Am I Crazy? Hating my new Widescreen LCD.

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Jordan

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I was surprised yesterday with a new 21'' wide screen LCD monitor, the Dell Ultrasharp 2005FP. First of all, let me say what an awesome piece of electronics this thing is. If you Google this thing, you'll see what rave reviews it has received - and it deserves every single one of them. The picture quality at its native 1680x1050 resolution with DVI cannot be put into words. Not one dead pixel, extremely bright, crisp, 12ms response time, simply incredible and a beautiful piece of electronics. DVD's are a sight to behold, and I hooked my PS2 into its S-Video jack and saw a picture so clear, it actually made Gran Turismo 3 look bad because the monitor is able to show every graphical imperfection and polygon with such precision!

So, why do I hate this thing? Because I just can't get used to Windows computing in the widescreen format! It's AWFUL!!! Webpages, although they display fine, look very, very strange. Rows in tables stretch seemingly for miles, while specific elements of pages are lost in the extremely fine resolution. It's not so bad in other programs, like Fireworks, Dreamweaver, and Outlook, but the dimensions still feel awkward to work with. Everything I do just feels so uncomfortable and unnatural.

Now, what I'm asking is this: have I completely lost it? I've been given one of the best LCD's on the market, and I'm complaining about it. I feel like someone gave me a Ferrari and now I say I don't like it because I can't fit my luggage into it and the drink holder is too little. Should I just wait it out? Keep using it and get used to it? I've already got a 19'' Dell Ultrasharp LCD that I absolutely adore - I've already switched back to it "so I could get a few things done", so should I just keep it and save widescreen computing for another day?

Here's a few pictures of my old 21'' Dell CRT (which is for sale, and was used in the creation of the last two versions of GTP), this new 19'' Ultrasharp, and the newest 21'' widescreen side-by-side, to put all of this in perspective.
 

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I bought a 19" Samsung Syncmaster last year which has a TV aerial and scart input put for PS2's etc. I mainly use it with my PC but I noticed the picture quality was poor until I bought the DVI lead. It makes such a difference. As for a widescreen LCD, I can't say I have ever used one. I'm sure in time you will get used to the webpage layout.
After all, if the picture quality is good with GT3, imagine what it will be like with the GT4 photomode.

I say keep it.
 
Jordan
Now, what I'm asking is this: have I completely lost it?

Yes. ;)

Just resize your windows! You should alredy be used to designing for 1024x768, so follow that philosophy. Remember that your productivity apps are more important than browsers.

I'm envious. And shaking my head at your madness!
 
Jordan first congrats on an incredible LCD monitor!
Now you said you are having a hard time viewing webpages because they stretch for miles. Why dont you try this (I often do this too)
Just click the "restore down" button in the upper right then you can shape the box any shape you want for better visibility. 👍
In your case it would be a square like the regular monitors.
 
I do understand what your going through. When I first got my Sony WEGA LCD going, it was, as you said, unnatural feeling and it took some getting used to. Games are great on it that have native 16:9 support (Half-Life 2). I can't hardly do any designing on it and web pages are out of control when maximized. I've since switched back to a standard 4:3 monitor for average computing, while leaving the 60" hooked up via DVI for those 'special' moments when I can really utilize the 16:9 aspect. It will be better when 16:9 becomes the standard as more and more media platforms will adapt to it, making it more appealing to utilize.

And yes, your going mad! ;)
 
It's a very very bad and evil monitor.. If you send it to me, I shall dispose of it the correct way in an order so Mother Nature will survive.. PM me for address...





Wait it out - I'm sure you'll get the hang of it - Awesome monitor !....
 
Yeah I agree with everyone's post above. It will take a few days or maybe even weeks to get used to the new feel. I got used to my laptop but I hardly ever use it. Its an IBM thinkpad. I just use it as an extra hard drive. :lol:
 
Yeah, I'd say stick with it also. It took me a while to get used to the jump from 640 x 480 to 1600 x 800, but after a while, you don't notice it.
 
i love my widescreen laptop.

yes jordan, you are nuts. haha.
 
Well, you guys were right! I just plugged it in again yesterday, and suddenly it didn't seem to bother me any more. Now I love it! :D
 
Jordan
Well, you guys were right! I just plugged it in again yesterday, and suddenly it didn't seem to bother me any more. Now I love it! :D

Your just saying that now that everyone is calling crazy..... :crazy:

It's ok. You don't have to like it just because we say you should. :lol:
 
sUn
LCD's take an hour or two to get used to. But, after you get used to them other monitors are :yuck:!
Just a note, he already had an LCD. He didn't particularly care for the widescreen.

As a side note, yes, not liking wide-screen action labels you official crazy. Well, that is, on the internet.
 
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