In Japan, a digital signage system using OLED panels is being tested at Ebisu station this week.

The test is carried out by JR East Group's JR East Mechatronics Co Ltd and East Japan Marketing & Communications Inc. Last year at the same ticket gate, the two companies tested a digital signage using color electronic paper modules made by Hitachi Ltd and Fujitsu Ltd, and the pixel counts of the modules were 320 x 640 and 400 x 600, respectively.

The OLED panel the two companies tests this time is 100 x 165mm in size and has a pixel count of 480 x 800. And the panel features "excellent color performance, high contrast, high definition and wide viewing angle," said Takashi Yamamoto from East Japan Marketing & Communications.

The 7.6-inch OLED panel is a standard product of Chi Mei EL Corp (CMEL) of Taiwan. Its average power consumption is 5W, equivalent to that of LCD panels, according to the two companies. And its product life is 20,000 to 30,000 hours, and it is "fully capable" of being continuously used almost all day.

"The electronic paper modules used in our previous test were expensive because they were customized to fit in the width of the automatic ticket gate. This time, we reduced costs by employing a standard OLED panel product," said Takao Nakajima from JR East Mechatronics.

The luminance of the panel is 200cd/m2. When the operation of the OLED panels started with the stickers being removed, the display was clearly visible from a distance and far more recognizable than the stickers.

The companies said they need to limit the size and number of characters in case the signage attracts too much attention and cause the foot traffic to stop.