Silent_Buddha
Legend
Blast. So still have to carry at least 2 devices whenever I go on long trips (e-reader and slate or tablet PC).
Ah well, someday.
Regards,
SB
Ah well, someday.
Regards,
SB
Pixel Qi - LCD display switchable to reflective display...
- Thread starter Silent_Buddha
- Start date
The latest generation of E-Ink displays has a brighter white, yet it's still considerably darker than typical paper used in books or newspapers. Not because it's easier on the eye, but because they haven't managed to make it brighter yet. There's no reason to artificially limit the range anyway. If ambient light was too bright, you could simply use a grey background. The biggest issue in bright sunlight is glare from the plastic protective layer.
Liquavista manipulates a drop inside a chamber, that limits the contrast in a black and white reflective screen. Pushing up a drop in a corner doesn't let you show as much of a reflective surface as hiding it entirely.
In a tripple layer screen Liquavista could theoretically have a much better contrast in colour use, by stacking three cells with three different coloured oil drops on top of each other ... these would very hard to make though, and thus expensive. Gamma Dynamics would have to use colour filters, which cuts contrast to a third right off.
In a tripple layer screen Liquavista could theoretically have a much better contrast in colour use, by stacking three cells with three different coloured oil drops on top of each other ... these would very hard to make though, and thus expensive. Gamma Dynamics would have to use colour filters, which cuts contrast to a third right off.
The current generation of e-ink displays can do 16 shades of grey. If white turned out to be "too bright" in some lighting conditions, 12-13 shades should still be enough for font anti-aliasing and most images. (Not to mention you could still use white as a highlight colour.) In my opinion the latest Kindle is still bordering on being too dark especially since you can't turn it directly towards a light source like non-glossy paper.
It's going to be interesting to see how reflective displays are going to solve the colour problem, as 1/3 white reflectance is not good enough for many use cases. I guess you could use CMY/black subpixels to improve whites, but it would mess up the maximum brightness of colours compared to the additive RGB model. Stacking variable colour filters seems like the best idea to get good black, white, and vivid colours, but it probably affects viewing angles substantially.
In retrospect, gamma dynamics could have multiple layers as well I guess, with 3 separate fluid loops (so 3 layers of channels above, and 3 below the white surface).
Complex to manufacture, but feature size is relatively huge (compared to semiconductors) so it might not be that bad.
As long as the stack above the white surface isn't too thick (no more than roughly 50 microns) it shouldn't affect viewing angle much.
Complex to manufacture, but feature size is relatively huge (compared to semiconductors) so it might not be that bad.
As long as the stack above the white surface isn't too thick (no more than roughly 50 microns) it shouldn't affect viewing angle much.
Silent_Buddha
Legend
From the e-readers I've used this has only been an issue with readers using a capacitive touch screen.
When I compare my first gen Sony Reader to the latest one I have (with capacitive touch screen), glare is a non-issue and light isn't reflected like a mirror or glossy screen. With the newest Sony Reader however, glare is a significant issue, and on airline flights I have to be careful or get complaints from other passengers due to light being reflected into their eyes. With my first gen Reader, that also was a non-issue.
I much prefer the first gen Reader and other non-capacitive touch screen readers for that reason. It's a shame as the new Sony reader isn't restricted to Sony memory sticks. But it's a huge pain in the arse to have to avoid reading at certain angles to light sources. 250 USD down the drain on that one as I continue to use the older Reader...
Regards,
SB
I think 50 µm would be a lot. At 166 dpi (equals Kindle and other e-Ink readers with 800x600 at 6") a single pixel is only 150 µm wide.
I didn't mean mirror-like reflections, but there is still some diffuse glare from the matte plastic layer if you have a light source shining directly onto the screen (I'm using a 3rd gen Kindle). You couldn't read with the sun directly above/behind you, for example. Book paper does not reflect light like this.
And combined with the fact that e-Ink is still substantially darker than paper this means I have problems reading my Kindle in low light conditions where I am still fine reading a book.
Silent_Buddha
Legend
That's the thing though, my first gen and second gen Sony Reader doesn't have that problem in direct sunlight, nor with bright lights shining directly onto it at any angle. That was one of the first things I noticed with Sony Readers featuring capacitive touch screens, as well as other e-readers with capacitive touch screens.
It's one reason I absolutely can't stand using it in the majority of situations. Same goes for that Kindle that you have and a few other readers.
I can only guess that something to do with the capacitive touch screen is making the screen itself far more reflective than the protective layer that was previously used on many e-readers. As I noted, it's so bad that it can reflect enough light from the overhead reading light in a Boeing 747 or 777 that it will disturb passengers sitting up to 2 rows away. Something the original e-readers without touch screens did not do.
Regards,
SB
The Kindle doesn't have a touch screen. It does have a layer of matte transparent plastic on top of the capsules containing pigments, and this layer still reflects some light quite unlike paper. And I believe every e-Ink screen has this layer.
The kind of glare I meant is this: http://www.engadget.com/photos/sony-reader-prs-505-second-gen-hands-on-were-in-love/#437941
Silent_Buddha
Legend
Yes, I know the type of glare you're encountering. I've been an avid user and fan of e-readers using e-ink since their inception many years ago. Perhaps the protective layer itself has changed over the years and it isn't just the capacitive screen. But it's much more of an issue now than it was back then. Just for the heck of it, I took out both my original reader and the one I got last year, and it's a world of difference in direct sunlight.
I was wrong one one thing however, in direct sunlight there were certain angles where the glare could obscure the text, but angles and glare were both far less than last years Sony Reader.
Regards,
SB
I've been an avid user and fan of e-readers using e-ink since their inception many years ago. Perhaps the protective layer itself has changed over the years and it isn't just the capacitive screen. But it's much more of an issue now than it was back then. Just for the heck of it, I took out both my original reader and the one I got last year, and it's a world of difference in direct sunlight.I was wrong one one thing however, in direct sunlight there were certain angles where the glare could obscure the text, but angles and glare were both far less than last years Sony Reader.
Regards,
SB
