Are 24" monitors big enough?

[MN dhawk]

I though that using 2 19" monitors was great until I saw another accountant using a 32" LCD HDTV. My desk is not big enough for that but I am thinking about a 24" monitor. Does anyone know if both 07 and 06 ATX will fit on a 24" LCD without the need for scrolling? That would free up the second 19" monitor for spreadsheets and the 6 o'clock news hour.

[Ray in Ohio]

I was thinking of using an overhead projector with the whole office wall as my screen. That way I can sit in my recliner to do taxes.

(hey hun, bring me another drink!!!)

[PaulH]

I'm using a 22" widescreen just as you describe (2006 on the left, 2007 on the right) and love it.

[michaelmars]

i'm with ray, right now i have 2 22" and the laptop screen as the 3rd monitor, got 07 & 06 open as well as quickbooks or email or this site or whatever on the laptop. after the reconstruction here starting on 4/15 i might opt for th eover head projection, put in a popcorn machine and show movies in surround screen when not busy

[jklcpa]

Overhead projectors, surround & popcorn. Thanks guys, I needed that laugh right about now!

[Ray in Ohio]

>>Overhead projectors<<

I can see me already with a laser pointer showing my client in a recliner beside me their refund amounts etc.

(oh, could I project a dart board and practice my dart throwing this way too?)

[michaelmars]

hey great new feature screen 1 - this is your return if we report everything accurately and screen 2 is what we will show the irs! they can see how good we are in wide screen panaview technicolor. screen3 - our invoice of course

[joelgilb]

I recently purchased a Scepter 24 inch monitor and atx runs on it beautifully,less but you still have some scrolling. Took my old 19 monitor, turned it sideways and put it to the right of the 24 inch and now can drag programs across the 2 monitors.

So due to the width of the Sceptre, I am able to put atx 2007 on it, Adobe next to it on the same monitor so I can see my clients faxed or emailed data (my fax auto converts files to PDF) and last years taxes on the old 19 inch monitor.

Great productivity, should have done this a long time ago.

Joel

[joelgilb]

Oh, I think I did not answer your question " Are 24 inch monitors big enough?"

Can any monitor be big enough? I think I want at least a 73 inch 1080P monitor

Joel

[jainen]

>>I want at least a 73 inch 1080P monitor<<

It's no use. Hopeless. I started doing tax returns on a 10" screen. Over the years I went bigger and bigger, but every time the darn tax forms got bigger too, so they still completely filled the screen. Then I got a second monitor, and THAT one's filled up with tax forms too. In fact, it's filled up with LAST year's forms, which I always figured should be history, since that's what "last year" means.

I guess it's not a total waste. At least now when I splash enchilada sauce on the screen I can still see around it. Frankly that would be more useful to me as a keyboard feature, but keyboards seem to be getting smaller and smaller instead.

[Lion EA]

I think my advancing age/ failing eyesight have more to do with me wanting a larger screen than just wanting the latest techie toy. But, we want bigger and more of them, too. Greedy, aren't we?!

[joanmcq]

Jeez, and I'm working off a 15 inch laptop....

[kcjenkins]

For me, and my old eyes, two 19" screens is my minimum to really let the work flow. But for anyone who is not sure, just go to Best Buy, Circuit City, etc, and look at the screens. Open several screens, and see how they 'read' to your eyes.

[joanmcq]

My eyes are crap. I do have my internet blown up to gigantor size.

[kcjenkins]

Do You Need to Work Faster?

Get a Bigger Computer Monitor

By BEN WORTHEN

March 25, 2008; Page B8

Working late? Blame your computer screen. A new study finds that bigger monitors make people more productive.

Researchers at the University of Utah tested how quickly people performed tasks such as editing a document and copying numbers between spreadsheets while using different computer configurations: one with an 18-inch monitor, one with a 24-inch monitor and one with two 20-inch monitors. Their finding: People using the 24-inch screen completed the tasks 52% faster than people who used the 18-inch monitor; people who used the two 20-inch monitors were 44% faster than those with the 18-inch screens.

The study concluded that someone using a larger monitor could save 2.5 hours a day. But James Anderson, the professor in charge of the study, said to take that result with a grain of salt: It assumes that someone will work nonstop for eight hours, which no one will, and that the tasks they perform will benefit from a larger screen, which isn't always the case. Still, tasks such as moving data between files are ideally suited to bigger or multiple screens. Mr. Anderson, who uses a computer with two 20-inch screens and one 24-inch screen, recommends that businesses take the time to match employees with the proper screen size based on job requirements.

A caveat: The study was funded by NEC <http://online.wsj.com/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=nipny> Corp., which makes computer monitors. Mr. Anderson said it was vetted by his university's research board.

[jmallard]

I went from one 20" HP CRT (Very big-HEAVY and took up most of my desktop) to two 20" flat screen monitors.

I love the dual monitors.

Jerry