Addressing multistable nematic liquid crystal device

A multistable nematic liquid crystal device comprising a layer of nematic liquid crystal material disposed between two cell walls, at least one cell wall having a surface treatment such that the liquid crystal material is latchable between at least two stable molecular configurations upon application of appropriate voltage pulses, row and column electrodes disposed on the cell walls to form an addressable matrix of pixels, and driving means for applying a strobe waveform to each row electrode in a sequence and one of at least two data waveforms, to each column electrode simultaneously wherein each data waveform has a duration equal to the line address time and has a zero net dc value and wherein the strobe waveform has a net zero dc value over a whole frame time and comprises a blanking portion, which in combination with any data waveform will cause the liquid crystal material to adapt a first particular state, immediately preceding a discriminating portion, which in combination with one data waveform will cause the liquid crystal material to remain in the first stable state and in combination with the another data waveform to latch to the another stable state, characterised in that the driving means is adapted such that only one strobe waveform is applied to each row when addressing a particular frame and in that during the line address time wherein the appropriate data waveform is applied to each column for the pixels of a particular row at least part of the blanking portion and at least part of the discriminating portion is applied to that row.