The ideal screen for the Pandora 2

[Grench]

There is a lot of talk about what the screen should be on the next device. Since screen quality is a major part of this device - finding one to fit might be difficult.


My original thought was that we should use a 5" Pixel Qi daylight viewable screen. Unfortunately, such a beast doesn't seem to exist in nature. So I started thinking, which in itself is a dangerous thing, what screens that DO exist would be very very cool in this form factor?


So, in this thread, please post up images or links to images of the screen that you think would be a good fit to our needs.


This is the screen that got me thinking of this:


http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/28/lenovo-lephone-k860-surfaces-with-quad-core-exynos-processor-5/


It is a 5" 1280x720 pixel unit presented in a -very- wide screen format. It looks like it would be at least 16:9 or more.


Advantages: Movies should look amazing on that. It is a lot of pixel real estate. If incorporated into a clam-shell device, it would result in a long but relatively narrow package. It's a clear winner in 'resolution wars' for stats.


Disadvantages: It's an odd resolution for games and retro systems. Uncorrected text is going to look REAL small. You/we may need bifocals or reading glasses to read it.


So - what screens to do you think make good contenders? Please restrict to actual screens found on actual devices - i.e. stuff that actually exists.

 

[Pickle]

Must support a 4:3 format by height, width can vary.


W(640)x480


W(800)x600


W(1024)x768


But the bottom line is going to be the price and availability, regardless of brand, size, etc.

 

[_wb_]

This could be a useful link to find some phone screen sizes and resolutions: http://phone-size.com/?s=1%2C3%2C104%2C69


I don't really see the point of those huge >300 ppi densities, you need a microscope to see those pixels. But if that is what's going to be available, then so be it.

 

[fusion_power]

My original thought was that we should use a 5" Pixel Qi daylight viewable screen. Unfortunately, such a beast doesn't seem to exist in nature. So I started thinking, which in itself is a dangerous thing, what screens that DO exist would be very very cool in this form factor?

Maybe, Pixel Qi just could build us an 5" display? If they can make cheap Dual Mode Displays for the 100$ Laptop, they should be able to do a nice and affordable 5" screen for our "Pandora 2".

 

[_wb_]

Yes, let Pixel Qi build us a nice 5" display, make it 800x600 (SVGA) or 1024x600 (WSVGA), or something in between those two. A more wide aspect ratio seems like a bad idea because the black bars will get huge when emulating all the 4:3 stuff. The only thing ultra-wide aspect ratios are good for, are movies, but let's face it: the cinematic experience you'll get from a 5" display will not be great, whatever its aspect ratio is.

 

[Binky]

Given the limited screen area, I think having a wide screen is a good idea, although vertical height should be maximized.


Pixel Qi would be nice


I think the current Pandora lid is about 1:2, so I think 720 HD would be nice - especially for having multiple windows open

 

[albo]

Yeah, 720 HD is the best option for Pandora 2. My monitor is 1280X1024, a widescreen would be a great change IMO

 

[FRZ]

http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/27/lg-display-five-inch-1080p/

 

[Binky]

And will OP be able to buy those by the few-thousand?

 

[slaeshjag]

1080p on a 5" screen? Count me the fuck out

 

[monty]

... especially for having multiple windows open

I can't imagine trying to use two windows along side each other is going to be a pleasant experience on any 5" screen, no matter the ratio.

 

[Grench]

Pixel Qi makes those screens for the OLPC at cost - and in huge numbers. Getting them to make a 5" screen for us in low volumes would dictate a higher price - same as the Pandora in general. No economy of scale.


Black bars on the sides don't bother me - so long as the display or our driver has some sort of 'gray mode' so that it doesn't stain the screen.


I agree that the vertical must have an easy 4:3 factor to calculate. I.e. if the vertical is going to be 600, then we need at least 800 -or more- pixels horizontal.


The device itself, however, due to the nature of having a keyboard & controls would likely be similar to our existing Pandora's. The existing Pandora is 140mm by 83mm. As a ratio that is 1.7. A 16x9 display would have a ratio of 1.8. A 4:3 is 1.3. So a device based on a 16*9 screen could have a similar footprint to our existing device IF the speakers were moved to the hinge area where the LED pipes are now.


If one exists, a 1280x768 WXGA would make a good theoretical fit. It would have the pixels needed for HD720 with small black/gray bars top and bottom and be able to do 4:3 at 1024x768 having black/gray bars on the sides. I did a quick look - unfortunately I don't see anyone using a 1280x768 display in 5" +/- screen.


However, it looks like 1280x720 is in the process of becoming a multi-vendor common screen resolution. It's being used at 4.8" in the Galaxy SIII, 5" in the new Lenovo device, 4.65" on the Galaxy SII, etc... It is becoming a common resolution - which should translate to being a more common and cheaper part to buy.


If we want 4:3 out of it, 960x720 with bars should be enough pixels to play with. It divides down oddly though into 480x360 with pixel doubling - which means somewhere in there the emulator working from 640x480 source has to translate 480 pixels into 720 or, factoring 2 source dots into 3 destination pixels. 800x600 would scale weird as well.


The Galaxy Note has a 1280x800 5.3" display - which might work nicely. The drawback there is that, from what I can tell, it exists only in this one device and may not be readily available.


Are there any other displays on existing devices that have a better resolution to work from?

 

[Grench]

http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/27/lg-display-five-inch-1080p/

WOW - that is pretty insane.


It DOES give me a few crazy ideas though...


With a display like that, the pixel density is so high that it would survive being cut in half horizontally for 3D. 1920x1080 becomes 960x1080 using a left/right grate.


Another idea is to create a fold-able clip on shroud with a simple lens and a ~10" rear projection screen to quadruple the screen size.


Thinking about it - if that display were available at a decent cost - that might actually be really freekin' cool. Until someone actually builds it into a few devices and it's an order available part, though, it would be silly expensive.

 

[slaeshjag]

Don't forget to replace the stylus with a magnifying glass

 

[FRZ]

Maybe they can use smaller speakers or have just one so its not an issue with the screen.

 

[Grench]

Somewhere around here is a render of a Pandora with the entire lid filled with screen and speaker grills in the hinge riser area. I'm working off of the assumption that we're talking that kind of form factor - roughly the same as a 16:9 aspect ratio in the lid.


I think we can still have good stereo speakers in the device - not sure where to put the microphone. Mechanically speakers and microphones are pretty much the same. Odds of wanting speaker playback and microphone input at the same time or pretty slim. Why not have the speakers switch to microphone inputs whenever a record command is issued on the device? If you really need both - Skype? Then have one stay speaker and the other switch to mic. You really can take a speaker and wire it straight into a microphone plug and it works pretty well for recording - the drawback is that larger speakers tend to overemphasize low frequencies in the recording. Sorry for the off topic there.


Still looking for more devices in the 5" +/- (125mm +/-) range with good displays. Does anyone have a favorite device/screen?

 

[FRZ]

Still looking for more devices in the 5" +/- (125mm +/-) range with good displays. Does anyone have a favorite device/screen?

The galaxy note. I felt it and it was good. lol

I'm not buying one though cause I gave up contract phones for good.

 

[Nintendo]

Still looking for more devices in the 5" +/- (125mm +/-) range with good displays. Does anyone have a favorite device/screen?

The galaxy note. I felt it and it was good. lol

I'm not buying one though cause I gave up contract phones for good.

You can still buy one outright though.

 

[Klumpen]

The resolution of the first screen is already extremely high and i'd always prefer a screen with a good viewing angle and quality over ultra high resolutions that you don't even notice.


Although i like widescreen-formats and think, that it allows a more natural view, i really wouldn't stretch it more, because it makes the picture of old games even smaller.


As long as it can show 640x480 for scummVM and widescreen vids, everything is well.


As for using all the Pandora1-Software without problems, the format should not be changed at all.


5'' Screen would be nice and maybe wouldn't even affect the formfactor if the speakers are anywhere at the sides of the case or the nubs or at the hinge.


Batterylife would be affected big time, though.

 

[Nintendo]

Lets go with a 5.5" screen.