What makes Transflective LCD | Transmissive LCD |Reflective display
Blaze Display Technology Co., Ltd. | Updated: Nov 27, 2018
An LCD display have three display mode in transmissive, transflective lcd, reflective lcd display mode. Based in our difference application, we would choose one of display mode when in our using. Which one would be the most suitable lcd display mode, let’s see:
What is Transflective lcd:
A transflective lcd display, we also call it transrefelctive lcd, it is a LCD with an optical layer that reflects and transmits light (transflective is a composed of transmissive and reflective). Under high brightness illumination (such as when exposed to daylight) the display acts mainly as a reflective display with the contrast being constant with illuminance. However, under dim and dark ambient situations the light from a backlight is transmitted through the transflective layer to provide light for the display. The transflective layer is called a transflector. It is typically made from a sheet polymer. It is similar to a one-way mirror but is not specular.
For transflective lcd, the reflector layer could be located inside the lcd cell or combined it with the polarizers that in front of the backlight. To the transflective tft lcd, the reflector is inside the lcd cell for getting higher reflective ratio, because transflective tft has lower transmissive ratio than monochrome lcd display. To the monochrome lcd display module, the reflector layer is on the polarizer of monochrome lcd that with lower cost than inside the tft lcd cell.
Transflective lcd could be used indoor and outdoor. In dim ambient light or at night a backlight allows reading of the display in its transmissive mode. Digital time displays in alarm clocks for bedrooms may also work this way. The backlighting is dim, so that the display is comfortably readable at night. Some 21st century smartwatches use transflective LCDs.
When an illuminance sensor is added for control of the backlight, such a transflective LCD can be read over a wide range of illuminance levels. This technique is often found in automotive instrumentation. In portable electronic devices the transflective mode of operation helps to save battery charge, since in bright environments no backlighting is required.
Some displays that transmit light and have minor reflectivity are best readable in the dark and fairly readable in bright sunlight, but only under a particular angle; they are least readable in bright daylight without direct sunlight. Under exposure to direct daylight, the image on non-reflective displays will completely wash out.
What is Transmissive lcd?
A transmissive lcd means the lcd panel use the polarizer that is totally transmit the light without any reflective ratio, A transmissive LCD depends on light from its backlight being transmitted through the LCD to your eyes. Transmissive LCDs are always combined with a backlight. Transmissive LCDs are widely used in door application and provide excellent display effect indoors by using the backlight. If the transmissive lcd used in the outdoor, it must be used in the shade of outdoor, because direct sunlight overwhelms the backlight, it would make it to be viewed difficult.
Transmissive lcd have transmissive monochrome lcd and transmissive color tft lcd display.
What is reflective lcd?
A reflective LCD does not have a backlight and does not make any light on its own. A reflective LCD involves a reflective mirror layer on the LCD or in the LCD. All light that is used to view the LCD goes through the LCD, bounces off of the reflectivemirror layer and goes through the LCD again to display. It is display rely on the light that reflect from the reflector layer of lcd polarizer. The reflective lcd is only used in reflective monochrome lcd, it is not used in color tft lcd display, because color tft lcd cell have lower transmissive ratio because of the color filter inside the lcd cell.
A reflective LCD can be seen well in any lighting situation where you could read text on a paper, they are perfectly suited to typical office lighting. In bright sunlight, a reflective LCD is still visible and does not wash out–this is also called “sunlight readable.” A reflective LCD is not a suitable choice for dark environments.
Reflective LCDs are often used for low power applications since there is no backlight using power, the overall power consumption is small.
What is the difference in reflective and transmissive colors?
A transmissive LCD is always combined with a backlight. Reflective LCD is a reflective LCD does not have a backlight and does not make any light on its own. Transflective LCD – A transflective LCDs is a combination of both transmissive and reflective technologies.
Transmissive LCDs can be seen easily in normal office lighting, and in darkness. Typically transmissive LCDs will not be visible in bright sunlight. It is possible to make a sunlight readable transmissive LCD by using a very bright backlight.
Transmissive LCDs are typically not used in systems where power consumption is critical since the display cannot be seen if the backlight is off. TFT LCDs as used in cell phones, tablets and TVs are transmissive and backlit.
What is transflective tft?
Transflective TFT has a transparent reflector inside tft lcd cell that is in front of the backlight. The incoming light is reflected and used to illuminate the TFT display. Transflective TFT had both "transmissive" and "reflective" modes.
Both display modes work together for enhanced performance, as a result, the performance of the display content in very bright light is perfect even without any backlight on the transmissive tft lcd. Customers using a transflective tft lcd module can save power by reducing or turning the display's backlight off during bright environments.
Transflective TFT becomes more popular since the demand of requiring good performance in bright environments and direct sunlight. So that the transflective TFT displays are perfectly readable under almost any ambient light conditions. In addition, they are energy efficient, making them ideal for battery powered devices and mobile applications.