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Apple AppleVision 850 vs Sony GDM-FW900

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

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AppleAppleVision 850SonyGDM-FW900
Overview
ReleasedMay 19972000
Display
Screen size19″22.5″
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 24-inch tube, with a 22.5-inch active diagonal in Sony's US brochure. 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.EASY, EXPERT and sRGB; 5000 K, 6500 K and 9300 K presets, adjustable colour temperature, RGB gain and bias
Pixel pitch–Variable aperture-grille pitch, 0.23 mm at the centre to 0.27 mm at the edges; 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 2304 × 1440 at 80 Hz and recommends 1920 × 1200 at 85 Hz (16:10). Horizontal scan range 30–121 kHz; vertical scan range 48–160 Hz. These are supported timings, not native resolution or refresh. Standard image area 474 × 296 mm (16:10), 395 × 296 mm (4:3), or 370 × 296 mm (5:4); maximum viewable area approximately 482.1 × 308.2 mm.
Screen coatingMultilayer antireflection panel and antistatic coatingHigh Contrast AR screen coating
Calibration–Horizontal and vertical convergence, top/bottom vertical convergence, geometry, landing and moiré adjustment; automatic and manual degaussing
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 input comprising five BNC connectors (R, G, B, horizontal sync and vertical sync). Supports separate/composite sync and sync-on-green; BNC does not support DDC Plug & Play.
USB hub detail–One square USB-B upstream connector and four rectangular USB-A downstream connectors; hub remains powered in monitor power-saving mode
Design
Stand adjustsTilt, swivelTilt, swivel
Weight with stand30 kg42 kg
Tilt−5° to +15°5° down to 15° up
SwivelAt least ±45°165° left or right, as shown in the operating instructions
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 571.5 × 500 × 522.5 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 42 kg for the complete monitor
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.Roll-in cylindrical control panel with joystick, input selector, automatic sizing/centring and reset; OSD control lock and nine menu languages
Colours–Metallic silver front bezel and navy-blue rear cabinet (Japanese archive description)
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 170 W in operation, up to 15 W in standby/suspend and up to 1 W in active-off mode, all without USB peripherals; 0 W with power switched off
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, 2.2–1.2 A; Japanese-market 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.DDC1/DDC2B/DDC2Bi and GTF support over HD15; graphics-card timing support is required for widescreen modes
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
In the box–Power cord, video-signal cable, USB cable, Power Mac G3/G4 adapter, warranty card, screen-cleaning notes and operating instructions (international manual; regional contents may vary)

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