Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
The number of grey scales depends on the controller not the screen, and Netronix are using an Epson controller for this device which supports 8 grey scales (it's the same controller used by many other devices, too).
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The Epson can support 16 grey scales, e.g. in the Kindle 2 and the Nook. However, 8 grey scales is also a common choice for the Epson, e.g. the Sony PRS-600 and the Hanlin V5. The EB-600 is the low end of the Netronix line and I think part of the reason for 8 grey scales is cost (less memory for the display) and part is product differentiation. High end (and higher cost) devices will have 16 grey scales. Low cost and $350 devices don't go together, but the Gen3 has always used low-end hardware and charged a premium for its software.
Note that 8 grey scales is significantly better than 4 for images, but there may be diminishing returns going from 8 to 16 grey scales. With anti-aliasing, fonts can look washed out on a 16 grey scale EInk device - although this can be fixed by choosing less sensitive fonts (or using 4 grey scale anti-aliasing).