Back in March, E Ink and the Sharp Corporation partnered to bring ePosters featuring electronic paper to market. The first fruit was a 42-inch monochrome display released in Japan, and now a couple of color models are on their way.
Sharp entered the digital signage market in 2005, and began prototyping ePaper-based displays a few years ago. The idea here is to replace the paper posters seen in stores, restaurants, pharmacies, event venues and other locations where it might prove challenging to install digital signage.
"They will prove useful for a wide variety of applications, including as location directories and informational signage as well as advertising displays in commercial spaces and retail stores, and to display menus in restaurants," said Sharp in a press statement.
The collaboration with E Ink was cemented with the launch of the 42-inch monochrome monster in April. Sharp has now tapped E Ink Gallery Plus ACeP (Advanced Color ePaper) platform for the newest ePosters – which boasts 60,000 colors for a look that's "similar to color prints" (though that figure obviously falls far short of LCD and OLED panels).
The 25.3-inch EP-C251 ePoster measures 596 x 31.1 x 351.6 mm (23.5 x 1.2 x 13.8 in) and displays at 3,200 x 1,800 resolution. It features 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 and comes with 8 GB of onboard storage. At 1.9 kg (4 lb), hanging the unit by wire should be a fairly simple task.
The onscreen content can be updated with a USB flash drive or via a smartphone app, or Sharp caters for multiple display updates across a network using its proprietary e-Signage software (sold separately).
Since E Ink's display technology only needs power when the ePaper is being updated, ePosters should be relatively inexpensive to run – and could even be potentially powered by solar cells or batteries, though Sharp makes no mention of this.
E Ink also reports that its displays don't contribute to light pollution and are the only digital signage units to be approved by the Dark Sky Association.
"We are excited to see the launch of the new Sharp ePoster devices, and the progression of our work with Sharp," said E Ink Japan's Naoki Sumita. "As cities and communities look to reduce their carbon footprint, E Ink offers a grid-free solution to enable their sustainability efforts and Sharp is ideally positioned to bring this solution to market."
Sharp will release the EP-C251 ePoster in late October for an unspecified price, and plans to churn out up to 500 units per month. A 13.3-inch, 1,600 x 1,200-pixel variant named the EP-C131 will be available a month earlier, with the monthly production quota set at 700 units.
Source: E Ink
