monitor

LCD Monitor Buyer's Guide

With manufacturing improving, LCD panel sizes continue to get larger all while prices keep dropping. Retailers and manufacturers throw around a lot of numbers and terms to describe their products. So, how does one know what all these mean? This article looks to cover the basics so one can make an informed decision when buying an LCD monitor.

Screen Size

The screen size is the measurement of the displayable area of the screen from the lower corner to the opposite upper corner of the display. LCD's typically gave their actual measurements but they are now rounding those numbers. Be sure to find the real dimensions typically referred to as the actual screen size whenever looking at a LCD. For example, a display with a 23.6-inch actual size screen may be marketed as either a 23-inch or a 24-inch display.

Aspect Ratio

The aspect ratio refers to the number of horizontal pixels to vertical pixels in a display. Traditional displays used a 4:3 aspect ratio. Most new monitors use either a 16:10 or 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. The 16:9 is the ratio typically used for HDTVs. There are even a few ultra wide or 2:1 aspect ratio monitors on the market but they aren't very common.

Native Resolutions

All LCD screens can actually display only a single given resolution referred to as the native resolution. This is the physical number of horizontal and vertical pixels that make up the LCD matrix of the display. Setting a computer display to a resolution lower than this resolution will cause extrapolation. This extrapolation attempts to blend multiple pixels together to produce a similar image to what you would see if the monitor were to display it at the given resolution but it can result in fuzzy images.

Here are some of the common native resolutions found in LCD monitors:

• 17" (Widescreen): 1280x800 (WXGA)
• 19" (Widescreen): 1440x900 (WXGA+)
• 21" (Widescreen): 1600x900 (WSXGA+)
• 22" (Widescreen): 1920x1080 (WUXGA)
• 24" (Widescreen): 1920x1080 (WUXGA)
• 27" (Widescreen): 2560x1440 (WQHD)
• 30" (Widescreen): 2560x1600 (WQXGA)