Microsoft admits NoDo 16 bit colour banding issue–says it’s by design

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4f22066We posted before on the issue of some Windows phone 7 devices experiencing a dramatic drop in colour resolution after upgrading to NoDo, with a massive 77% saying they were having the problem.

In their support forum Microsoft have revealed that this was by design, and that the 32bit colour resolution was in fact an anomaly which HTC has now corrected.

Aled T from Microsoft support wrote:

When HTC launched the HD7 and Trophy they upgraded the color depth to 32 bit, which was outside of Microsoft’s design requirements of 16bit. Microsoft implemented the design standards to help ensure the best possible and consistent experience for all customers on all Windows Phones. To continue to deliver a stable and consistent customer experience, HTC returned the devices to the 16 bit design requirements as part of the March (7.0.7390) update.

The color palette change should not make a noticeable change to most customers experience on their Windows Phone 7. Microsoft’s goal is to ensure that the device is performing as optimally as possible – and as always their engineering teams continue to investigate the opportunities for future improvements.

Thank you for your contribution to the forums.

I don’t know about other readers, but upgrading to a platform that supported more than 65000 colours was something I was really looking forward to when I came to Windows Phone 7.

How do our readers feel about this situation, which, since it is by design, does not appear intended to be fixed any time soon? Let us know below.

Update: Glen Roberts via twitter has let us know this is an issue that will be addressed in Mango, and Mobile Tech World has previously posted that Silverlight 4 will fully support 32 bit colour.

Thanks Santi for the tip.

More about the topics: htc 7 trophy, htc hd7, microsoft, windows phone 7

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