5 ms·

They aren't hardware based. As I say in the first link, pixels mostly don't exist in hardware. Screens very rarely contain a matrix of individual squares. For

by edent 24d ago

They aren't hardware based. As I say in the first link, pixels mostly don't exist in hardware. Screens very rarely contain a matrix of individual squares. For example - https://global.samsungdisplay.com/29043/ https://global.samsungdisplay.com/29043/

jonhohle 24d ago
Pixels very much exist in hardware outside mobile. Microsoft’s clear type even exploited the specific layout of color channels in discrete hardware pixels. Mobile displays are all over the place, but most other displays use standard RGB layouts.
- edent 24d ago
  You've described the exact problem. Sub pixel rendering exploits the fact that most display pixels aren't discrete logical squares. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subpixel_rendering https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subpixel_rendering
  - SR2Z 24d ago
    Right, but there's still an addressable set of display units that convert an RGB signal to actual glowing lights, right? It seems like defining px to be perceptual is one of those compatibility hacks that probably helped a ton back in the day, but we have perceptual units and now we're stuck with that baggage. I don't have much of an opinion on this (I use em) but it has taken me by surprise a few times.
    - edent 24d ago
      > Right, but there's still an addressable set of display units that convert an RGB signal to actual glowing lights, right? Yes. But those glowing lights aren't little squares in a neat horizontal and vertical rows. The square pixel is useful in logical contexts - like an SVG or bitmap graphic. But when it is turned into a physical display, those pixels aren't displayed as little squares. The RGB elements are arranged in dozens of different formations depending on the display technology.
      - jonhohle 22d ago
        Yes, except 80% of those displays align them as neat little rows and columns. Mobile is really the outlier with odd formations. Nearly everything else is physically identical to the grid conceptual model.
systoll 24d ago
You’ve linked one example of exactly how those samsung displays do consist of a matrix of individual squares. Here, samsung draws a border around one: https://global.samsungdisplay.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Untitled-design-2021-11-19T163245.312.png https://global.samsungdisplay.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11... A pixel is made up of multiple components because everything is made of multiple components.
- edent 24d ago
  Look at how they describe it on that page: > Samsung Display succeeded in designing the most optimal spatial frequency design with a 45 degree diagonal symmetry across the entire display layout. See the image: https://global.samsungdisplay.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/pixel.png https://global.samsungdisplay.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11... All of the components are in that diamond pattern. When you try to draw to a specific pixel width, the display chooses which sub-pixels make up a logical pixel. There is no specific square for you to target.

by edent 24d ago

jonhohle 24d ago

Pixels very much exist in hardware outside mobile. Microsoft’s clear type even exploited the specific layout of color channels in discrete hardware pixels. Mobile displays are all over the place, but most other displays use standard RGB layouts.

edent 24d ago
You've described the exact problem. Sub pixel rendering exploits the fact that most display pixels aren't discrete logical squares. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subpixel_rendering https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subpixel_rendering
- SR2Z 24d ago
  Right, but there's still an addressable set of display units that convert an RGB signal to actual glowing lights, right? It seems like defining px to be perceptual is one of those compatibility hacks that probably helped a ton back in the day, but we have perceptual units and now we're stuck with that baggage. I don't have much of an opinion on this (I use em) but it has taken me by surprise a few times.
  - edent 24d ago
    > Right, but there's still an addressable set of display units that convert an RGB signal to actual glowing lights, right? Yes. But those glowing lights aren't little squares in a neat horizontal and vertical rows. The square pixel is useful in logical contexts - like an SVG or bitmap graphic. But when it is turned into a physical display, those pixels aren't displayed as little squares. The RGB elements are arranged in dozens of different formations depending on the display technology.
    - jonhohle 22d ago
      Yes, except 80% of those displays align them as neat little rows and columns. Mobile is really the outlier with odd formations. Nearly everything else is physically identical to the grid conceptual model.

systoll 24d ago

You’ve linked one example of exactly how those samsung displays do consist of a matrix of individual squares. Here, samsung draws a border around one: https://global.samsungdisplay.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Untitled-design-2021-11-19T163245.312.png https://global.samsungdisplay.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11... A pixel is made up of multiple components because everything is made of multiple components.

edent 24d ago
Look at how they describe it on that page: > Samsung Display succeeded in designing the most optimal spatial frequency design with a 45 degree diagonal symmetry across the entire display layout. See the image: https://global.samsungdisplay.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/pixel.png https://global.samsungdisplay.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11... All of the components are in that diamond pattern. When you try to draw to a specific pixel width, the display chooses which sub-pixels make up a logical pixel. There is no specific square for you to target.