Why so few wide screen LCDs?

[BG4533]

I am in the market for a new LCD in the next few months, probably around april after I get tax money back. I am willing to spend maybe $800 max on an LCD. I really like the looks of Dells new 2001FP, but a wide screen LCD seens like it would be so much nicer for what I do. I am a student and I do a decent amount of coding and the ability to fit multiple windows side by side sounds nice and I also like to watch DVDs on my computer. I also occasionally play games, but that is not really a concern.

Currently, I only see 17" and 23"+ wide LCDs. I can by no means afford the 23" LCDs and the resolution of 1280x768 seems way to low considering i run 1280x960 on my 19" CRT. Why aren't there any 19" or 20" wide LCDs in higher resolutions? Are there any expected out in the next 6 months or so?

On a somewhat different note, why are there no very high resolution desktop flat panels around? I see 1400x1050 14.1" LCD panels, but the highest 19" LCD i see is 1280x960. Why none at 1600 or even higher?

Thanks for the help,
Brian

 

[dkozloski]

How about an L771 Eizo 19.6" at 1600x1200 for a mere $2389.33. Maybe there is your answer. That's spendy.

 

[jdogg707]

I have seen a few Widescreen LCD's and they are quite nice, but I didn't like using them for desktop use...they were great when watching movies though.

 

[PeteyCPU]

can I suggest a dual 17" setup, you should be able to pull this off for around your budget

 

[Looney]

I think you've made your own point. You're only willing to spend $800....

 

[BG4533]

Originally posted by: PeteyCPU
can I suggest a dual 17" setup, you should be able to pull this off for around your budget

I ran a 19"+15" dual set up for a while until the 15" monitor died. I did enjoy it, but it took up way too much space and it was always a bit odd. If I went with dual LCDs space wouldnt be an issue, but I would probably have to get another PCI video card or something to use both with DVI. Currently I have a Radeon 9800 and plan on using its DVI, if I got dual LCDs, would it be best to get a PCI card with DVI or just run the second on the VGA out?

I have heard of a few people spanning DVDs over 2 LCDs. For those of you that do this, how annoying is it to have a split in the picture?

I think wide screen is really ideal for what I need, but dual LCDs might be more cost effective and give me more screen space.

Thanks,
Brian

 

[BG4533]

Anyone else have any comments on wide LCDS? I am asking this from a knowledge standpoint as well, I am not just asking about things in my price range.

Thanks,
Brian

 

[Ichinisan]

How about a widescreen CRT HDTV like the Sony 30XBR and 34XBR? They both have VGA input and all ATI Radeon cards can output component (with an adapter)

 

[vegetation]

On a somewhat different note, why are there no very high resolution desktop flat panels around? I see 1400x1050 14.1" LCD panels, but the highest 19" LCD i see is 1280x960. Why none at 1600 or even higher?

It would be economically hard for a company to sell high resolution stand-alone lcd monitors that you see with laptop systems. For example, the 15" wide screen Dell Inspiron 8500 has a resolution of 1920x1200, an absolute beauty that would make all comparable desktop panels look like cr@p. Many people will easily justify the added expense of equipping a higher resolution screen on a laptop which effectively tops out at 15" anyways (17" are too bulky). If a 15" WUXGA desktop screen were available for, say $700, most consumers would just go for a lower res 19" lcd at the same cost instead.