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Widescreen user’s feedback

post #1 of 58
5/4/04 at 5:51pm
Thread Starter 
I have read a few threads about widescreen vs. standard, so I know it’s mostly about preference. What I would like to know is what widescreen users like or dislike about the screens. So far I have read that some of the benefits about widescreen are watching DVDs, wider view on gaming (if the game has a widescreen option), and being able to view two web pages side by side. I am not sure if this is enough for me to really appreciate widescreen, so are there other reasons I should consider? Something else that seems like it might be a benefit is the keyboard looks as if it might be a little nicer and fuller on a widescreen then a standard, talking about the 15.4” not the 17” full keyboards. Something else I would like to know is if word processing and viewing just one web page benefit at all from widescreens. It just seems so many daily programs are totally designed for a standard screen. Granted a lot of laptops are coming out with widescreens, but considering most desktop monitors are still standard, I am not sure how many future programs are going to really change to be better used on widescreens. I really want to get a widescreen laptop, but I plan to have it for a while and don’t want to be unsatisfied with it down the road.
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post #2 of 58
5/6/04 at 9:13pm
Thread Starter 
I have one more question. Do Widescreens have a better view angle then a standard?
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post #3 of 58
5/7/04 at 1:40am
I recently purchased a widescreen notebook. I don't know if there are really any advantages with it that would make me prefer it over a standard 4:3. Even with a widescreen you still have small bars on the top and bottom when viewing 16:9 DVD's. I don't view more than one web page at a time, but the extra width is nice - at the loss of some vertical height of course which leads to more scrolling of the page. I have gamed on it and the stretching was not even noticeable. Also, the keyboard is the same size as normal too I believe. I have not heard of any better viewing angles with widescreen LCD's, but I am not the expert on these boards. Overall I feel the supposed "advantages" of widescreens are overated though. I still think I would prefer a 4:3 format, but really it is probably a toss up. Either format will work fine for most people I think. Thats my 2 cents.
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post #4 of 58
5/7/04 at 2:27am
I've decided widescreen notebooks are a gimmic. They aren't much wider than a normal screen, but they are several inches shorter. So you have less vertical room to work with. Everything on a computer is designed with a 4:3 screen in mind. The only thing a widescreen notebook is good for is watching movies, assuming you have the widescreen versions. Even then, your screen is still about the same width as a normal 4:3 notebook screen, so the widescreen really isn't giving you much advantage.

As for the small bars still visible, most, if not all widescreen notebooks are 16x10, which isn't as wide as the 16x9 that many movies are shot in. (That's the narrower of the two widescreen movie formats. The other being 2.35:1)
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post #5 of 58
5/7/04 at 2:50am
The laptop I want is the Hypersonic CX6 with its 15.4 screen. I would rather it be a 14.1, but there is no such option with the specs and Centrino or Dothan.
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post #6 of 58
5/7/04 at 2:55am
Thread Starter 
I am also leaning more to the CX6, I just am unsure about the widescreen. That's why I am trying to get some feedback on people who have widesreen to see if it's a better fit for me.
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post #7 of 58
5/7/04 at 2:56am
I wish the specs on the Alienware Sentia were better. That Intel graphics is the set back. A little off topic but, does the Hypersonic come default with internal 802.11b?
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post #8 of 58
5/7/04 at 3:00am
I love the widescreen(15.4). I am able to have two windows ie word processing and web browsing open at once or when watching a video because you can watch something at a decent size and still write a paper. Its wonderful with doing some CADing just because of the extra space. and video games are just the same cause new ones support the wide screen. Watching HDTV rips and DVDs are alot more fun because it is more how its supposed to be. Its not perfect but better than regular screens. THe viewing angle i think has to do with the type of monitor, but me and a few friends can easily all watch a movie on it without someone seeing messed up colors. If you are doing any type of designing get the biggest screen you can.
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post #9 of 58
5/7/04 at 3:09am
Thread Starter 
Hypersonic doesn’t come with any default WIFI options, but they do offer an 802.11G for $79. I know a lot of other companies include this in their base price, but at lest Hypersonic gives you the option to get it or not.
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post #10 of 58
5/7/04 at 2:08pm
Hey, I've been looking through the threads on this forum for a week or so (this is my first post) and there is a lot of good info. I too was looking at the cx6 and the Asus m6n, but was worried about the widescreen. So, I went to the local Circuit City to take a look at the widescreens and I thought they looked big, like they would only really work well on a table/desk. It seemed like they would be pretty difficult to get on your lap comfortably. BTW, is it true that Asus has now fixed the screen problem on their 15.1 version of the m6n? Well, then I started looking into the nc6000 and nc8000.

I'm buying this laptop mostly for school (starting law school in the fall), so I was looking for something fairly mobile (doesn't have to be ultra light though), but still with some power. I'm willing to spend up to $2500, give or take. So, now I'm undecided...m6n (15.1), nc6000, or nc8000. Decisions, decisions!
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post #11 of 58
5/7/04 at 2:20pm
I used both the Dell 8600 and Gateway M505XL widescreens, and although it was not the decisive factor in returning both, I did not like the shorter screen at all that accompanies the wider screen. I found myself having to tilt the screen back more so i wouldn't have to hunch over. I went back to my old 15" laptop and found out it makes a big difference.
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post #12 of 58
5/7/04 at 2:23pm
Well, those are the same 3 systems that I am deciding between, except that I have the IBM T41p added to that. Now we have the M6N with Dothan, and IBM will have the T41 with Dothan on Tuesday, not sure how long HP will take to modify their product line. Send me PM if you want to chat, since we are both talking about the same notebooks.
Andrew
Austin, TX

Quote:
Originally Posted by student4ever
...So, now I'm undecided...m6n (15.1), nc6000, or nc8000. Decisions, decisions!...
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post #13 of 58
5/7/04 at 3:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by flyer
I used both the Dell 8600 and Gateway M505XL widescreens, and although it was not the decisive factor in returning both, I did not like the shorter screen at all that accompanies the wider screen. I found myself having to tilt the screen back more so i wouldn't have to hunch over. I went back to my old 15" laptop and found out it makes a big difference.
What is this about shorter widescreens?
XGA = 1024 x 768; WXGA= 1280 X 800; note the wider one is larger in both directions.


XSGA+ = 1400 x 1050; WSXGA+ = 1650 x 1050; wider, but same height.

Must be a perception issue.
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post #14 of 58
5/7/04 at 3:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Esteban
What is this about shorter widescreens?
XGA = 1024 x 768; WXGA= 1280 X 800; note the wider one is larger in both directions.


XSGA+ = 1400 x 1050; WSXGA+ = 1650 x 1050; wider, but same height.

Must be a perception issue.

People are reffering to the actual physical "real estate" of a 15" 4:3 versus a a 15.4" 16:10 LCD. The 15" 4:3 actually has a little bit more screen real estate overall. The difference is slight however. Some of the more veteran posters here can explain it better than I can. But I do agree that "widescreen" LCD's are overated.
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post #15 of 58
5/7/04 at 4:09pm
Notebook widescreens are not only a gimmick, but also an illusion. Notice how everyone who has one like to talk about the "extra resolution" it offers? but the funny part is there's far less actualscren space on most of these widescreens than any SXGA+ notebook. It's the illusion of width that gets people. It does look nicer for movies though.
Another problem is that most things in Windows stack vertically. The taskar, window titlebars, toolbars, etc, all stack vertically by fedault, which means less and less vertical space on a widescreen.

Widescreens only make sense to me when they are of the very high res variety: 1620x1050. now THAT's extra space.
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post #16 of 58
5/7/04 at 4:45pm
As long as u know what your going to be doing with ur laptop you should be able to decide. If your not doing any CAD, or where u need two windows up side by side, then the regular screen is for you. The little space lost vertically is for me, just thicker black bars, and some text i can scroll down to see. Go take a look and see which one is more comfortable for you.

I can take some screen shots if your interested in seeing how things look on a widescreen and im sure someone could take screen shots of the normal screen. Get some comparisons.
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post #17 of 58
5/7/04 at 4:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Esteban
What is this about shorter widescreens?
XGA = 1024 x 768; WXGA= 1280 X 800; note the wider one is larger in both directions.


XSGA+ = 1400 x 1050; WSXGA+ = 1650 x 1050; wider, but same height.

Must be a perception issue.
15 in. 4:3 screen -> 12 in. x 9 in. (width x height)
15.4 in. 16:10 screen -> 13.06 in. x 8.16 in.

The widescreen is an inch wider, but also nearly an inch shorter.
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post #18 of 58
5/7/04 at 5:11pm
And here is the link to my screen size page:

http://www.hut.fi/~tgustafs/screensize.html

It includes the screen size measures of most common screens and Pixel Per Inch figures.

Cheers,

Tommi
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post #19 of 58
5/7/04 at 6:51pm
honestly i think its pretty crazy to actually try and use a widescreen to dock two word documents next to each other. its pushing it a bit too much i think. What i like the widescreen format for is being able to have my main window open comfortably (ie internet explorer or word/excel) and have winamp and messenger open next to it without having to switch back and forth.
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post #20 of 58
5/7/04 at 7:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by flyer
15 in. 4:3 screen -> 12 in. x 9 in. (width x height)
15.4 in. 16:10 screen -> 13.06 in. x 8.16 in.

The widescreen is an inch wider, but also nearly an inch shorter.
I wasn't aware that the widescreens have a shorter vertical dimension. I'm surprised that the wider dimension diaganol measurement actual yields less square inches of display: 15.4" - 106.57 sq in., 15" - 108 sq in., according to the measurements you provided. How could that be? It's counter intuitive.

Still, in terms of application windows, you can fit more horizontally and the same vertically on the widescreen. Apparently the vertical display is at the expense of slightly smaller images. I'm gravitating toward 1650 x 1050. This display offered significantly more application area than the 1400 x 1050, based on a casual comparison at CompUSA. Text and graphics didn't appear any smaller between the two displays. Maybe I could notice a difference in size if I was focusing on it, or maybe it's too small of a difference to be able to differentiate.
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