Mp3Car's Transflective vs. CarTFT TMR

ovsims · 10-14-2006, 03:47 PM

There are a lot of threads about Transflective so I won't really talk about it that much but the new TMR High-Bright monitor form CarTFT is suppose to be a lower cost solution to the expensive Transflective monitor. Below are pics of the two monitors side by side. remember all this is only my opinion as other people opinons might vary. I ordered the CarTFT monitor over the Mp3Car monitor because of its very important carpc features. It was cheaper, handles voltage from 11VDC to 24VDC (so it's not as picky as the Lilliput), has a 2 year warranty, Autodimming, High-Bright (600nit), Auto-on, and Auto-reverse camera hook up. Everything they say on their site is true it is a very well built monitor everything worked just like it was suppose to. The only thing I didn't like about it was the fact that it wasn't that much more sunlight readable than my unmodded Lilli. Don't get me wrong it's brighter but it wasn't what I was expecting since I had seen the Transflective pics and video. My first thought when I hooked it up was they must have sent me the wrong monitor so I contacted customer service which was easy and fast, asked about them maybe sending me the wrong monitor since they sell a cheaper model on their site that doesn't have TMR (transmissive and Micro-Reflective-Technology) but all the other cool features. I was assured that I had the right monitor but I was told I could contact tech support because something could be wrong with the brightness on my monitor. I didn't because the monitor was plenty bright. At that point I figured I need to order the Transflective monitor from Mp3Car before they are out of stock again. Now if you were to put some type of anti-glare on it would probably be great but since I had planned on getting the Transflective monitor I wasn't going to try to doctor up another monitor. The bummer was that I had spent the money I thought I had save by getting the CarTFT monitor. Honestly if I could get this montior enhanced with the Transflective process I would keep it and do it becasue then it would be far better than the Lilli and possibly the Xenarc (I never owned on one to compare it) with the features and it's sturdiness. Just my opinion. If anybody wants to get group of ten together so they can be sent off to be enhanced let me know before I send it back. When I first got my transflective monitor I was a little disappointed because as soon as I hook it up I kept getting the white screen of death and I can also see lint on the touchscreen from the inside but only if I look real close. Now the lint you see in the pictures is on the outside. I didn't know it would show up like that in the pictures. Also the touchscreen doesn't allow me to touch my start menu button or all along the bottom and right side. But the monitor is great as far as being sunlight readable. I honestly don't think the pictures do either monitor justice but they give you an idea for comparison. In the other thread I stated that you get what you pay for meaning I paid less and got less of the result I was shooting for.

ovsims · 10-14-2006, 03:49 PM

Rafster · 10-14-2006, 03:54 PM

It's not too bad...

It seems a little bit brighter than regular VGA TS's....

But def the MP3Car screen is WAYYYYYYYYYYYYY brighter....

Peace,

Rafster

tdb30_ · 10-14-2006, 04:12 PM

I don't know if it is one person or the same person posting a lot about not being able to use the bottom and right of the mp3car monitor. Is this a problem with these? Is it random, or have everyone been having problems? I would love it if it were as bright as pictures and the touchscreen worked properly.

Also, is the cartft display brighter than a non transflective screen, or is it about the same?

jschrauwen · 10-14-2006, 04:50 PM

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the mp3car Transflective is by far better than the CarTFT. Many thanks for your comparison.

*Breathes a heavy sigh of relief for buying the transflective*

rotarypower101 · 10-14-2006, 06:50 PM

Great comparison!
Thank you for taking the time and effort to do that.

The transreflective pretty much blows it away….why isn’t the market being flooded with these things I want a reasonably priced option! Clearly this is a viable solution, why no shift in the market yet?

It does make you wonder what 600 nits would look like with TR

god_of_cpu · 10-14-2006, 07:14 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by rotarypower101

Great comparison!
Thank you for taking the time and effort to do that.

The transreflective pretty much blows it away….why isn’t the market being flooded with these things I want a reasonably priced option! Clearly this is a viable solution, why no shift in the market yet?

It does make you wonder what 600 nits would look like with TR

Well one of the major problems is that there are very few transflective displays (LCD only) that are 7", suffieciently bright or upgradable, all digital, have at least 800x480 pixels, can be purchased in resonably small quantity for the MP3Car market space (100s or 1000s, not 10,000s) for a decent price, and are in steady supply (not grey market) so if you sell out of the first lot, you'll actually be able make a second one without retooling your plastic parts and sell a second lot so you can make a profit.

Even if you could find such a lcd, there is still a six figure entrance fee for designing, producing the circuitry and plastic, finding the other compatible parts (touchscreen, controller boards etc.) and raw materials cost that makes it very difficult project to get off the ground.

coucouillu · 10-14-2006, 07:44 PM

Great JOB!!

Very usefull!!!

ovsims · 10-15-2006, 12:18 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Rafster

It's not too bad...

It seems a little bit brighter than regular VGA TS's....

But def the MP3Car screen is WAYYYYYYYYYYYYY brighter....

Peace,

Rafster

The Mp3 car one isn't technically brighter, it's the transflective enhancement that makes it more readable in the sunlight. The CarTFT one is brighter than your standard non transflective and transflective Lilli. I'm not sure about Xenarc since I've never owned one. it's just the glare making it not as readable just like on your standard monitor. Now when the sun starts going down you'd be like wow because the clarity and the brightness and then when it get dark it dims. But it's very clear and I wish that it could be enhanced. Oh yeah those pictures were taken with all the doors and sunroof open.

Rafster · 10-15-2006, 03:07 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by ovsims

The Mp3 car one isn't technically brighter, it's the transflective enhancement that makes it more readable in the sunlight.

Yeah, I meant to say that it looks brighter/easier to read in sunlight

Peace,

Rafster

WiCKeD 5.9L · 10-15-2006, 10:26 AM

For curiousity's sake, were those pics at about the same day/time?

ovsims · 10-15-2006, 11:12 AM

yes they were. the first picture dated on the 13th was the only one not taken at the same time. i didn't take them all on the 13th because it took me too long to get rid of the white screen of death on the lilli the sun had went behind my house. But for each picture I would take the picture and then switch monitors

sxott · 10-15-2006, 12:29 PM

That is really too bad b/c the autodimming etc... make the cartft one sound just great, too bad it doesn't work very well.

senseless228 · 10-15-2006, 12:41 PM

the only difference i see on the cartft compared to a nonTF lilli, is that on my lilliput, i can practically use it as a mirror, because it's so reflective, however it looks like the cartft one isn't reflective, it's just washed out, you can't see defined objects.

Is it possible to put the cartft side by side with the regular lilli?

turbocad6 · 10-15-2006, 01:00 PM

It looks to me a big difference between the 2 can be the touchscreen used in each... the lilli looks like it has a high quality polarized antireflective tochscreen (noticable by the almost black/purple look when off) compared to the other with standard (milky white looking) touchscreen.....

the best may actually be the cartft with the lilli's ts panel

that cartft doesn't look bad really, & if that's in direct sunlight it looks WAY better than a standard screen...