15" laptops only 1080 ?

[Electro_77]

Hello,
I just changes jobs and was given a nice shiny new laptop. Was immediately disappointed I couldn't get as good a resolution (!600x1200) as my previous laptop built in 2007. 1920x1080 is just horrible for anything other than DVD viewing. Doing some searches shows very few 15" laptops with anything better than this. I'd haev to go 17" which is bigger than I want for a portable PC.

My question is, whats going on to drive all the manufacturers in this direction? 1600x1200 is a great resolution for all kinds of business and design work. I really can't beleive that the business world want's it's employees to be able to watch DVD's.

Is it that the panel manufacturers are just no gearing up for the smaller forms anymore?

My 2004 Laptop had 15" and 1600x1200 resolution.

I'll take 1920x1200, but still want 15".

Sorry if I'm ranting, but this laptop (HP 8540W) is so disapointing.

Thanks.

 

[Guest]

No, you're quite right. Everyone goes, hey widescreen, that must be better.

In reality you need a larger screen to make up for the lost picture height.

 

[Electro_77]

So does anyone know why HP, Dell, Asus, etc are all going this way? It's an inferior display to what we used to have available to us a few years ago. We're going backwards.

 

[WR2]

If you'd thought about it for a bit you'd know the answer.
It's cheaper for the OEMs and panel MFGRs to go 16:9. So 1920x1200 and 1200x800 are being replaced with 1920x1080 and 1366x768.

 

[Electro_77]

Thanks for confirming what I suspected WR2. Do less pixels makes that much of a difference? I'll pay a few bucks more for want I want compared to what they want me to have.

How do we stage a revolt!!?!!

Yeah, this bugs me. It bugs me every time I fire up this laptop.

 

[dustyred14]

I see where you're coming here. WR2 is right- they're cheaper to produce this way. Not to mention, the manufacturers get all of the marketing hype when they can slap the "HD" word in advertising. Basically, HD = smaller work area compared to older LCDs.

Even my ThinkPad SL510 that is optimized for the business enviornment has an "HD". Although most of the time I don't mind it, sometimes I miss my desktop's 25-inch when I'm working on a project on the laptop. My company would have had to pay Lenovo a lot more then they did to get models with a better resolution, however, they do still have them available.

Basically, if you want actual useable workspace on your LCD, be prepared to pay out the nose for it. It's obnoxious, but think about it- you could be stuck with 1366x768. Eek!

Haha... this is why I'll never give up on a good old desktop. Love the portability, but I've got a lot of work to get done in the day...

 

[Electro_77]

See, here's the problem with the good old desktop LCD's too.

Try to find a 21" that will do Nx1200 these days. It's the same problem. They aren't making them anymore. You have to go 24" or so to buy a 1920x1200. (Do a search on Newegg.)

I've 6 1600x1200 monitors screens here at home. Ranging from 15" to 21". These were not that expensive a few years ago. Now, they are nowhere to be found.

I'll take a 1920x1200, no problem, but don't force me into a 24" screen and the $$ that go with it.

 

[kslghost]

LCD Panels are a funny thing. When you start cutting them one way, your costs potentially go down when you keep cutting them that way. 1080p is the "rage" right now. I struggled to find a 1920*1200 monitor even a couple years ago. Hey, you get black bars when you watch a 1080p DVD.

I do agree, I just bought a laptop, 15.6 inch screen with 1080p resolution. I would love to have it be 1920*1200, but they generally don't come that way. Instead, "FULL HD" is the label. WUXGA doesn't quite sound as sexy, I admit.

 

[WR2]

I've 6 1600x1200 monitors screens here at home. Ranging from 15" to 21". These were not that expensive a few years ago. Now, they are nowhere to be found.

They're not that difficult to find. Just look under the Business Class offerings at places like HP.com or Dell.com

 

[Electro_77]

Thanks for the info.

In all of HP's inventory I found ONE monitor under 24" that did Nx1200. A 20" LP2065 for a whopping $390. Others sell it for about $370, if you can find it in stock. Seems to me like this one is on it's way out.

And why would you bother when you can get a decent 24" Samsung that will do 1920x1600 for less?

Used to get 21" for $225 or so. I so don't care about watching movies on my PC.

I'll shut up now, but it still ticks me off.

 

[Electro_77]

(I meant a Samsung that can do 1920x1200)

 

[Electro_77]

Best answer selected by Electro_77.