Display Clarity

When it comes to judging the quality of a display I try to keep in mind, it’s all about reference. I still remember how gah-gah I was over the first Gameboy display, considered as “state of the art” (haha) for it’s time, it was the standard by which other portable displays were measured. So in order to know just how good (or bad) the Archos 604 WiFi display is we need a good reference to compare it to. Out of all the portable gadgets I’ve handled in recent years I’d say the PSP fits the bill quite nicely. The PSP and Archos 604 WiFi displays are strikingly similar, both possess the same screen resolution (480×272) and size (4.5″ vs 4.3″). The Archos 604 WiFi display is capable of producing a greater range of colors, 16M in contrast to the 262K color range of the PSP display. Based on what I knew of each display, I assumed the Archos 604 WiFi display would either match or surpass the quality of the PSP display. After much testing with various video footage I quickly learned my assumptions were wrong.

The flaws I found in the Archos 604 WiFi display was the lower than average clarity and washed-out colors. This just shows device specifications don’t always match real world results. Many readers may feel that I’m being overly critical of the Archos 604 WiFi’s display, I am by no means a videophile, but when the centerpiece of a portable device is video playback, I expect the display to be outstanding. Especially when the price of the product is over $400 USD.

Why is the Archos 604 WiFi display quality worse than the PSP’s? When technically the Archos 604 WiFi should be out performing it.

I suspect the source of the display issues stem from the touchscreen technology used. There are two main types of touchscreen displays used in portables today; capacitive and resistive.

How can we tell which touchscreen type the Archos 604 WiFi is using?

*Begins smoking his Sherlock Holmes style pipe*

The capacitive touchscreens can only register contact from charged objects such as our fingers, however miniscule the charge may be. So operating the touchscreen via plastic stylus, like the one provided with the Archos 604 WiFi, would not be possible. A conductive stylus that carries the charge from one’s bare hand can be used though. That rules out the capacitive touchscreen, leaving us with the resistive touchscreen.

Resistive touchscreens are known to reduce display clarity by 15-25% (ouch!), which would explain why the Archos 604 WiFi’s display clarity was less than ideal. Companies in general favor resistive touchscreens because they are cheaper to produce than other touchscreen variants.

Sample Video

Table of Contents:

Page 1: Physical Aspects P1Page 2: Physical Aspects P2Page 3: Display ClarityPage 4: Conclusion

Filed under: Archos