what is more PREVALENT: 16:10 or 16:9? wondering what's more common

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mecca

Limp Gawd
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i'm not looking for the pros and cons of 16:10 vs 16:9. i definitely know them. i'm actually more curious about statistics.

which do you think is the more COMMON aspect ratio for computers + laptops these days? also, do you think one of them is going to become the standard any time soon?

wondering because i'm trying to determine if i should make all of my future presentation PDFs at 16:10 or 16:9
 
I dont know any specific statistics, but i believe the majority if not all computer monitors/laptops will be 16:10 format while the vast majority of HDTVs are 16:9

Shoot for 16:9 maybe so it will display full size on a 16:10 monitor...i prefer black bars on the top and bottom not left and right
 
16:9 is where things seem to be heading, like it or not. Go over to dell.com and check out their laptops. Go to hp.com and check out their laptops. The 16:10 models are being marginalized more and more.
 
Valve does a monthly report on what their Steam users are running: http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey

Looks like 1280x1024 (5:4) and 1680x1050 (16:10) are still by far the most commonly used right now. 1920x1080 is a bit more common than 1920x1200.

I think that's about as accurate numbers as you're gonna get for whats actually in use right now.
 
By "more common," do you mean in the installed base or in new machines?

For new machines, 16:9 is the most common. It's harder and harder to find a 16:10 monitor and very hard to find a 16:10 laptop. They're almost all 16:9. Almost every time a manufacturer releases a new model, it's in 16:9 format.

I've been looking for a laptop and a large monitor recently and been frustrated by the increasing scarcity of 16:10 models.
 
According to the steam survey 16:10 is more popular. But seeing as how all cheap displays are 16:9 today I guess it's only a matter of time before 16:9 become the most common.

Although, since you are talking about presentations you should probably look at projectors more than displays (?). And in that case I don't know if they make that many (or any?) 16:10 projectors (though I have no clue). Though 4:3 ought to dominate when it comes to projectors that are used for presentations. Maybe 16:10 is a compromise? Black borders on the sides are often not that bad when we are talking about an projected image.
 
Lunknumb said:
Looks like 1280x1024 (5:4) and 1680x1050 (16:10) are still by far the most commonly used right now. 1920x1080 is a bit more common than 1920x1200.
Click to expand...
Considering how inexpensive 24" 16:9 TN displays these days, I don't suppose that's surprising.

I'm not sure if I understand the OP's concern, however. Why not make 16:9 PDFs that are well-suited for either 16:9 or 16:10 displays?
 
SuperSubZero said:
16:9 is where things seem to be heading, like it or not. Go over to dell.com and check out their laptops. Go to hp.com and check out their laptops. The 16:10 models are being marginalized more and more.
Click to expand...

For home consumer laptops yeah. Go look at the small business/enterprise laptops for Dell and Lenovo, you see nothing but 16:10 practically (that includes new models coming out).
 
16x9 seems to be taking over the consumer end of the market. as for what is currently more common our house holds as of now, probably 16x10 until more 16x9 units are sold.

i currently have a 23" 16x9 monitor for my pc and a laptop with a 16" 16x9 display.
i do lots of gaming so the widescreen is great for me.
 
Wander through your local Best Buy and try and find a monitor or laptop that isn't a 16:9 TN or a Mac.
 
It looks like the industry is moving towards 16:9 for better or worse IMHO because of:

- Manufacturing: larger TVs are already using it as a standard. If I am a manufacturer and want to save costs, do I want to have machinery for both 16:10 and 16:9? Probably not if I can help it...if I can have one set ratio with just different sizes, my manufacturing costs should go down overall and I keep more $$$ in my pocket; and

- Marketing to the masses: 1080p is easier to sell to the masses when put in a marketing brochure as opposed to 16:10. I'm not saying it's better - I have a Dell monitor and MacBook Pro at home w/ 16:10 - I'm saying that 1080p is well known from a marketing jargon and technical standpoint. More of the diehards, i.e., people who read and visit places like [H] forums and AVS, care more of, know about,and/or have a preference about 16:10 (I am personally indifferent in case you're wondering). My dad could probably tell me about 1080p but would draw a blank or have less to say about 16:10 and associated dimensions.

Just my $0.02...

[Note to self: My rig has changed twice since I last posted here...ignore the sig below...]
 
If we're talking about what people have right now, then it's almost definitely 16:10, since it's a common legacy aspect ratio by now. If we're talking about what's on the shelves...16:9 by a landslide.

I'd do presentations in 16:9 if it had to be one.
 
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