# Why are all the new monitors 1920 x 1080, instead of 1920 x 1200? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 5, 2011, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894 "2011-07-05T13:09:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894/21 "2011-07-06T05:20:08Z")
> [@Padoopery](#): > > Yikes - pricey. > [@mhendo](#): > > Graphic artists, professional photographers, video editors, and other folks who need accurate color reproduction, but who aren’t as concerned about things like very fast response rates, tend to go for the more expensive IPS monitors. Yes, quite. As passably decent IPS panels go, the ZR24w is actually on the inexpensive side ;). Though I game a lot, I’m an RPG/strategy gamer for the most part and don’t mess much with shooters. So this panel has sufficient speed for my needs. Meanwhile I’ve been meaning to start messing around more with post-processing RAW photos and the like, so I wanted something with a more accurate color gamut. But NOT a broad gamut monitor ( like the otherwise very comparable Dell U2410 ) that can occasionally cause some weird web-surfing issues with super-saturated colors. No ( semi-reasonably priced ) monitors are perfect at everything, you sorta have to pick what you want most out of it and sometimes pay a little extra. And unfortunately there does seem to be a sad trend towards deceasing quality on the lower end ( if review sites can be believed ). ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894/22 "2011-07-06T05:47:54Z")
Do pricier models also put the LCD in flat? Because that’s an annoyance I’m noticing lately. Every monitor or laptop I find has that off by a bit. My laptop has one that bends down on the right, and my dad’s is bowed in the middle. and unlike my good old CRTs, it doesn’t seem you can compensate for that. I was hoping it would at least be handled in software, but no dice. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894/23 "2011-07-06T05:52:59Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Yes, quite. As passably decent IPS panels go, the ZR24w is actually on the inexpensive side ;). Absolutely. I’m in the market for a new monitor for my image processing (personal, amateur stuff only), and having seen your link, i’m actually contemplating ordering one from B&H. That price is really good for this monitor; i’ve seen it going for $500 recently at reliable outlets like NewEgg. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894/24 "2011-07-06T06:22:43Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Absolutely. I’m in the market for a new monitor for my image processing (personal, amateur stuff only), and having seen your link, i’m actually contemplating ordering one from B&H. That price is really good for this monitor; i’ve seen it going for $500 recently at reliable outlets like NewEgg. Yeah, it’s a good price and where I got mine - B&H occasionally has some pretty good deals. Even beat out Amazon, though if you have free shipping with them it might be closer. Worth checking out a [review](http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/hp_zr24w.htm) or [two](http://www.flatpanelshd.com/review.php?subaction=showfull&id=1272354232) if you haven’t yet. Not necessarily top of the class, but a good value. The one thing I’d caution on, is that it appears virtually all of this generation of IPS panels can be prone to color tint issues. Some folks luck out and get none, some crap out and get shitty panels. Mine has a touch of it - little cooler on one side, going to warmer tints on the other. It was noticeable out of the box, but not enough to bother sending it back to exchange. I no longer notice it at all ( it was subtle on mine and some adjustment muted it even more ), but quality control does appear to be an issue with these things and not just with HP. I’ve seen similar complaints for Dells. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894/25 "2011-07-06T06:33:46Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Worth checking out a [review](http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/hp_zr24w.htm) or [two](http://www.flatpanelshd.com/review.php?subaction=showfull&id=1272354232) if you haven’t yet. Not necessarily top of the class, but a good value. Yeah, i’d already read those reviews. I’m comfortable with the fact that, at the price i’m willing to pay, i’m not going to get a top-of-the-range graphics monitor. As i said, my photography is strictly amateur stuff for personal use, and for sending to friends, but i’d like a monitor that has better color accuracy than my current LCD, a cheap Dell TN panel that, even at its lowest brightness levels, is still too bright and washed out for image work. I currently do my photo stuff on an old Samsung Syncmaster 997DF CRT, and its color is pretty good, but i’d like to move to a flat panel for screen resolution, desk space, and power considerations. ---
**Author:** ![willia4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f19dbf/32.png) [@willia4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willia4)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894/26 "2011-07-06T14:28:56Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Actually, if your main purpose is reading, and you like vertical screen space, the best solution is simply to rotate your monitor. > > Plenty of monitors allow you to do this, and it really is a much more logical orientation for people who spend all their time with documents and web browsers open on their computer. If your main purpose is reading, be careful with this. Rotating the monitor can really screw up the sub-pixel rendering that your computer (hopefully) uses to make text render more clearly and accurately. In the best case, your system will automatically notice that you’ve rotated the monitor and disable sub-pixel rendering (giving you jagged text). In the worst case, it will continue to use sub-pixel rendering for the wrong orientation and give you degraded text quality! In this case, you should probably go turn it off yourself (which is specific to your operating system kind and version so I don’t have any generic instructions for you: I’m not sure if current versions of Mac OS X even _let_ you disable sub-pixel rendering these days…). > **[Rotating sub-pixel text rendering | Joe Maller](http://joemaller.com/857/rotating-sub-pixel-text-rendering/)** > **[ClearType | Sensitivity to display orientation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ClearType#Sensitivity_to_display_orientation)** > > Because ClearType utilizes the physical layout of the red, green and blue pigments of the LCD screen, it is sensitive to the orientation of the display. > ClearType in Windows XP supports the RGB and BGR sub pixel structures; rotated displays, in which the subpixels are stacked vertically rather than arranged horizontally, are not supported. Using ClearType on these display configurations will actually reduce the display quality. The best option for users of Windows XP having rotated LCD displays ... ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894/27 "2011-07-06T18:53:27Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Care to share what you got? If I buy one, I’ll likely spring for the higher resolution. As someone else already posted, it was the HP - ZR24W. I’ve enjoyed it. Those extra vertical pixels are awesome, especially when working with photographs. ---
**Author:** ![code\_grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@code\_grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/code_grey)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894/28 "2011-07-06T19:26:22Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Do pricier models also put the LCD in flat? Because that’s an annoyance I’m noticing lately. Every monitor or laptop I find has that off by a bit. My laptop has one that bends down on the right, and my dad’s is bowed in the middle. > > and unlike my good old CRTs, it doesn’t seem you can compensate for that. I was hoping it would at least be handled in software, but no dice. what does “put the LCD in flat” mean? ---
**Author:** ![AntiCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a587f6/32.png) [@AntiCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AntiCoyote)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894/29 "2011-07-06T19:30:29Z")
Screens under 30" are worthless for HDTV as the human eye can’t tell the difference at lesser sized screens. So you are getting something that you can’t see anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894/30 "2011-07-06T20:35:20Z")
> [@AntiCoyote](#): > > Screens under 30" are worthless for HDTV as the human eye can’t tell the difference at lesser sized screens. So you are getting something that you can’t see anyway. That may be true of televisions when sitting at typical living room distances, but it’s emphatically not true of computer monitors. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894/31 "2011-07-07T00:18:38Z")
Dell Ultrasharp monitors are available in 1920x1200. I have an older version of the 24" model. Excellent color. The 24" is currently $479 from Dell. Has all the tilt and pivot options. Also inputs for composite, component, HDMI, DVD-I, Display Port etc. Has card reader ports and 4 external USB if you need them. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894/32 "2011-07-07T05:34:04Z")
I may order this Asus in the next few days. supports 1920 x 1200 and should have good color. > **[ASUS ProArt Series PA246Q Black 24.1" 6ms P-IPS Height/Swivel/Pivot...](https://www.newegg.com/asus-pa246q-24/p/N82E16824236119)** > > Buy ASUS ProArt Series PA246Q Black 24.1" 6ms P-IPS Height/Swivel/Pivot Adjustable LCD Monitor w/2 USB hub, Card Reader & Display port 400cd/m2 50000:1 DCR with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg! ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894/33 "2011-07-07T12:42:22Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Dell Ultrasharp monitors are available in 1920x1200. I have an older version of the 24" model. Excellent color. The 24" is currently $479 from Dell. Has all the tilt and pivot options. Also inputs for composite, component, HDMI, DVD-I, Display Port etc. Has card reader ports and 4 external USB if you need them. That’s the one I have now. I was contemplating getting a second one to match when I started shopping around and noticed how cheap they were getting. But alas, they’re _not_ cheap when you want the higher resolution! ---
**Author:** ![eno801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@eno801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eno801)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894/34 "2011-07-07T15:22:25Z")
you could always go old school if you find one of these on craigslist: 16:10 [Sony GDM-FW900](http://www.amazon.com/Sony-GDM-FW900-Widescreen-Trinitron-Monitor/dp/B00004YNSR) ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894/35 "2011-07-17T02:43:56Z")
For people looking for a big monitor in 1920x1200, NewEgg currently has a deal on a [27.5" Hanns-G monitor](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?nm_mc=AFC-TechBargains&cm_mmc=AFC-TechBargains-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16824254052). It’s only $240 if you put in the coupon code listed on the site. I’ve never used a Hanns-G monitor myself, but they get pretty good reviews on sites like NewEgg. I don’t think you’d want one for color-critical work, but i reckon they’d be fine for web browsing, documents, etc., and a 27.5 inch monitor for less than $250 is pretty damn good value. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894/36 "2011-07-17T03:04:48Z")
> [@AntiCoyote](#): > > Screens under 30" are worthless for HDTV as the human eye can’t tell the difference at lesser sized screens. So you are getting something that you can’t see anyway. Only if you’re blind as a bat. We’re not talking about something on the other side of a living room, we’re talking about a computer monitor that sits right in front of you on a desk. And I can easily tell the difference between a 30" HDTV and SDTV even from much farther than you’d sit to watch it. The stupid little factoid gets repeated all over the place - that doesn’t make it true. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2011, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894/37 "2011-07-17T05:25:15Z")
> [@code\_grey](#): > > what does “put the LCD in flat” mean? I mean that the LCD appears to be bowed in the middle. A straight horizontal line will bow either upward or downward depending on its location on the screen. It looks like when you look a sheet of paper that is taped up on a wall in a place that is slightly too small. My assumption is that the actual LCD portion of the screen is somewhat flexible, like that sheet of paper. From what I understand, it’s a thin layer of material with liquid inside that responds to electric current. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-the-new-monitors-1920-x-1080-instead-of-1920-x-1200/587894.md?page=1)