How to Buy a Widescreen Monitor

Computer monitors these days come in a variety of sizes and dimensions, partly depending on whether they're the traditional and bulky Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) or the sleek Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). LCD monitors themselves are manufactured in a variety of dimensions, including widescreen. Widescreen monitors can have a height to width ratio of 16:19, compared to the more familiar and boxy 4:3 ratio. Widescreen monitors aim to compete with the display ratio of a theater screen and are growing in popularity. Here’s how to buy a widescreen monitor.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Decide what size of LCD monitor you require, depending upon the space you have available and the features you want. Understand the difference between widescreen and normal-screen monitors with respect to the diagonal dimensions.

2. Surf the Internet and read about the features of widescreen monitors. You can also post queries on online groups and forums to get more information about various models of widescreen monitors: their price range, advantages and limitations.

3. Compare prices and deals, online vis-à-vis the ones available at a local store, once you have a clear understanding of the different widescreen monitor models. You may find that the prices online are low compared to the prices in a store. However, study the seller details carefully before buying online to make sure the dealer looks reputable. Factor in any shipping costs if you decide to buy online.

4. Visit your local electronics retailer, even if you plan to buy the monitor online. Make a list of all the models you are interested in and check them out at the local store. This will help you to quickly compare the picture quality and size of various models.

5. Check out the resolution of a widescreen monitors. A normal 19-inch screen would have a resolution of 1280x1024, whereas some widescreens only have a resolution of 1280x960.

6. Choose the widescreen format if you plan to use your monitor for movie-watching, publishing work, video editing, graphics, animation or spreadsheets. It is also a good option if you need to display two document pages on one screen or deal with applications having muliple toolbars, menus and palettes.

7. Ensure the compatibility of your video card with the monitor, as not many support the DVI connection built into almost all widescreen monitors.

8. Checking the monitor's compatibility with your CPU and operating system. For instance, if you are a Mac user you may not be able to connect all LCD monitors, or they may require additional software.

[SlySmilodon]

on 4/1/2008 Just remembr, the bigger the screen the more windows you can view at once. I use a 22 inch HP and I love it. Its got a 5ms response time which is super fast, it can rotate 90 degrees to view pages vertically, and you can make it extra bright. This is a great monitor for gaming, surfing, and word documents. I would highly recamend the new HP 22 inch widescreen monitor.