Towards 22'' Full HD LCDs

The manufacturers of panels in LCD screens are preparing to make two big changes:

• 22 inch panels will be replaced with 21.5 inch panels and
• resolutions will be improved, moving from 1680 x 1050 pixels to 1920 x 1080

These two complementary modifications will create Full HD panels that are only marginally smaller than the popular 22'' form factor.

The change will also mean a shift from the 16:10 aspect ratio to 16:9, which will make movies look a lot better, while graphic designers and office workers will have to put up with losing a little bit of information from the top and bottom of their screen.

Right now, the very first screens of this kind are available in China, and are retailing for around 200 euros [160 GBP / 300 USD] -- more or less the average price for today's 22'' LCDs without HD.

Some bloggers have suggested, though, that we may see a drop in quality associated with this change, but we'll have to wait until they arrive in Europe to test this out.