The native resolution on a LCD can be thought of as the maximum resolution on a CRT monitor. The big difference is that CRT monitors can display images at a lower resolution without picture quality loss while a LCD monitor has to rely on interpolation (scaling of the image). A LCD has to scale up a smaller image to fit into the area of the native resolution. This is the same principle as taking a smaller image in your favorite image editing program and enlarging it; the clarity you had with the smaller image loses its sharpness when it is expanded. This is especially problematic as most resolutions are in a 4:3 ratio (640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1600x1200) but there are odd resolutions that are not notably, 1280x1024. If a user was to map 1024x768 to a 1280x1024 screen there is going to be distortion as well as some image errors as there is not a 1->1 mapping with regards to pixels. This results in noticeable quality loss and the image is much less sharp. Some resolutions work well however as in the case of a 1600x1200 LCD and a 800x600 image. Since 800x600 is an integer factor of 1600x1200, scaling will not adversely affect the image.

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