I will be buying a new monitor but which type should I buy?
Only you can answer that. It's subjective.
We could try to predict how a different resolution or aspect
ratio might effect your habits, but it would be far too easy
to be wrong as crystal balls are seldom guaranteed accurate.
I will admit I am not widescreens biggest 'fan', however what I
like is pretty immaterial as I can't control the format in which
other people produce 'media'.
If thinking about single-use-at-a-time, widescreen LCD are
best for newer commercially produced video and a nice effect
on some games but not well enough supported on games in
general (though certainly in the future, support for them
will rise but how long and whether you are still using the
same LCD at that point for your primary gaming monitor (if
you game on one at all), we cannot predict either).
I currently have a bog standard 14" CRT monitor but I think I will
be going flatscreen (LCD etc) because I want a good sized monitor
and CRT takes up too much room really.
Before my first LCD I thought that too, it'll be nice for it
to take up less space. Now I have a lot of empty space
behind my monitor. Someday I'll put something behind it to
take up the space, maybe.
Mostly I love the per-pixel clarity, vastly diminished
flicker (I can discern even 100Hz refresh rate though I can
work ok with 75Hz or above), and considering your present
monitor seems older and possibly curved, it would be lower
glare too unless the LCD you choose has a hard coating or
plate over it. That can increase the perceived contrast,
but overall I still prefer uncoated (except on a laptop
where the extra protection is nice).
Even now some sites seem to be standard and other widescreen so
whatever I get it wil be 'wrong'. (Thanks to the 'inventor' of widescreen).
Some 'sites were always wrong and always will be because the
creator foolishly tries to fit everything and the kitchen
sink on the page, or possibly as bad, they try to have vast
open areas of wasted space so they can have more colored
gradients.
Do any of you have a WS monitor?
Yes, and non.
If I had only one, it'd be 4:3, 1600x1200.
That's my suggestion unless you have a specific reason to
pick something else.
I kind of see a big problem with them because obviously they are too sort in
height.
For example, many PDF documents are A4 page size, this is a problem in say
Adobe Acrobat because even on a standard monitor you can only see about half
the page, it will be much worse on a WS. I feel like turning my monitor
through
90 degrees, can you do this with some monitors?
With some (typically mid to higher end models), but you may
find you don't need to do it at all because each pixel is so
much more clear and because (assuming you get at least a 19"
which I highly recommend if not 20.x") of the larger size,
you may find you don't need to maximize the window or fit to
fill the whole screen as you would with the 14: CRT.
I suggest you go to a store where they let you navigate
around on their systems on display. See what you find
usable.
Also there is all the toolbars etc (google norton etc...) which reduce the
vertical
height of the screen anyway, making my standard monitor, widescreen in a
way,
on a true widescreen monitor doesn't this look kind of ridulous? The
'useable'
screen area must be 5.75 by 10.75 which is a ratio of 1.86:1
on a WS monitor the situation will be even worse, I am thinking it is going
to
be close to 2.5:1 or even 3:1.
It depends on what size you buy. I would not recommend 19"
or lower widescreen for the reasons you suggested above, at
least not for a primary monitor. Once you go to a larger
LCD and higher native resolution, then the factors I'd
mentioned above begin to apply again.
Can anyone with a WS monitor tell me the ratio of the free screen area, its
a bit
har d for me to work out. I am working on the basis you have 3 (tool)bars
at the top and the start button bar at the bottom. There is also a
'mini-bar'
above both these bars, in a normal set up.
That depends on the size of your toolbars, taskbar, etc.
I think the primary question for someone buying "today" is
do they plan on watching a lot of commercially produced
video on it?
Forget I wrote that, I still suggest a 1600x1200 as the
first replacement for your CRT, except if you'll be gaming
and your video card can't push the pixels fast enough on
your games at 1600x1200. You may find FSAA even more usable
(desirable) on LCD because unlike CRT, LCD doesn't blur the
edges of pixels together. That's not necessarily bad, quite
the opposite but I think you will start to realize your tv
and games have image glitches you didn't notice because you
were watching on a small CRT.
Another point is 'native resolution', or whatever, will this affect things?
Plan to always use the native resolution. It's not
absolutely horrible on non-native but once you get used to
the higher /native resolution, you'll probably prefer to
leave it there and will have new habits to do whatever
things you'll be doing.
I am probably thinking a big standard shape monitor would be best?
I incidently I have a Freecom DTTV stick so I sometime watch TV
on my PC, but the monitor shape is not really a problem as you watch in
a nicely framed box, you don't get black ugly bars wasteing space as you
do on a proper TV.
Like anything else the budget would have to be considered.
If at least 20" is manageable, again I suggest 1600x1200 4:3
LCD except for the caveat above about gaming speed. If you
want to go significantly larger than 20.x", widescreen then
becomes more versatile for typical uses because of both the
higher res. and the higher physical space to view.
Then there's multiple monitors... depends on how you'll use
the system most, everything's a compromise.
)