Thinkpads Forum

If you already didn't get here and vote, (it's on the left side of the screen)

http://www.lenovoblogs.com/design/polls ... ect-ratio/

What a funny discussion thread here.
Widescreen feels strange and odd. 4:3 is way better... etc.

Folks, the 4:3 format is due to the U.S letter format, therefore widescreen feels odd.

On the other hand, the majority of the world uses different formats. In Europe there is the A3,A4,A5 format. Letters have A4 format, i.e. kind of widescreen.
Ask folks in Europe and they prefer widescreen, because 4:3 feels strange. Besides, new digicams go with widescreen sensors. HDTV is widescreen. Your eyes are physiologically widescreen and your eye view perception, too.

It is only a matter of time, when 4:3 is going obsolete, because the production volume is getting too low.

Cutting widescreen displays from the current glass wafers makes more panels available at lower costs.

Widescreen is smaller than 4:3 in area, therefore lighter in weight. You can have a longer CCFL tube with lower screen width and have a much brighter picture. Etc...

beeblebrox wrote: It is only a matter of time, when 4:3 is going obsolete, because the production volume is getting too low.

Only because consumers were made to think it was so hot in the first place, when all it really is is just another screen ratio. In some applications, it is better; also, movies have been shown in the US in Widescreen format, so that reflects that, for the majority of those who want widescreen, would like it for media and entertainment purposes without changing the original format much. Those of whom like 4:3 usually use it for business/research/academic purposes and find it just fine to have such a format because it really doesn't effect the writing of a report, abstract, or thesis.

beeblebrox wrote: Widescreen is smaller than 4:3 in area, therefore lighter in weight. You can have a longer CCFL tube with lower screen width and have a much brighter picture. Etc...

That, err, doesn't jive quite right if you make the widescreen bigger to match (which they probably will) and you aren't really going to notice anything "brighter" with the CCFL tube getting longer without the screen getting taller. The CCFL will, in practice since they probably won't take the trouble of readjusting it, use the same amount of power as a 4:3 of a similar size.