Why wide angle?

I was just curious if there is a specific reason for all the wide angle monitors. I have an old Sony SDM-HS95P 19" that is a 5:4 I believe and viewing wise its nice. I looked into a new monitor but most all of them are 16:9 with a couple 16:10. A 5:4 ratio would be 15:12 and the 4:3 would be 16:12 to get it into more comparative number wise.

What all this means is say a 23" 16:9 has nearly the same vertical space as my 19" and I gain a couple inches of width. The 16:10 makes things a little better by giving a little more height but why not just stick with the old ratios? I know widescreen movies are out but id rather have a slightly rectangle monitor with black lines vs the offerings ive seen.

Am i simply SOL if i want a higher resolution than what i run now? (1280x1024) It seems like with everything now its a compromise from computers to cars.

1600x1200 is the highest resolution I've seen on an LCD monitor for 4:3, those are usually 20" SIPS panels like the Dell 2001fp/2007fp etc.

That Sony SDM-HS95P had a really nice screen. Better than most of the crap coming out today. That screen ratio is generally good for browsing. Widescreen is a compromise for browsing and some apps, but is easily better for Excel, and PowerPoint. The 16:9 widescreens are more of a cost cutting measure than a "feature" for the end user.

All things considered, I would not go back to non-widescreen.

Many business class and professional monitors still use 5:4 and 16:10 ratios, so look to them first. In the consumer space you're only going to see 16:9 (1920x1080) for the foreseeable future, or until a new marketing gimmick emerges for "HD+" screens. As it stands, no commonly available LCD will give you more than 1200 vertical pixels. Check technical reviews to see how the scaler performs and to be sure it has a scale to aspect option (4:3), should look pretty much the same as a 20" 4:3 monitor.

I don't use powerpoint much but i do use Excel a good bit and i do have to agree a little more width would help but if i ran at a higher resolution that would somewhat help too. That Dell 2007fp is an interesting option i didnt notice before. I thought hard about the 23 and 24" Dell ultrasharps but really didnt know if id like the lack of height. Im also not sure how ill like the finish on the Dell screens since it has an effect on the colors. Im used to my glossy screen and its almost always used in a darker room with no lights on. My home office area is in a bonus room above the garage so there is only that one window and it gives enough light where i dont need to turn on the lights. My dad just bought a 20" Samsung LED monitor for the office and i really didnt like it size wise so i would definitely have to move to the 23 to 24" range to get the height to at least what i have now.

I've been pretty impressed by this Sony screen too and its served me well. Id just like to take advantage of the higher resolutions now.

So all things considered you would say get used to the 16:9 or 16/10 aspect ratio until something changes? Ill have to look more into the specs on the professional models and see if thats an option. I am a gamer and like first person shooters but also do work on my computer (process my thermal imaging reports) so i need the colors and images to be crisp. My Thermal reports are done in Word with a FLIR application so the height really helps me if i can keep a full sheet up. Right now i cant do that but at the same time ive tried the wide screens vertical and that makes them just awkward looking to me and too thin.

Using a 16:10 in portrait mode is great for this kind of thing. You can view a whole page and there is enough extra vertical heighten accommodate toolbars. It's the closest common aspect ratio to getting one complete page on a monitor at a time.

Does your desk/setup have room for two screens? I have a setup with 1 portrait and 1 landscape 16:10 and it's a great combo. If I need height I move the window to the portrait screen. If I need width like watching a video, I go to the landscape screen. Having both at once means I can switch quickly and not have to fuss with physically rotating the monitor.

if you have to choose, go 16:10. if you can rotate the display to portrait mode it may help you with your work. There are still a few glossy widescreens out there.

edit: Ruahrc types faster than me!