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The iPhone 4S Retina screen is sharp, but one thing I've been disappointed with is the black levels, and this includes the current iPad screens. The black level is very high (i.e. what should be "black" is actually "gray").

Agreed. This is the price for LED backlighting. Plasma LCD's are still considered the best for cinema by those in the film industry due to the nature of the tech (Pioneer sold the best plasma's display's on the market, I still have my 50" Elite and the blacks are fantastic, shame they closed their panel division and sold to Panasonic). LED LCD's are great for sharp, rich colors and thus best for computer systems. I'd still take a plasma for cinema viewing over an LED LCD system. :)
 
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I was just wondering what the incentive would be to make a comment like this.

:D I deserved that. (If it wasn't clear, I was referring to the comment by the Apple employee in the original post, not your comment. :))
 
The iPhone 4S Retina screen is sharp, but one thing I've been disappointed with is the black levels, and this includes the current iPad screens. The black level is very high (i.e. what should be "black" is actually "gray"). This reduces color saturation and contrast and is very noticeable in darkened lighting situations (for example, try reading an iBook in the dark with the "night" theme and turning the screen brightness down). Some of this is backlight leakage around the screen edges and some may just be the nature of the LED technology they're using. Would really love to see closer to true blacks on these screens.

And, it would also be great if you could somehow color calibrate these screens, they tend to ship too blue out of the factory, as most screens do. As iPads are being used for more complex applications, the need for better color criticality is increasing. iPads are increasingly being used for content creation and display. For example, showing clients your photographs or artwork. Obviously you want your work to look as good as possible, something Apple should understand. A lot of people won't need to or want to calibrate their iPad screen, but it would be great for Apple to open a way to do it you you are someone who wants or needs that functionality. Even downloading a separate color calibration app would be fine with me, and Apple doesn't even need to create it, they just need to provide the API for it and storing those settings.

I agree with you about the black levels of some screens. But allowing color calibration would only make it worse. Not every device uses the same screen. By keeping calibration out of the equation it actually keeps it simple and they will all appear to be the same.
 
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chrmjenkins said:
BaldiMac said:
I was just wondering what the incentive would be to make a comment like this.

I was just wondering what the incentive would be to make a comment like this.

What you did there...I see it.

On another note, I can't wait for iPad 3 dual-booting iOS and Windows 8 for ARM. Tablet computing is finally coming of age. I have a feeling I'll no longer feel like I need a MBP.
 
I wonder how much these are actually leaks? Frankly from Apples point of view it might not hurt to let rumors slip out every few days to keep people waiting.
 
That's true. I am curious as to what they will do in the camera department for this revision.
We need a leak of a picture taken with the new iPad which - OOOPS- turns out to be 8 megapixel!
Now that's a leak I want to see.
 
Agreed. This is the price for LED/OLED backlighting. Plasma LCD's are still considered the best for cinema by those in the film industry (Pioneer sold the best plasma's display's on the market, I still have my 50" Elite and the blacks are fantastic, shame they closed their panel division and sold to Panasonic). LED LCD's are great for sharp, rich colors and thus best for computer systems. I'd still take a plasma for cinema viewing over an LED LCD system. :)

OLED will be the go-to technology for the graphics artist/film enthusiast once it matures a little more. Even plasma, as good as it is, doesn't offer up nearly the same contrast ratio as oldschool CRT. OLED does, since it's the only current flat panel technology that doesn't rely on a backlight to brighten the display.

True black FTW!
 
if it looks identical to iPad 2 that means I can spend my money on it and my girlfriend won't even know it's a new model.

Bring it!
 
OLED will be the go-to technology for the graphics artist/film enthusiast once it matures a little more. Even plasma, as good as it is, doesn't offer up nearly the same contrast ratio as oldschool CRT. OLED does, since it's the only current flat panel technology that doesn't rely on a backlight to brighten the display.

True black FTW!

Technically plasma and OLED both have "infinite" contrast ratios. Neither use backlights and the pixels themselves are the sources of illumination.
 
Seems to me that Apple does leak from time-to-time. Anyone at Apple with the clearance to see the device, and willing to speak to the press, may be doing so for a tactical reason.

True, but it seems to me that all the marketing for the iPad as a great Valentine's gift would take a hit if there was a leak about a new iPad coming out in < a month. If they're still actively marketing the iPad 2, I don't think they'd want to leak info about the next one...
 
if it looks identical to iPad 2 that means I can spend my money on it and my girlfriend won't even know it's a new model.

Bring it!

Well, if she looks at that high def screen on the iPad 3, she will definitely notice the difference.
 
OLED will be the go-to technology for the graphics artist/film enthusiast once it matures a little more. Even plasma, as good as it is, doesn't offer up nearly the same contrast ratio as oldschool CRT. OLED does, since it's the only current flat panel technology that doesn't rely on a backlight to brighten the display.

True black FTW!

True dat. OLED will be a great step forward and may bridge the differences between plasma and LED systems. Prices need to come waaaaaaaaay down first :)
 
Technically plasma and OLED both have "infinite" contrast ratios. Neither use backlights and the pixels themselves are the sources of illumination.
They don't. Contrast ratio is determinted based on the lowest light output (so deepest black), and brightest light output (full screen white xxx cd/m2).

LED performs very well when is comes to maximum brightness, but black levels are not that good (unless you are using local dimming). Plasma does very well, but not perfect, when it comes to blacks, but it doesn't do very well when looking at the maximum brightness. OLED does the best of both worlds: deepest black levels available (better than the average plasma television), bright displays (similar to LED backlight) and the best viewing angles.
 
Technically plasma and OLED both have "infinite" contrast ratios. Neither use backlights and the pixels themselves are the sources of illumination.

Really? I've been under the impression that plasma, while far superior to LCDs, still fell well below par in comparison to CRT screens. If I remember my ratios correctly, your average high end LCD display can usually match 1000:1 static, vs. 5000:1 plasma, and 30,000:1 for a high end CRT. OLED displays were the only flat panel that could approach CRTs on that front.

As to why plasmas can't quite match CRTs, I only have the vaguest idea. I think it might have something to do with a plasma pixel never being truly "off". As in, it's a dark, dark grey, but not true black. I guess I've got something to look up later.
 
Out of curiosity does anyone know where the Sharp screen is going to be manufactured? Will they be built in Japan? If so, many customers should be informed of this as there may be an increased risk of radioactive contamination due to the Fukushima Daiichi reactors that are still venting into the open air 11 months later here.
 
I somehow feel like there's more to it. Apple releasing the retina display with the old iPad 2 design? What will be left to iPad 4? I think Apple is holding something in.


:apple:
 
They don't. Contrast ratio is determinted based on the lowest light output (so deepest black), and brightest light output (full screen white xxx cd/m2).

LED performs very well when is comes to maximum brightness, but black levels are not that good (unless you are using local dimming). Plasma does very well, but not perfect, when it comes to blacks, but it doesn't do very well when looking at the maximum brightness. OLED does the best of both worlds: deepest black levels available (better than the average plasma television), bright displays (similar to LED backlight) and the best viewing angles.

If you can turn a pixel completely off, it's light level is 0. Any number divided by 0 is infinity, so the white number is actually meaningless when you have a true "off" option for your pixels. Now, if you want to talk about light bleed or relative intensity, that's different. In a way, it shows how the idea of a contrast ratio is broken for newer displays.

edit: I've seen multiple people suggest that plasmas have some non-zero amount of light output. Can someone provide a source for that? (Still, marketing people are going to call it infinite regardless I understand).
 
if it looks identical to iPad 2 that means I can spend my money on it and my girlfriend won't even know it's a new model.

Bring it!

If your girlfriend would get mad at you for spending your own money and getting a new model, you have bigger problems.
 
Agreed. This is the price for LED/OLED backlighting. Plasma LCD's are still considered the best for cinema by those in the film industry due to the nature of the tech (Pioneer sold the best plasma's display's on the market, I still have my 50" Elite and the blacks are fantastic, shame they closed their panel division and sold to Panasonic). LED LCD's are great for sharp, rich colors and thus best for computer systems. I'd still take a plasma for cinema viewing over an LED LCD system. :)

Yeah, I'm still using my 4 year old 50" Pioneer plasma too, and it still looks great. I do understand you have to make some compromises with something as thin as an iPad that you hold in your hand and can't generate much heat though. The plasma gets HOT, like it will literally heat the whole house if it's on for hours. This is one area where OLED has a major advantage though, the black levels are really outstanding.

I agree with you about the black levels of some screens. But allowing color calibration would only make it worse. Not every device uses the same screen. By keeping calibration out of the equation it actually keeps it simple and they will all appear to be the same.

Right, well I'm not saying it should be made obvious to the average iPad user, or recommended. For example, there are Personal Hotspot settings in the Settings app. Most people don't even know they're there and most people won't use them, but they are available. Color Calibration wouldn't even need anything a normal user could see, just make it available via APIs for specialized applications for people who know what they're doing. Would love to plug my ColorMunki calibrator into the iPad via the Camera Adapter and let it go to town. If the controls were exposed via an API, I'm sure they'd make an app.
 
Well, if she looks at that high def screen on the iPad 3, she will definitely notice the difference.

not necessarily, youd be surprised about some people ... i know people that see no difference between the 3G and 4 screen unless i point it out, same goes to HD. Some people just dont care
 
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