17" LCD Monitors

[MisterCornell]

Monitors and TV's have 4:3 width to height dimensions. On desktops, you typically see resolutions like 640x480, 1024x768, 1600x1200.

However, I've noticed 17" LCD monitors are 1280x1024, which is 5:4. The picture they produce is still 4:3 though (I'm guessing the pixels must be wider than they are taller).

Does this distort the image appreciably? Thanks.

 

[kmmatney]

The pixels are the same size in both directions - theres just more of them in the vertical direction on 17" and 19" LCD monitors - there is no distortion.

 

[MisterCornell]

Originally posted by: kmmatney
The pixels are the same size in both directions - theres just more of them in the vertical direction on 17" and 19" LCD monitors - there is no distortion.

Then the aspect ratio of the display would be 5:4.

This monitor here has an aspect ratio of 4:3, http://product.samsung.com/cgi...;selTab=Specifications
In this case, the pixels would have to be wider than they are taller.

Although this one seems to be 5:4, as it's pixels are, http://www.viewsonic.com/produ.../graphicseries/vg710b/

 

[kmmatney]

Yes, I guess the aspect ratio is 5:4. The pixels are the same size vertically and horizontally, though. The screen is physically in a 5:4 ratio, so no distortion at native resolution.

I never noticed it before, but there is a small amount of distortion when scaling to 1024 x 768. Overall, though, graphics look fine and games look nice at 4:3 ratios.

In my case, if I put my video card into a 16:9 format, then I can either distort the image to use the whole screen, or scale it perfectly and leave a lot of screen unused. These options are in my video card driver, and not the LCD monitor itself, though. I have a 19" BenQ LCD (FP931).