Screen resolution options in Mini

hi all,
I'm thinking of getting a Macmini and a large LCD monitor
Can someone explain this I read on the Mac mini display support >external resolution: up to 1920 X 1200 pixels (DVI/VGA) 2560X1600 pixels (dual-link DVI)

Can I hook up a 42" LCD TV to a Macmini and get excellent picture?

Thanks
Web dude

You most certainly can hook it up to a 42" screen.

Personally, I have mine hooked up to a 42" Panasonic and am very happy with it. I have it running through to an HDMI cable (Mac mini display port out, what ever that is - Belkin cable available at the apple store!), with the separate audio cable, also bought from Apple.

Snow Leopard seems to give you a better level of control over the visual, with 1080i being a very comfortable resolution for movies and the such. It isn't a nice resolution for normal stuff, like web surfing, as it is a bit hard to see stuff, but that could just be my bad eye's. It is easy to change between the resolution for when you need to be able to work out what is going on from across the room!

On a personal note, the mac mini originally came with 1 Gb of ram, which simply wasn't enough. It was ok, but I have since upped it to 2.5 Gb of ram. As the ram doesn't need to be parallel, you can buy it with the minimum ram available, and get it upgraded at your local apple retailer (non apple) for less than apple charge.

Sure,

The Mini deals with the 16:10 aspect ratio quite well. You'll probably see small black horizontal bars when watching 16:9 aspect ratio movies, which is a good thing, I think, and better than stretching the movie to fill the 16:10 aspect ratio. Otherwise, windows and other stuff appear just fine.

Your low-end 19" monitor is probably a 1680 x 1050 resolution, like the Dell 20.1" 2005FPW (16:10) I'm currently using with my Mini is. And believe it or not, at that size and resolution, our monitors are of a higher resolution and pixel density than a 23" monitor at 1950 x 1080 (16:9), or a 24" monitor at 1950 x 1200 (16:10).

That is to say, that picture sharpness will appear better at the right distance, because the PPI and dot pitch is better, even though the resolution is stated as being lower on the smaller monitors.

Does that mean that smaller is better? Maybe for some, it is. But I'm currently waiting for a new and well-priced NEC at 23", 1950 x 1080 (16:9), which will probably begin shipping in a week or two.

Here's a link to a cool Display Dimensions Calculator that somebody pointed out to me, recently:

http://thirdculture.com/joel/shumi/computer/hardware/ppicalc.html

So, try it out. You'll probably see how sharp a low-end, smaller monitor really is.

Peace to you,
C. Livingstone

Oops,

Where the number "1950" appears, 1920 is actually the correct figure.

Peace to you all,
C. Livingstone