LCD monitor with perfect pixel mapping

[RandomDude77]

What's currently the best LCD that can do perfect 1:1 pixel mapping?

I mean, I want to be able to set any resolution -- for example 1280x960 -- and run that nonstretched with black borders around the sides (call it "boxed" if you want).

It would also be nice if it could stretch/scale any res perfectly, but I'm mainly interested in what I described above.

Reason being; I dislike the widescreen and 1680x1050 (which is the most common) is just too much space and creates more problems than it helps.

I tried the Dell 2209WA and it can't do any of this stuff well (looks horrible if you try). I come from a high-end CRT monitor and found the 2209WA to be absolutely horrible in nearly every other aspect as well, but it seems to be the best that LCD has to offer at the moment... but then, what LCDs are there that can do 1:1 pixel mapping? Only ultra-crappy TN panels? Are there no IPS based LCDs that can do it?

So... what LCDs are in existence that can do this?


--

Example of what I mean:

http://a.imagehost.org/0152/1680x1050_1280x960.png

 

[tk-don]

I was under the impression that most monitors supported such features, but apparently not.
My NEC LCD2490WUXI supports this. It even lets you select the gray level of the border in many steps from black to white. I can set aspect to "Full" Which stretces to fit LCD, "ASP" Which maintains aspect ratio, but still performs stretching, "Off" which does exactly what you want (i.e. 1:1) and finally "Custom", to set H size and V size manually to whatever one likes.

I'll bet the PA241W can do this too.

 

[limitedaccess]

Is using your video card to handle scaling not an option? I believe both Nvidia and ATI have 1:1 options for scaling.

 

[E_man]

I was under the impression that most monitors supported such features, but apparently not.
My NEC LCD2490WUXI supports this. It even lets you select the gray level of the border in many steps from black to white. I can set aspect to "Full" Which stretces to fit LCD, "ASP" Which maintains aspect ratio, but still performs stretching, "Off" which does exactly what you want (i.e. 1:1) and finally "Custom", to set H size and V size manually to whatever one likes.

I'll bet the PA241W can do this too.

My old Dell 2007fp has the same options, minus custom border color. Does the newer 2209WA really lose these functions?

 

[limitedaccess]

My old Dell 2007fp has the same options, minus custom border color. Does the newer 2209WA really lose these functions?

For some reason, monitors seem to be losing these options. The Dell u2311h for instance does not even have aspect, only a 4:3 scaling option.

 

[RandomDude77]

NEC LCD2490WUXI supports this ... I'll bet the PA241W can do this too.

Those monitors are way out of my budget.

I was thinking something in the same price range as the 2209WA. Any IPS-based in this range that can do it?

On the note of LCDs losing this feature, that seems to be true... I tested some TN panel LCD years ago (don't remember
exact name) and sure it sucked big time, but it did indeed have 1:1 pixel mapping and several adjustment options.

When I tested the 2209WA I was really surprised that it couldn't do such a simple thing.
And just as the poster above me mentioned, the Dell U2311H can't do it either.

It feels bizarre that most IPS panels appear to be lacking this function...

 

[limitedaccess]

A lot of TNs do not have this function either now. For instance Samsungs current lineup I know doesn't.

Is there some reason you cant use your video card to do 1:1?

 

[RandomDude77]

Not sure how I would do that. I don't own any LCD at the moment so I can't test. I'm using NVIDIA by the way.

I don't know how it would behave, or look, if I used the graphics drivers to do it.

I could perhaps settle on being able to always run at a specific res, but preferably I'd want to be able to (for example, lets say I'd use a 22" 1680x1050 monitor) run at the native resolution of 1680x1050, and if I fire up a game that I'd like to run at 1280x960, or maybe 1600x900, or any other res, then it should switch to that res in a boxed mode.

I don't want to have to tweak around in the monitors options -- or in the NVIDA control panel -- every time I go to or from a game, or in other words; switch between resolutions. To somewhat redundantly clarify further; If I run at 1680x1050 and I change the desktop res in Windows to 1280x960 it should automatically go into boxed mode with the image centered in the middle.

Is this possible to achieve by only using the NVIDIA drivers? Even if the monitor itself does not support it?