4:3 or 16:9 for monitor?

[Gus 97]

Hi Guys

I have an old CRT monitor thats OK, but I am thinking of buying a 19" TFT monitor.

 

Now looking on ebay etc it looks like there are 2 kinds of monitors, 4:3 or 16:9, I don't know what these figures mean so i am now confused

 

I use my monitor for 95% internet and 5% photos, I believe images will look a lot better on TFT.

There is no desire for me to have say 2 pages of MS Word on the screen at the same time, I do not use my PC for work.

Any tips most welcome, TIA

[jacko 8,827]

Google is your friend..

Widescreen 16:9 is great for watching DVDs.....

[js007 795]

Yep. Get the Widescreen. You can always stretch the web pages to fit. Plus, you can watch widescreen DVDs.

 

Really, there's no reason to buy a 4/3.

[frostfire 1,279]

First make sure your Video Card is capable of handling wide screen video.

 

99.5% of them are... but if you have a cheap computer with a onboard video card, its possible that you will be stuck with a 4:3 resolution no matter if your monitor can handle 16:9 or better.

 

If you can use the widescreen, get that. You get much more for the money, IMHO.

 

Frosty

[joekicker 53]

All of the above. Plus, you're going to need a new computer probably. If it came with a CRT, it's getting a bit long in the tooth anyhow. You might consider a whole new set, and donate the one you have - always a lot of good groups looking for used computers.

[Gus 97]

Thanks guys.

FWIW I bought the monitor before I bought my new PC (PC about 2 years old), I got it from a computer fair several years ago, it's about 19" and massive.

I feel that i have been missing out on a bit of quality by keeping my old monitor.

DVDs are not really my thing on a PC, I still have the old VHS tapes for my TV

 

As another thing which may be linked to the monitor, I have Windows XP SP2 genuine, but when I try to install SP3 it all goes tits up, it is really annoying as I have tried several times to download and install SP3 and it crashes on install. I think that one of the warnings is that some of my drivers may be causing the problem. On system i have tried downloading new drivers, but I have wasted so much time I thought about leaving it until I get a new monitor.

Also I have a Acer scanwit 2720s film scanner which is quite old now, that may be causing s problem with the SP3 install.

 

I can manage simple things but once I start messing about I can make the problem worse, we all know, PCs are great when they are going fine, but a right pain when they are not, just like a TG

[Big_Brian 179]

Thanks guys.

FWIW I bought the monitor before I bought my new PC (PC about 2 years old), I got it from a computer fair several years ago, it's about 19" and massive.

I feel that i have been missing out on a bit of quality by keeping my old monitor.

DVDs are not really my thing on a PC, I still have the old VHS tapes for my TV

 

As another thing which may be linked to the monitor, I have Windows XP SP2 genuine, but when I try to install SP3 it all goes tits up, it is really annoying as I have tried several times to download and install SP3 and it crashes on install. I think that one of the warnings is that some of my drivers may be causing the problem. On system i have tried downloading new drivers, but I have wasted so much time I thought about leaving it until I get a new monitor.

Also I have a Acer scanwit 2720s film scanner which is quite old now, that may be causing s problem with the SP3 install.

 

I can manage simple things but once I start messing about I can make the problem worse, we all know, PCs are great when they are going fine, but a right pain when they are not, just like a TG

Something to consider before you buy is that most websites simply aren't set up for widescreen viewing yet, so you either have blank areas at the sides or, if you stretch the image to fit the width, you don't see a lot vertically.

 

You're used to a 19" 4x3, then that's quite a tall screen, which is great for web browsing and photos. Please remember that a 19" widescreen will not be as tall. I've just measured my 17" 4x3 monitor and my 17" widescreen laptop screens. The monitor is 10 3/4" tall, the laptop is 9". I'd estimate that to give yourself the screen height that you're used to, you'll need a 21-22" widescreen.

 

I'd still go for the widescreen though, just be aware of the size that you'll need. I see that you're in the UK, Dabs.com are doing a 22" widescreen for £99 at the moment that I'm seriously considering myself.

[Bruce Mangosteen 535]

Something to consider before you buy is that most websites simply aren't set up for widescreen viewing yet, so you either have blank areas at the sides or, if you stretch the image to fit the width, you don't see a lot vertically...etc.

Most websites aren't set up for any particular aspect ratio. Because the browser will rearrange the site to match the horizontal size of the window, doing that isn't an easy thing to do, or even possible in some cases.

 

Concerning how much you see vertically, again that has nothing to do with the aspect ratio of the monitor. It is dictated by the window size again, and also the screen resolution.

 

At 2 years old the computer in question will no doubt be capable of handling the wide-aspect (16:9) screen. It might be capable of resolutions that the computer isn't though, so read the documentation before setting it up.

[Spartan 0]

I wanted a nice monitor to plug in my laptop to. I opted for a widescreen tv 26" LCD with a PC slot. Works great and only £199 at argos.