http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/ Engadget Comments for Video: Pixel Qi's e-ink / LCD hybrid screen demoed at Computex http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 12:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 1:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 8:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 12:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/
Any idea how much more/less durable the e-ink display is compared to a standard LCD?]]>Jun 3rd 2009 12:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/
Now this screen, I couldn't tell you.]]>Jun 3rd 2009 12:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 12:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 12:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 12:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 1:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 1:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/
Good for laptop screens, good for PDAs. You can even watch video on it if you like, so no flashing the screen to update every frame. But it is still drawing power when displaying anything. It's a hybrid of a back lit LCD like any laptop, and a reflective LCD display like a digital watch, which gets more and more contrast the brighter the light. It's nice, but it is not e-ink. Which is not a criticism. Just a statement.

E-ink devices update the screen and go to sleep. Then they wake up when you press a button and update the screen and go back to sleep. Great for super long battery life, which you need in an e-book reader. But rubbish for a notebook display.

Basically, this is not a replacement for e-ink, it's a parallel display technology that makes daylight readable displays for everything from phones to laptops to shop displays.]]>Jun 4th 2009 3:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 1:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 1:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 2:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/]]>Jun 3rd 2009 5:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 8:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 1:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 1:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 1:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 1:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 7:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 1:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 1:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 1:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/
Gets more interesting when he goes outside. (past 6 minute mark)

Too bad his Kindle ran out of batteries.. I would have liked to seen it on next to that thing. He says the Kindle get's brighter whites. Interesting...

We are seeing the future..]]>Jun 3rd 2009 1:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 1:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/
And yes, this is probably not e-ink technology.]]>Jun 3rd 2009 1:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/
Thanks to upcoming system-on-chip designs (which integrate the USB controllers, display drivers, etc on a single chip), the great thing about this display is that it's dirt cheap .. it could very well enable a decent (HD video capable, but not gaming) $150 laptop by 2012.

I reckon:

A 1.2 GHz AMD low end, or, ARM system-on-chip will be $20, the casing/keyboard/assembly/power charger etc is currently about $20 total (doubt it will change). 1 GB RAM DDR3 will be $5 (i can find it retailing for $10 today), and 32 GB flash will be $10 or less. $10 for battery, $10 support + warranty insurance cost, $20 display. $10 miscellaneous expenses (somebody has to test/install software, design the laptop, & design the packaging), $5 shipping, $20 profit to manufacturer, $20 profit to retailer.

By 2014 I bet it will be around $100.
]]>Jun 3rd 2009 1:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 2:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/First I was waiting for 6 cell netbooks to come out
then I was waiting for 6 cell ion based netbooks to come out
then I was waiting for 6 cell ion based netbooks with win7 to come out
Now I am waiting for 6 cell ion based netbooks with win7 and a Pixel Qi display to come out.
RAAAAAAAGE(at being a cheap bastard)]]>Jun 3rd 2009 1:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 6th 2009 1:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 2:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 2:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 2:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/
In fact, why it works so well in sunlight is that they've removed a layer from the front of the panel, not added anything new.

All other current colour LCDs work by shining white light through and then putting a filter on the front that blocks light to leave red, green and blue pixels. That blocking of much of the light makes it inefficient.

You can get transflective colour LCDs, but they don't work very well as so little of the incoming sunlight is reflected.

Pixel Qi have managed to get rid of this colour filter... that means the light goes straight through to the reflective layer and back again, assuming the pixel is in white mode (it's blocked if it's black). Whites look natural white and blacks look black - it's all very similar to how paper would look (but it's not e-ink).

But there have been plenty of excellent reflective and tranflective LCDs over the years. They've just all been mono.

The magic is in the fact that it manages to become a colour display when the backlight is on. Now how they do this, I don't know... That means that, somehow, the light going through to each pixel must be coloured....

On the OLPC they did this by sticking a new layer between the backlight and the transflective layer that was made of strips of prisms. That split the light into red, green and blue components and directed it through the relevant pixels. I guess you could also just stick the colour filter at the back of the screen, not the front, but you would get colour bleed between the pixels with either of these methods.

Another possibility is that they could do what DLP projectors do and have a 3-colour backlight that is synchronised with the refresh rate of the screen: first it transmits a red screen, then the backlight changes to green and it displays that, then blue... it would rely on your eye to combine the colours.

Whatever they've done, it looks fricking great and I want one in my laptop and mobile phone. Now.

PS OLED sucks for anything other than a TV ]]>Jun 3rd 2009 7:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 2:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/
The high contrast mode may qualify as "electronic paper", but that's as close as it comes!]]>Jun 3rd 2009 4:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 4:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 5:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 5:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 4th 2009 9:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/Jun 3rd 2009 7:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/video-pixel-qis-e-ink-lcd-hybrid-screen-demoed-at-computex/First I was waiting for 6 cell netbooks to come out
then I was waiting for 6 cell ion based netbooks to come out
then I was waiting for 6 cell ion based netbooks with win7 to come out
Now I am waiting for 6 cell ion based netbooks with win7 and a Pixel Qi display to come out.
RAAAAAAAGE(at being a cheap bastard)
I agree with u!]]>Jun 4th 2009 10:40AM