Do all/most e-readers use PWM?

immortal192 · 05-08-2020, 11:51 PM

Do all/most e-readers use PWM? I was looking into the Kobo Libra and apparently it doesn't have the PWM flickering issue that the Kobo Forma has. I've tried out the Forma when it was released and from what I understand, the flickering issue was only from adjusting the brightness. Regardless, it doesn't bother me, but I am curious if the Kobo Libra uses PWM and just doesn't have the flickering issue or if it doesn't use PWM outright.

I have learned that PWM causes fatigue even if it's unoticeable to the naked eye (your brain still processes it). I would like to consider non-PWM options only to reduce fatigue. I work with computers 10-16 hours a day and am most likely suffering from fatigue from PWM monitors and would like to reduce my interactions with PWM displays as much as possible.

davidfor · 05-09-2020, 03:13 AM

To the best of my knowledge, the Kobo Forma is the only ereader that uses PWM. And the frequency used is much higher than the frequencies that seem to cause problems. It uses 1KHz. Most problems with PWM flickering are when the frequency is in the low hundreds. It is very unlikely the Forma will actually be an issue.

And I use my wife as an example of this. She suffers from severe and frequent migraines, has a lazy eye and some other sight issues. The merest hint of a flicker can trigger a migraine. She can be reading on the Forma for several hours a day with no ill effects.

This has been discussed heavily in the Kobo forum. And while there have been lots of claims that PWM is the spawn of the devil, there has been only one person that even came close to saying that they had issues with the Forma. And lots of people saying they had no issues.

05-08-2020, 11:51 PM	#1
immortal192 Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2018 Device: none	Do all/most e-readers use PWM? Do all/most e-readers use PWM? I was looking into the Kobo Libra and apparently it doesn't have the PWM flickering issue that the Kobo Forma has. I've tried out the Forma when it was released and from what I understand, the flickering issue was only from adjusting the brightness. Regardless, it doesn't bother me, but I am curious if the Kobo Libra uses PWM and just doesn't have the flickering issue or if it doesn't use PWM outright. I have learned that PWM causes fatigue even if it's unoticeable to the naked eye (your brain still processes it). I would like to consider non-PWM options only to reduce fatigue. I work with computers 10-16 hours a day and am most likely suffering from fatigue from PWM monitors and would like to reduce my interactions with PWM displays as much as possible.

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05-09-2020, 03:13 AM	#2
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,905 Karma: 47303824 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	To the best of my knowledge, the Kobo Forma is the only ereader that uses PWM. And the frequency used is much higher than the frequencies that seem to cause problems. It uses 1KHz. Most problems with PWM flickering are when the frequency is in the low hundreds. It is very unlikely the Forma will actually be an issue. And I use my wife as an example of this. She suffers from severe and frequent migraines, has a lazy eye and some other sight issues. The merest hint of a flicker can trigger a migraine. She can be reading on the Forma for several hours a day with no ill effects. This has been discussed heavily in the Kobo forum. And while there have been lots of claims that PWM is the spawn of the devil, there has been only one person that even came close to saying that they had issues with the Forma. And lots of people saying they had no issues.

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