H.264 clip running on standard E Ink panel

[hakim]

For those interested, how long it takes until video drains the battery - according to this article device currently can play video for 3 - 4 hours.

[Godzil]

This article is wrong and never contacted Bookeen, as I was told by Bookeen.

Look again at the article:

Although we will not see this technology in an e-reader anytime soon, Bookeen informed us that this video destroys the battery life and will only give you 3 or 4 hours of video playing.
Update Feb 15 2011
Bookeen was kind enough to get in touch with us regarding this video and shed a ton of light on what is going on during this tech demenstration. Claire Jennesson has this to say about the video;
[...]
3)In this mode Power consumption is comparable to a standard LCD but WITHOUT backlight. So not that much in fact.

Contradictory isn't it?

The first part, they never contact Bookeen despite what they say, the second part, they just copy past what Bookeen told us, without modifying the first part.

[JJanssen]

12 bit colour is actually not that bad -- it hasn't been that many years since high end cellphone LCD Displays did 4096 colours. Even laptops had 12 or 16 bit LCD panels for a very long time, and many are *still* not beyond 18 bits. 12 bit colour is essentially 4 bits per channel, so it's the quality of 16-tint greyscale as we have now, only in colour. Presumably adding one or two bits to greyscale eInk to produce 32 or 64 tone greyscale will be the exact same process as getting to 15/18 bit colour and so we get the benefit of the R&D on both our types of screens.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by boxcorner

How many people happily watched B&W TV, before colour became available and affordable?

Plenty, because it was what they had.

How many people would watch it today, when colour is common and available?
______
Dennis

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by JJanssen

12 bit colour is actually not that bad -- it hasn't been that many years since high end cellphone LCD Displays did 4096 colours. Even laptops had 12 or 16 bit LCD panels for a very long time, and many are *still* not beyond 18 bits. 12 bit colour is essentially 4 bits per channel, so it's the quality of 16-tint greyscale as we have now, only in colour. Presumably adding one or two bits to greyscale eInk to produce 32 or 64 tone greyscale will be the exact same process as getting to 15/18 bit colour and so we get the benefit of the R&D on both our types of screens.

"Not that bad" is relative, which is why I advocate seeing a color eInk device using a Triton display first hand, and if possible testing it using the sort of color content you would want to view.

From what I've seen thus far, it would not be adequate for me, but I don't assume I'm representative of the broader market. There may well be a lot of folks for whom it would be adequate and who would happily buy a color eInk device.

We may well see improvements in color e-Ink that would address my concerns, but they aren't there yet.
______
Dennis

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Plenty, because it was what they had.

How many people would watch it today, when colour is common and available?
______
Dennis

There is a beauty in black and white that often transcends the same images in colour

[Grimm]

Originally Posted by boxcorner

How many people happily watched B&W TV, before colour became available and affordable?

Hey I agree that it's pretty cool that they were able to do it, I just don't see much point. And people watched Black & White because color wasn't available or affordable yet.

[Grimm]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

There is a beauty in black and white that often transcends the same images in colour

In photographs, absolutely agreed, in video on a handheld device that isn't realy "white" to begin with... I gotta disagree there.

Still, like I said, cool that they could do it.

[Namekuseijin]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Plenty, because it was what they had.

How many people would watch it today, when colour is common and available?
______
Dennis

BTW, how many of you thought of the newspaper in the Harry Potter movies or the cereal box in Minority Report?

[John F]

Originally Posted by Grimm

Hey I agree that it's pretty cool that they were able to do it, I just don't see much point. ...

I'm hoping this may lead to "non-flash" and faster page turns.

[Namekuseijin]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

There is a beauty in black and white that often transcends the same images in colour

yes. It's just light and shadow and can be very poetic and evocative, like indeed old classic movies.

or this:

[Grimm]

Originally Posted by John F

I'm hoping this may lead to "non-flash" and faster page turns.

Now that would be beneficial to e-ink. That's one of the things I didn't like about e-ink. Admittedly you get used to it quickly enough.

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

yes. It's just light and shadow and can be very poetic and evocative, like indeed old classic movies.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

There is a beauty in black and white that often transcends the same images in colour

Agreed. I have volumes of black and white photography that simply would not be as effective in color, and attempts to colorize old films originally shot in black and white are a pet peeve.

But I repeat my question. If your answer is other than "very few", I might inquire about what you're on...
______
Dennis

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

<Calvin and Hobbes cartoon>

______
Dennis