ePaper To Be Used For Newspapers and Magazines

rustbear writes "The Guardian reports that cheap, paper-thin TV screens that can be used in newspapers and magazines have been unveiled by German electronics giant Siemens. The firm says the low production costs could see the magazine shelves in newsagents come alive with moving images vying for the customers' attention as they move along the aisle. The Siemens spokesman said that one square metre of the material costs around £30, and scientists working on the screens said they should be available by 2007."

Comments

moving magazine covers

[Crunchie Frog]

Cant wait to see the top shelf in that newsagent

Re:moving magazine covers

[should_be_linear]

Cant't wait for MS ads on my toilet paper.

wallpaper

[Anonymous Coward]

is anyone else thinking wallpaper here ???
colour your livingroom to your mood, no more painting...
give room-wide slideshows...

progress?

[MonoSynth]

Oh joy. Flashing ads in newspapers. I can't wait.

Yes, but...

[c0l0]

...can you squash flies with it?

and the downside...

[MonoSynth]

nineteen eighty-four.

Re:Sensible* investment

[Altima(BoB)]

I'm not seeing this as a death for regular paper. Let's say ePaper is adopted, I doubt that EVERY page of a newspaper will utilize it. In fact, I'd say only the front page would be used. I'm sure their new presses could still be put to good use.

This said, a lot of magazines are pretty pricey as it is, what'll they do to their prices if this new device is used on the cover of every issue, no matter what the cost of production? What if the main users of this device are a magazine's advertisers? How about you read an article if the adjoining page has a constantly moving ad? And is a moving image really better? A well composed still image can sometimes be more effective than a moving one. I am loathe to think that the likes of Newsweek or Time will turn into CNN lookalikes ith fancy current events themed graphics flying everywhere. I for one dread the advent of this ePaper. The only useful benefit I could see would be for a broadsheet newspaper to show a video of the top news story. That's it really.

What about the power supply, processor, etc.?

[Rico_za]

Making the screen paper thin doesn't solve the rest of the problem : getting images on the screen. How is a magazine going to contain the power supply en processor needed to actually display something on the screen? More detail in the article would have been helpfull, now it just sounds like some scifi hype story.

Re:What about the power supply, processor, etc.?

[Anonymous Coward]

There's more information and a picture at http://www.physorg.com/news7079.html

The displays can obtain their energy from printable batteries, which are already available. Because they last only a few months, this solution is only feasible for merchandise with high throughput rates or short-use durations. It may also prove feasible to use printed antennas as a local energy source. They would receive pulses from a transmitter in the shelf and convert the pulses into electricity.

Twirlip

Tune in, turn on, drop out

[fmwap]

How old were you when people stopped reading and started watching?

I admit I don't read much anymore except off a monitor, but reading requires thinking. A dog can watch and listen.

On a less serious note, this was already tried on cereal boxes in Minority Report, with mixed customer acceptance.

2007

[Anonymous Coward]

> scientists working on the screens said they should be available by 2007

Translation: 2025

Re:All the print- that's news to fit.

[meringuoid]

... and they will self-destruct after you read them once. Welcome to the DRM world!

Bad, but it could be so much worse. Imagine this, though: you go back to your newspaper clippings from 2003 to check up on just what the Prime Minister had to say back then. 'Saddam Hussein is evil and must be removed,' you read. 'Whether or not he has weapons of mass destruction is irrelevant; this is a campaign to spread freedom and democracy.'

Hmm. Not what I remember. But it was a long time ago, and there it is in black and white. Guess we weren't lied to after all...

Oceania is at war with Eurasia. Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia.

Forgot the obvious?

[KDR_11k]

How about applying that to product packaging? Movies could have the trailer on the back, games a few seconds of gameplay footage. Instead of a TV playing those ad videos for some stuff it could be printed right on the back.