• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

High dpi LCD displays - do they exist?

L

LiekOMG

Golden Member
I am in the market for a new LCD. The 20" Dell is right up my alley in size and price, however, I am a little disappointed at its resolution. I am currently running an SGI LCD at 17" widescreen @ 1600x1024. The Dell has pretty much the same resolution, but is 3 inches bigger. At that size, I can start to see the individual pixels, and the "screen door" effect that it creates because of that really annoys me.

My current screen has a dpi of 110. The Dell, Samsung, Apple, etc, and similar screens all seem to use a lower dpi. Do higher dpi displays exist, somewhere in the 17" - 20" range? Thanks.
 
Originally posted by: DOACleric
I am in the market for a new LCD. The 20" Dell is right up my alley in size and price, however, I am a little disappointed at its resolution. I am currently running an SGI LCD at 17" widescreen @ 1600x1024. The Dell has pretty much the same resolution, but is 3 inches bigger. At that size, I can start to see the individual pixels, and the "screen door" effect that it creates because of that really annoys me.
Click to expand...

Don't sit three inches away from the screen? 1600x1200 on a 20" display is not exactly a 'low' resolution/dpi.

My current screen has a dpi of 110. The Dell, Samsung, Apple, etc, and similar screens all seem to use a lower dpi. Do higher dpi displays exist, somewhere in the 17" - 20" range? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Yes, but they are designed for medical imaging and they cost a small fortune. Smaller high-density panels are pretty much all taken up by laptops, and I can't say I'd really want a 17" 1900x1200 widescreen panel on my desk.
 
i really don't understand why high DPI panels aren't typically available on desktops but are readily available in notebooks. the fact that i can get a 15" monitor on a notebook that has the same resolution as my 20" desktop monitor kinda bothers me (though it is great for remote desktop)
 
Originally posted by: ElFenix
i really don't understand why high DPI panels aren't typically available on desktops but are readily available in notebooks. the fact that i can get a 15" monitor on a notebook that has the same resolution as my 20" desktop monitor kinda bothers me (though it is great for remote desktop)
Click to expand...

Big, high-DPI panels = expensive. Plus, you need a dual-link DVI video card to drive anything more than ~1080P with, and those are not common except in high-end gaming systems and workstations.

Small, high-DPI panels = too small for desktop use. A 15" widescreen panel is WAY too small for anything but a portable system, unless you want to sit your LCD about two inches from your face.

Now, I think there's probably a market for something like a 19" 4:3 panel with 1600x1200 resolution, or a 20" widescreen at 1920x1200 resolution. But I think there really aren't facilities to make these; most of the high-density LCD manufacturing capacity is used for laptops.
 
Yeah you guys brought up a good point. There are plenty of laptops that sell with with outrageously high resolutions for a 15" screen, yet something similar isn't offered in a desktop model. I would be happy with a 20" running at 1920x1200.
 
Originally posted by: ElFenix
i really don't understand why high DPI panels aren't typically available on desktops but are readily available in notebooks. the fact that i can get a 15" monitor on a notebook that has the same resolution as my 20" desktop monitor kinda bothers me (though it is great for remote desktop)
Click to expand...

With notebooks, you usually sit a lot closer. CRTs have high resolutions because they tend to scale better to lower ones. With LCDs, there needs to be a safe medium (actually high/native). Technically, LCDs have the capability of much higher resolutions than CRTs do though. (See that IBM 22" LCD above.)
 
The IBM T221 is not worth the money. The refresh rate at full resolution is abysmal, as is the 50ms latency. I should know as I have two of them at work.

Also, we use a NEC Multisync LCD2180QX which is 2048x1536 with an LED backlight. Now that is some serious LCD, but it is an engineering sample only and likely to cost a lot of money.

For everyday use, go with the Sony SDM-P234 LCD (1920x1200), Dell 2405 FPW (1900x1200), or Dell 3007 WFP (2560x1600).
 
It's a compromise by the LCD manufacturers for mass appeal. Frankly I think the resolution of 17"/20"/24" LCD's are perfect. The most popular LCD size right now is 19", with its massive .29 dot pitch, so the masses clearly like bigger text.
 
Yep, I like bigger text. I wouldn't consider a 20" LCD at 1650 x 1080 or 1600 x 1200. The pixel size is way too small. I also had my wife try a 17" LCD, and the text was too small, and I had to go with a 19". A pixel size of 0.27 is the smallest I can handle (21" at 1600 x 1200).

I can see a potential market for high resolution, but I'm sure it will always cost a lot more.
 
Originally posted by: jiffylube1024
^ you could always increase the DPI size in Windows kmmatney. Plus you get used to the higher resolution after about a month...
Click to expand...


My wife tried that when she was using our 2005FPW from about a yard's distance (it's how she wanted to set up the desk). It always drove me crazy trying to use the computer with the fonts set large because half the programs didn't properly support the font scaling and would wind up looking really goofy. Intel Audio Studio simply refused to run with the bigger fonts, and all the icons looked crappy at the larger text size. Hopefully they fix the font scaling issues in Vista, because it is super annoying in XP.
 
Originally posted by: lifeguard1999
Originally posted by: BFG10K
The IBM T221 is 3840X2400 of double dual-link DVI goodness
Click to expand...
Man, I would love to see some gaming benchmarks at that resolution. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

At 50ms latency and a maximum refresh rate of 41~48Hz? They would look horrible.
Click to expand...

lcd doesnt need to worry about refresh rates that much 😛

but OH GOD 7000$$$??? id rather buy a few quad sli setups
 
Originally posted by: Matthias99
Originally posted by: ElFenix
i really don't understand why high DPI panels aren't typically available on desktops but are readily available in notebooks. the fact that i can get a 15" monitor on a notebook that has the same resolution as my 20" desktop monitor kinda bothers me (though it is great for remote desktop)
Click to expand...

Big, high-DPI panels = expensive. Plus, you need a dual-link DVI video card to drive anything more than ~1080P with, and those are not common except in high-end gaming systems and workstations.

Small, high-DPI panels = too small for desktop use. A 15" widescreen panel is WAY too small for anything but a portable system, unless you want to sit your LCD about two inches from your face.

Now, I think there's probably a market for something like a 19" 4:3 panel with 1600x1200 resolution, or a 20" widescreen at 1920x1200 resolution. But I think there really aren't facilities to make these; most of the high-density LCD manufacturing capacity is used for laptops.
Click to expand...

i guess i'll just have to throw down for a 24" LCD... it's kind of annoying that HD content just barely doesn't fit on my 2005.
 
I still don't see why these don't exist. Especially considering that the panels ARE being made - and put in laptops. I see plenty of 17" laptops running at 1600 or even 1920! All someone would have to do is stick it in a bezel and sell it as a separate display.
 
Originally posted by: DOACleric
I still don't see why these don't exist. Especially considering that the panels ARE being made - and put in laptops. I see plenty of 17" laptops running at 1600 or even 1920! All someone would have to do is stick it in a bezel and sell it as a separate display.
Click to expand...

I, for one, would not pay good money for a 17" widescreen desktop monitor, regardless of resolution. Hell, I'm not sure 20" widescreen panels are really big enough.

Those panels are WAY too small for general desktop use IMO.
 
I have seen them, but they are not shipping. They had a couple at ~220-240dpi at WinHEC in 2004 running Longhorn. Longhorn supports high dpi (aka Vista). Just not shipping yet. But I can say that text documents were a stunner. Finally, print quality on a display. I won't have to print everything to read it, some day.
 
Originally posted by: jiffylube1024
^ you could always increase the DPI size in Windows kmmatney. Plus you get used to the higher resolution after about a month...
Click to expand...


As someobody else pointed out, a lot of programs look funny when you do that. The Dell 24" LCD has 0.27 mm pixel pitch, which is the same as my Samsung 21.3" panel at work, so I would have to get that one, instead of the 20" model. I can "just" handle that pixel size. I happen to have an eye disease, Keratoconus, so I need some bigger pixels. I think I would get an LCD-TV as my monitor if my eyes get any worse...

One good thing about having bad eyes is I am completely resistant to "screen door" effect. I notice it on low resolution plasma displays, but not any any LCDs.
 
Originally posted by: Matthias99
Originally posted by: DOACleric
I still don't see why these don't exist. Especially considering that the panels ARE being made - and put in laptops. I see plenty of 17" laptops running at 1600 or even 1920! All someone would have to do is stick it in a bezel and sell it as a separate display.
Click to expand...

I, for one, would not pay good money for a 17" widescreen desktop monitor, regardless of resolution. Hell, I'm not sure 20" widescreen panels are really big enough.

Those panels are WAY too small for general desktop use IMO.
Click to expand...


My current screen is 17" widescreen running at 1600x1024, and I love it. Text and graphics are crisp and beautiful.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top