The low-power display solution that makes the extraordinary the new ordinary
GDS is proud to introduce e-Tela for gas stations its revolutionary product range for large screen digital signage, that uses E Ink® technology to open up a whole new spectrum of performance options previously not thought possible.
Redefining the Boundaries of Display Technology
E Ink® is the company that developed and successfully commercialized the electrophoretic technology behind the E-Reader market, whose defining characteristic is extremely low-power consumption.
Strongly believing in eco-sustainability and the potential applications for this technology, GDS entered into a Joint Development Agreement with E Ink, with the aim to translate the capabilities of E Ink technology into effective large format displays. Targeted for both indoor and outdoor use, e-Tela is especially effective outdoors since it takes advantage of ambient light.
E Ink chose GDS because of its proven deployment of TFT’s outdoors without the need for air conditioning units. GDS is now introducing to the industry its e-Tela large format displays range, designed to offer key benefits in a completely fan-less display: sunlight readability, ultra-low power consumption and ultra-thin, lightweight form factors, suitable for harsh outdoor environments such as those found in: transportation, retail, road sign, price signs, gas stations and other DOOH applications.
What makes it different?
E Ink displays are bi-stable. This means that they retain the image when power is removed. Power is only needed when changing content. They are also reflective, which means that they do not need an internal backlight to illuminate them so long as there is sufficient ambient light for the display to be read. The low power and absence of backlight means that the weight, thickness, power consumption and complexity of the display are overall vastly reduced compared with other
technologies. The life of the display is also increased since there are fewer parts to fail. The display performs perfectly in full sunlight and is able to withstand the rigours of harsh outdoor operating environments. The combination of minimal power consumption and outdoor readability opens up new possibilities for digital signs, where previously they were not feasible, or were thought too costly or compromised in performance to be viable. In particular, the technology is friendly to battery power and photovoltaic (solar) power generation, which can lead to further reduction of carbon emissions.
How it works
E Ink displays need no backlight because they are ‘reflective displays’, unlike LCDs which are transmissive. In an E Ink display, ambient illumination from the sun or any light element is reflected back to our eyes from the surface of the display, exactly like paper. So the more ambient light there is the brighter the display looks and the easier it is to read. This uses only a fraction of the power needed by a transmissive display since no light is absorbed in the internal structure as it is in an LCD (at the polariser, the color mask and other optical layers).
There are two types of e-Tela displays offered by GDS: Active Matrix and Segmented. Active Matrix displays have a large array of pixels and are intended for applications requiring many different forms of text and images. The switching of the pixels array is controlled by an active matrix backplane, similar to a conventional TFT display or monitor. Segmented displays are intended for applications using predefined segments that can be turned on or off. This is similar to a calculator with an alphanumeric display. In summary, the e-Tela display will either be made up of an array of pixels or by a collection of predefined shapes.
A Price Sign without limitations
The e-Tela display could almost have been conceived with Gas Station forecourts in mind. The management of fuel pricing signage could not now be easier. Retailers benefit from: simple price change management, fully scalable signage solutions, low power, low maintenance and a superb customer experience from the high contract, best-in-class readability. Pricing on an e-Tela display is as clear as it if it was printed on paper and the content can be changed remotely as often as needed with no on-site intervention. The modularity of e-Tela and its slim profile means it can be easily integrated into existing installations and virtually any new design concept.
The Clearest Possible Pricing Sign
e-Tela displays emulate the reading experience of printed text. Even outdoors and in full sunlight the content on the display will be shown perfectly; it will be as easily read as traditional ink text on white paper. A monochrome e-Tela display is therefore ideal for those installations where the content is rarely changed such as fuel station pricing signs. The most common problems mentioned by customers using LED displays, such as ‘image pixelation’ (due to low resolution) and ‘reduced viewing angle’, are completely eliminated by GDS’s e-Tela displays. In other words, it provides readability that is ‘as good as it gets’!
The Simplest Possible Change Management
Managing your price signs from afar or troubleshooting is much easier when you only need a remote control to rely on. We’re talking about remotely controlling your price signs contents from anywhere in
the world: from corporate HQ, from the coziness of your office, or just standing right in front of it.