E Ink Spectra 6 9-color e-paper display, Digi Mart USA News: E Ink has updated its Spectra color e-paper lineup with a revised Spectra 6 panel that supports nine colors at the pixel level, a design the company calls the “9-color system.” According to the report, the new panel joins the existing black, white, red, yellow, green and blue with light green, cyan and orange.
Orange was previously available on the Spectra 5 but was dropped from the Spectra 6. The original Spectra 6 reproduced orange through dithering, a technique that combines pixels of different colors, and E Ink has sometimes counted these blended colors in its published totals. The report notes that the new system marks a direct orange addition at the pixel level.
Several technical details remain unclear. The report says it is not yet known how the 9-color system produces all its colors from the available pigments, since the “How it Works” page has not been updated.
The original Spectra 6 uses four pigment colors to produce six base colors at the pixel level, and it is still unknown whether the new system also relies on just four pigments. E Ink has not provided refresh speed information either.
The new panel is initially available only on 10-inch displays and is intended to improve results, particularly for photos. According to E Ink, the Auras Ink 10″ is the first product to use it, and the photo frame costs $349 in the US.
The Auras Ink 13″ still uses the original Spectra 6 panel, which E Ink says has a pixel density of 150 PPI, compared with 200 PPI for the new 10-inch model. E Ink says dithering will further improve results.
The report also notes that Spectra 6 displays are relatively slow and unsuitable for video, though they work well for signage. Their limited operating temperature range has restricted them to indoor use so far.
E Ink has kept the Spectra 6 name rather than calling the new version Spectra 7, and displays using the original color system will remain on the market, which the report says adds to the confusion.
