SXGA still the world's worst resolution

[jvarszegi]

People have been claiming on AT forums that SXGA resolution, the only oddball resolution that's squished into an unnatural 4:3 aspect ratio (distorting pictures), is implemented on many displays in a more natural 5:4 ratio. I've even seen some describe this as bargain-basement wide display for the masses. Well, check out AnandTech's Dell 1905FP review; looks like 4:3 to me.

Are there any 19" SXGA displays out there with SXGA at a natural aspect ratio, or is that a bunch of hooey? Why aren't there any 19" SXGA+ panels?

Sadly, the review claims that Dell will stop production of the 2001FP, leaving them with no high-end 4:3 panels at all.

 

[THUGSROOK]

i will never buy another 5:4 monitor ever again, i cant stand it.
1280x1024 is 5:4.

my next monitor will be wide screen, 16:9 prolly

 

[jvarszegi]

Originally posted by: THUGSROOK
i will never buy another 5:4 monitor ever again, i cant stand it.
1280x1024 is 5:4.

my next monitor will be wide screen, 16:9 prolly

So was your monitor physically 5:4, or was the image "smushed" to be 4:3? That's what I'm really wondering; I'm aware that 1280 X 1024 resolution is in a 5 : 4 ratio. The local CompUSA people will probably look at me strangely today as I walk around with a tape measure-- I'm that curious.

Honestly, if I could find a decent cheap SXGA LCD that was 5:4, I'd be happy. My problem is the smushing.

 

[THUGSROOK]

no my 5:4 resolutions are full screen (viewsonic 5:4 1280x1024 POS)

4:3 & 16:9 resolutions get stretched ~ wish they didnt!

 

[Wolfshanze]

To the original poster, the Dell 1905 has a native resolution of 1280x1024... that is a 5:4 aspect ratio, which is par for the course on 19" LCDs.

As far as I know, there aren't any 4:3 aspect ratio 19" monitors... certainly not any with SXGA (which almost always refers to the 5:4 1280x1024 ratio). You'll need a UXGA monitor with 1600x1200 native to get a 4:3 ratio.

I believe some monitors can run in "letterbox" mode which would shut down a few pixels at the top and bottom edge of the LCD to give a true 4:3 ratio on certain resolutions. I still never got a straight answer if that was a hardware or software feature.

 

[VIAN]

Usually 17" and 19" LCDs are 5:4 ratio resolution and size of panel. It doesn't look that bad to me anyway, I barely notice the difference on my CRT.

 

[jvarszegi]

Originally posted by: Wolfshanze
To the original poster, the Dell 1905 has a native resolution of 1280x1024... that is a 5:4 aspect ratio, which is par for the course on 19" LCDs.

As far as I know, there aren't any 4:3 aspect ratio 19" monitors... certainly not any with SXGA (which almost always refers to the 5:4 1280x1024 ratio). You'll need a UXGA monitor with 1600x1200 native to get a 4:3 ratio.

Holy mother of God, I must really not know how to ask a question clearly. I know all that! Who wouldn't realize that SXGA resolution is 5:4? What I was asking (very unclearly I think) was about the physical proportions of SXGA LCDs. If you look at the picture of the 1905FP, it looks to be physically 4:3.

Edit: Wouldn't the "letterbox" feature have to put bars at the left and right of the screen to run a 4:3 resolution properly? That's the first I've heard of that feature, and it is interesting. Thanks for responding.

 

[jvarszegi]

Originally posted by: VIAN
Usually 17" and 19" LCDs are 5:4 ratio resolution and size of panel. It doesn't look that bad to me anyway, I barely notice the difference on my CRT.

Thank you.

 

[THUGSROOK]

there is an option in the nvidia driver control panel for "fixed aspect ratio timing".
in theory it should NOT stretch or shrink the screen....... it works like chit
even kills benchmark scores badly.



/me waiting for good cheap 16:9 monitors....

 

[Wolfshanze]

Wouldn't the "letterbox" feature have to put bars at the left and right of the screen to run a 4:3 resolution properly? That's the first I've heard of that feature, and it is interesting. Thanks for responding.

1280Wx960H is a 4:3 aspect ratio. 1280Wx1024H is a 5:4 aspect ratio.

If you use the "letterbox" feature to get a non-stretched image, you will black out across the top and bottom, not left and right sides.

As for it's actual effectiveness, or performance hit, I haven't a clue. I've personally never used it, I've only heard it spoken of on the forum. As it is, I'm awaiting my first desktop LCD: The Viewsonic VP912B (complete with SXGA 5:4 aspect ratio). Fed-X is bringing it on Monday.

 

[EarthwormJim]

Originally posted by: jvarszegi

Originally posted by: Wolfshanze
To the original poster, the Dell 1905 has a native resolution of 1280x1024... that is a 5:4 aspect ratio, which is par for the course on 19" LCDs.

As far as I know, there aren't any 4:3 aspect ratio 19" monitors... certainly not any with SXGA (which almost always refers to the 5:4 1280x1024 ratio). You'll need a UXGA monitor with 1600x1200 native to get a 4:3 ratio.

Holy mother of God, I must really not know how to ask a question clearly. I know all that! Who wouldn't realize that SXGA resolution is 5:4? What I was asking (very unclearly I think) was about the physical proportions of SXGA LCDs. If you look at the picture of the 1905FP, it looks to be physically 4:3.

Edit: Wouldn't the "letterbox" feature have to put bars at the left and right of the screen to run a 4:3 resolution properly? That's the first I've heard of that feature, and it is interesting. Thanks for responding.

Clearly you've never looked at many 19inch LCDs in person very often. My 191T was physically a 5:4 monitor, I even measured it. At work, every single 19inch monitor is physcially a 5:4 monitor. How are you looking at the 1905fp? In review pictures? Pictures can easily distort the dimensions of objects. Easiest way to tell if a monitor is 5:4 without measing it is to compare it to a 4:3 monitor (in person). The 4:3 monitor will look significantly wider, just like when I compared my 191T to my 2001FP. The 2001FP wasn't really any taller, but was a bit wider than the 191T.

 

[rbV5]

I don't have a 19" LCD at home, but my 17" LCD has 1280x1024 native resolution and it measures ~13.25 x 10.625 or about a 5:4 ratio for the viewing area, and looks right.

 

[THUGSROOK]

yes, its looks right in 1280x1024.... thats all.

try something like 3dm05 which is 1024x768 4:3 and itll have the image quality of 640x480.

complete cr@p ~ tired of it :|

 

[otispunkmeyer]

Originally posted by: THUGSROOK
no my 5:4 resolutions are full screen (viewsonic 5:4 1280x1024 POS)

4:3 & 16:9 resolutions get stretched ~ wish they didnt!

yeah i have a 17 inch monitor, native res 12x10 but some games i have only go up to the 4:3 res of 12x9 and it looks wierd

 

[rbV5]

Originally posted by: THUGSROOK
yes, its looks right in 1280x1024.... thats all.

try something like 3dm05 which is 1024x768 4:3 and itll have the image quality of 640x480.

complete cr@p ~ tired of it :|

I use my 22" CRT for gaming actually, the LCD is just on a spare rig... but I think the OP is referring to the actual physical dimension of the Panel vs its native resolution. My 17" actually is 5:4 and it has the proper native resolution and it looks right.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but he's saying that the Dell 1905FP appears to be a 4:3 monitor with a 5:4 native resolution?

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: jvarszegi

Originally posted by: THUGSROOK
i will never buy another 5:4 monitor ever again, i cant stand it.
1280x1024 is 5:4.

my next monitor will be wide screen, 16:9 prolly

So was your monitor physically 5:4, or was the image "smushed" to be 4:3? That's what I'm really wondering; I'm aware that 1280 X 1024 resolution is in a 5 : 4 ratio. The local CompUSA people will probably look at me strangely today as I walk around with a tape measure-- I'm that curious.

Honestly, if I could find a decent cheap SXGA LCD that was 5:4, I'd be happy. My problem is the smushing.

Go on the manufacture's sites to look up dimensions in the specs.

 

[amol]

i :heart: my 16:10 monitor

 

[ssvegeta1010]

i love my 15" SXGA+ notebook

 

[THUGSROOK]

Originally posted by: Amol
i :heart: my 16:10 monitor

linky please

 

[SonicIce]

Originally posted by: jvarszegi

Originally posted by: THUGSROOK
i will never buy another 5:4 monitor ever again, i cant stand it.
1280x1024 is 5:4.

my next monitor will be wide screen, 16:9 prolly

So was your monitor physically 5:4, or was the image "smushed" to be 4:3? That's what I'm really wondering; I'm aware that 1280 X 1024 resolution is in a 5 : 4 ratio. The local CompUSA people will probably look at me strangely today as I walk around with a tape measure-- I'm that curious.

Honestly, if I could find a decent cheap SXGA LCD that was 5:4, I'd be happy. My problem is the smushing.

The tape measue seems like the only way to really know

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Originally posted by: jvarszegi
People have been claiming on AT forums that SXGA resolution, the only oddball resolution that's squished into an unnatural 4:3 aspect ratio (distorting pictures), is implemented on many displays in a more natural 5:4 ratio. I've even seen some describe this as bargain-basement wide display for the masses. Well, check out AnandTech's Dell 1905FP review; looks like 4:3 to me.

Are there any 19" SXGA displays out there with SXGA at a natural aspect ratio, or is that a bunch of hooey? Why aren't there any 19" SXGA+ panels?

Sadly, the review claims that Dell will stop production of the 2001FP, leaving them with no high-end 4:3 panels at all.

Wow, whereever you got the idea that I think you have/had... First off, 17-19" LCD panels are 5:4 ratio, with a natural resolution of 1280x1024. Its the same thing as the wide screen 23"+ LCDs. They are 16:10 with a resolution of 1920x1200. Nothing is stretched or squished. You just get more rows of horizontal pixles with 5:4, with wide screen you get more vertical.

on CRTs the image would be squished...until you adjust the picture.

I think you're thinking about the picture being distorted should you use a 4:3 (or some other ratio) resolution on a 5:4 panel. The problem is that you cant really run any res other than 1280x1024 on a 17-19" LCD, otherwise they make perfectly fine monitors.

 

[jvarszegi]

Thanks to everyone for helping me out. I was just being really stupid-- I never thought of the simple expedient of RTFM on manufacturers' websites. Now I'm wondering why some people don't like them-- I mean, you really don't want to run a non-native resolution anyway.

 

[Harry325]

the new 8ms Samsung 915N is 5:4 but their 912N is 4:3

Specifications


Model 912N-Black
Panel Type a-si TFT/PVA
Size 19"
Pixel Pitch (mm) 0.294
Brightness 260 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio 800:1
Viewing Angle (H/V) 170/170
Response Time (ms) 25
Aspect Ratio 4:3
Interface Analog
Frequency Horiz. Rate (kHz) 30-81 (Analog)
Vert. Rate (Hz) 56-75
Bandwidth (Mhz) 140
Resolution Native 1280x1024
Colors Supported 16.7 Million
Signal Input Input Video Signal Analog RGB
Sync Type Separate H/V, Composite H/V, SOG
Input Connectors 15pin D-Sub
Plug and Play DDC 2B
Power On/Working (Watts) 38
Wall Mount VESA® 100mm (optional)
Cabinet Color Front/Back Black
Available Colors Black
Dimensions (W*H*D) Physical (inches) 16.4 x 16.7 x 7.5
Packaging (inches) 20.0 x 19.4 x 5.9
Net Weight Physical 12.1 lbs
Packaging 16.5 lbs
Features Special Built-in Power Supply, Narrow Bezel, MagicTuneTM, MagicBrightTM
Included
Warranty Parts/Labor/Backlight (yrs) 3/3/3