They are fairly unusual in this day and age, but nonetheless useful in certain scenarios

Jul 8, 2014 12:16 GMT  ·  By

When it comes to the display industry, the widescreen aspect ratio, 16:9 (or 16:10 sometimes) has pretty much taken over the whole market. There are some companies that still keep the 5:4 form factor alive, however, like Iiyama.

There was a time when the 5:4 aspect ratio was the type that ruled the display market. That age passed, though, and is unlikely to come back, given how prevalent 16:9 films have become, and how often they are watched on PCs.

Even games are tailored primarily for full HD resolution nowadays, 1920 x 1080 pixels, and all steps made forward have built on the same X/Y axis ratio.

Case in point, 4K resolution, or UHD (ultra-high definition), at 3840 x 2160 pixels, is, as well, a 16:9 display quality.

Nevertheless, 16:9 doesn't serve all that well in all instances. Kiosks, in particular, do better with narrower screens, displays that take up less space. It's not like point-of-sale software needs a huge resolution to display a few buttons and tabs.

Japanese company Iiyama is one of the IT players that regularly add 5:4 monitors to their lineup. That is precisely what happened the other day, in fact. And unlike previous occasions, it's not just one or two monitors coming out, but four.

All of them have a diagonal of 17 inches, as well as a native resolution of 1280 x 1024 pixels. Quite low in these times, but more than enough for kiosk markets.

The monitors are called ProLite T1731SR-2, the ProLite T1731SR-2 White, the ProLite T1731SAW-2, and the ProLite T1732MSC-B1X. You can see them all in the gallery, pictured in that very order.

All of them have two display inputs. Specifically DVI and D-Sub, and they also benefit from 2W stereo speakers, 100:1 static contrast ratio, and viewing angles of 80 and 85 degrees, vertical and horizontal.

That last bit is rather weak, but POS displays are usually mounted on easily rotating stands, so the visibility should not be too large a problem.

ProLite T1731SR-2 offers single-point resistive touch technology, the type that wears down over time form the constant presses and swipes, but is cheaper to implement. It might sound like a waste, until you realize that displays like this aren't meant to be used for longer than the screen face is likely to last unworn.

ProLite T1731SAW-2 is the only other screen with touch support (single-touch), but uses ultrasonic technology to pull it off (so, you don't need to press your fingertips against the panel). Unfortunately, Iiyama has not shared the prices of the new LCD monitors.

Iiyama 5:4 monitors (4 Images)

Iiyama 17-inch 5:4 display
Iiyama 17-inch 5:4 displayIiyama 17-inch 5:4 display
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