 W figure is not substituted.Up to 145 W in normal operation and up to 3 W in active-off deep sleep, without USB peripherals connected
Power supply90–264 V AC, 47–63 Hz; these mains ratings are not screen refresh ratesInternational operating instructions specify 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, 2.0–1.0 A; Japanese archive specifies 100 V AC. Use the appropriate supplied regional mains lead.
SoftwareSystem 7.1 or later and 68040 or later Macintosh processors for AppleVision software; Windows 95 compatibility with supplied adaptor. Maker 5 May 1997 press release says non-AV850 available immediately worldwide while 850AV was expected in June; no AV date substituted. Service Source explicitly describes the November 1997 ColorSync Display rename as the only product change at that point; no duplicate renamed model or unsupported successor link. Brightness and contrast ratio are unpublished.DDC2B/DDC2Bi over HD15, with stored preset/user timings and GTF support; exact signal support also depends on the graphics card
CertificationsOriginal TCO 92, MPR II, EPA Energy Star and VESA DPMS. Service Source identifies later TCO 95 replacement plastics from January 1998 only for non-AV ColorSync units carrying the rear TCO 95 mark.ENERGY STAR, TCO'99 and MPR II in the international operating instructions; Japanese archive also lists VCCI Class B and FCC Class B
In the box–Power cord, HD15 video-signal cable, USB cable, Power Mac G3/G4 adapter and operating instructions (international manual; regional contents may vary)

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