LCD monitor sizes and wide screen monitors

[eldiener]

My current LCD monitor is a 19" monitor. I am looking to buy a new larger LCD monitor for a new computer system I am building. I noticed that there are many new larger LCD monitors.

All of the larger LCD monitors are wide-screen monitors. That is, they retain the same height as my current 19" monitor but are wider, anywhere from 20" wide to 30" wide within a reasonable price range. While I am interested in some of these new LCD monitors for my new computer system I am curious as to why the larger LCD monitor technology are all wider than my current monitor but not proportionally taller as far as the display area goes. Why is that ? I would have assumed that as newer, larger LCD monitors are being engineered that the display area of the monitor would be proportionally larger so that it could display both a greater width and a greater height.

[Fizur2002]

as the size grows in width, the height does too, just not as much as the width so that it stays in a certain aspect ratio of either 16:9 or 16:10, with the latter being the most dominate format in monitors.

[eldiener]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fizur2002

as the size grows in width, the height does too, just not as much as the width so that it stays in a certain aspect ratio of either 16:9 or 16:10, with the latter being the most dominate format in monitors.

That is understandable so maybe my question really is why the 16:9 or 16:10, which presents a width much greater than the height, has been chosen as the new standard. One would think that a 1:1 ratio would be ideal. I do understand that the previous ratio was 4:3 but why have the new ratios been skewed more rather than evened more. In other words why have we gone from 4:3 to 16:9 / 16:10 rather than toward 6:5 or even 7:6 etc.

[tony_j15]

first off, because the wide style is easier on the eyes. what is easier to do with your head still: move your eyes up and down, or left and right? Eyes scan sideways very easily, so it makes sense to show information in this way.

[eldiener]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tony_j15

first off, because the wide style is easier on the eyes. what is easier to do with your head still: move your eyes up and down, or left and right? Eyes scan sideways very easily, so it makes sense to show information in this way.

That sounds reasonable. Still I find it better to view proportionable screens than wide screens. This is just my preference. It is similar to viewing a painting for me. My visual sense does not suffer when I have to look up and down as well as side to side. Whether it is anatomically easier on the head or eyes I do not know. I guess I would need to be a physician or opthamologist to really know that.