Quote:
Originally Posted by RajS
... In my view - it's pretty unlikely if they are the same screen that they are selling batches with different specs. It's not impossible that some are faulty but I would expect B&N and Sony to get the same part.
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If you download the
Sony Service manual, you will see that if the Vizplex screen is ever changed, the PRS-X50 readers actually require that custom tweak values must be read off of the screen and entered into the service firmware screen to insure that the reader will function properly with that particular screen.
So apparently, not only do various batches of Vizplex screens vary, but indeed, the reader must be tweaked to match EACH screen.
Making sure that the resulting combined reader and screen works as a package is the manufactures responsibility, and perhaps it is in this area that Sony dropped the ball.
Sure my PRS-650's screen has better contrast than some of the older Sonys, but that isn't saying much, because, frankly, some of the older Sonys looked like CRAP.
No offense to any 505 lovers out there, but the first time I saw a PRS-505, my first impression was 'For 300 bucks the screen contrast sure as hell should be better than this!'.
With the Sony PRS-650 things were a little better, just enough better to close the deal with me (a little better contrast, price dropped about $100 to less than $200).
For the record Sony -- it's not good enough to just make the screen on your PRS-650 look a little better than some of YOUR crappy previous models, I want a Vizplex Pearl screen that looks as good or better than ANY eInk screen out there on ANY eReader, and from what I have seen, this is just NOT the case.
My 650 does have good enough contrast to make it usable, and I do like the touch user interface a LOT better than the Kindle (which I have always thought was garbage), but I do wish that Sony had done better with the screen.
In fairness to Sony, it may just be that most of the newer screens are better, and my reader got a early marginal screen, and that this could have just as easily happened with a Kindle, it's just that I have never seen a single case where one of the newer Kindles (even some of the early ones) didn't have a snappier higher contrast screen than my Sony.