Widescreen screen. How to find out the brand of your video card. What is screen resolution

2 years ago

And of course, physical size.

The length and width of the display allow you to determine its diagonal and aspect ratio. These two indicators are basic and allow you to understand how the smartphone will fit in your hand and how convenient it will be to use. The length of the diagonal can be used to judge the size of the screen, but what does the aspect ratio indicate?

What is display aspect ratio?

Display aspect ratio is the proportional ratio of screen width to height, which determines the geometric shape of the image. Depending on these proportions, the screen may be more square or elongated in height.

Not long ago, when the ultimate dream was a phone with a 4-inch diagonal, the most common ratio was 4:3. This was enough for gaming, surfing or watching movies at the appropriate frame ratio. Gradually, with the development of technology, preference began to be given to widescreen 16:9.

What screens are used on smartphones?

Smartphone manufacturers have kept up with the trend, so the display has increased significantly in length. Now the vast majority of gadgets use this aspect ratio. Some manufacturers make the display a little shorter, and the aspect ratio is 5:3 or 16:10, but this has virtually no effect on the image format.

Thus, they managed to maintain the popular diagonal and make new smartphone more ergonomic, and when surfing or watching news feed began to appear more information on the screen. The only minor inconvenience was watching movies, since the leading position is still occupied by the 16:9 ratio. When viewing at 18:9 aspect ratio, small black stripes remain on the sides. This issue is successfully resolved by scaling the image.

New aspect ratios are gaining popularity, so hopefully we'll be getting a ton of new 18:9 content soon.

Recently I was faced with the problem of choosing a new monitor due to the breakdown of the old 19” Benq T905, which served me faithfully for more than 5 years. I abandoned the 16:9 format almost immediately, and the task of choosing a monitor with a 16:10 aspect ratio turned out to be non-trivial, since they almost disappeared from store shelves. Advertising articles and videos beautifully and fabulously describe the advantages of monitors of the new 16:9 format, but not all of their advantages are justified; I will say more - the format computer displays 16:9 was created not for the convenience of the consumer, but for the greater benefit of the manufacturer, as well as the sellers.

Let’s look at the mythical “advantages” of 16:9 format displays point by point:

1. First of all, store sellers defend the format with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and say that on such a monitor HD movies are displayed without black bars.

In fact, they don’t say that only series in 16:9 format are displayed without stripes (the resolution of such video is 1920x1080). Films in the literal sense of the word that are shown in cinemas are shot in 47:20 format (HD resolution 1920*816, without black bars), therefore, due to the incompatibility of screen and video formats, all cinema films will be displayed on 16 monitors: 9 with stripes.

Thus, the statement about the absence of stripes is either incompetence of the seller or deliberate misleading of the buyer.

2. Sellers emphasize that on a 16:9 format monitor with a resolution of 1920x1080 HD video is supposedly displayed “point to point,” while on a 16:10 monitor with a resolution of 1680x1050 (“not native” to HD), the picture will lose in quality.

This statement is true only for TV series in 16:9 format with a resolution of 1920x1080 (and then with reservations). 47:20 movie format you will in any case stretch (zoom in) until they disappear horizontal stripes. It turns out that after enlarging the video, the point no longer matches the point, and accordingly, it no longer matters at what aspect ratio (16:10 or 16:9) or resolution to play HD video in 47:20 format.

You can also add that when watching a movie, an adequate person will not look through a magnifying glass at how the points are distributed across the monitor matrix, unless this is a test or experiment. For example, I have a 32” TV in 16x9 format with a resolution of 1366x768, I compared HD movies on it and on a FULL HD TV. Point blank - of course there is a difference, BUT!!! Normal people watch movies on big screen from the appropriate distance, and I dare to assure you that from a distance of 2-3 meters you will no longer see the difference, no matter what the resolution of the screen matrix is ​​(1920x1080 or 1366x768).

Thus, the statement about the advantage of the same matrix and video format is greatly exaggerated.

3. To the remark that on monitors even 24" (not to mention 23" and smaller) the dot is too small - sellers say that than smaller size pixel, the better.

A 19” monitor with a resolution of 1280x1024 has a pixel size of 0.294 mm. In respect of physical dimensions objects on the screen, and for working with text this is the most acceptable size. For a 22" monitor with a resolution of 1680x1050, the pixel size is slightly smaller - 0.282 mm. For 16:9 monitors, the pixel sizes are as follows:

20" – 1600x900, aspect ratio 16:9, point 0.277 mm,
21.5" – 1920x1080, aspect ratio 16x9, point 0.248 mm,
23" – 1920x1080, aspect ratio 16:9, point 0.265 mm,
24" – 1920x1080, aspect ratio 16:9, point 0.277 mm,

Thus, on a monitor with a dot size of 0.282 or less, it becomes problematic to layout websites and read texts, but if you plan to play and watch movies, then this is not very important. Moreover, changing the resolution to a lower one further aggravates the situation, since the text becomes blurry due to the “non-native” resolution.

It should also be noted that manufacturers cut from standard sheet 100 matrices of 16x9 format, but if you cut other formats, the number of finished matrices turns out to be 90 or less.

Therefore, the only justifiable advantage of 16:9 monitors is their low cost. There are no other advantages. Further, as the aspect ratio increases, the diagonal increases, and the useful area of ​​the panel decreases (mathematics for 2nd grade). A large diagonal is a marketing ploy, because with a larger diagonal, the buyer receives a smaller monitor screen area.

4. And the last, philistine statement that the 16:9 format is simply convenient and that’s all.

The main thing in choosing a monitor is what you need it for. Sellers say it’s more convenient to watch movies and play games. I agree about games, but the phrase “watching a movie”... causes irony. After all, the most convenient way to watch a movie is not on a monitor (whatever format it may be), but on a TV, preferably from 40”.

I wish you a good choice, I settled on a model with LED backlight– 22” LG W2286L led. This is a monitor with an aspect ratio of 16:10 and a resolution of 1680x1050 pixels.

When purchasing a new monitor for your system unit consultants at any electronics store may ask you what screen resolution you prefer for your monitor. For those to whom such a question may seem like something from the Chinese literacy section, let’s break it down. So.

What is screen resolution?

Let's start with what the image that we see on the monitor is. Any picture is assembled from special points - pixels. To somehow understand what we are talking about, let’s draw an analogy with embroidery. From monotonous crosses of different colors, the result is some kind of picture or pattern. So here, pixels are like crosses on embroidery, only they are much smaller and tightly pressed against each other, so there is no feeling that the image consists of individual dots, but looks whole. In addition, they are able to take on different colors as required by the situation. Thanks to this, we watch movies, pictures, switch different windows and instantly see the corresponding changes on the monitor.

Pixels - nowhere without them

Pixels can be square or in some cases rectangular. There was even a wave of replacement of the beloved square monitors with more elongated ones, which sometimes stretched the images too much. But more on that later.

It is the number of these same pixels per unit length, or in other words their density, that determines the resolution of monitor screens.

Screen Resolution Options

The main parameters of monitor resolution are height and width. So, if you go to the control panel on your computer and go to the screen settings section, you can go to this window (this particular window is for users operating system Windows 7), which you can see in the photo below.

IN in this case the monitor has installed maximum resolution 1366 x 768 pixels. What does it mean? This means that there are 1366 pixels across the width from the left to the right sides of the monitor, and 768 pixels from top to bottom. This optimal resolution monitor screen, given as an example, in which information from the screen will be transmitted as clearly and conveniently as possible for a person with normal, normal vision.

We also see that the monitor can be set to another, lower resolution. By reducing the width to 1024 pixels, for example, images can be made to appear more stretched. That is, in fact, the physical number of pixels that determines the resolution of the monitor screen does not change, it remains the same, but the display of images will be the same as it would be with a different resolution.

The most popular screen formats

The shape of pixels was mentioned above, so let’s look at this issue in more detail.

Previously, and we are talking about a hundred years since the appearance of the first films, all monitors of the first models of televisions and computers had a 4:3 format. Even when there were no televisions yet, silent films were shot in this format. What do these numbers mean? This is the aspect ratio of the display element, one might say the ratios of the height and width of the monitor. So, the dimensions can be as follows: 16:12 = 4x4:3x4, 40:30 = 4x10:3x10. Analog TVs the majority have this particular format and, accordingly, analogue television programs are also “adjusted” to the 4:3 frame. This also includes the 5:4 format. It is also more “square”, and is used in the production of computer monitors. But gradually he burst into life new format 16:9, which gave rise to a new image size, and the screen resolution of a widescreen monitor appeared, constantly being modernized and changing in parameters.

Widescreen broadcasting: convenient or profitable?

The new trend was advertised for its convenience. So, a person should perceive information better on the sides of the monitor than on the top and bottom. But we must not miss the point that widescreen monitors are cheaper to produce. Yes, yes, if you take 4:3 and 16:9 monitors, which have equal diagonals, it turns out that their area is different. A 4:3 screen will have more room to work with than a 16:9 screen, but a wide monitor will require fewer resources to produce than a square one. Many opinions have been expressed both for and against widescreen monitors, and both have their pros and cons. For those people who started their acquaintance with by computer means In the days of 4:3, wide screens are awkward and take a long time to adapt to.

So, when working in office programs like Microsoft Word, at the same scale, 5:4 monitors will be able to display more lines than their widescreen counterparts. You don’t need to constantly move up and down the sheet to find some information; you can see the entire sheet, and at the same time you won’t lose much in the readability of the text. Wide monitors stretch the “square” image, causing round things to become oval, stretching the faces and bodies of characters on the screen. Fortunately, they are working on all the problems. So, on a 5:4 monitor you can view a widescreen movie, only black margins will be added at the top and bottom so as not to cut off part of the image. Similarly, on a wide monitor, you can make sure that the picture has its original parameters and does not spread across the entire screen area. IN computer games developers are adding the ability to support different formats etc. But what is still important is that the wide format is primarily beneficial for the manufacturer, and it is constantly being imposed on us, reducing the production of square screens. “Do you want a 5:4 monitor? But this is unfashionable, no one buys these anymore!” Of course, he doesn’t buy it, because everyone is chasing fashion, not really thinking about convenience. And the funny thing is that screens with 4:3, 5:4 formats are cheaper than models of wide-format monitors, the production of which uses less material, and which, logically, should cost less. But let’s return to the issue of monitor screen resolution.

Problems in choosing the optimal resolution

The fact is that the abundance of manufacturers who decide for themselves which expansion is best for them puts the consumer in a difficult position. There are more than three dozen different video standards, which have different resolutions and different aspect ratios. Let's say the XGA video standard has a resolution of 1024 × 768 (786k) or 640 × 480 (307k), with an aspect ratio of 4:3, when the VGA standard has four acceptable resolutions (640 × 480, 640 × 350, 320 × 200, 720 × 400 ) with appropriate aspect ratios (4:3, 64:35, 16:10, 9:5). The WHUXGA video standard has the largest number of pixels today - 7680 × 4800 (36864k), and it is widescreen - 16:10. But how to choose exactly the one that will suit a particular user?

What to consider when choosing a monitor resolution

The maximum resolution of the monitor screen is often optimal for working on a computer. It can be manually changed to one of those available in the list of resolution settings.
Since the issue of screen resolution is relevant for both televisions and computers, which are fundamentally different devices(although a TV can also be connected to a PC as a monitor), we will consider the optimal parameters separately for both types of devices.

TV: ease of viewing

Standard definition analog television, a monopolist in its field for some time, has always had a 4:3 aspect ratio, and only relatively recently has the 16:9 ratio begun to appear, which is positioned as an image with high definition- digital television. We are now exactly at the stage when the transition from one standard to another is taking place, and how long this process will drag on is completely unclear. Some countries have long switched to a new, more convenient and high-quality digital format, but in the domestic open spaces this can be expected for a long time. Therefore, you can buy a newfangled widescreen TV, almost all models of which provide a function for adjusting the resolution of monitor screens. After carefully studying the instructions, the user will be able to decide for himself how to view a square picture on a rectangular monitor - stretch it to fill the entire monitor, or add a black frame on the sides to maintain the proportions of the original image.

PC monitor - a dilemma for gamers

If a gamer chooses a monitor, then he must first familiarize himself with the requirements for the preferred game/games, and then, based on this data, summarize which monitor screen resolutions are best suited for this. It’s impossible to say unequivocally “this model is ideal for all games in the world.”

Watch the news in Odnoklassniki - is it worth bothering with choosing a resolution?

If you use a PC to work in office programs or just to view mail, news feeds in in social networks etc., you need to choose solely according to personal experience or consult with an experienced user who can explain to you all the points of interest.

This also includes the screen resolution of the laptop monitor. It is likely that for its transportation it will be more convenient (purely physically) for it to be rectangular and compact, so as to fit into a backpack or bag. On a rectangular monitor, it is convenient to open two windows at once, when a 4:3 or 5:4 monitor gives you more space to view and work on one document.

First, a little about the theory. Screen resolution may vary depending on the device you are using. Some users mistakenly believe that screen size and monitor screen resolution are the same thing. For example, the screen size and its maximum resolution are 1600 x 1200, and the user can set the resolution, for example, 800 x 600. Naturally, the image on the screen will be formed according to the principle that was set by the user himself. As a result, it turns out that screen size and resolution are slightly different concepts. In order to achieve perfect picture, you need to set the maximum resolution that your monitor supports and then the image will be of the highest quality.

What screen resolutions are there?

Today there is great amount monitors and the same number of resolutions. It should be noted that all these devices have different aspect ratios, for example: 4:3, 5:4, 16:9, 16:10 and many others. Widescreen devices with an aspect ratio of 21:9 are in great demand. Use similar devices It's just not practical today, as they're best suited for watching movies shot in CinemaScope. This is directly related to the fact that if you set a different resolution on such a monitor, for example, FullHD (1920 x 1080p), then wide black bars will remain at the edges of the monitor.

As for the resolution of monitors themselves, they are divided among themselves, as you might guess, by aspect ratio. The following are highlighted: For aspect ratio 4:3 -1024x768, 1280x1024, 1600x1200, 1920x1440, 2048x1536. For 16:9 aspect ratio: 1366x768, 1600x900, 1920x1080, 2048x1152, 2560x1440, 3840x2160. For 16:10 aspect ratio: 1280x800, 1440x900, 1600x1024, 1680x1050, 1920x1200, 2560x1600, 3840x2400. The most popular resolutions today are: 1920x1080, 1280x1024, 1366x768.

It is worth noting that the higher the screen resolution, the better the image itself will be, but it can be very small and some owners of such devices will have to change it to a smaller one in order to see anything on the monitor. As a result, of course, everyone can see immediately before purchasing a device in a store what kind of image will be on it and whether it suits them.