Sony announces the launch of its new Colour Reference System (CRS), a PC and Macintosh compatible colour calibrated display system for creative professionals.

The Sony CRS comes as three parts; a 21-inch FD Trinitron CRT display, a factory calibrated hardware sensor, and simple-to-use calibration software. The system is engineered to deliver stable, accurate and repeatable colour results for critical design applications, increasing professionals’ productivity while reducing error and waste.

“For colour critical judgements, the typical mass-market computer display will not do. Graphics professionals nowadays must deal with images that have no physical reference, such as digital photos and remotely transmitted pictures,” says Peter Dyson of the Seybold Consulting Group. “There are other calibrated monitors on the market, but Sony’s CRS goes farther, setting the black threshold to regulate contrast ratio and assure neutral greys all the way down to black. For high-end colour-critical soft proofing, Sony’s CRS comes pretty close to the ideal.”

The Sony CRS’ ability to control consistency across all CRS systems minimises the need for hard proofs, reducing the time and cost involved in the approval process.

The Sony CRS is bundled with the 21-inch (19.8-inch viewable) Sony GDM-C520K Trinitron display that is specially tuned to achieve the optimum in non-distorted, glare-free images. An attachable display hood helps to reduce unwanted light.

How the Sony CRS works:

Sony's colour sensor, a small device, is physically applied to the display and works in conjunction with the Sony CRS software to read and communicate the colour spectrum of the displayed image, allowing any adjustments to be made automatically. There is little operator intervention. The Sony CRS display, sensor and software work together to ensure accurate colour and grey level consistency over time. The system maintains the absolute specification, creating an ICC display profile.

After consistent colour is mastered, consistency becomes critical. The Sony CRS accomplishes this through a constant contrast ratio by anchoring white and black. Controlling contrast and brightness – which can be difficult and tedious to do manually – is entirely automated. Further, the monitor’s hood and built-in controls for ambient light conditions ensure that only the ideal amount of light affects viewer's perception of colour.

Ensuring consistent results, the filters of the display's colour sensor are factory-calibrated, maintaining accuracy. As work types demand, users can quickly toggle between various standard industry colour spaces including RGB-D50 (professional printers), RGB-65 (consumer and digital photography) and SRGB-D65 (Web publishing).

From the easy-grip colour calibration sensor and L50 bezel to the integrated hood that blocks glare, the Sony Colour Reference System has been thoughtfully designed for the creative professional.

Available from January 2003 at £1700 inclusive of VAT

Click here for full Specifications

For further information visit Sony Information Technology at www.sony-cp.com.