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Old 11-29-2006, 12:01 AM   #29
Nightwing
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bingle
From what I've read, it's not a "backlight" as such, it's focusing for long periods of time at an emissive source. So any type of screen or light that actually emits light rather than reflecting it. Lights mounted in a device are reflective, but LCDs and CRTs are emissive. The people complaining about backlights, though, don't seem to mind whether they're really truly emissive backlights, just that the device provides its own light source.

Part of the problem is also due to screen flicker as the screen is redrawn - this isn't a big deal in LCDs or any screen you might find on a portable device, but is a problem with CRTs.

Another factor is the contrast ratio - low-contrast screens are harder to stare at for long periods of time. Sunlight on LCDs or CRTs can reduce the contrast so that you strain your eyes trying to view them.

None of these factors are present in an e-ink screen, but there's also problems with low-resolution displays - the brain might interpret something low-resolution as being "out of focus" and continually try and refocus your eyes or cause you to squint and get headaches. I guess this could be a problem with an e-ink screen. Probably not with text, but perhaps looking at images.

I'm not an eye doctor or anything, though. This is just what I've read about :-)
Spent a solid 4 hours reading a book last Friday with out any sore eyes.
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