So are you stuck with whatever the native resolution is? Apparently not, as there is a simple script that will take care of the problem and increase your monitor resolution beyond what your system considers as normal!

Before You Begin

Please note that the script we are going to be using for this is dependent on a Linux technology called Xrandr, which will do the scaling necessary so that the larger resolution will still fit on your screen. However, the author of the script warns that the “non-free” graphics drivers from AMD and nVidia currently do not support the version of Xrandr needed to do these things.

Therefore, trying to run this script while using those drivers should be done at your own risk, and no results are guaranteed. However, since this script is most beneficial for netbook users, the chance of this issue occurring is slim as there is rarely a need for those non-free drivers on such a low-powered device.

Download and Installation

To get started, you’ll need to head over to this page and download the .tar.gz file. Then extract the the two files found inside into your home/<username>/.gnome2/nautilus-scripts folder. You can see hidden folders in Nautilus by hitting Ctrl + H after you open your Home folder with it. That’s all you have to do for the installation!

Running the Script

To launch the script, you can right-click inside either a Nautilus window or on your desktop. Under Scripts, you’ll find the newrez scripts. I advise that you choose newrez, and only newrez-v if you have issues with the former.

You’ll be presented with a window that will ask you for your new horizontal width. From there, it will take care of the rest. It will calculate the appropriate vertical width to maintain the same aspect ratio. Within a few seconds, you should have your new resolution, ready to go.

Before the script finishes, it’ll ask you if you’d like a launcher so that you can have one click access to your new resolution as the change isn’t permanent. You can also take the contents of the launcher and have the command run during start-up so that you won’t even have to use the launcher to get your new resolution.

Don’t be surprised if the higher resolution isn’t any sharper, as the monitor’s physical resolution is still the same. However, your workspace should be a lot bigger, letting you do more with the space that you have.

In order to go back to the normal resolution without restarting the system, you can run the newrez script again but enter in your normal horizontal width, and you’ll be returned to your normal, native resolution.

Conclusion

For netbooks, this is a great way to get some more space out of your screen to see more of whatever applications you’re running. While less effective, you can also use the script on your desktops with its large screens. If you’re daring enough, you could technically use this script even if you have a 2560 x 1600 monitor, to gain a resolution of 3000+ and make your enormous workspace even larger.

What do you think about newrez? Would this trick be helpful for you on netbooks? Let us know in the comments!

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Yet IPS also comes at a price, and as the technology has filtered down to less expensive monitors, some disadvantages have been exaggerated. The decision to buy an IPS monitor for your next display is no longer as clear.

Ghosting/Blurring

A common problem among LCD displays of every type, ghosting or blurring is essentially what it sounds like. It’s an image defect that causes objects moving on-screen to leave a unwanted trail behind. Both terms refer to the same problem.

Ghosting is a possible issue on almost all modern monitors and HDTVs, but it’s particularly prevalent on IPS panels. High-end displays usually do a good job of taming the problem through the use of high-quality panels and through the use of firmware features that compensate for blur.

In cheaper monitors these features may not be available, or are of much lower quality. Reviews mention this frequently, but you can see it yourself by visiting your local electronics retailer. Your sensitivity to this effect may vary, so it’s a good idea to check it out for yourself.

Not every cheap IPS monitor suffers from this effect equally. For example, the LG Flatron IPS226V has received some praise for its particularly good response times and lack of ghosting. It’s currently an exception, however – many other options, including other LG monitors, have been cited as having moderate to major ghosting issues.

Image Quality Isn’t Guaranteed

To most geeks, IPS panel means awesome. End of story. That’s not really the case though.

There is no disputing that a display using IPS will have some advantages over TN. A wider color gamut is usually available, and display angles are almost always significantly better. However, these two benefits are all you can count on. Everything else is up in the air. Backlight quality depends on the types of lighting elements used and their location. Colors are impacted by the display’s finish, the backlight, and other factors.

The details are where cheap IPS displays from companies like LG and ASUS tend to fall short. Take the LG Flatron D2342P as an example. Though equipped with an IPS panel, it falls short of the best TN monitors in image quality. LG made a big deal of its new IPS monitors at CES 2011, and I’m sure the first round of geeks who bought them thought they were getting an awesome deal – but it turns out it actually is possible to make IPS look inferior to TN.

Lack Of Features

When you stuff an expensive panel into a display that is supposed to sell for between $200 and $300, something has to give. And usually that something is connectivity, build quality, or both.

Take the ASUS ML239H as an example. For about $189.99 you can have IPS, but you can’t have DVI (you’ll need to use an adapter). You also only receive swivel and tilt adjustments, there’s no VESA mount support, and there are no built-in speakers.

There’s also a lot of backlight bleed. Remember what I was saying about quality?

To be fair, you don’t usually find height adjustment on cheap TN monitors, either. It is common to find at least three video inputs for that price, however. Speakers are also common. By going cheap in your quest for IPS, you’re sacrificing features that you may need more than you think.

Conclusion

When the latest wave of inexpensive monitors boasting IPS became available in 2011, I was hopeful that we were beginning to see a new revolution in inexpensive monitors. Instead, buyers received what they paid for – cheap displays. Sure, viewing angles were better, but that was the only consistent benefit. These inexpensive displays were often lacking in other areas.

If you want to buy IPS, you should do it right the first time. Remember, monitors tend to be a durable purchase. Usually they’ll last at least five years, and some kick around for ten or more. In addition, they are not quickly made obsolete. Save your pennies and buy a high-quality, expensive monitor instead of a budget model. You’ll thank yourself over the coming years.

Please note: I’m not going to address Red/Blue pseudo-3D in this article. Any computer can display something in red/blue as this article from 2009 showed you. It’s an old technology, the quality is terrible, and this is not what is referred to as 3D in the year 2011. You can also view 3D on any monitor by just going cross-eyed if you really want.

It’s not about your graphics card

Any modern video card is capable of outputting a signal that can used to drive a 3D display. It’s often said that you need NVidia, but that’s only because they’ve partnered with numerous manufacturers to produce NVidia branded 3dVision products which are relatively easy to setup (or require no set up at all in the case of certain laptops)

AMD/ATi cards can also output 3D, but there are no ATi branded 3D monitor/glasses packages you can buy, and the drivers provided by ATI do not support 3D natively. Ignoring the monitor side of things for a moment, if you have an ATi card then you’ll also need some third party drivers that convert the signal from your ATi into whatever format is needed by your display, and those drivers have an additional cost.

The most recent iteration of ATi Radeon drivers have introduced some sort of native 3D output. You still need the additional drivers, but they have partnered with ATi to offer a special free licence for ATi owners.

Display Device

This is the most important part of your setup, and this is the reason you can’t get 3D on any old LCD monitor. Normal LCD screens simply don’t have the capability to display 3D images using either of the more popular techniques outlined below. (Images from Panasonic)

Active 3D displays – the kind that have glasses which need a battery – require a monitor with a very high refresh rate to send twice as many image frames as usual. Your typical LCD display is simply too slow to display images at the speed required.

Passive 3D displays – with their lightweight glasses – require a special filter inside the monitor which polarize the light.

Lenticular 3D displays – such as the Nintendo 3DS, which don’t require glasses at all – have a special filter inside which angles the different images directly into your eyes. There are no consumer level lenticular displays currently available.

That’s why your average monitor cannot do 3D. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

The Drivers

Okay, we’ve established that your video card is technically capable of 3D, but chances are your monitor isn’t. Assuming you do actually own either a 3DTV, or purchased a specific monitor and glasses package deal – now what?

Nvidia card + 3D Ready monitor package: If you ‘re willing to purchase a new monitor, this is the easiest route to go. You can either buy a packaged deal with glasses + monitor, or you can buy a compatible 3D Vision Ready monitor and get the glasses separately. Either way is likely to set you back about $500, not including the graphics card itself.

Compatible 3DTV + Recent NVidia Card: You need to purchase a special driver called 3DTV Play from NVidia for $40. This will only work with more recent Nvidia cards (Certain members of the GT series), and only if your 3DTV is compatible with HDMI 1.4a (check the compatibility list here).

3DTV + Older Nvidia Card: You need to purchase third party drivers for about $50.

3DTV + ATi Card: You will need to download additional third party drivers, but you may or may not need to purchase a licence for them.

In all these cases, third party drivers refers to either TriDef, or iZ3D.

You will also need to investigate exactly which 3D output format your 3DTV (or projector) requires. There’s quite a variety of formats out there, so you’ll need to look this up specifically for your TV and set the drivers correctly. If you don’t understand the manual, please post your model number in the comments and I’d be happy to look this up for you.

The Software

You don’t need any additional software to play games in 3D. Just the launch the game in full-screen, and the drivers should automatically kick in.

What about movies though?

Firstly, there are ways to magically turn a regular non-3D into a 3D movie but the result is terrible and I’m not going to talk about it here. I’m going to assume you have either specifically downloaded 3D videos, or have a 3D BluRay disc.

3D BluRay: All you need is a Bluray player capable of outputting the 3D. Cyberlink PowerDVD is the only player I know of that can do this currently, and it should have come with your computer or BluRay drive. Obviously you can’t play BluRay disks on your computer if you don’t actually have a BluRay drive.

3D-AVIs: These are a specific 3D file format and require a special player. NVidia bundles an appropriate 3D player, but for non-NVidia users you’ll need to purchase Stereoscopic Player from here.

Side-By-Side AVIs: These are kind you might download from a torrent site if you were so inclined, usually in the form of “3d blu-ray rips”. They come in a regular AVI format, and you can identify them easily because when you open them, they’ll be two of the same movie playing side by side. These can be played full-screen directly in VLC if you’re connecting to a 3DTV that understand side-by-side format; but to play them on a 3DVision or other 3D monitor, or a 3DTV that doesn’t understand side-by-side format, you’ll need the NVidia 3D player or Stereoscopic player that let’s you set the output format.

I really hope this has cleared it up for some of you. The truth is that there are so many different formats out there for both displaying and storing 3D, and even for a geek like me getting them talking to each other is no easy task; so it’s understandable to be a little confused. If you’d like any more details or clarification on the points mentioned here, please don’t hesitate to ask in the comments.

Less Than Optimal Manual & Automatic Solutions

There are of course various solutions to this problem. You could for example turn off your monitor manually. The downside is that the average screen won’t wake up in response to moving the mouse, you will have to turn it on manually.

Have you ever tried to turn off a laptop screen? Most laptops don’t offer this feature anymore or it is well hidden. While you could optimize your power management settings to only turn off the screen when you close the lid, that again requires a lot of manual intervention.

Another alternative would be to work with the Windows power management. However, an energy efficient setting that turns your screen off quickly can turn out to be quite annoying, for example when you are trying to read an article. The best and most flexible solution is to take it into your own hands, but in a smart way.

Convenient Solutions

Sleeper is an executable utility, which allows you to turn your screen off. It does not require an installation and will not occupy any memory. You can assign a hotkey to activate it, as described below. Otherwise, simply double-click the icon and your monitor will turn off.

NirCmd is a small command-line utility, which can complete a range of tasks, which includes turning your monitor off. You can run NirCmd without installation. However, if you want to use it regularly, it’s more convenient to install it and thus not having to type the full path every time you want to run a command.

To install NirCmd in Windows 7, right-click nircmd.exe and select > Run as administrator. In Windows XP make sure you are logged in as Administrator. Next, click the > Copy To Windows Directory button.

Also confirm with > Yes in the following window. Once the operation is completed, click > OK in the previous window.

Now that NirCmd is installed, you can use it to turn off your monitor and complete other tasks. Admittedly, opening the command line and typing a command every time you want to turn off your screen is probably the most inconvenient solution of all. However, you only have to do it once in order to create a shortcut, which you can then assign a hotkey to.

Click > [Windows]+[R] to open the Run utility, then type > cmd and click > OK.

In the command line, type the following command and hit Enter:

nircmd.exe cmdshortcutkey "c:\temp" "Turn Monitor Off" monitor off

If you did not copy nircmd.exe to the Windows Directory, spell out the full path. Instead of ‘c:\temp‘ you can choose any other location for the shortcut file. ‘Turn Monitor Off‘ will be the name of the shortcut file, you can choose a different name.

Monitor Off is an all-in-one tool. It can turn off your monitor, you can create a hotkey to do so, and you can set several additional preferences, for example locking the workstation when the monitor is turned off, setting a shut off delay, or starting a screensaver. The drawback is that this utility must be installed and will run in your memory.

If you’re interested in learning more about this tool, read Saikat’s article MonitorOff – Software to Switch Off Your Monitor & Save Energy.

How To Assign a Hotkey To Run Any Tool

This works for any executable, including the tools above. Note that Monitor Off comes with its own hotkey setup.

First, right-click the .exe file and select > Create shortcut. Note that you have already created a shortcut for NirCmd, if you followed the steps above.

Next, right-click the shortcut file and select > Properties. Place the mouse in the > Shortcut key: field, which should say ‘None’, and click your keyboard shortcut, for example [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[J]. Click > OK to confirm.

Finally, test your shortcut key and enjoy!

More Energy Saving Tips

If you are as energy conscious as I am, you might want to skim through the following articles:

• Does Saving Energy With Your PC Really Help Your Wallet?
• 5 Ways To Reduce The Power Consumption Of Your Computer
• The Ultimate 5 Ways to Go Green on Your Computer
• 7 Websites With Energy Calculators That Can Help You Save Energy This Summer And Live A Greener Life
• Save Energy and Go Green on Windows using Edison

So do you diligently turn off your monitor to save energy every time you leave your desk? Why would you not do it if it’s so easy?

Image credits: SCOTTCHAN, Monkey Business Images

This week, we’re giving away 25 copies of MaxTo with 3 years’ worth of free updates! Read on to find out how you can win a copy.

MaxTo basically lets you carve up your monitor (or monitors) into predefined “slices”, which you can then maximize windows into. It features strong hotkey support, too, if you’re more of a keyboard person.

The main interface looks like this:

The reason text is so tiny in the screenshot is that the interface always takes up the full size of the screen. This surprised me at first, but then I realized it’s actually the perfect way to estimate how large each portion of the screen is going to be in real use. This way, you don’t end up carving the screen into slices that look nice in theory, but are too small for day-to-day use. Let’s zoom in on the controls at the center of each slice:

So, you can slice each slice horizontally, vertically, or complete eliminate it (in case you realize it’s just too small). You also get an exact measurement showing how large the slice is going to be. This can be useful for Web developers; for example, I can have a portion of my screen that is 1024×768 pixels large. Any window I maximize in that section will emulate the full screen area of many smaller monitors. There is no way to dial in an exact size for a section, so that sort of setup involves a little bit of fiddling with the borders, dragging and dropping repeatedly until the size is just so.

Profiles

MaxTo comes with several pre-made profiles you can pick from, for instant configuration. I like “Main with two-way right”:

Of course, you can also create and save your own profiles.

Hotkey Support

MaxTo features a rich selection of hotkeys. The handiest ones (in my opinion) are those used for moving a window between the different slices of the screen.

In case the default bindings are not to your liking, the configuration interface lets you easily change them, and even add new bindings for functions that don’t have hotkeys by default:

One notable omission, though, is a key that would let you send a window to the same position on another monitor. Perhaps in a future version?

The Alternate Layout

Many of us use the computer in several different settings. For example, you might want to arrange your screen one way when browsing the Web and reading content online, and in a totally different way when coding or working on graphics. MaxTo lets you configure an alternate setup that you can easily switch to at any time:

Video Introduction

The MaxTo website features a short (1:33) video that breezes through the app’s most important features. Since it is so informative, I’ve decided to share it below. Here goes:

We’re giving away 25 free copies of MaxTo with 3 years of free updates! Win one now!

How do I win a copy?

It’s simple, just follow the instructions.

Step 1: Fill in the giveaway form

Please fill in the form with your real name and email address so that we can get in touch if you are chosen as a winner. Click here if you can’t view the form.

The giveaway code required to activate the form is available from our Facebook page.

Step 2: Share!

You’re almost done. Now, all that’s left to do is to share the post. There are 2 options to choose from or you can do both!

This giveaway begins now and ends Friday, November 11th. The winners will be selected at random and informed via email.

Spread the word to your friends and have fun!

MakeUseOf would like to thank Digital Creations AS for their generosity while participating in this giveaway. Interested in sponsoring? We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us via email.

Monitors are an important part of any computer. Given the widespread availability of cheap TN panel options, it’s easy to take the path of least resistance and purchase whatever looks like a good value. That, however, may not be your best option.

A high-quality display using an IPS panel can provide far better image quality and offer improved viewing angles. Sure, an IPS display is more expensive, but your movies will be much more attractive and images will be more accurate. Ready to take the plunge? Then check out these four options.

HP ZR22w

Traditionally, IPS monitors have been large, with models below 24 inches in size considered rare. That’s been changing lately, however. Now it’s possible to find some smaller IPS displays such as this ZR22w, which features a 21.5” panel.

Though small, the display resolution is 1080p, just as you’d expect from a larger monitor. Input options are somewhat limited compared to some larger brethren, but you’ll still find DisplayPort, DVI and VGA. There are also five USB 2.0 ports built in to the monitor, a small but handy detail.

Like most other IPS monitors, this model features excellent color reproduction and viewing angles. Prices start at about $230 online, so you’re still paying a premium compared to a TN panel, but the improvements in image quality are worth the price.

ASUS ProArt PA246Q

A newcomer to the IPS display market, ASUS has entered with a mainstream monitor targeted at mainstream 24” models from Dell and HP. The result, surprisingly, is a monitor that’s equal to or better than either.

Performance from the ASUS ProArt is roughly on par with the Dell Ultrasharp U2410. In other words, it’s excellent. Connectivity options include DVI, DisplayPort, VGA and HDMI. Built-in USB 2.0 ports and a media card reader are also available. The display resolution of 1920×1200 is indicative of this monitor’s professional intentions, as the additional pixels provide just a little extra room for image editing.

The competition between this monitor and Dell’s U2410 is intense, and either would be a great choice. The ASUS ProArt tends to have an edge when it comes to price, however. While the U2410 is usually $499, it’s possible to find the ProArt for as little as $449 online.

Apple Cinema Display

Apple has always had understood that display quality is an important part of the computing experience, and that’s reflected in their own displays. The iMac, for example, is well known for its quality monitor – but if you don’t want the Apple internals, you can always buy the display by itself.

Known as the Apple Cinema Display, this 27-inch IPS monitor offers brilliant color reproduction and Apple’s classic silver aluminum design. While many IPS displays are built with professional image editing in mind, the Apple is directly targeted at consumers. As a result, its aesthetic design is head-and-shoulders above anything else on the market.

Connectivity is the big problem of this display. It relies on Mini DisplayPort, which means that many users (including those with older MacBooks) will be unable to use this display. If you can use it, however, you’ll enjoy the 2560×1440 display resolution and the vivid colors. As the name implies, this is a particularly good display for movies, and games also look great.

Pricing is rather firm at $999. Some buyers may decide to go with a Dell Ultrasharp model instead, and that’s not a bad choice. For your average consumer, however, the Apple Cinema Display is as good as it gets. It should be noted that there is also a new model available with Thunderbolt compatibility. It’s identical to this display otherwise.

Dell Ultrasharp U3011

When it comes to monitors, the 30-inch IPS display has always been king. There are several companies selling monitors of this size, but for consumers, the Dell Ultrasharp U3011 is the clear winner.

Part of the reason is pricing. Many monitors of this size are sold without thought to consumers, such as many of NEC’s products. As a result, their price can soar above $2000. This Dell, on the other hand, is relatively affordable at $1200, yet it offers the same stunning resolution of 2560×1600.

Connectivity is another benefit of the U3011. It offers just about everything you could imagine including not one but two HDMI ports, two DVI ports, DisplayPort, VGA, and Component. There’s also four USB 2.0 ports and a media card reader.

This is not an inexpensive monitor, and spending this much money on a display can be hard for some to swallow. In fact, even I agree that not everyone needs a monitor this large. If you want the ultimate visual experience for your PC, however, this is the way to go.

Conclusion

I picked these monitors out based on my own experience and opinions. What do you think? Do you agree with my decisions, or do you think some different products deserve recognition? Let us know in the comments!