1280x1024 vs. x960

[Azndude51]

I just need a little clarification, this is my understanding, please correct me if I'm wrong. So 19" LCDs have 1280x1024 as the native res and can't display 1280x960. However, the 1280x1024 res on a LCD looks almost exactly the same (4:3 stretch wise) as 1280x960 on a CRT?

 

[mwmorph]

there is a tiny geometric diffrence. draw a bunch of geometricshapes like circles, squares and whatnot and st to both resolutions. in 12x9 it will look slightly more true.

edit: it's taht 12x10 is used becasue 5:4 is supported more than 4:3 with monitors.

 

[Elderly Newt]

Perhaps LCDs are taller than CRTs? This would account for more pixels being used and still producing a correctly proportioned image.

 

[Brian23]

I want to know this too. I use a CRT with 1280x960 res and the main reason I haven't upgraded to a LCD is that I don't want a strange aspect ratio.

 

[SonicIce]

This is where you bust out your tape measure and see whats best for you . Take your monitors width and divide it by its height to get the aspect ratio. If your answer is closer to ~1.33 then you have a 1.33:1 (4:3) aspect ratio and it would look better to use 1280x960. If you get a number closer to 1.25 (1.25:1 or 5:4) then use 1280x1024. I have a 17" CRT thats about 12.5" x 9.5" so I divided 12.5 by 9.5 and got ~1.316 so I would use 1280x960, but this doesn't apply to me because I can only do 60Hz at these resolutions . What do you people with 1280x1024 LCD's get when you measure and divide?

 

[GuitarDaddy]

My 17in LCD is 11" x 14" 1.277 5:4 max res 1280 x 1024

 

[SonicIce]

Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
My 17in LCD is 11" x 14" 1.277 5:4 max res 1280 x 1024

That clears stuff up

 

[Auric]

Given the control via the monitor's hardware or the viddy card's software, any resolution up to the maximum can be used on either LCD or CRT, regardless of aspect ratio. If the OS supports the AR, the screen dimensions have no affect on the desktop.

A 1280x1024 max LCD certainly can display 1280x960 and is important for those games that do not support 5:4. Likewise, a 4:3 CRT can display 1280x1024. In either case, you just want to make sure the screen is not incorrectly filled which would obviously distort the AR.

Many LCD monitors lack hardware controls and viddy card software options only exist for digital. So don't get an analog-only LCD with a 5:4 AR.

 

[Tostada]

Originally posted by: Azndude51
I just need a little clarification, this is my understanding, please correct me if I'm wrong. So 19" LCDs have 1280x1024 as the native res and can't display 1280x960. However, the 1280x1024 res on a LCD looks almost exactly the same (4:3 stretch wise) as 1280x960 on a CRT?

Since you seem to be getting so many contradictory and/or incoherent responses...

Like GuitarDaddy said, 1280x1024 LCD screens actually have the correct 5:4 physical size. If you put them in 1280x960 the aspect will be slightly distored (4:3 resolution on a 5:4 display) and the picture will be less sharp (non-native resolution).

CRTs are 4:3, so when they're in 1280x1024 the picture is slightly distorted (5:4 resolution on a 4:3 display). 1280x960 is the correct aspect for a CRT, but many video cards don't even support it. They only give you 1280x1024 with an incorrect aspect. This has been a standard CRT resolution for so long, though, that some games compensate for this and correct the aspect.

So you're essentially correct.

 

[Azndude51]

Originally posted by: Tostada

Originally posted by: Azndude51
I just need a little clarification, this is my understanding, please correct me if I'm wrong. So 19" LCDs have 1280x1024 as the native res and can't display 1280x960. However, the 1280x1024 res on a LCD looks almost exactly the same (4:3 stretch wise) as 1280x960 on a CRT?

Since you seem to be getting so many contradictory and/or incoherent responses...

Like GuitarDaddy said, 1280x1024 LCD screens actually have the correct 5:4 physical size. If you put them in 1280x960 the aspect will be slightly distored (4:3 resolution on a 5:4 display) and the picture will be less sharp (non-native resolution).

CRTs are 4:3, so when they're in 1280x1024 the picture is slightly distorted (5:4 resolution on a 4:3 display). 1280x960 is the correct aspect for a CRT, but many video cards don't even support it. They only give you 1280x1024 with an incorrect aspect. This has been a standard CRT resolution for so long, though, that some games compensate for this and correct the aspect.

So you're essentially correct.

So will 1024x768 be distorted on a LCD also since it is 4:3?

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: Azndude51

Originally posted by: Tostada

Originally posted by: Azndude51
I just need a little clarification, this is my understanding, please correct me if I'm wrong. So 19" LCDs have 1280x1024 as the native res and can't display 1280x960. However, the 1280x1024 res on a LCD looks almost exactly the same (4:3 stretch wise) as 1280x960 on a CRT?

Since you seem to be getting so many contradictory and/or incoherent responses...

Like GuitarDaddy said, 1280x1024 LCD screens actually have the correct 5:4 physical size. If you put them in 1280x960 the aspect will be slightly distored (4:3 resolution on a 5:4 display) and the picture will be less sharp (non-native resolution).

CRTs are 4:3, so when they're in 1280x1024 the picture is slightly distorted (5:4 resolution on a 4:3 display). 1280x960 is the correct aspect for a CRT, but many video cards don't even support it. They only give you 1280x1024 with an incorrect aspect. This has been a standard CRT resolution for so long, though, that some games compensate for this and correct the aspect.

So you're essentially correct.

So will 1024x768 be distorted on a LCD also since it is 4:3?

Yes.

On a 17" LCD, the only good resolution is 1280*1024

 

[Malak]

I run 1280x960 on a 19in CRT. Try running 1280x1024 and play games and you'll see the difference quick.

 

[Auric]

Neither LCD nor CRT will be distorted when a diff'rent AR resolution is displayed unless the image is allowed or forced to stretch. The most common user errors are setting a 4:3 display for 1280x1024, yet manually stretching the image horizontally to fill, when they should be using 1280x960 and likewise on a 5:4 display forcing a game which only supports 4:3 AR's like 1280x960 to 1280x1024, thus stretching it vertically. When the user is not given the option of manual distortion, as with a digital input LCD, the OS and drivers can do their thing and always display correctly. Although NVIDIA is better at this than ATI, since they inexplicably scale up and stretch three of the seven available resolutions lower than the max.

 

[kobymu]

with CRT (especially with flat CRTs) it is all about calibration, you can make 1280x1024 (and any other 5:4 aspect ratio resolution) look "right".
CRTs have optimal resolution, they dont have native resolution.

 

[Baked]

I run my 18" LCD at 12x9 just because I can.

 

[SonicIce]

Originally posted by: kobymu
with CRT (especially with flat CRTs) it is all about calibration, you can make 1280x1024 (and any other 5:4 aspect ratio resolution) look "right".
CRTs have optimal resolution, they dont have native resolution.

what exactly does "optimal" mean? will they have a longer lifespan at these resolutions? also why do they use optimal as 1280x1024 instead of x960 for 19" CRT's?

 

[kobymu]

Originally posted by: SonicIce
what exactly does "optimal" mean?

optimal usually means best viewed resolution (highest resolution where A. text is clear and sharp at the os default dpi, B. in graphic you can easily distinguish between individual pixels of different color/bightness/intensity)

for example lets take my LG 17" Flatron CRT:

1. the optimal resolution is 1152x864@100Hz ;best overoll
2. 2nd place 1024x768@100Hz & 1280x960@85Hz ;text is still clear and sharp but in graphic individual pixels on 1024x768 is just a little bit too easy to distinguish and on 1280x960 it is just a little bit too hard (i need to focuse on that point for more then half of a secound), but both are still viable for games/graphic work.
3. as i go further away from 1152x864 (up or down) the worse it gets (800x600 and 1280x1024 are ok for text but at 640x480 the pixels are getting awfully big and at 1600x1200 it start to get just little bit of flicker).

Originally posted by: SonicIce
...also why do they use optimal as 1280x1024 instead of x960 for 19" CRT's?

i think you mean why is 1280x1024 more common then 1280x960, and there are two answers to that:

1. a lot of CRTs that i encountered with seemed they didnt support 1280x960 until either A. i unchecked "Hide modes that this monitor cannot displey" under "Monitor" tab in display properaites" and/or B. i changed the video card (heck, my Matrox Millennium pci with 2Mb of ram can support 1280x960 in 254 color depth, along with some other funky resolution like 856x480 and 1600x1024)

2. i *think* (told to my by an old-timer CAD designer and i think he it right) that most CTR and video card manufacturer (although high end product will usually offer both these resolution) felt that the jump from 1024x786 to 1280x960 didnt offer such of a high pixle count growth so they bumped it (1280x960) up to 1280x1024.

640x480 -> 800x600 ; 480000-307200 = 172800

800x600 -> 1024x768 ; 786432-480000 = 306432 (allmost double the pixle gain from 172800)

1024x768 -> 1280x960 ; 1228800-786432 = 442368 (only ~150% pixle gain from 306432)

1024x768 -> 1280x1024 ; 1310720-786432= 524288 (not double from 306432 but defently more than 150% pixle gain)