Pentile matrix displays & resolution definition

Rdmkr

Senior member
Aug 2, 2013
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It has been my understanding that, in regard to pentile matrix displays (AMOLED, RGBW, etc) that have 2 subpixels instead of the more common LCD arrangement of 3 subpixels per pixel, there are said to be two ways of defining what the resolution of the screen is:

- the number of RGB(W) subpixels multiplied by 3 (meaning pentile is 0.6667x lower res than its typically advertised to be, its square root +/- 0.81 in each dimension)

- the number of alternatingly light and dark lines that can be drawn in each dimension

the second of these has always seemed off to me, since on a 3 subpixel/pixel LCD screen, one could draw 3 sub-lines (i.e. 3 alternatingly dark and light lines) within each pixel, thus making the line-wise resolution 3 times the RGB-pixel resolution.

Are there screens where the subpixels in a regular 3spx/px configuration are controlled so finely that the input resolution can be 3x the pixel resolution? Would it make much of a difference in terms of visual detail? I'm guessing that performance wise it would be a disaster since only 1/3 of the input data actually gets through as output to the display, but maybe graphical hardware could be designed with it in mind?

Thoughts/input?

edit: I guess it would mean in RGB configuration you'd get a 3 times as high resolution in one dimension as in the other, which is why you need those weird pentile arrangements to properly get an effect like this without giving the input resolution a ridiculous aspect ratio...
 
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