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Handbook · 10 chapters

The monitor handbook

Ten chapters that go from what the eye can see to what the cable can carry. Each explains one decision, with its formulas, its figures drawn to scale and its limits, so that a specification sheet holds no more mysteries.

  1. 01 Pixel density: PPI, PPD and what the eye can resolve Why the same screen looks coarse at 20 in (50 cm) and flawless at 35 in (90 cm), and the one figure that predicts it. 4 min read
  2. 02 Viewing distance: how far, how high, at what angle Between 20 and 39 in (50 cm and 1 m), the right distance depends on the width of the screen. The geometry, and the posture that goes with it. 4 min read
  3. 03 Screen size and desk depth The depth of the desk fixes the viewing distance, and the distance fixes the size. What fits on 24, 28, 31.5 and 35 in (60, 70, 80 and 90 cm). 4 min read
  4. 04 Resolution and scaling: the workspace you really get More pixels do not mean more room. How scaling converts resolution into sharpness or workspace, on Windows, macOS and Linux. 4 min read
  5. 05 Panel types: IPS, VA, OLED and Mini-LED Contrast, viewing angles, speed, text rendering: what each technology does well, and what it costs. 5 min read
  6. 06 Refresh rate, response time and motion clarity Why a moving image is blurred even on a perfect panel, and what 120, 144 or 240 Hz really change. 4 min read
  7. 07 Ultrawide vs. dual monitors One continuous surface or two separate ones: pixels, angles, desk width and habits of work, with numbers. 5 min read
  8. 08 Color, gamut and HDR sRGB, P3, Adobe RGB, Delta E, 10 bits, DisplayHDR: reading the color lines of a specification sheet without being misled. 5 min read
  9. 09 Connections: HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C and Thunderbolt An image is a data rate. What each port and cable can carry, and how to avoid a 4K screen stuck at 30 Hz. 5 min read
  10. 10 Eye comfort: strain, flicker and blue light What actually tires the eyes at a screen, what the evidence says about blue light and flicker, and the settings that help. 6 min read

How to read it

The chapters follow the order of the decisions. The first three settle the question that comes before all others, the size of the screen: what the eye resolves, the distance at which a screen is comfortable, and what the depth of a desk allows. The fourth converts resolution into real workspace. The following four deal with the quality of the image: panel, motion, wide layouts, color. The last two cover what surrounds the screen, the cable that feeds it and the eyes that look at it.

Each chapter opens with its conclusions for readers in a hurry and closes on the questions most often asked. The numbers in the tables and figures are computed from the same formulas as the selector; none is copied from a manufacturer’s sheet. Terms are defined in the glossary, and the reasoning behind the recommendations is set out in the method.

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