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Old 08-02-2017, 08:17 AM   #1
potatis
Junior Member
potatis began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 2
Karma: 10
Join Date: Jul 2017
Device: Onyx Boox Max Carta
Standardized response time test for PDF ebook readers

Hi
Im in the buisness of buying a big e-ink device but i have a hard time comparing the screen update speeds. I.e. the time it takes to flip pages using different devices. There are video reviews of some devices, but i havent been helped much by these. The videos sometimes have an angle that makes it hard to see when the page flip buttons are pressed, thus making it hard to decide response time. Furthermore, the videos are sometimes cut in a way that makes the loading speeds seem faster.

By making a standardized test we could have a more informed discussion on which device is faster. I am looking for a test with high ecological validity, but focused on page flipping speed.

How could a test be designed to test the speed of e-ink devices in a more standardized way?

My idea would be to:
1: Film diagonally showing the next page button as well as the screen.
2: Have focus on both screen and the button so any artifacts can be identified.
3: During button presses, move the finger in from the side. Making it apparent when the finger presses the button.
4: For devices with multiple display settings (some onyx models have a "fast" setting with lower image quality), show which setting is online.
5: No cuts in the video.

Perform tests A and B.
a) Using each of three openly accessible text files. (5mb PDF, 100mb PDF, 2mb epub). Open the file. Go to page 50. Flip 10 pages as fast as possible. Measure the time from the first page flip to the last.
b) Using each of three openly accessible text files. (5mb PDF, 100mb PDF, 2mb epub).

This test gives information on:
Speed of opening different formats and file sizes.
Speed of "go to page"
Speed of 10 consecutive page flips.
A metric of page flipping speed.

This test controls for:
Using a fast or slow file for reviewing purposes.
Cutting the video to give a more favorable impression to the less meticulous viewer.
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