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Old 06-09-2009, 10:40 PM   #24
ProDigit
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Posts: 2,553
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Miami FL
Device: PRS-505, Jetbook, + Mini, +Color, Astak Ez Reader Pro, PPW1, Aura H2O
Quote:
Originally Posted by junkyardwillie View Post
Just because I'm sure I'm missing something, a quick general question. When the device is in non-backlight mode it does not have color correct? I'm sort of lost on what their 3 screen options are, is it backlight on (color) backlight off (B&W) and dim backlight (color)?

I'm glad that they are thinking of selling the screens separate for existing laptops, that might be the stronger move for me to just update the netbook I have now (might have to figure out some mod for that backlight off switch), it shows that they are serious about getting this product out to as many people as possible early. I'd like to update my netbook now and wait until next year when the optimized Pixel Qi netbooks come out to get a new one.
I'm not sure if when backlight is off that the device is set to B&W. That would probably require something of LCD screens I don't know of yet; or perhaps require the driver to change the signal.
But what I presumeis,that the LCD is color all the way.
Only, you can not see the colors, if there's no back light.
It hasto do with how the crystals of the LCD interact with the polarization filter. RGB becomes 3x a different type of grey.
The sun needs to travel through the first polarization filter, the LCD, the second polarization filter, bounces on the back, back through the back pol filter, the LCD crystal, the front pol. filter, before it reaches the human eye.
So everytime it goes through a filter, some properties of the light are changed.
And it happens to be that the properties of light passing twice through an LCD screen are different;more changed, than the properties of light that goes straight from the back, and passes only once through the LCD.

It's best comparable to looking to the sun through a red filter.
You will still see yellow and perhaps measuring equipment could measure very faints of green and blue passing through. But most green and blue appear as dark brown or black through the red filter.
In a same manner light that has passed twice through the polarization filters is only able to display light or dark; not really color.
Perhaps this has to do with the crystals in the LCD screen, or perhaps with the properties of the polarization filter, I don't know...

In any case, I'm sure the results are very comparable to seeing webpages and pictures on a laptop with a reflective screen, in bright sunlight.
The screen will look green,but appart from that, you may be able to distinguish colors very faintly.

So I believe just like a laptop, that the screen does not change modes, it stays color, but it is the environment light that quenches the colors, while keeping the contrast.
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