ScreenDim 1.01 for reading in darker surroundings - Page 4

pruss · 03-01-2012, 09:46 AM

1. OLED/AMOLED screen have active pixels that light up in different colors, like miniature light-bulbs. LCD screens have pixels that are opaque and change color, and then there is a backlight shining through all of them. In an LCD screen there are two ways of changing the brightness of the screen. You can make the screen pixels more opaque (that's what the bottom ScreenDim slider does) or you can decrease the intensity of the backlight (that's what the top slider does, and it's the better way to do it, as it improves battery life and helps with contrast) In an OLED-type screen, the only way to change the brightness of the screen is to lower the brightness of the pixels, so in principle the two sliders do more or less the same thing (but it's complicated because of how the screen drivers work--I don't have an OLED screen, so I can't test to see how exactly they work).

2. Yeah, LunarMap HD (paid, higher resolution) and Lite (free) is by me. I got into the dimmer business precisely because of amateur astronomy--even if one turns a screen red (on my Archos 43, I use ChainFire3D for that--but it does need root), one needs to dim the backlight when viewing dim objects or else one will have one's night-vision impaired. (No need to dim anything when viewing the moon. In fact, some people like to turn on their porch lights when looking at the moon through the telescope, so that there is less contrast between the very bright moon in the telescope and the darkness outside.)

pruss · 04-13-2012, 11:43 AM

So, does anybody need any more features in ScreenDim, or is it fine as it is?

murraypaul · 04-13-2012, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pruss

So, does anybody need any more features in ScreenDim, or is it fine as it is?

If one were asking for a cherry on the top, then it might be useful to have different settings for different applications, and have ScreenDim automatically change to them as you switch applications. Whether that is actually worth the hassle of developing though...

Skydog · 04-24-2012, 02:36 AM

Posts here mention the current version of v 1.09. I just updated but it is only v1.07. How do I get v1.09?

Also, the button backlight feature worked on v1.05 and now it does not. I have obnoxious, full bright backlights and the option has no effect.

(Droid X)

sadievan · 04-24-2012, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skydog

Posts here mention the current version of v 1.09. I just updated but it is only v1.07. How do I get v1.09?

Also, the button backlight feature worked on v1.05 and now it does not. I have obnoxious, full bright backlights and the option has no effect.

(Droid X)

Mine is 1.07 also.

Carol

CharlieBird · 04-26-2012, 10:11 PM

1.09 is in Google Market(Play); in fact they keep prompting me to update because I've gone back to 1.08 on my PE. I've had 1.09 it since mid-February.

pruss · 04-28-2012, 02:30 PM

I think I forgot to push 1.09 to Amazon. By the way, for Kindle users, 1.09 makes no difference--it improves layout on small screens. I am working on 1.10 right now.

I just added two options that are very minor but may save some tapping:
(a) Quick activate: If ScreenDim is off, and you do any brightness adjustment (loading a preset, moving a slider), it automatically turns ScreenDim on. Basically, just saves one tap.
(b) Auto brightness on disable: (Not on Kindle) Activate auto brightness whenever you disable ScreenDim.

I am thinking of having an option on the Kindle and Galaxy S2 (and perhaps eventually other devices, if users help me) where the two sliders get consolidated into one. Basically, the idea is that as you move the slider down from 100% to around 30%, it will be lowering the brightness to the minimum supported, and then as you move it from 30% to 0%, it will make things even dimmer by dimming the contrast. I really want this feature on my Galaxy S2, since the minimum brightness setting on it is very high, and I constantly have adjust both sliders.

By the way, if you haven't rated ScreenDim, ratings are very much welcome. (At least ratings by users who actually gave ScreenDim a serious try. I recently got a one-star review from someone who explicitly admits that he/she never even tried it, but is quite sure it can't work. And if things don't work for you, let me know, and I can do my best to help.)

pruss · 04-28-2012, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skydog

Also, the button backlight feature worked on v1.05 and now it does not. I have obnoxious, full bright backlights and the option has no effect.

(Droid X)

I don't think I changed the relevant part of the code since 1.05. Can you email me ( arpruss at gmail dot com ), and we can experiment a little?

One glitch that I noticed on my Galaxy S2 is that I have to tap somewhere on the screen for the key light setting to take effect. Weird.

pruss · 04-28-2012, 09:59 PM

I just finished making a beta of ScreenDim 1.10. The main new feature is Easy Mode which combines the two sliders into one. Currently, Easy Mode only works on Galaxy S2 (including Epic 4G Touch and other versions) and Kindle Fire. You can toggle Easy Mode with Menu | Settings | Easy Mode.

I would appreciate some thorough testing, especially of Easy Mode.

pruss · 04-30-2012, 10:25 AM

I just made a 1.10d beta, which fixes a bunch of things with Easy Mode and the Quick Activate options.

Reports, especially from Fire users, are very welcome.

pruss · 05-01-2012, 10:58 AM

And now in 1.10f, I fixed a bright flash that occurred when you went into ScreenDim via the notification. I really would appreciate some testing of 1.10f, because although the change seems minor, it could have seriously broken some function.

pruss · 05-27-2012, 03:46 PM

By the way, I am adding Tasker support. Does anybody here use Locale? I had a two or three users request Tasker support but Locale support is not something people ask for.

pruss · 07-25-2012, 01:35 PM

With enormous help from a patient tester, I managed to get ScreenDim running on the Nexus 7, and presumably on other Jelly Bean devices. The new version is in the Android Market.

While I was at it, I updated the theme to Holo on Android 3.0 and higher devices.

taming · 07-25-2012, 02:48 PM

I just installed the root version on my Nexus 7. Nothing will make reading on a back-lit device as good as reading on my eInk one, but this makes a huge difference. Thank you.

pruss · 07-26-2012, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taming

I just installed the root version on my Nexus 7. Nothing will make reading on a back-lit device as good as reading on my eInk one, but this makes a huge difference. Thank you.

The root version doesn't adjust contrast--I am not sure it's quite good enough for dimming the N7, but then I don't have the N7. Note that if you set the text colors right in your e-reader app (assuming it allows fine adjustment), you can get the same contrast adjustment effect as ScreenDim gives, though.

As for eInk, I have the opposite opinion: nothing makes reading on eInk as good as reading on a back-lit device. To read comfortably on an eInk device, one has to turn on the lights or uncover a window. (Paper has the same problem, of course.) Tastes differ here, and there is no need to argue about it. :-)

04-24-2012, 02:36 AM	#49
Skydog Wizard Posts: 2,243 Karma: 7400001 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Circling Earth @ Mach .83 Device: Elipsa 2E, Sage, Forma, Libra 2, Clara 2E, Kindle Oasis3, Voyage	Posts here mention the current version of v 1.09. I just updated but it is only v1.07. How do I get v1.09? Also, the button backlight feature worked on v1.05 and now it does not. I have obnoxious, full bright backlights and the option has no effect. (Droid X) Last edited by Skydog; 04-24-2012 at 02:56 AM.

04-28-2012, 09:59 PM	#54
pruss Evangelist Posts: 461 Karma: 819417 Join Date: Nov 2004	I just finished making a beta of ScreenDim 1.10. The main new feature is Easy Mode which combines the two sliders into one. Currently, Easy Mode only works on Galaxy S2 (including Epic 4G Touch and other versions) and Kindle Fire. You can toggle Easy Mode with Menu \| Settings \| Easy Mode. I would appreciate some thorough testing, especially of Easy Mode. Last edited by pruss; 04-28-2012 at 10:06 PM.

04-30-2012, 10:25 AM	#55
pruss Evangelist Posts: 461 Karma: 819417 Join Date: Nov 2004	I just made a 1.10d beta, which fixes a bunch of things with Easy Mode and the Quick Activate options. Reports, especially from Fire users, are very welcome. Last edited by pruss; 05-01-2012 at 10:57 AM.

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03-01-2012, 09:46 AM	#46
pruss Evangelist Posts: 461 Karma: 819417 Join Date: Nov 2004	1. OLED/AMOLED screen have active pixels that light up in different colors, like miniature light-bulbs. LCD screens have pixels that are opaque and change color, and then there is a backlight shining through all of them. In an LCD screen there are two ways of changing the brightness of the screen. You can make the screen pixels more opaque (that's what the bottom ScreenDim slider does) or you can decrease the intensity of the backlight (that's what the top slider does, and it's the better way to do it, as it improves battery life and helps with contrast) In an OLED-type screen, the only way to change the brightness of the screen is to lower the brightness of the pixels, so in principle the two sliders do more or less the same thing (but it's complicated because of how the screen drivers work--I don't have an OLED screen, so I can't test to see how exactly they work). 2. Yeah, LunarMap HD (paid, higher resolution) and Lite (free) is by me. I got into the dimmer business precisely because of amateur astronomy--even if one turns a screen red (on my Archos 43, I use ChainFire3D for that--but it does need root), one needs to dim the backlight when viewing dim objects or else one will have one's night-vision impaired. (No need to dim anything when viewing the moon. In fact, some people like to turn on their porch lights when looking at the moon through the telescope, so that there is less contrast between the very bright moon in the telescope and the darkness outside.)

04-13-2012, 11:43 AM	#47
pruss Evangelist Posts: 461 Karma: 819417 Join Date: Nov 2004	So, does anybody need any more features in ScreenDim, or is it fine as it is?

04-26-2012, 10:11 PM	#51
CharlieBird ¿Huh? Posts: 349 Karma: 1004526 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: rural Jalisco Device: HiSense A7 CC, Fire HD6, Kobo Libra2	1.09 is in Google Market(Play); in fact they keep prompting me to update because I've gone back to 1.08 on my PE. I've had 1.09 it since mid-February.

04-28-2012, 02:30 PM	#52
pruss Evangelist Posts: 461 Karma: 819417 Join Date: Nov 2004	I think I forgot to push 1.09 to Amazon. By the way, for Kindle users, 1.09 makes no difference--it improves layout on small screens. I am working on 1.10 right now. I just added two options that are very minor but may save some tapping: (a) Quick activate: If ScreenDim is off, and you do any brightness adjustment (loading a preset, moving a slider), it automatically turns ScreenDim on. Basically, just saves one tap. (b) Auto brightness on disable: (Not on Kindle) Activate auto brightness whenever you disable ScreenDim. I am thinking of having an option on the Kindle and Galaxy S2 (and perhaps eventually other devices, if users help me) where the two sliders get consolidated into one. Basically, the idea is that as you move the slider down from 100% to around 30%, it will be lowering the brightness to the minimum supported, and then as you move it from 30% to 0%, it will make things even dimmer by dimming the contrast. I really want this feature on my Galaxy S2, since the minimum brightness setting on it is very high, and I constantly have adjust both sliders. By the way, if you haven't rated ScreenDim, ratings are very much welcome. (At least ratings by users who actually gave ScreenDim a serious try. I recently got a one-star review from someone who explicitly admits that he/she never even tried it, but is quite sure it can't work. And if things don't work for you, let me know, and I can do my best to help.)

05-01-2012, 10:58 AM	#56
pruss Evangelist Posts: 461 Karma: 819417 Join Date: Nov 2004	And now in 1.10f, I fixed a bright flash that occurred when you went into ScreenDim via the notification. I really would appreciate some testing of 1.10f, because although the change seems minor, it could have seriously broken some function.

05-27-2012, 03:46 PM	#57
pruss Evangelist Posts: 461 Karma: 819417 Join Date: Nov 2004	By the way, I am adding Tasker support. Does anybody here use Locale? I had a two or three users request Tasker support but Locale support is not something people ask for.

07-25-2012, 01:35 PM	#58
pruss Evangelist Posts: 461 Karma: 819417 Join Date: Nov 2004	With enormous help from a patient tester, I managed to get ScreenDim running on the Nexus 7, and presumably on other Jelly Bean devices. The new version is in the Android Market. While I was at it, I updated the theme to Holo on Android 3.0 and higher devices.

07-25-2012, 02:48 PM	#59
taming Trying for calm & polite Posts: 4,012 Karma: 9455193 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mostly in Canada Device: kobo original, WiFI, Touch, Glo, and Aura	I just installed the root version on my Nexus 7. Nothing will make reading on a back-lit device as good as reading on my eInk one, but this makes a huge difference. Thank you.

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