http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/ Engadget Comments for 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/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 3:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 3:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 4:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/actually mirasol does need power to sustain its image according to wikipedia, however it a relatively low amount of power. E-ink, needs no power.]]>Jan 7th 2010 4:39AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 4:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 4:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Hmm, the official site claims that the Mirasol technology is bistable. Though the exact description suggests that pixels do indeed draw a minute amount of power in their retracted state.]]>Jan 7th 2010 4:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.mirasoldisplays.com/mobile-display-imod-technology.php?p=2&techID=2#]]>Jan 7th 2010 4:53AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 5:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/
I have some technical questions to pose to whomever.

1. What happens to non-reflected ambient photons? I suppose they pass straight through the device ala an etalon, else they're absorbed by the lower conductive plate. Either way, doesn't this mean one could adapt this into a solar panel, accumulating energy from all the ambient light that isn't being used to display? A combined display/solar panel would be a great boon no?

2. How does/does this device vary reflected light intensity? It appears the device can only control the reflected colour and not the rate of photons being reflected. How would one then achieve greyscales? Would one be forced to use dithering? In which case would we have to sacrifice resolution for intensity precision? Else would it be achieved by rapid pixel switching ala DLPs? Wouldn't that put a great strain on power usage?

3. Can this reasonably be used to produce colour samples as a continuum of wavelengths for a truer human response (presumably again at the expense of resolution) or will each imod device be fixed to a single (or small set of) predefined constructive wavelength(s)?]]>Jan 7th 2010 8:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/
1. This device is like a "folded etalon" and I believe the unreturned photons are absorbed. I have heard rumors that the QMT guys have considered solar panel applications...
2. With RGB subpixels that are either "off" or "on," there are two ways to achieve grayscale. The first is to divide up the subpixels and address each section separately. This is painful for layout and driver design of course. I know that demos shown at SID in previous years did this with 3 or 4 sub-subpixels. The other way is through temporal dithering. Driving at 120Hz for a 30Hz video would give you 4bpp for example, but air damping of the floppy membrane makes this tough at higher frequencies.
3. My understanding is that current designs are RGB pixels that are either off or on, but an "analog" version is the ultimate goal.]]>Jan 7th 2010 11:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/This is not truely a bistable device. A voltage is required to hold a subpixel in either its off or on state. Additionally, to avoid charging which causes stiction, the polarity of the device must be constantly switched. however, to hold a static image, the polarity only needs to be switched at low frequency (like 1Hz). Since the device is like a big parallel plate capacitor, leakage currents and polarity switching cause power consumption...]]>Jan 7th 2010 12:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/
I'd imagine that bi-level-based systems would tend to use both temporal and spacial dithering together to get the best cost/benefit trade-off.]]>Jan 7th 2010 4:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/ ]]>Jan 7th 2010 4:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 12:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 4:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 4:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 4:29AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/
Booklights work pretty well with eink though. And I imagine with this too.]]>Jan 7th 2010 5:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/
Front lighting?]]>Jan 7th 2010 6:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 6:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/
How about a standard issue book light? Like the kind you clip onto the cover of a book and it pops up? Would that pose the same problems the "integrated" book lights Sony has? Because if it doesn't one way of providing light is to have the external light pull out from the casing of the book and hover over it. And when you don't need it, it stores away out of sight.]]>Jan 7th 2010 9:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Front lighting is possible and QMT has developed this. Presumably any real product would include front lighting.]]>Jan 7th 2010 12:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 5:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 8:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/
Along with copious amounts of eyestrain...]]>Jan 7th 2010 8:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 29th 2010 10:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 9:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 9:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 9:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 12:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Much better than monochrome, but not as good as Liquavista's tech.]]>Jan 7th 2010 1:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 10:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/
Word. Gameboy Color FTW!!!]]>Jan 7th 2010 11:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Jan 7th 2010 11:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/
Obviously you could put a resistive layer on top, but that leads to crappy contrast and glare as Sony has so graciously provided example of.

Plastic Logic has a flexible substrate so you can put resistive touch underneath, but I am guessing Mirasol is not going to be flexible.

Wacom? Even if it didn't interfere, the iRex DR800sg reviews have shown us folks don't like a stylus only interface.

That leaves Capacitive. Could a capacitive interface work without interfering with the screen draw?

Ultimately I can't imagine this thing succeeding in a tablet format without touch.

Oh and why is that when someone is filming a new display tech at a trade show do they not ever change the camera angle so folks can get a feel for the viewing angles and glare. Seems amateurish.
]]>Jan 7th 2010 12:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchscreen

As far as why they don't change the camera angle, it's often because there are too many people crowded around the product, and the camera guy is actually several feet back with the camera zoomed in.]]>Jan 7th 2010 1:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Ta very much. On a parallel note, do you happen to know if there exists such an 'analogue' varient for DLPs? Something able to bend the mirrors to arbitrary angles rather than juat on or off the lens? I figure if I got a knowledgable guy on the line, I gotta ask everything!]]>Jan 7th 2010 3:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/mirasol-shows-prototype-reader-like-device-playing-back-color-vi/Not as an array of pixels, to my knowledge. I can't think of any purpose for that. The DLP is designed to point the mirrors at a specific angle. However, there are single mirror devices that can be driven to many angles. A single axis mirror is used in some laser bar code readers, for example. A two axis mirror is used for rastering a laser to create an image in Microvisions pico projector. Mirrorcle is one company that also produces MEMs mirror modules. Perhaps there are other like devices used in optical network switching..]]>Jan 8th 2010 1:55PM