Feature Articles » Displays Of A Different Stripe

Primary Colors

High-resolution color displays add to the media-rich features in next-generation cellphones, driving power consumption way up and operating life way down.

TRADEOFFS: Most flat-panel displays today, with their 1:1:1 ratio of red,green, and blue elements, compromise on power consumption and resolution. These elements, or subpixels, are arranged in either a conventional stripe pattern [left] or a delta pattern [right]. Because light from the blue subpixels does little to help the eye resolve images, most of it goes to waste.

EASY ON THE EYES: The Bayer pattern [left] saves power by including extra subpixels in the color green, which the human visual system resolves with particular efficiency. The PenTile Matrix [right] yields even better results by changing the size and arrangement of the pixels.

WHITE MAKES BRIGHT: Replacing one of the extra green subpixels of a Bayer pattern with a white subpixel [left] provides better color balance and improves brightness. A further modification in the PenTile pattern [right] pushes performance up another rung.

TWO DO THE JOB OF THREE: A PenTile red-green-blue-white pattern [left] requires fewer columns than a red-green-blue strip pattern [right], providing both economic and performance advantages.