Reflective vs. transflective vs. transmissive Dispaly

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Henry
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Reflective vs. transflective vs. transmissive Dispaly

Post by Henry »

A quick guide on understanding the different ways to illuminate LCD and TFT displays.

Reflective

A reflective display has no backlight, and uses ambient light to self-illuminate. Light passes through the glass and is reflected back out. It is a low-cost display often used in high brightness environments.
Reflective Display
Reflective Display
Reflective diagram.png (101.49 KiB) Viewed 10980 times

Pro:
  • Low power consumption.
  • Works great in direct sunlight or high brightness environments.
  • Low cost.
Con:
  • Poor readability in low light conditions.
  • Does not look like a premium product.
Transmissive

Most TFT displays and negative LCD’s are transmissive meaning they always have a backlight. A negative LCD is where the characters are the colour of the backlight. The backlight is used to illuminate the display, If the backlight is off, the display will generally not be readable. The backlight fights against ambient light, so in direct sun, a backlight that is sunlight rated is required or the display will become washed out, the brighter the backlight, the more visible the display will be in direct sunlight.
Transmissive Display
Transmissive Display
Transmissive diagram.png (73.77 KiB) Viewed 10980 times
TFT On/Off
TFT On/Off
Sub-Q-6.jpg (151.58 KiB) Viewed 14787 times


Pro:
  • High contrast.
  • Lots of size and colour options.
Con:
  • Not ideal for direct sunlight or high brightness environments unless equipped with a sunlight capable backlight.

Transflective

Transflective LCD’s and TFT’s have both reflective and transmissive characteristics. The display will use ambient light as well as a backlight. A very common example is a yellow/green backlit LCD. Very few TFT display are offered in transflective.
Transflective Display
Transflective Display
Transflective diagram.png (84.37 KiB) Viewed 10980 times
Pro:
  • Direct sunlight friendly.
Con:
  • High cost and low availability in TFT displays.
Henry J.
President
Matrix Orbital

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