MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Reflective lcd's vs e-ink

guyanonymous · 04-08-2010, 08:28 PM

Not all LCD screens are the same.

An LCD screen on your watch vs. the average on someone has on their computer are quite different.

My ebookwise 1150 has a backlit LCD. I can read all day on the thing without any more "strain" than I get reading a normal book - plus I can read it it lower and lower light down to complete darkness. I also get ~15 hours battery life and it charges completely in ~1.5 hours.

As mentioned above, brightness and contrast make a big difference. If either is too great (relative to self or the lighting you're in), you can get eye strain.

Similarly, you get eystrain if the frequency at which your monitor/screen refreshes is that which you'll notice. On my old CRT's, I noticed 'flicker' at anything below 85hz, though I could live with 75Hz (I think I have the units right). Under flourescent lighting, if memory serves, I needed 85Hz at least, or I really noticed the flicker. I could walk down the hall at work and notice instantly which people were using a lower refresh rate (i.e., left it at a lower default) instead of setting it to something other than the default 60Hz.

On LCDs used for computers, I believe the lowest refresh was 60Hz, but many are 120 now, though I could easily be wrong there. An LCD refreshes differently than a CRT, and a lower refresh rate is, for me at least, acceptable. My 60Hz monitor doesn't bother me refresh-wise at all.

All these factors combine...refresh, brightness, and contrast...to enhance (or ruin) your viewing and reading pleasure. Different people are more sensitive to these factors. This e-ink vs. lcd vs. whatever drives me a bit nuts.

My ebookwise 1150 screen is nothing like the LCD's most refer to when they talk about eyestrain, yet it gets lumped in with them. Be specific when you complain about a tech (though I don't know what language you'd use to distinguish between the dif. LCD techs in a quick, simple, and clear way). And perhaps use it before you slam it.

I'm one of those folks who, while I enjoy the crispness and contrast of e-ink, could not accept and live with the page-change 'flicker' as it drives me nuts. Similarly, it is the back-lit nature of the primitive LCD in the ebookwise that makes it even more useful for me in a wider variety of situations, and makes an e-ink device less useful. I don't always have or want to use a secondary light source to read.

All these different screens have strengths and weaknesses. Could I read on the bright lcd screen of the ipad? I suspect it wouldn't be a problem as you can adjust the brightness and contrast within the iBook software. Like I said above - this may let you get brightness/contrast/(refresh) that works for your vision or not - but simply saying it's not for you because it is an LCD screen is failing to recognize the factors involved and the possible range of settings permitted. It does a disservice to those investigating such devices and comparing them to e-ink, while not actually educating them and allowing them to make the best choice for them.

(and to disclose where I'm coming from - I'm not getting an iPad because a)I want longer battery life on my reader and b)I want an open device not tied to one vendor - but I do want to replace my ebookwise with a technologically more advanced device. I'm hoping the Adam will do what I want/need, as it sounds like it'll provide me with the nearest thing to colour e-ink, without the refresh, and with backlighting as an option)

04-08-2010, 08:28 PM	#14
guyanonymous Guru Posts: 692 Karma: 27532 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Ebookwise 1150 / 1200	Not all LCD screens are the same. An LCD screen on your watch vs. the average on someone has on their computer are quite different. My ebookwise 1150 has a backlit LCD. I can read all day on the thing without any more "strain" than I get reading a normal book - plus I can read it it lower and lower light down to complete darkness. I also get ~15 hours battery life and it charges completely in ~1.5 hours. As mentioned above, brightness and contrast make a big difference. If either is too great (relative to self or the lighting you're in), you can get eye strain. Similarly, you get eystrain if the frequency at which your monitor/screen refreshes is that which you'll notice. On my old CRT's, I noticed 'flicker' at anything below 85hz, though I could live with 75Hz (I think I have the units right). Under flourescent lighting, if memory serves, I needed 85Hz at least, or I really noticed the flicker. I could walk down the hall at work and notice instantly which people were using a lower refresh rate (i.e., left it at a lower default) instead of setting it to something other than the default 60Hz. On LCDs used for computers, I believe the lowest refresh was 60Hz, but many are 120 now, though I could easily be wrong there. An LCD refreshes differently than a CRT, and a lower refresh rate is, for me at least, acceptable. My 60Hz monitor doesn't bother me refresh-wise at all. All these factors combine...refresh, brightness, and contrast...to enhance (or ruin) your viewing and reading pleasure. Different people are more sensitive to these factors. This e-ink vs. lcd vs. whatever drives me a bit nuts. My ebookwise 1150 screen is nothing like the LCD's most refer to when they talk about eyestrain, yet it gets lumped in with them. Be specific when you complain about a tech (though I don't know what language you'd use to distinguish between the dif. LCD techs in a quick, simple, and clear way). And perhaps use it before you slam it. I'm one of those folks who, while I enjoy the crispness and contrast of e-ink, could not accept and live with the page-change 'flicker' as it drives me nuts. Similarly, it is the back-lit nature of the primitive LCD in the ebookwise that makes it even more useful for me in a wider variety of situations, and makes an e-ink device less useful. I don't always have or want to use a secondary light source to read. All these different screens have strengths and weaknesses. Could I read on the bright lcd screen of the ipad? I suspect it wouldn't be a problem as you can adjust the brightness and contrast within the iBook software. Like I said above - this may let you get brightness/contrast/(refresh) that works for your vision or not - but simply saying it's not for you because it is an LCD screen is failing to recognize the factors involved and the possible range of settings permitted. It does a disservice to those investigating such devices and comparing them to e-ink, while not actually educating them and allowing them to make the best choice for them. (and to disclose where I'm coming from - I'm not getting an iPad because a)I want longer battery life on my reader and b)I want an open device not tied to one vendor - but I do want to replace my ebookwise with a technologically more advanced device. I'm hoping the Adam will do what I want/need, as it sounds like it'll provide me with the nearest thing to colour e-ink, without the refresh, and with backlighting as an option)