Widescreen interpolation / scaling for future games

[IT Troll]

I've read about 1:1 pixel mapping which is fine for 4:3 games, but what if you want to play in widescreen but need a lower resolution for performance reasons (e.g. for Crysis or UT2007)?

Do the current 20.1" widescreen monitors allow you to run at a lower resolution (same aspect ratio) and then interpolate up to 1680x1050 to fill the whole screen? Are some screens better at doing this than others? Is this best done in hardware or software (e.g. nVidia nView)?

When I bought my 17" it was particularly well rated at the time for it's ability to scale from 1024x768 up to 1280x1024. However I haven't seen any mention of a similar feature in current widescreen reviews.

 

[IT Troll]

My Belinea 20.1" upscales to fill the screen from any resolution but it just stretches the content so it ends up pixelated

Yeah that is the kind of thing I am worried about.

I read a post somewhere that mentioned a monitor (possibly NEC or LG?) that has a native resolution of 1680x1050 but also lists a lower resolution in it's spec (possibly 1440x900?) and made a good job of scaling up. Just wondered if this was a common feature or something special.

 

[IT Troll]

The NEC does seem to get good all round reviews. I guess I'll have to hunt one down so I can see that glossy screen in the flesh.