Touch Nook STR: Display Issue - Artifacts from previous pages.

[SteveDuck]

I'm the proud owner of a new Nook STR, my first e-reader & first e-ink device.

On a few occasions, I have experienced strange display behavior when changing pages. Previous pages appear as artifacts, seeming to underlay the current page. Subsequent pages turns sometimes appear collect multiple pages...until the screen looks like an obvious mess, as if trying to read a stack of transparent old school overhead pages. Then another turn seems to clear the mess.

This has happened while reading epubs & while navigating other non-content areas such as initial setup where this problem was first noticed. It is more obvious when viewing text after non-text such as book cover image. The most obvious mess was encountered after checking my email (!) using the hidden web browser which is full of bugs (see other posts for more info).


Is this normal behavior for an e-ink device?


Also, when reading epubs the text becomes less crisp than the previous pages. The text appears legible but not crisp with tiny portions of the individual letters seeming to be "faded". I'm wondering if this is another form of the issue above.

Is this normal behavior for an e-ink device?

[ucfgrad93]

There has been much speculation about the cause of this. Some theorize that it is the result of the STR not refreshing every time you turn the page. This leads to faster page turns but is possibly the cause of the ghosting you are seeing. Currently, I don't think there is a fix for it.

Since other e-ink readers refresh every time you do something, this problem is not seen on them.

[Donnageddon]

SteveDuck, you might consider exchanging the device for a new one. This has been seen in other ereaders, and were due to a faulty batch of ereaders. This might just be a faulty unit.

[jridley]

That does not sound normal. I have a Nook Touch, and at worst if I hold it in a strong light at the right angle I can just barely see a hint of a ghost of the previous page's text, if it didn't do a full black flash on the page turn (the Nook Touch does not do a full refresh on every page turn, though it's not as predictable as "every 6" as you see stated in some places - I sometimes have it do it every page turn, sometimes every 6. I don't know if it's deciding based on content or what).

It's only really noticeable to me if the previous page had some large text like a chapter title on it.

[Zarich]

Apparently the lack of flash has nothing to do with turn speeds. It doesn't page any faster. Just suppose to be less jarring for people.

[negris123]

I first reported this on another thread and even posted a picture. I don't think it is a defective device. I think this is due to the lack of refresh on every page turn. It is more noticeable in direct sunlight. I was reading outside today and it was doing it constantly and it was very noticeable. It is very consistent, once the page refreshes, all the ghosting is gone. I agree the text only looks crisp after a full refresh. I hope they fix this with and update soon.

It seems to be pretty common

http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/...s/td-p/1054710


Seems like Kindle 2 used to have this problem. Read this:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/arc...p/t-40232.html

It seems to be a software issue, so it shouldn't be long before B&N releases the first update to fix this. Hopefully!!!

[afv011]

Originally Posted by negris123

I first reported this on another thread and even posted a picture. I don't think it is a defective device. I think this is due to the lack of refresh on every page turn. It is more noticeable in direct sunlight. I was reading outside today and it was doing it constantly and it was very noticeable. It is very consistent, once the page refreshes, all the ghosting is gone. I agree the text only looks crisp after a full refresh. I hope they fix this with and update soon.

It seems to be pretty common

http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/...s/td-p/1054710


Seems like Kindle 2 used to have this problem. Read this:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/arc...p/t-40232.html

It seems to be a software issue, so it shouldn't be long before B&N releases the first update to fix this. Hopefully!!!

I had this issue when reading outdoors in a very warm day. I wonder if it is temperature related, that was the one and only time I saw the issue.

[negris123]

Originally Posted by afv011

I had this issue when reading outdoors in a very warm day. I wonder if it is temperature related, that was the one and only time I saw the issue.

It could be. That is their major selling point for eink, though, that you can read comfortably in direct sunlight, yet the problem becomes exacerbated under those conditions. I still think a full page refresh would fix it. It should be optional, a setting that you can turn on/off, so that maybe when you are indoors, you don't have to refresh everytime and if you are reading outdoors, do a refresh at every page turn.

[RAH]

Originally Posted by SteveDuck

Also, when reading epubs the text becomes less crisp than the previous pages. The text appears legible but not crisp with tiny portions of the individual letters seeming to be "faded". I'm wondering if this is another form of the issue above.

I have not had the ghosting problem, but I have noticed what you say about the letters being faded and kind of ragged in spots. I am thinking of bringing my nook to the store to compare it against the display model to decided whether I have a problem or if it just always looks this way.

[lisadawn]

i have several readers and this happens at times on all of them.

[negris123]

Originally Posted by lisadawn

i have several readers and this happens at times on all of them.

But compared to the original nook, this is a new issue I didn't experience with the original.

[RAH]

I agree that I did not have this problem with the Classic Nook, but it is somewhat reassuring to hear that it is common on other readers. I wonder if it is just something that happens especially with pearl screens. I noticed right away that the new Touch screen's characters were not as "smooth" looking as on the Classic, as though they had made them sharper on the Touch at the expensive of smoothness. So this ragged look may be related to that.

If this is the only "problem" I have and I don't have extreme ghosting as others are reporting, I think I'll assume my device is behaving normally.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by RAH

I agree that I did not have this problem with the Classic Nook, but it is somewhat reassuring to hear that it is common on other readers. I wonder if it is just something that happens especially with pearl screens. I noticed right away that the new Touch screen's characters were not as "smooth" looking as on the Classic, as though they had made them sharper on the Touch at the expensive of smoothness. So this ragged look may be related to that.

If this is the only "problem" I have and I don't have extreme ghosting as others are reporting, I think I'll assume my device is behaving normally.

I still see the outline of the airplane or wifi symbols when I turn them on or off on the nook classic.

goes away after a page or two refreshes, but image retention is a flaw of eink. Reminds of plasma HDTV's in way, espcially in the early days , when IR was horrible on Plasma's.

Originally Posted by RAH

...it is somewhat reassuring to hear that it is common on other readers...

I never experienced the random letter fading issue on K3, KDXG, Sony 350, or Sony 950. I would say take it back while it is still well within the return without questions period and exchange it for another one. Occasional light ghosting on the other hand is common on all eInks I've ever owned, but usually it is very light and not a problem.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by SteveDuck

I'm the proud owner of a new Nook STR, my first e-reader & first e-ink device.

On a few occasions, I have experienced strange display behavior when changing pages. Previous pages appear as artifacts, seeming to underlay the current page. Subsequent pages turns sometimes appear collect multiple pages...until the screen looks like an obvious mess, as if trying to read a stack of transparent old school overhead pages. Then another turn seems to clear the mess.

This has happened while reading epubs & while navigating other non-content areas such as initial setup where this problem was first noticed. It is more obvious when viewing text after non-text such as book cover image. The most obvious mess was encountered after checking my email (!) using the hidden web browser which is full of bugs (see other posts for more info).


Is this normal behavior for an e-ink device?


Also, when reading epubs the text becomes less crisp than the previous pages. The text appears legible but not crisp with tiny portions of the individual letters seeming to be "faded". I'm wondering if this is another form of the issue above.

Is this normal behavior for an e-ink device?

Some "ghosting" is totally normal, but one page looking less or more crisp than previous, no.

What's different on your Nook Touch vs my Kindle 3 or someone else's Sony is the page refresh rate; it's less frequent on the new Nook. Not sure if that's part of the problem but if you can post two pictures here, will help us to troubleshoot the issue.