Comments on: Getting the Most from a Large Monitor

By: Mark Shead

Mark Shead — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:48:04 +0000

I believe your computer can take a VESA compatible attachment that will let you use an adjustable arm so you can position your monitor wherever you like. Otherwise, the only other solution I can think of is to raise your chair, remove the keyboard tray, but the keyboard on the desk and get a box for your feet.

One other crazy idea: I think there is a setting that would let flip your monitor image upside down. This is used for projectors that are mounted upside down on the ceiling. You could possible build some type of frame that holds the computer upside down so the monitor is as close to your desk as possible.

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:16:56 +0000

I have a 28-inch IMAC. The design of an IMAC is that the “size” of the entire machine is 28 inches, but the viewing part of the screen is 24 inches and is located in the top portion. Tthere is at least 4 inches of non-screen at the bottom of the computer. Ergonomically speaking, this is killing my neck, as I have to look up to see all of what’s on my screen. I would never have purchased such a large screen if I had realized how this would affect my viewing posture.
Anyone have any suggestions as to how to fix this problem? I raised my chair height, but this doesn’t work because now my knees hit the keyboard tray and well, my feet don’t hit the floor flat either. So, this is a bad solution (not a solution at all). Even with my chair raised, the computer screen is too high. My desk is 30 inches high. All I can think to do is to cut a hole in my desk and lower the entire IMAC down two or three inches. Stupid idea because I can’t figure out how to do that realisticly anyhow. I noticed that the last post on this thread was in April! HA, maybe no one will read this, but I’m giving it a shot anyway.

By: 20 Tips to Save Money on a Home Office : Productivity501

20 Tips to Save Money on a Home Office : Productivity501 — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:08:16 +0000

[...] Unless you are doing video editing or some other task that requires a very fast computer, modern PCs are overkill. You can go cheap on your computer in order to save money for other items–like the monitor. [...]

By: yeknommonkey

yeknommonkey — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:16:40 +0000

2nd thoughts, maybe i just need to go to specsaver!

By: yeknommonkey

yeknommonkey — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:14:03 +0000

yeah its a macpro 8Core with the ATI Radeon HD 2600, think it’s only the 256Mb one but is plenty happy running both
and i got a GeForce 7600GS for the PC which is fine too – and was only £51

you might be right on the pixel density being a bit too small. but i think apples ‘normal’ screens are just a tad ‘fat’ on their pixel density. I think the high res laptop screen for the 17inch MBP is perfect.

having the 30 is great when you’re using After effects or 3d studio, but you do lose your sense of what is ‘normal’ when doing websites, so i have to always check stuff on a small screen as i go.

the 2nd display often ends up running iTunes and dvd player whilst i work. but hey can’t complain. thinking maybe i’ll get some vesa mounts see if that helps with positioning / eye strain, i think the are maybe a little too high sitting on the desk on the original stand.

By: Mark Shead

Mark Shead — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:05:53 +0000

@yekno – Does your computer have a video card that can handle driving two 30 inch screens? Most aren’t.

I think a 24 inch 2560×1600 would be hard to see, but perhaps you’d get use to it.

I’m using a single 30 inch and I’m very happy with that. I had a 24 and 17 inch for awhile and the single screen is significantly better for what I do.

By: yeknommonkey

yeknommonkey — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 19:51:54 +0000

I went in to the Apple store to buy either 1×30inch or 2×24inch, the 30 was sool cool i thought i had to get one, but then realised if i had 1, working on anything smaller would start to feel cramped, so i got one for the other computer too. I bought 2x 30inch apple displays, partly for dual monitor use and partly for when i have both Computers running.

Anyway… the reason for me posting is i think the they are TOO big!
i’d rather have physically smaller screens with the high resolution, i.e. keep the pixel space but squash it into less inches. these 30’s are just so wide, you get eye ache looking around all over them. when you are far enough back from them that the distance from your eye to the centre is pretty much same as eye to edge of screen, you feel a bit too far back, but when you’re close enough for the middle of screen you get tired quick scanning around (especially if you have both running!).

the other drawback is that I love my Wacom tablet for mouse and pen as it is just super accurate all the time, but if you map to the whole of boh screens it gets pretty crummy, even on my large tablet, whilst using the ’switch screen’ button is also a pain even though it’s just a flick of a mouse button it doesn’t feel smooth, and isn’t good for dragging stuff around.

anyway, be careful what you wish for as they say, i drooled over the 30’s for ages, but now i’m thinking 24’s are the way to go!
(if they up the resolution to 2560×1600)!

By: Mark Shead

Mark Shead — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:22:00 +0000

@Karl – I’m not sure exactly which model you are talking about, but I haven’t found anything over 30 inches that has decent resolution. A 30 inch screen should be 2560 x 1600. If you are using a television the resolution will probably much lower. It will be like having a 23 inch screen and a magnifying glass instead of actually having a bigger screen. This may be what your friend was saying.

By: Karl Seymour

Karl Seymour — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:46:31 +0000

i have been considering the new 100hz samsung series 6 40: screen
i have been told by a friend that using a lcd tv instead of a “real” monitor can cause probs with web page viewing , is this true
or can i change everything to suit my new screen
i dotn want to waste $2300 if its not gonna work for me

By: Mark Shead

Mark Shead — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 14:58:46 +0000

@Claude – Some of it you will probably get use to if your eyesight is reasonably good. You can also change the text size in your applications. In Safari Apple + will make things bigger and Apple – will make things smaller. You can change the font size on email in the preferences. With a little adjusting, you should be able to find a balance where you can easily see everything while using the highest resolution.

You also might consider moving your computer a bit closer. if you were using a real low resolution you make have moved the computer further back from your eyes that what you need.

By: Claude

Claude — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 13:57:04 +0000

Hi Mark

I have an iMac 20″ and I had lowered the res to 1344 to 840. The maximum res on the machine is 1680 by 1050. After reading your article I increased the res to the max. Looks great but now I squint. Friends say that I will ultimately get used to it. Do you believe that?

By: Ariane Benefit

Ariane Benefit — Thu, 01 May 2008 20:25:35 +0000

@Andy – boy would that be great!

UPDATE: I got the Dell UltraSharp 2707! I love it. Text is a perfect size now for easy reading and I can manage 2-3 open windows for web development projects so much more easily. I HIGHLY recommend it!

By: Andy Klee

Andy Klee — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:54:29 +0000

Does anyone know how to open two MS Office applications so that they automatically show up side by side on a single monitor? I’d like to work side-by-side on one monitor, but it isn’t practical if you have to always move and resize the windows after opening multiple programs.

Thanks!

By: Sunday Brunch | Entrepreneur's Breakfast: Marketing Over Easy

Sunday Brunch | Entrepreneur's Breakfast: Marketing Over Easy — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:19:34 +0000

[...] from Productivity 501 posted some tips for getting the most from your Large Sized Monitor. (Yes, if you work on the internet, size DOES matter. D’oh! I want to say that my monitor is [...]

By: Mark Shead

Mark Shead — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:22:01 +0000

@Roger – Thanks. I’m glad you liked the article. It is easy to have holdovers from older technology that limit us from using our tools effectively. For me going from a 24 inch to a 30 inch monitor was a major transition and I’m still learning how to make it work effectively.

It would be interesting to see a study showing the difference between someone who started out using a 640×480 monitor and gradually progressed up to 2560×1600 compared with someone who started using a computer with the large monitor.

@Fred – A lot of people are scared to bring the monitor closer to their face so they can see it better. I think this is left over from using CRTs and not wanting to be too close to the electron gun that was aimed right at your face.

I’ve lost a lot of desk space with my 30 inch monitor because I have to pull it closer–so it sits in the middle of my desk instead of the back. I’m looking at getting some type of arm so I can position it exactly where it works best and still keep my desk free.

By the way, I’m a huge fan of Cisco products. Cisco understands command line interface design like Apple understands physical design. The downside of working with a lot of Cisco equipment (in the late 90’s) has been an extreme frustration trying to use other command line interfaces on networking equipment.