LCD Screen Pivot

[dthomsen8]

I am considering buying a LG Flatron LCD Monitor, which can pivot from landscape to portrait mode. It has a sensor and included software which will switch the orientation along with the position of the screen.

I suspect that desktop publishing people may be using portrait mode with software that makes the switch, either automatically (Flatron) or with included software, or software included with the video card.

What can you tell me about the use of portrait mode? Anything about the hardware would also be interesting to me.

LG Electronics Flatron L1981Q, a 19" monitor, is reviewed quite favorably in PC WORLD magazine for October, 2005.

[Stephen Owades]

I am considering buying a LG Flatron LCD Monitor, which can pivot from landscape to portrait mode. It has a sensor and included software which will switch the orientation along with the position of the screen.

I suspect that desktop publishing people may be using portrait mode with software that makes the switch, either automatically (Flatron) or with included software, or software included with the video card.

What can you tell me about the use of portrait mode? Anything about the hardware would also be interesting to me.

LG Electronics Flatron L1981Q, a 19" monitor, is reviewed quite favorably in PC WORLD magazine for October, 2005.
One thing to be aware of is that ClearType won't work properly when the screen is rotated from its normal landscape orientation to portrait mode. That's because ClearType depends on having vertical color sub-pixels, and when you rotate the monitor those sub-pixels become horizontal. I don't know whether the automatic rotation-sensing software will turn off ClearType, or whether you'll want to do something about it yourself. It's even possible that the pseudo-antialiased look of ClearType with the rotated screen will look better than turning it off, as it does for some folks when using CRT monitors.

I too have been tempted by rotatable monitors, but I think I'm going to end up going with the largest number of pixels I can instead. There's a very nice Sony 23" wide-screen LCD monitor that does 1920x1200 and looks terrific, with more adjustments available (at least for PC users) than the corresponding Apple display.

[dthomsen8]

One thing to be aware of is that ClearType won't work properly when the screen is rotated from its normal landscape orientation to portrait mode. That's because ClearType depends on having vertical color sub-pixels, and when you rotate the monitor those sub-pixels become horizontal. I don't know whether the automatic rotation-sensing software will turn off ClearType, or whether you'll want to do something about it yourself. It's even possible that the pseudo-antialiased look of ClearType with the rotated screen will look better than turning it off, as it does for some folks when using CRT monitors.


Stephen,

Well, just how to I see this effect from ClearType? I have the new monitor.

David

[Stephen Owades]

Stephen,

Well, just how to I see this effect from ClearType? I have the new monitor.

DavidIf you're running Windows XP, go to http://www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/tuner/Step1.aspx, which allows you to turn on ClearType and set its options for best results with your monitor. Do it with the monitor in landscape mode, because (assuming that it's a landscape-mode LCD panel) it won't work correctly in portrait.