You know standards have shifted when...

[ffutures]

...you notice that SVP are selling refurbished 16" widescreen LCD monitors for 34 and 35 quid and your first thought is that they're too small to be useful.

I started out with a ZX81 on a 12" TV, I think I was on my third computer when I got a 14" monitor, didn't get to 17" in the late nineties. Now I'm thinking that my 22" widescreen is possibly a bit too small...

Anyway, may be useful to someone who wants a cheap small screen for some reason

http://svp.co.uk/product/tft_16_wscren_monitor_1619swa_lcd_blk_silv_refub_aoc003

http://svp.co.uk/product/tft_16_wide_monitor_cmv_633a_lcd_black_refurb_chimei001

Comments

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

I agree entirely ... I have 19" 4:3 LCD screens at home and now consider a 19" widescreen a little on the small small side (and I'm forced to use 17" 4:3 LCD screens and 14.1" widescreen (laptop) screens at work).

I was considering getting a 22-23" widescreen monitor+TV a few months back, and started thinking that sounded a little small too ...

... and then looking at the cost of pico projectors ... and multi=screen setups (I have laptop + 19" monitor at home in Cambridge, laptop + 17" monitor at work) means that my London home setup of a single 19" screen is feeling *really* restrictive and tiny!

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I'm not a huge fan of projectors; I'm not familiar with the latest generation, but working with the room lighting turned low is not my idea of fun.

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

Latest generation are much better ... and some of the older large screen TVs used back projection (though the picture quality varied from generation to generation and maker to maker)

But I can quite imagine having my own cubicle/office with a large interactive whiteboard for laying out designs, collaborative meetings etc. and a smaller 20-odd inch personal LCD-type display.

The biggest problem with current projection technology is that the best place to put the projector is in a line where your head is in the way, or the projector is between you and the screen, blocking your view.

One solution is the "heads up" displays, such as the ones Lumus are producing. (Ugly glasses but still) using some sort of projection system so you can see *through* the image and out into the real world if you wish (though it may be easier to have a bit of white or black card to put in your field of view). I'm still not clear how it works in terms of focussing distance and astigmatism so it probably isn't for me!

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

The current generation of educational screens / projectors seem to be solving the shadow problem by using a VERY wide angle specialised projector mounted on a boom above the screen and only three feet or so away from it. Presumably there are special optics to handle keystoning etc. Trouble is they only seem to be available as packages costing 1K plus.

Our labs are about to be refurbished and new ones opened, and its possible we may end up with something like this in the new labs if not the old ones. Remind me in September-ish and I'll let you know.

[cobrabay.livejournal.com]

There are some new short throw projectors with astonishingly short throws, basically you put them at the base of the wall/screen you want to project onto. Not cheap however.
I've got two 17" LCD's at home, considering replacing the regularly used one with a 22" wide-screen, but I'll wait until ebuyer.com are making me an offer too good to refuse. The other 17" is currently used with my laptop when I'm working from home. That one cost me £40 plus postage from eBay second-hand.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

One thing I should say on this is that nearly all of the current interactive whiteboards use single point sensors - you can't (for example) play something like a virtual musical instrument and get chords etc. That's allegedly coming from several companies, may possibly be already available but I'm not sure - doubt it will be cheap, but school music departments are VERY keen to have it.

If you ever want to get a feel for what's on offer there are a couple of big educational technology shows - the biggest is BETT in London in January. You'll need a valid educational address and some sort of educational connection to get in, but that can include school governor, "consultant" (e.g. your mate the teacher wants you to take a look at stuff) or whatever.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

22" widescreen on my working computer, 40" TV on the one I use for downloads, and a 15" screen on the laptop. Oh, and a 6.3" letterboxed 640 x 240 screen on my PDA, but let us not go there, it is a silly place...