Electronics

Latest E Ink display tech boosts color and contrast

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E Ink Gallery Plus isn't headed for e-readers any time soon, as the technology has been developed specifically for indoor commercial signage
E Ink Holdings
E Ink Gallery Plus isn't headed for e-readers any time soon, as the technology has been developed specifically for indoor commercial signage
E Ink Holdings
E Ink Gallery Plus features a wider color gamut and improved contrast compared to the previous generation, for a printed poster-like visual experience
E Ink Holdings

Back in 2014, we saw some of the first examples of color E Ink technology. Things have certainly moved on since then, but even recent displays have looked somewhat washed out compared to LCD or OLED. Now the company has bumped up the color definition and contrast for the latest generation of its Advanced Color ePaper platform.

Though many of us will have encountered E Ink in e-readers, the technology has made its way into business applications such as digital signage thanks to its exceptionally low power draw. And this is the area E Ink's Gallery Plus technology is finding use.

Where the color E Ink used in e-readers like the PocketBook InkPad Color has a color depth of 4,096, digital signage needs to be more color rich if passers-by are to take any notice.

The company's latest generation full color ePaper module mixes four color pigments at each pixel to produce "a color gamut ideally reaching 60,000" and benefits from a contrast ratio increase of 40 percent compared to the previous generation. This combination is reported to result in an overall look that's comparable to color prints.

E Ink Gallery Plus features a wider color gamut and improved contrast compared to the previous generation, for a printed poster-like visual experience
E Ink Holdings

The technology hasn't been developed for use in e-readers, though such advances may trickle down over time. The end goal here is to replace printed posters used for advertising and information displays. E Ink Gallery Plus is being made available for indoor commercial signage in a number of different display sizes – including 13.3-inch, 25.3-inch and 28-inch – and is already in use for digital displays in the Taipei Metro.

Source: E Ink

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5 comments
paul314
I wonder if it would ever be good enough to act as unpowered art/photo displays.
Smokey_Bear
Awesome, (like Paul314) I want this tech for my personal pictures, to be displayed in my home. Also wall art, who wouldn't want ever changing art in their home.
Love e-inks minuit power draw, all that is left is probably getting the price cheap enough for mass market.
Username
@paul314 As with most technology the question is not "if" but "when"
fen
They should invest in a factory and only make these 3 sizes at an industrial scale, and we should just use the 13.3 inch one as a home e-reader size. I know its on the "big" size, but it would allow work size documents, school books, uni books, and allow us to comfortably read novels and comics. It looks good enough to me to be used by consumers.
EH
If not for outdoors, then likely not UV-resistant. If not for e-readers, then likely expensive, possibly low update rate as well.

If it can be developed into something UV resistant and not too slow, for which odd-shaped custom sizes are economically possible, preferably flexible as well, then these high-contrast e-ink displays could be used for amazing, chameleon-like vehicle camouflage.