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Post by busman on Mar 16, 2017 13:50:03 GMT
In an era of ultra HD LCD display technology, is there any reason why buses still only come with printed scrolling blinds or crappy dot matrix displays? I know that TfL insist on paper blinds and are very anti-LED. LCD's would mean that buses will no longer need to be reblinded and also logos like DLR, Tube, National Rail etc could be displayed clearly. I have seen some very nice LCD "next bus" displays on bus stops, so it seems that TfL are open to experimenting with modernising passenger displays.
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Post by vjaska on Mar 16, 2017 14:16:50 GMT
In an era of ultra HD LCD display technology, is there any reason why buses still only come with printed scrolling blinds or crappy dot matrix displays? I know that TfL insist on paper blinds and are very anti-LED. LCD's would mean that buses will no longer need to be reblinded and also logos like DLR, Tube, National Rail etc could be displayed clearly. I have seen some very nice LCD "next bus" displays on bus stops, so it seems that TfL are open to experimenting with modernising passenger displays. I wouldn't say TfL are anti-LED given that all countdown displays at bus stops, all I-Bus screens & the destination displays on all non Bakerloo Line stock across the Underground, Overground & TfL rail are LED's. The problem could be that LED's have not shown to incorporate a good copy of the New Johnston font which is why, and IMO quite rightly, have resisted fitting buses with it. A lot of people talk up LED's as if they're the best thing ever - they're not. They are useful in some ways (being able to store lots of routes & destinations is always a good thing) but they have flaws that get masked over. They break quite easily just like powerblinds, sunlight can make them unreadable at times, they can blur together at nighttime unlike powerblinds which are quite clear. A very annoying aspect is the amount of info you can fit onto a LED blind which then results in it scrolling through via points or end up like MBK1 which had massive destination displays that took up the whole blind. Powerblinds have many issues of their own but until a suitable replacement pops along, I think TfL are right in making do with what we've got. I now await gunning down by many people lool.
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Post by ServerKing on Mar 16, 2017 14:39:11 GMT
In an era of ultra HD LCD display technology, is there any reason why buses still only come with printed scrolling blinds or crappy dot matrix displays? I know that TfL insist on paper blinds and are very anti-LED. LCD's would mean that buses will no longer need to be reblinded and also logos like DLR, Tube, National Rail etc could be displayed clearly. I have seen some very nice LCD "next bus" displays on bus stops, so it seems that TfL are open to experimenting with modernising passenger displays. TBH TfL's approach (or rather Mr Daniels, who runs London Buses) has always preferred 'tradition' with a slight modern edge (we have the latest interpretation of Routemaster buses, with the modern problem of fare dodging ) - McKenna Bros / Mobitec must make a killing seeing as they have the entire bus blind market for London. My issue is not with them, but the stubborn approach to cling to this dying tradition which clearly could be replaced. I've seen reasonable LCD displays too (seeing as they are anti-LED) which don't have the glare of old-skool Plasma TVs, nor the fragility of the E-Paper trialled by TEH1224. The same amount of money they've wasted on trying to electrify GOBLIN (still not done) or the 'commuter cycle lanes' could have been spent either standardising all bus displays across London (he's had since 2012 to do this) - send a bulletin or email to all operators with a deadline to replace all Dayglo or old format blinds and replace them all with new format WOBs - I can't see him doing anything modern - aside from sticking an E200 engine in his Routemaster bus that he owns - but if he did and add a splash of colour to a very dull looking network (even worse in winter weather) with branding, or descriptive LCD / LED blinds giving us more information / traffic news / diversion information etc.) would make bus travel appeal to today's passengers. People are all about image, we are all digitally connected or aware of technology - they should harness that interest. We don't even have WIFI on buses (unless you get onto someone's unsecure link ) but when WOBs came out I thought everything will be done within a year, not five... vjaska, no worries, I know LED's aren't all that, but even today, the amount or dirty, torn, crumpled blinds makes me question what we have I saw a new HV on the 341, nice smart blinds but not illuminated and it was not that light first thing in the morning . All for what we got if it looks good. Problem is, it doesn't, and it should do
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Post by Nathan on Mar 16, 2017 14:52:46 GMT
In an era of ultra HD LCD display technology, is there any reason why buses still only come with printed scrolling blinds or crappy dot matrix displays? I know that TfL insist on paper blinds and are very anti-LED. LCD's would mean that buses will no longer need to be reblinded and also logos like DLR, Tube, National Rail etc could be displayed clearly. I have seen some very nice LCD "next bus" displays on bus stops, so it seems that TfL are open to experimenting with modernising passenger displays. I wouldn't say TfL are anti-LED given that all countdown displays at bus stops, all I-Bus screens & the destination displays on all non Bakerloo Line stock across the Underground, Overground & TfL rail are LED's. The problem could be that LED's have not shown to incorporate a good copy of the New Johnston font which is why, and IMO quite rightly, have resisted fitting buses with it. A lot of people talk up LED's as if they're the best thing ever - they're not. They are useful in some ways (being able to store lots of routes & destinations is always a good thing) but they have flaws that get masked over. They break quite easily just like powerblinds, sunlight can make them unreadable at times, they can blur together at nighttime unlike powerblinds which are quite clear. A very annoying aspect is the amount of info you can fit onto a LED blind which then results in it scrolling through via points or end up like MBK1 which had massive destination displays that took up the whole blind. Powerblinds have many issues of their own but until a suitable replacement pops along, I think TfL are right in making do with what we've got. I now await gunning down by many people lool.*shoots vjaska with LED bullets* Yeah, LED blinds look...weird. Their very hard to read in bright light (e.g. when shown in the sun). The blinds we have in London now are clear to read in all kinds of lighting and distances.
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Post by snoggle on Mar 16, 2017 15:55:54 GMT
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Post by sid on Mar 16, 2017 16:13:50 GMT
In an era of ultra HD LCD display technology, is there any reason why buses still only come with printed scrolling blinds or crappy dot matrix displays? I know that TfL insist on paper blinds and are very anti-LED. LCD's would mean that buses will no longer need to be reblinded and also logos like DLR, Tube, National Rail etc could be displayed clearly. I have seen some very nice LCD "next bus" displays on bus stops, so it seems that TfL are open to experimenting with modernising passenger displays. We've had this debate before in various guises and it's a no brainer for me, blinds have had their day. The sheer time and cost with the labour intensive task of changing blinds whilst LED's are done in a few minutes surely has to be the overriding factor?
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Post by M1199 on Mar 16, 2017 20:28:24 GMT
Going way off topic here, but seeing as it's about blinds:
Are there any stragglers that still have upper case final destinations with via points? I know there is/was London Sovereign's VLE23 but I'm wondering whether they may be the odd Pointer Dart or something about somewhere.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2017 20:32:34 GMT
The amount of money spent on blinds must be crazy. In some extreme cases such as Route 474 WVLs @ RR receiving new blinds in 2016 then getting new blinds (I assume) for route 101 less than a year later. Meanwhile some blinds go many years such as West Ham Tridents having blinds from 2011
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Post by Dillon95 on Mar 16, 2017 22:19:45 GMT
I wish the newer blinds wouldn't just say the destination. I prefer the older approach of having two main via points above it.
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Post by redbus on Mar 16, 2017 23:48:54 GMT
I have yet to see an LCD blind, but traditional ones seem much better than LED ones. I am sure modern technology must have a better solution than a traditional blinds.
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Post by rmz19 on Mar 17, 2017 1:45:13 GMT
I'll keep it short and sweet...LED/LCD are my preferences any day. They're cheaper (the former at least), more versatile and dynamic. They're also more aesthetically pleasant
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Post by ibus246 on Mar 17, 2017 6:41:29 GMT
The amount of money spent on blinds must be crazy. In some extreme cases such as Route 474 WVLs @ RR receiving new blinds in 2016 then getting new blinds (I assume) for route 101 less than a year later. Meanwhile some blinds go many years such as West Ham Tridents having blinds from 2011 Could just be inserts opposed to a whole new blind set
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Post by planesandtrains on Mar 17, 2017 8:13:27 GMT
I like blinds. What I don't like is this trend of blind banditry increasing, even in the well regarded operators such as Go Ahead and London United. The Kindle blind trial was with good intention, and works very well on the bus stops (please TFL, expand it to my local bus stop lol) It's nice that BU13ZVE still has it's LED blinds, however doesn't seem to have all the Epsom dests programmed.
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Post by busman on Mar 17, 2017 9:44:41 GMT
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Post by eggmiester on Mar 17, 2017 10:18:19 GMT
These were for bus stops timetable panels using a similar technology to smart paper.
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