Widescreen vs 4:3 monitors

We're in the process of restyling the look and feel of Moviestorm, so that it's easier to use and doesn't look so, well, beige. The new layout is being designed to work well on widescreen (16:9) as well as traditional shaped (4:3) monitors.

What we're wondering is what sort of monitors you actually use. With the price of widescreen monitors plummeting, and widescreen TVs becoming standard, widescreen computing is really starting to take off. Most of the development team have widescreen monitors, and we know that 25% of gamers now have widescreen. PC World now sells more widescreen monitors than 4:3 monitors, and widescreen laptops are becoming the norm, particularly as more and more people use them for watching DVDs. However, right now, the majority of people still have 4:3 monitors.

But what do you have? Should we be developing primarily for widescreen now? Will the whole world have gone widescreen in the next year? Does being a film fanatic make you a widescreen devotee, or are you happy with the trusty old monitor you've grown to know and love? Let us know!

(Oh, and we haven't forgotten you Mac users, with your strange 15:9 widescreen. Eddz, who's actually doing the user interface design, is a Mac user, and he'll be making sure Moviestorm works just as well on the Mac as it does on the PC.)

We just upgraded our offices to big traditional (4:3) LCDs (we weren't impressed with the widescreens we saw in the showroom).

But I guess if the need rears its ugly, shiny head, we'll not stand against the tide for too long. Translation: I'll at least get me a widescreen if that's what it takes.

I think it's entirely Dependant on resolution.

Manufacturers are frequently advertising "<---Widescreen--->" as a selling point but if you look at many of the specs, a 'widescreen' is 1280x768, where a similarly priced old-format 4:3 is in fact 1280x1024.

You can run the same widescreen display at the same resolution and still have 1/5 more screen area to work with.

If anything, I like having a widescreen work area on a 4:3 giving me extra room for the interface.

Good point - "widescreen" is a way of selling you 25% less screen area for he same price and persuading you that it's better!

interesting question...

i do think adventually, everything will be widescreen... it's getting harder to buy one that isn't... not so long ago, getting a flat screen monitor was a big deal to the average consumer. now, it's near impossible to find one that isnt...

currently, my main pc still has a 3:4 monitor, but I prefer to shoot movies in a widescreen format, (I would definetly lean in that direction)...

I would vote for widescreen. I'm currently using the 4:3 monitor, but i intend on buying a widescreen monitor in the near future.

I just got my widescreen last month.

I use a 4:3 monitor, but make all my movies widescreen.

I just like the way widescreen looks, make me imagine I'm at the movies I guess.

I chose a trad 4;3 monitor for my new pc, because my daughter had quite a few problems with programs not running correctly on her widescreen.
We run one of our pcs on our widescreen tv and most things look squashed.
If higher res widescreen monitors become much cheaper, and more applications support that format I would upgrade, but my 19" 4:3 is fine for now.

I began using a widesvreen yesterday and for the first time saw the help popups on the bottom row of the Set workshop.

1280x1024

We have a combination of 4:3s and widescreens in the Strange Company offices, but all of our filming is done on widescreens now. I use a 19" widescreen at home for my own projects, too. I don't think I could cope with going back to a 4:3 setup.

If nothing else, you should see World Of Warcraft running at 1440x900 with all the setting turned up to 11

Dell 24" at home and would not want to live without it anymore

Except in the office, where we are sooooo pooor that I have to use a 22" monitor

I just got a 24" Dell widescreen a week ago, too! I'm loving it.

What's the screen resolution for your 24" Overman?

I've been running it at 1920x1200, that seems to fit the aspect ratio of the physical monitor just right. Everything looks really yummy.