Notebook computers are useful in many situations, but they don't really suit long periods of working, surfing or typing, because the small screen can strain the eyes and the viewing angle lead to neck and back pain.
"A good monitor for everyday use is large and flexibly adjustable," says Joerg Feldmann from Germany's Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. "A notebook generally isn't."
For that reason, the experts recommend connecting the notebook to an external monitor if you're going to be using it for a lengthy period,. The connection can be made either directly or using a docking station. Fortunately the technical hurdles to doing so are low. Any reasonably modern computer with an up-to-date operating system should be able to support a second monitor without difficulties.
"In the case of modern laptops with HDMI or DisplayPort connections, it's generally no problem," says Myroslav Sykora, an analyst with market research firm IDC. However, there are a few points that notebook users should consider before connecting up to a monitor.
Always the first question to consider is the interface. The easiest way to connect a monitor and notebook is via a digital connection such as HDMI or DisplayPort. The only prerequisite is that both devices have the same connection built in. Whether that's the case isn't always obvious - many monitors for example have a so-called DVI input but few notebooks have the matching output.
Luckily this is a problem that's easy to fix: "Electrically the signals from DVI and HDMI are identical so there's a very straightforward adapter available," says Sepp Reitberger from German computer magazine Chip. The cable shouldn't cost more than about 20 euros (22 dollars). There are also similar solutions available for other connections such as Apple's Thunderbolt.
The easiest option when working at a desk at home is to use a docking station. These generally offer not only a variety of connections but also the option of connecting other devices to the notebook such as a mouse, a keyboard or a printer. Depending on the dock, users can connect two or more monitors to the notebook.
Whoever chooses to use a connection other than HDMI and other modern equivalents is going to have to live with restrictions. For example the analogue VGA connection is still widely used.
"It's been around for many years," says Reitberger. "Today, however, it's really only a temporary solution if there are no alternatives."
The main reason is picture quality: in Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) VGA users generally will have to live with annoying flickering or so-called ghost images. Digital connections don't have these problems, at least not in Full HD, but at higher resolutions they also encounter their limitations. Not every HDMI cable will transfer Quad-HD (2560 x 1440 pixels) or Ultra-HD (3840 x 1920 pixels).
"And also, notebooks often can't deliver such resolutions," warns Reitberger. He recommends testing out a high-resolution monitor with the notebook before buying it.
Then there are monitors connected via USB port. They can easily be combined with another extra display which is connected by HDMI or VGA connection. But there are restrictions: on a USB 2.0 port, the speed of data transfer is limited and so smooth viewing is not guaranteed.
"USB 3.0 offers a significantly higher data transfer rate," says Reitberger. "However, there are currently no affordable monitors with USB 3.0 available on the mass market. This could change in the future though."
What appears on the additional monitor can be chosen via the function keys or the system settings. You can set it to display the same things as the primary monitor or alternatively use it as an additional work and storage area, creating a so-called extended desktop.
"That's particularly popular for graphics and video work," says Reitberger. "For example, on the big screen I can have my finished images and my tools on the small notebook screen."
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