16x9 SUCKS 16x9 SUCKS!
But the people who don't like it, such as myself are few as most people don't notice much of a difference... "Its only 120 pixel". When it comes to notebooks and desktops - the screen is TOO damn narrow. I want more vertical space! But for the most part 1920x1200 is dead. Its cheaper and makes sense to make 16x9 1080 screens.
pros:
1 - Cheaper to make (thats why they *DO IT*)
2 - for 1080 Blu-Ray / HD content, it fits the format perfectly. Nevermind that many movies are not exactly 16x9 either, some are thinner.
3 - Matches up with PS3 / X-box
4 - When connecting a notebook to an HD TV, there is NO odd-ball aspect ratio issues. (try doing 1280x768 on an HD TV).
CONS: TOO DAMN NARROW!
An example: a slightly older 16x10 ThinkPad with a 14" display has the exact same vertical height of a 16x9 15.6" ThinkPad. With that in mind, I was looking to getting a 14" ThinkPad, save the weight and space.... but NOW ALL 14"~12" ThinkPads have the crappy 16x9!! ARGH!!!
(I compared such ThinkPads with customer units a few months ago)
When my 24" Samsung 1920x1200 monitor dies, IS GOING TO SUCK! I have a dead pixel (after 3 years) - I'll live with it and additional before I go thin.
I'd LOVE LOVE to see Samsung / whoever come out with a 2550x1600 display that is 26~27" in size, under $1000.
- It appears that some of these monitors in the review are glossy displays?
- Notice that ALL of these cheap monitors have 1 YEAR WARRANTIES?!
- I must say, when someone is spending $120~180 on a monitor... the importance of quality isn't there. They are not pros in any way. Its going to be the $400+ where such tech specs are important, especially $1000+.
Go back 10+ years ago. My 19" Samsung (1600x1200 @ 100hz)was about $500. A typical good 17" was $300 (1280x1024)... I've seen pure crap $120 17" CRTs that couldn't handle 800x600. (I'm talking worse than a quality 14"). When people spend $100~180 on a monitor (especially on the lower), the quality of the display is far better than CRT and remember...
MOST PC users DO NOT PLAY 3D GAMES nor PROFESSIONAL. Thats what consoles are for. As long as they can get to Facebook and porn, they are happy.
My old 24" LCD should last me another 2~4 years... but I can admit the my son's modern $110 20" (16x9 of course) has far better contrast, very dark blacks, etc that makes the colors *POP*. I'm hoping to see the 2500x1600 displays that meet my specs to be on the market by then.
PS: I don't like 16x9 tablets either. Its perfect for a phone... but NOT tablets. That leaves iPad and Playbook for the most part.