Ask Slashdot: Where Are the E-Ink Dashboards? 242
fsck! writes "My office recently installed a pair of huge plasma TVs to display some metrics and graphs. They only update every 15 minutes or so, and I couldn't help but wonder, why can't this be E-Ink? I searched all over the place but couldn't find anything bigger than 9.5" (Amazon's Kindle DX). I want a >30" E-Ink picture frame with USB or WiFi. Can the Slashdot community find anything greener than these energy sucking plasma TVs that seem to be everywhere?"
Use LED LCD TV instead (Score:2, Informative)
Plasmas can easily be replaced by LED LCD TVs that use a lot less energy.
Re:Black white or grey (Score:2, Informative)
Why would there me more or less need for a big sized display depending on how many colors it can display? As long as the contrast is decent I would love a large eInk display
You and a few other maybe, but most want to take advantage of having color. In the systems at my work, rows can be made red, yellow, green, or white, each indicating the status of that item. Furthermore, each item has icons to designate different things and the color adds to the recognition of such icons. Even if they did make such thing, most display programs will already be done in color as the are probably expecting to output to a computer monitor, which these large LCDs are simply acting as. The actual need for monotone displays is slight and can be done with current color LCDs displays.
Re:Black white or grey (Score:5, Informative)
E-ink is only black white or grey.
Definitively not. Color E-ink does exist, and what's more: it exists in large sizes. This stuff was developed for digital signage projects.
Check out Magink [magink.com].
Unfortunately in most real world situations it is easier to either use a billboard, or a LED screen.
Re:Not mistaken. 99.9% power savings (Score:4, Informative)
each pixel is a ball
Close, but not quite. Each pixel is made up of hundreds to tens of thousands of these nanoscale spheres.
It's a similar mistake that people who are only used to discrete displays (e.g. LCDs) make when first working with CRTs: a CRT phosphor triad is not a pixel; a pixel will likely cover several triads. It certainly took me a bit before this finally clicked.
Re:Black white or grey (Score:5, Informative)
E-ink is only black white or grey. So there is very little need for large sized versions. As most things that big you want color for.
a 30" eink display could be built though. make it from panels of smaller units like they do jumbo tron's.
You are completely incorrect. Prototype color eInk screens have been around for years, and they are now commercially available. Of course, they are not used in a Kindle or Nook, so perhaps you are not familar with them. Google "color e-ink" or just look at this ECTACO jetBook Color with color E Ink screen [newegg.com] for an example.
The trick with color e-ink is that, just like black and white e-ink, the screen looks more like newsprint rather than a bright plasma or LCD. If a billboard or advertisement used color e-ink, it would require some kind of bright lighting to make the screen look vibrant. Once you add a bright LED lamp to illuminate your e-ink board, will it save much energy vs. an LCD tv?
Re:Led (Score:5, Informative)
Usually just setting an LCD to all-white for overnight will get rid of any persistent images. That's from what I've read online and my own personal experience.
Re:Call Centres (Score:3, Informative)
They do exist. See this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jT9PJoHIgo [youtube.com]
This interview explains a bit about the technology, mainly what the constraints are in terms of PPI:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubd0dx5q4fg [youtube.com]
More on colour displays:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtXRG7sS3ps [youtube.com]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXANJ115dm4 [youtube.com]
Mobile phones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnUlAnrkw_M [youtube.com]
Matrix and segmented displays:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnUlAnrkw_M [youtube.com]