Refresh rate - Page 4

Engadget has got some new information on Qualcomm's Mirasol display exhibited at CES:

• Qualcomm claims a 6X (!) power advantage over E Ink in a typical usage scenario, even with the color and video.
• Qualcomm expects that the first product that uses their display will indeed use the 5.7" XGA display that Qualcomm are showing.
• The display can be paired with a capactivie or resistive touchscreen (which impairs visibility a little, just like it does with any other display).
• Qualcomm has a method to light the display from the edges, which will provide even lighting across the display.

Qualcomm is showing their new Mirasol displays, and they look good. It's a 5.7" XGA color screen, that is very power efficient, but faster (can play video), has color, and should be cheaper.

There are rumors that the new displays might be used in future Kindle devices. We'll have to wait and see. In any case, Qualcomm say that the displays will be ready by automn.

Qualcomm says that they are on-track to deliver their full-color Mirasol displays for e-readers late in 2010. These are 5.7" displays at XGA resolution. They have a fast refresh rates, can play videos, and are readable in direct sunlight. Qualcomm says that the battery consumption is good, too.

Bridgestone are developing their own e-paper technology, and are now showing a color touch screen flexible e-book reader. The whole reader is actually bendable!

The display is large (13.1"), with 4,096 colors, and a refresh rate of about 0.8 seconds. The reader also includes wireless (cellular) connectivity. Bridgestones will produce samples early next year.

Liquavista today launched its first technology platform LiquavistaBright, aimed at the booming eReader space. Offering vastly improved usability, content compatibility and cost compared with the first generation of ereader’s, LiquavistaBright offers a high performance monochrome reflective display with video capability.

Liquavista are developing three technology platforms (LiquavistaBright™, LiquavistaColor™ and LiquavistaVivid™) planned for product implementation throughout 2010/2011.

The first technology platform, LiquavistaBright, will enable a smooth and fast user interface on eReader devices, thanks to the inherent video capability. Being able to move and scroll the content seamlessly will allow consumers to have a fully featured UI and significantly larger effective screen, enabling access to other more traditional online media such as web content and video, as well as both tabloid and broadsheet newsprint. In addition, these displays will be brighter and have more contrast than current solutions. The devices using the LiquavistaBright display can combine the durable eBook experience, which can be found in the current eReaders, with a new multimedia experience, which is according to recent marketing research one of the most requested benefits of future eReaders.

Seiko Epson and E Ink announced a new joinly developed display controller IC, the  S1D13522, which provides a high performance, space saving solution for E Ink's Vizplex-enabled electronic paper displays. The new IC is based on the same powerful engine as the first model, the S1D13521, but provides customers with a higher level of performance and additional features.

The new Epson display controller (code named ISIS) includes 2M bytes of embedded memory and features that greatly reduce the CPU overhead for EPD applications. Allowing multi-regional and concurrent display updates, the S1D13522 adds interface support for direct Touch/Pen drawing. In addition Picture-in-Picture, Rotation, Transparency, and Hardware Cursor functions further increase flexibility in delivering the optimal display experience.

The Advanced Sequencer Engine, Power Management, I2C Thermal Sensor, and optional Serial Flash Memory support make a variety of implementations possible. The new controller also adds interfaces for PMIC I/F and panel auto ID read. Combining all these unique features enables application developers to develop products more efficiently. The S1D13522 is the ideal choice for new EPD designs and design upgrades. Samples of the Epson S1D13522 are available now. Sample price is $20. Production quantities will be available in January 2010.

E Ink plans to offer an ISIS prototype kit that will enable engineers to rapidly prototype and develop next generation ePaper products. Details will be announced when kits are available.

Bridgestone will being to make ePaper displays. They will give more details in a few weeks. The company develops their own ePaper, using "electron powder and granular material."

Bridgetstone Pen Input ePaper prototype

The Bridgestone e-paper is suited for e-readers,it is A4 in size, and has a fast refresh rate - 0.8 seconds to refresh. This makes it possible to do pen-input touch ePaper devices.

The released and Amazon started shipping it to customers.

Amazon Kindle DX

Gizmodo have reviewed it., and they like the large display and the fact that E Ink is easy on the eye. They're not too happy with the display speed - it takes too long to turn a page.

Samsung are showing a 10.2" hybrid LCD/epaper display that's capable of color video. This is somewhat like Pixel-Qi's hybrid display - it can switch between regular LCD and a 'memory' mode in which only changes in display draw power.

Samsung Hybrid LCD-ePaper

A new display technology could make electronic paper look more like the real thing. Conventional ink on paper has a much higher brightness and black-and-white color contrast than electronic paper. The new display, made by researchers at the University of Cincinnati, in Ohio, is designed to match the brilliance and contrast of paper. "We've demonstrated a technology where you have the brightness of paper, and color has the same saturation that you expect from printed media," says electrical- and computer-engineering professor Jason Heikenfeld, who led the work, which was published in Nature Photonics.

The pixels also switch between black and white within one millisecond, making the technology suitable for video (LCDs currently switch in a few milliseconds). A slower refresh speed of tens to hundreds of milliseconds is one of the main issues plaguing current e-paper.