video without light, the next big thing?

jasong · 2012-11-04, 17:42

Most people seldom think about, but with most video you're looking at emitted light. Now, technically, the human eye can't tell the difference between an emitted photon and a reflected one, but I'm wondering what people think of the idea of video that operates more like a magazine page than a computer monitor.

Information about the only company I'm aware of that does this is at the below link.

http://pixelqi.com/

retina · 2012-11-04, 23:58

Just like the basic calculator LCDs but with colour? I've seen them before but they always had very poor contrast and needed copious amounts of light to be useful. If this company has solved those problems then I would be all for it.

LaurV · 2012-11-05, 02:36

if you are talking about e-paper, its problem is not the contrast (which is better than any lcd/amoled stuff) or the colors (some of our LCD suppliers already do color e-paper and they showed us demos, looking brilliant) but the remanency. You can't "move it" so fast like lcd's, therefore is only suitable for "static stuff", like photoframes (changing once per minute or so) and not for video/moving images. The advantage is the energy efficiency, those things do not consume any power, except when you efectively CHANGE the image. That is, one second every minute or every few minutes, you supply power and change the image, then it need no energy to maintain it for ages, comparing with LCDs, they are THOUSANDS of times more power-efficient.

2012-11-04, 17:42	#1
jasong "Jason Goatcher" Mar 2005 6661₈ Posts	video without light, the next big thing? Most people seldom think about, but with most video you're looking at emitted light. Now, technically, the human eye can't tell the difference between an emitted photon and a reflected one, but I'm wondering what people think of the idea of video that operates more like a magazine page than a computer monitor. Information about the only company I'm aware of that does this is at the below link. http://pixelqi.com/

2012-11-05, 02:36	#3
LaurV Romulan Interpreter Jun 2011 Thailand 3²·5·7·29 Posts	if you are talking about e-paper, its problem is not the contrast (which is better than any lcd/amoled stuff) or the colors (some of our LCD suppliers already do color e-paper and they showed us demos, looking brilliant) but the remanency. You can't "move it" so fast like lcd's, therefore is only suitable for "static stuff", like photoframes (changing once per minute or so) and not for video/moving images. The advantage is the energy efficiency, those things do not consume any power, except when you efectively CHANGE the image. That is, one second every minute or every few minutes, you supply power and change the image, then it need no energy to maintain it for ages, comparing with LCDs, they are THOUSANDS of times more power-efficient. Last fiddled with by LaurV on 2012-11-05 at 03:01 Reason: links

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2012-11-04, 23:58	#2
retina Undefined "The unspeakable one" Jun 2006 My evil lair 2×3⁴×37 Posts	Just like the basic calculator LCDs but with colour? I've seen them before but they always had very poor contrast and needed copious amounts of light to be useful. If this company has solved those problems then I would be all for it.