Hitachi prototypes e-paper on Tokyo's trains

[Alexander Turcic]

Starting as of today, the around 3.5 million passengers who ride on Tokyo's Yamanote Line every day can admire Hitachi's latest e-paper advertising billboards. Three trains have been equipped with two panels each (see attached photo, courtesy of Techon); each panel consists of a 13.1-inch e-paper screen that is capable of displaying 8 colors in a rather pitiful 50 dpi resolution. A panel is equipped with 8MB RAM which is said to be enough to hold 37 ads (rotated every two minutes).

Unlike most e-paper applications we've seen so far, this one is not based on E Ink, but on Bridgestone's "electronic liquid powder" technology. Hitachi anticipates that, if everything goes according to plan, they will release the first commercial application of their new advertisement panels by March 2008.

Related: Hitachi surprises with Albirey e-paper display, Electronic paper for shelf labels in Japanese stores

[via Macworld]

[tcv]

Pretty cool.

But you know what was the oddest thing I ever saw on a train?

Riding the "T" into Boston on the Red Line, in between one of the long stretches, an animation hovered right outside the train windows. As you watched, a man and a woman lift themselves out of clear, blue water. The camera pans back and shows a cruise ship.

I presume it was a test using lighted, still images down a long dark stretch of the tunnel, like a film strip running through a projector. Only the film didn't move, the projector did!

Anyway, that's my story.

[Nightwing]

Originally Posted by tcv

Pretty cool.

But you know what was the oddest thing I ever saw on a train?

Riding the "T" into Boston on the Red Line, in between one of the long stretches, an animation hovered right outside the train windows. As you watched, a man and a woman lift themselves out of clear, blue water. The camera pans back and shows a cruise ship.

I presume it was a test using lighted, still images down a long dark stretch of the tunnel, like a film strip running through a projector. Only the film didn't move, the projector did!

Anyway, that's my story.

Have hear of those. Very intersting.