When researching liquid-crystal display (LCD) technologies, you may come across transflective. Transflective LCDs contain liquid pixels and polarizers — just like all LCDs. They are distinguished from other types of LCDs, however, by the way in which they are illuminated. To learn more about transflective LCDs and how they differ from other types of LCDs, keep reading.
Overview of Transreflective LCDs
Transflective LCDs are displays that pass light through a reflector layer. The reflector layer is located in front of the backlight. As the backlight produces light, the light will pass through the reflector layer.
What Are Transmissive LCDs?
While some LCDs are classified as transflective, others are classified as transmissive. Transmissive LCDs feature a backlight as well. Typically consisting of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the backlight is designed to illuminate the layer of liquid pixels. When you turn on a transmissive LCD, the backlighting will produce light. This light will beam through the liquid pixels, resulting in visible images on the screen.
What Are Passive LCDs?
In addition to transmissive LCDs, there are passive LCDs. Most LCDs fall under the category of transflective, transmissive or passive depending on the way in which they illuminate their pixels. Passive LCDs illuminate their pixels with a backlight as well, but they use a different technology than their counterparts.
How Transflective LCDs Stand Out From Other Technologies
What makes transflective LCDs unique is that they combine features of both transmissive and passive LCDs. Like transmissive LCDs, they feature a backlight. Most transmissive and transflective LCDs feature LEDs in the rear. Some of them only feature LEDs on the edges, whereas others feature LEDs in a grid-like pattern. Regardless, transmissive and transreflective LCDs both use LEDs to illuminate their pixels.
Transflective LCDs also use a similar reflector as that of passive or reflective LCDs. Reflectors are layers of a semi-transparent material. As the name suggests, reflectors are designed to reflect light. Transflective LCDs feature a backlight that produces light, and they feature a reflector to reflect this light.
In Conclusion
When shopping for an LCD, you should consider the way in which it illuminates its pixels. All LCDs have liquid pixels. That’s why they are known as “liquid-crystal displays.” But some of the use different methods or technologies to illuminate their pixels. Transflective LCDs feature a backlight and reflector. The backlight produces light via LEDs, and the reflector reflects and distributes this light.
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