Question for Z owners with an External Monitor...

Due to the higher resolution of the Z on a 13" screen, text can be pretty small. Therefore, I know that many of you either change the DPI setting or increase the font size or use NoSquint.

My question is: how do you handle juggling between the laptop's screen and an external monitor? Increasing the DPI or font size probably makes text on the laptop's screen better, but I'm guessing it makes text too large on the external monitor.

I can't imagine going through the hassle of changing the DPI or font size each and every time you switch from laptop monitor to external monitor, so what do you do?

I'm not sure if I'm explaining this correctly, but hopefully someone will understand what I mean.

Thanks...

 

Good question.

 

Yes I know what you mean...when you change font dpi it does it for all displays. So....get the 1600x900 screen

 

I'm not sure I understand...

 

I have the 1600x900 and never have to change any display settings when using laptop, an external monitor or my 40" hdtv. Easy to read on every monitor. Not sure how much benefit u get from the 1080 but I find my resolution very comfortable and perfect in every situation

 

I agree, with 1600x900, if you have good eyes, it is fine at 100% DPI scaling. The DPI of 1600x900 @ 13.1" is the same as those [email protected]" or [email protected]" netbooks, around 135-140.

But with 1080p @ 13.1", I'm not sure if even I (and I usually love higher DPI screens) can tolerate the 168 DPI at 100% scaling for long periods of time. I'm afraid it might be too small for comfortable viewing at average laptop screen viewing distance.

 

I've no problem using my Vaio P and it has 1600x768 pixels packed in its tiny 8-inch display

edit: the display size is 8", not 8.9" My bad.

 

It actually has a 8" screen, which makes for a 222 DPI resolution, but you probably hold the screen a lot closer to your eyes than you would with a 13.1" laptop. Also, I doubt you're running it with 100% DPI scaling, are you?

 

Run an OS that allows you to have different DPI for each display

When I have to use Windows, I use different profiles for docked and undocked.
Which works too, after a fashion -- it's just incredible how Windows in 2010 still can't remember icon positions for more than one resolution, and even worse, can't maintain the order but reshuffles the icons.

 

Well, I've got 1600x900 on a 16.4" laptop right now and I wouldn't want anything smaller with this resolution. I'm guessing I wouldn't be comfortable with 1600x900 on a 13" screen, so I'd probably have to change the DPI or font size.

Therefore, maybe I should direct this question to the 1080p Z owners with an external screen. Surely they need to increase something when using using the laptop's screen -- right?

 

Sorry the point I was trying to make is 1600x900 is very usable at stock 100% scaling.

 

Maybe for you. I'm sure it would be too small for me and I'd have to up the DPI. But since I switch from laptop screen to external monitor several times per day, I'm not sure how I'd manage.

I'll most likely have to get something other than the Z. The Vaio S looks good, as does the new Toshiba R700 (or R705 at BestBuy).

 

It depends how you use it. Remember it's much smaller than your F so when used in lap or on the counter the screen is quite a bit closer to you than the F would be.

 

I know what you're saying, but in reality the difference in distance is only 2 inches.

 

Oops, my mistake. I have been running it at 100% DPI since I bought it (Aug 2009) and I am not alone who run it at 100% DPI - many of my friends who own one also run it at 100% DPI.

But then, I don't use the device for more than 30 minutes at a stretch. I could have bought the Z, but it won't fit in my Jacket's pocket

 

It fits just fine in my Scott eVest jacket pockets

And since it's a 140 DPI display, I run it at 140 DPI, so I know that an N point font is the same physical size on screen as it will be if I print it out, or view it on any other monitor with correctly set DPI.
(Except for in Firefox, that is; its font engine is horribly broken, and the "point" size there is partially based on a belief that everybody has the same DPI, and partially on arbitrary scaling for FONT SIZE, with no relevance whatsoever to physical size. And don't even get me started on the lack of kerning.)

 

I guess you can always manually change DPI scaling each time you hook up an external monitor.

It might be a good idea to get some software the saves/restores your desktop icon positions, or just don't put much stuff on the desktop.

It's still pretty troublesome, especially since you have to log out for DPI scaling changes to apply. ;/

But so far I couldn't think of anything better...

 

Yeah, I think it'll be too much of a hassle for me, since I switch from lappy screen to external monitor several times per day. So for me, I think I'll be better suited with a lower resolution 13" laptop.

 

Here are two pics with a crappy camera, showing 1600x900 and 1920x1080 resolutions respectively.

I think they're only good for visualizing how much screen real estate difference there is between the two resolutions, nothing more.

The LCD itself is 1600x900, so it displays 1600x900 resolution natively (pixel for pixel), but 1920x1080 was obviously resized down and therefore looks a little more blurry than it would on a true 1080p display. Anyway, with the crappy camera, I don't think it makes much difference.

Oh, and it's Windows XP with 100% DPI scaling, which has slightly smaller default fonts compared to Windows 7 I believe.


1600x900


1920x1080

It's a VGN-Z710DD screen btw.

 

Has anyone found good or at least acceptable solution for the issue?

I guess DPI change requires reboot - at least in Windows Vista and according to google in Windows 7 it's the same. This makes it much worse then if it would be possible to quickly switch DPI, even with the same DPI on both screens.

 

In W7 you just have to log off and log back on. You don't need a complete reboot. It still doesn't really offer a fix to the fundamental problem though.

 

That's what I just googled about W7. It's possible to change DPI with log off and log in, that means closing and restarting all applications. Still problem as you pointed.

I don't hope for different DPIs on different displays (laptop and external); in forums they say it's "impossible", although I don't think it's a big deal. Wierd if no one wrote some hack or special driver, allowing to adjust DPI without restart. This piece of software could worth big money

 

You can just set 1600x900 resolution on internal 1080p screen, and native resolution on external monitor. This isn't optimal, I know.

 

That would be fine when I'm using the external monitor, but too small when using the laptop's screen.

I already have 1600x900 on a 16.4" laptop and that's as small as I'd want the text to be -- so 1600x900 on a 13" laptop would make things way too small (for me).

 

1366x768 on the internal screen then?

 

1366x768 on internal screen is too painful for Z series with FullHD resolution.

I don't need both screens running at the same time. Only a quick switch between "internal screen only" and "external screen only" modes - i.e. 125% DPI (or 150%) and 100% DPI. Without rebooting or re-logging - to keep all applications running. Very sad, but seems it's still impossible.