Hi,

Sorry if this is the wrong forum--it's a computer related question, and this is the closest I could find to that. Maybe I should have posted it in the General Forum...?

I just got a 19" flat screen monitor...it says the optimum resolution is 1440 x 900. I'm assuming that resolution allows the screen to show a true, undistorted image. Right now I've tried all the available settings that are on my desktop--I don't see the option of 1440 x 900 anywhere. (Right now I have it set at 1024 x 768). Options on my desktop are 800 x 600, 1024 x 768, 1280 x 960, 1280 x 1024, 1600 x 1200...blah, blah, blah...

I wish I could get it to the recommended 1440 x 900. It actually looks OK, but if I do any design work, I'm not gonna get a true idea of what the screen is really showing. In other words, if something should be a square, what I'm getting is a slight rectangle.

The monitor didn't come with drivers or anything...it's supposed to be plug-n-play. The company's website only had a download for a .inf file, which I tried to research...the .inf file seems to maybe instruct the computer on how to set up the monitor...but I have no idea how this works.

I'd be happy to provide details, but basically I just have a generic PC, and this is a sort of generic monitor made by Hanns-G. I was just hoping this was a common, basic question...

Thanks for reading!

" flat screen monitor...it says the optimum resolution is 1440 x 900. I'm assuming that resolution allows the screen to show a true, undistorted image.

Thanks for reading!


That's just what your monitor is capable of. . .You are fine at 1024x768

any smaller might be hard to see small details. . . You can use whatever resolution you want. . .Just be sure you are not using wide screen on a square screen etc. . .

hey gyusher, your avatar was really messing with me for a minute...

i re-read my post and i guess i didn't explain that this monitor is a widescreen shape. and...i guess i'm pretty much in the dark about what that means; i was hoping there was a resolution at which the image wouldn't stretch/distort to fit the longer rectangular shape of the screen.

so i think i'm getting a square screen stretched out onto a wide screen layout...

You should have a resolution that was/is wide screen (16:9 vs 4:3) just run through them until you find one that looks right. . .

The monitor didn't come with drivers or anything...it's supposed to be plug-n-play.The video card is responsible for the available resolution choices...not the monitor.

Figure out what you've got for a vid card, and find the newest drivers for it. Unless it is really ancient, you'll likely find that the newer drivers have the resolution you are looking for.

The video card is responsible for the available resolution choices...not the monitor.

Figure out what you've got for a vid card, and find the newest drivers for it. Unless it is really ancient, you'll likely find that the newer drivers have the resolution you are looking for.

+1 This should fix it.

Because it's an LCD monitor, it actually should only be set at it's actual native resolution, otherwise you'll get smearing and weird artifacts. If it isn't at the native res you get scaling happening. Most LCD monitors don't scale well. Hell, most HDTVs don't scale well, either. A major downside to LCDs compared to CRT screens... that and their colour is rotten. But they're convenient, right?

(I use an LCD monitor currently, and it's my second one. I'm praying that SED makes it to the market and can be made with such a fine DPI that it can simulate CRT's multi-res capability. These transmissive screens reaaallly bug me.)

Updating the video card drivers is a good plan. Let us know what card you have, as the ATI / nVidia / intel software may have more configuration options than just the Windows manager.

I have a 19" LCD Monitor and normally I use 1024x768. Occasionally I use all of the others except for the ones that are widescreen. My problem is 'old eyes' Often I'll run it at 800x600 just so I can see it well. . . I've noticed nothing but excellent PQ on all of them. mine go from 800x600 to 1280x1024. . . The monitor likes all of them but I like 1024x768 best. . .

Personally I'd use the one I liked best and forget about it. . .

I built my computer about 5 years ago and I forget what Video Card I used. . .I remember it had its own fan and 128mgs of ram on it though and it cost a lot of money but I sure can't remember the brand. . .I know it was whatever was hot/popular at that time.

One thing I do remember was when I first bought this monitor and replaced my 17" CRT Sony Trinitron was how the text would blur if I scrolled down the page too quickly. . .Now it doesn't blur anymore. . .Maybe its broke-in I don't know but it don't blur anymore when you scroll down the page. . .At least what I can see. . . I love mine, now 3 years old. . .

To get a decent display on that wide screen, you need a video card that will allow you to choose (or customize) the resolution to get close to a Hi-def wide screen 16:9 format.

One of my machines runs an nVidia GeForce 6150 chipset into a 42" Sharp Aquos wide screen LCD TV via a DVI cable at a native WS resolution of 1280 x 720 (1280 x 768 looked a bit fuzzy) and everything is crystal clear, in perfect sync, and unstretched on the screen. It's the biggest Windows XP monitor in the house... :)

If your current video card doesn't have updated drivers for more of a resolution variety or you don't wish to buy a new nVidia adapter, then consider PowerStrip, which is a utility to help tweak and customize the video resolution of your current adapter. http://entechtaiwan.net/util/ps.shtm

If you're of the mind, I highly recommend any vendor using the nVidia GeForce chipset as the configuration utility allows you to custom select the resolution you need and then easily adjust the RGB output to match your screen using 3 sliding display bands. For LCD TVs, it's a no-brainer to get things setup and looking correct both display and color-wise.