16:9 & 16:10 Aspect ratio Widescreen Displays?Samsung SM245B

[sarah_louise]

I am researching a new monitor probably a Samsung SM245B 24 inch.
I notice that screen ratios for monitors seem to be listed as 16:10 generally but for TV display screens 16:9.

Is there a reason for this manufacturing difference or is the description just giving an approximation ?

[ChuckFickens]

there are several different explanations as to why that may be the case but the one I find most likely is the computer monitors are 16:10 to allow for a task bar and title bar while still keeping the usable area closer to 16:9

like I said thats what I think is most likely,

also surely 16:10 could be simplified to 8:5 and it would be the same ratio, but thats just me being picky :)

[kempie]

I suppose naming the AR 16:10 is preferred over 8:5 precisely because it is similar to 16:9 (widescreen) thus allowing punters to make the connection.

Is it a coincidence that the first colour PC graphic card developed by IBM (CGA - Color Graphics Adapter) in 1981 had 8:5 as one of its two video modes?

[ChuckFickens]

it is strange that many of the earlier computers used a 8:5 screen mode, as kempie said CGA on IBM's, comidore amigas, atari ST's and the early macs where all 8:5.

Then we seem to have gone onto 4:3 with VGA SVGA and XGA (680X480, 800X600 and 1024X768)

And now we are back at 16:10 (8:5) with the modern screens and modes.

as they say nothings new is it, widescreen computer display have indeed been about since the 80's

[sarah_louise]

I notice that BBC News 24 is broadcast as 16:9 but some broadcasts to compromise into the 4:3 ratio are broadcast as 14:9 to reduce the amount of visible black banding on TV displays

Very interesing theory about the task bar space though on 16:10 PC monitors.

[ACtheTROLL]

I think partly with telly it's a legacy from the restriction of the bandwidth available in the days of steam TV (405 lines)
and the fact that big screens equalled big explosions ... due to the limitations of CRT tube manufacturing.

similar with Monitors ... but here another factor is the binary "magic" numbers that just occur 4, 8, 16... 128 -->
and the number of bus lines available to get the signal describing the output to the screen with colours (2, 4, 16 etc etc up to true colour) fast enough and with a minimum of flicker
(don't forget it started with 2 colour cga (200x320),
ega, vga etc
this gives a fair account
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Display_resolutio n