Monitors Widescreen LCD - Good to go for it now?

S

Spectre

Skilled
Hi Guys,
Need your help
I am currently using Samsung 740N, 17" LCD monitor. The problem is, all .avi movies downloaded comes up only half the screen. The top and bottom portion is cut-off. Is it due to monitor not being widescreen, if its widescreen monitor, will i get almost full screen with it...

Also, I play games lot more that i watch movies
Is widescreen good for gaming too. Will there be black blocks on either sides of WS monitor while gaming

If so, Is it a good time to go from 17(4:3) to 19" WS

Cheers
PCGamer
 
Widescreen is TOTAL Win! for movies be it DVDs or HD. Sure the videos won't FULLY occupy the entire screen because of different aspect ratios but it'll be much better than 4:3 screens thats for sure. Invest in a 22" screen if movie viewing is what you want to do.
 
cyberjunkie said:
Widescreen is TOTAL Win! for movies be it DVDs or HD. Sure the videos won't FULLY occupy the entire screen because of different aspect ratios but it'll be much better than 4:3 screens thats for sure. Invest in a 22" screen if movie viewing is what you want to do.
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Thanks CJ,

but how good is it for gaming, have u experienced it. do i get side blocks for games...i heard it somewhere....

Also, i dont want a huge monitor as it might hurt my eyes

22" would be max...
 
pcgamer said:
Thanks CJ,
but how good is it for gaming, have u experienced it. do i get side blocks for games...i heard it somewhere....

Also, i dont want a huge monitor as it might hurt my eyes
22" would be max...
Click to expand...

LCD's have negligible emissions & bigger monitor translates into less eyestrain in focusing.... If Movies are your primary concern then try to get a full HD panel... totally worth it..:eek:hyeah:

Finally I would suggest to wait some time since Budget is this month & rate cut is expected....
 
You can sit 2ft away and it'll still be comfortable. All games today support widescreen resolutions and any older games that don't will stretch - still alright as there are registry and other fixes for most of them. I have a 22" like many others and its totally worth it for both games and movies and it's not really costly either ~13-14k? Oh and so much space and power saving and even lower temperatures than CRTs...
 
22inchers are falling in prices as well. but no point , as they are 1050 pix high, and fall just short of 1080i. So I'm waiting for something which can handle 1080i to fall below 15k

having said that , 19" WS is the sweet spot for price : performance right now :)
 
You want full screen for movies? it will look badly as aspect ratio will be incorrect but you could download a media player like KMPlayer and set the video window as full screen(stretch) :p

OP, no even with WS monitors, you'll not get full screen as there is AR(for movies) . for latest games, you can set proper resolution and Aspect Ratio . for older games, there are tools available to make it full...
 
Shakensoul said:
Do u think the prices of lcds would come down ? Am planning to go for a LCD right now .....
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yup heard custom duty will be reduced by 4%....mobo and lcd will get cheaper...but its jus suggested..earlier last year it was said tax exemption would be increased and they did it by only 10k
 
Thanks guys for all your replies

broar94 said:
You want full screen for movies? it will look badly as aspect ratio will be incorrect but you could download a media player like KMPlayer and set the video window as full screen(stretch) :p
Click to expand...

I actually didn't mean full screen, that i can achieve with PowerDVD on my current 4:3 monitor with strech option, but it looks very bad.

The actual picture is very small on my 4:3, hence asked if its made better with WS

greenhorn said:
22inchers are falling in prices as well. but no point , as they are 1050 pix high, and fall just short of 1080i.
Click to expand...

Could you please throw more light on the 1080i and how HD helps when watching .avi movies downloaded from net.
 
pcgamer said:
Could you please throw more light on the 1080i and how HD helps when watching .avi movies downloaded from net.
Click to expand...

high definition video usually have a resolution of 1280*720 (720P) and 1920×1080 (1080i/1080p). What u mite be downloading are standard resolution(SD).

Since the LCD will be having higher resolutions, you are better off watching HD contents.

You can get more ideas here High-definition video - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You can download some HD clips from here http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/musicandvideo/hdvideo/contentshowcase.aspx

To play HD contents , you need to have a better PC config, check out the minimum requirements here WMV HD Content Showcase
 
pcgamer said:
Thanks guys for all your replies

I actually didn't mean full screen, that i can achieve with PowerDVD on my current 4:3 monitor with strech option, but it looks very bad.
The actual picture is very small on my 4:3, hence asked if its made better with WS
Click to expand...
Usually .avi movies have an Aspect Ratio of 16:9 while WS LCD monitors have an AR of 16:10 so movies will have to slightly stretched even if you get a WS LCD monitor it's not going to help the cause fully. For no blackbars experience you ought to get a LCD TV and hook it up to your monitor. About the picture being small, well most avi's are encoded at low resolutions so unless the source video is HD it isn't going to look any better.
Could you please throw more light on the 1080i and how HD helps when watching .avi movies downloaded from net.
Click to expand...
The monitor/TV being 1080i/p capable is only going to help if the source video you are watching is HD. SD or poor resolution avi's will look like trash.
 
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