More netbooks going high-res

Acer and Lenovo are the latest netbook makers to expand screen resolution, with both companies offering 16:9 displays and resolutions of 1280 x 720.

Acer’s Aspire One 571, like many netbooks, runs Intel’s Atom 280 processor. However, the addition of a Quartics Q1721 Multimedia Coprocessor allows for reliable encoding of high-definition video, Macles reports. The coprocessor accelerates both decoding and encoding of H.264.

More unusual is the inclusion of a Vmedia optical disc drive for 1 GB cartridge-enclosed discs that are just over a fifth of Blu-ray’s diameter. Vmedia’s Web site says the format will carry "the hottest new movies, TV shows and video games." That, or we’re looking at a UMD-type nightmare.

Lenovo’s high-resolution screen comes optional on the recently-announced Ideapad S10-2, Lilliputing reports through a German Web site.

The two companies join Dell and HP, which have both released 1366 x 768 resolution screens over the last couple of months. Upgrading from lower resolutions costs $35 in Dell’s Inspiron Mini 10 and $25 in the HP Mini 2140.

Reading this news, eyestrain is the first thing that comes to mind. Packing more pixels into a small screen makes images sharper and possibly harder to read. Lilliputing also notes that online streaming of flash-powered video can get choppy too, especially for Hulu and other sites that don’t allow pre-buffering.

Until we can get more powerful processors inside netbooks, I think the jury’s out on whether higher-resolution screens are actually desirable.