
World’s first A2 colour ePoster and 32in e-display
Sharp has developed the world’s first3 A2 electronic poster display using E Ink while a TV maker is using the technology for a 32in signage display.
The ePoster is to be unveiled at Sharp’s Tech Day next week and uses the Spectra 6 e-paper platform from E Ink Holdings in Taiwan with an IGZO backplane.
IGZO is an oxide semiconductor composed of indium (In), gallium (Ga), zinc (Zn), and oxygen (O). It is used as a material in the thin film transistors (TFTs) that drive the display. This makes the peripheral circuitry smaller, allowing for narrower bezels.
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The range of displayable colours for still images has been expanded compared to the previous platform, making it possible to render content with greater colour saturation and vividness. This unit offers high visibility like printed paper, and can also maintain the display with zero power consumption.
In addition to being A2 size (420 mm x 594 mm), the international standard for printed paper posters, the design is thin and lightweight, making it easy to replace conventional paper posters. This allows the ePoster to be installed in places where previous electronic displays could not, due to their significant weight and the need for a power source.
The Spectra 6 platform can operate in temperatures from -15° to 65° C for outdoor use with solar power.
In addition to this unit, Sharp will also be exhibiting an 8-inch colour e-paper display equipped with IGZO technology for e-book readers and e-notebooks at its Tech-Day in Japan.
The Spectra 6 platform is also being used for the first 32in 16:9 format full colour signage display. The Philips Tableaux 5150I Series is made by TP Vision Europe, a joint venture with Philips set up in 2012 for the professional signage business.
“The reaction to the launch of our Philips Tableaux has been huge – well beyond our expectations. With today’s 32-inch announcement, and with PPDS becoming the first to confirm an ePaper display on the E Ink Spectra 6 platform, we fully expect that trend to continue,” said Martijn van der Woude, VP Global Marketing and Business Development at PPDS, a trading name of TP Vision and MMD-Monitors & Displays Nederland.
global.sharp/techday/; www.eink.com
