01/08/2008, 4:20pm, EST
Tuesday, January 8thDell concept leads to new 16:9 notebook LCDs
A new concept notebook unveiled at CES by Dell reveals the likely direction for future displays for the company itself as well as other portable makers. Confirmed by the company's official blog, the unnamed PC is built around a 16-inch display that follows a 16:9 aspect ratio closer to many HDTVs than the tall, 16:10 displays found on most widescreen notebooks. The LCD also reaches a 1920x1080 resolution that exactly matches the output needed for 1080p movies, such as those offered on Blu-ray. Dell currently offers Blu-ray as an option for multiple Inspiron and XPS notebooks.
Notably, the display is not made by a familiar source for LCD panels; it instead is built by a "new player" in the business, according to a spokesperson on the CES show floor. This firm has not been named, though existing LCD maker Samsung has already announced its own 16:9 ratio LCDs for notebooks, albeit at a lower 1366x768 resolution. These are expected to enter mass production in the first half of 2008 and will not be tied to any one PC builder.
The prototype is closely based on the 15.4-inch XPS M1530 already on sale and uses the same GeForce 8600M for video. Nonetheless, the 16-inch version has not been formally linked to any production plans from Dell, suggesting that the example unit is potentially a future companion model to the M1530 or else a direct replacement for the existing system. [via NotebookReview]
Filed under: computers, digital imaging
Other story tags: Dell, XPS
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Useless except for a few people who has not been in a movie theater (yes movies do have black borders).
For example, a professional would have to see the video AND the video app tools at the same time. Thus 16x10 is better than 16x9.
But no movie is 16x9 (1.78:1). They are usually 1.85:1 (Academy ratio) or 2.35:1 (Panavision). Only HD filmed TV or new HD content will be 1.78:1 and that doesn't include overscan (which on a computer, should be nil).
So the real answer is no display is the right shape.
And they do a lot of silver and black. Someone needs to get them a good colorist.
As for you, dilup, while a professional has to see the video and his tools, his tools aren't fitting in that extra x1 on the bottom of the screen, anyway.
But I'm sure you'd be dissing a 16x9 macbook pro with blue-ray DVD playback and 1080p capabilities for the same reasoning...