LCD vs. e-ink

monkeyluis · 10-29-2010, 09:03 PM

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-18438_7-20021227-82.html

"It's an aesthetic issue more than anything else."

Interesting, I really find this whole debate quite interesting. I'll read on either, doesn't bother me. But the science behind our eyes is interesting.

Just as the Dr. mentioned how our lenses get harder and muscles get weaker at age 40 and older, but level off at 50.

tubemonkey · 10-29-2010, 09:17 PM

I prefer eInk for reading novels, because these reading sessions are lengthy and backlit displays bother my eyes after a bit.

For everything else, I prefer a color display; which is currently LCD technology.

aagstn · 10-30-2010, 12:13 AM

I like eink, but can read for hours on both with no issues. The new nook is tempting, but I'm also very happy with the current eink version.

m-reader · 10-30-2010, 01:36 AM

This is an excellent article.
However, I am still waiting for that peer-reviewed study on the effect of LCD on eyesight.
I personally have a very clear preference of e-Ink, but so many people who don't mind LCD (or any back-lit type of screen) can't be wrong.

sabredog · 10-30-2010, 02:05 AM

LCD gives me eye stain and associated headaches, so e-ink is the preference for me.

ofey · 10-30-2010, 02:06 AM

I think the reason for all these debates is we've been spoilt by technological development. We've always gone for shinier brighter and newer.

However, in the case of e-ink, I think they've got it pretty right already. I have no problems with it and don't need a LCD. If possible, Colored e-ink may well be something useful.

I'd focus on getting the formatting right. I would love it if the firmware on my Kindle 3 or reader would be smart enough so that when I chuck on a file of any kind and the pagination of the page is perfect. Now that would be something!

ColdSun · 10-30-2010, 02:25 AM

eink is not backlit, therefor it is not perfect for some of us. I'm glad they are finally seeing the light on this, so to speak, as the doctor says in the article, it isn't the type of screen that gives you eyestrain and it is only a matter of choice on which you find more comfortable. The LCD eyestrain issue is a myth.

Magnesus · 10-30-2010, 03:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColdSun

The LCD eyestrain issue is a myth.

It's not for me. And I read many hours on LCD and on E-Ink (sometimes with glassess, sometimes with contact lenses, sometimes without anything). The difference in eye strain is huge between those two for me. I have very decent LCD and I'm very careful to set proper contrast and brightness of the screen depending on the lighting. I have to admit though that I didn't test LCD with LED backlit - maybe those are better (I'll probably try one day, because I want to buy a tablet).

Also: I'm nearsighted and don't even have 30 years on my back.

Sil_liS · 10-30-2010, 07:26 AM

I would have thought that an eye doctor would mention that there are two types of cells that detect light in the human eye. Cone cells are responsible for seeing colour, and work if there is plenty of light, while rod cells are more sensitive to low light intensity and are responsible for night vision and more importantly peripheral vision. When noticing something in fine detail we are using the cone cells. When it is too dark in the room we are getting the information from the rod cells, but our vision will not be as sharp.
If you are reading in the middle of the night, with no lights turned on in the room, your pupil might try to adjust in such a way as to see something in the periphery (rod cells), meaning that there will be too much light coming to your cone cells. Some people might not rely much on peripheral vision, and therefore the pupil will adjust to the screen, and not cause any problems.
And this is true also during the day. I don't have problems reading on an LCD screen, and my vision is still good (I'm 27), but I tried reading something printed on a perfectly white paper, outside, when the sun was shining, and unless I sat in the shade, the light reflected of the piece of paper would hurt my eyes. My night vision is great by the way, I usually move around the house at night with only the street light that comes through the window for guidance.

m-reader · 10-30-2010, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColdSun

The LCD eyestrain issue is a myth.

I was quite enjoying your post then you go ahead and say something like this.
You are just plain wrong here, I'm afraid to say.
Reading on LCD strains the hell out of my eyes. As I said in my previous post, unless you have some heavy-duty scientific data to back-up such claims, please at least frame such statements by IMHO.

dwig · 10-30-2010, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

I...When noticing something in fine detail we are using the cone cells. ...

It should also be noted that the human eye has evolved to have no rods in the very center of the field of vision, that area where we concentrate on detail (read: read text).

Personally, I've read a lot of books and a range of displays; reflective LCD, backlit LCD of varying resolution, and eInk. I've never encountered eye strain issues except when using backlit LCD displays that lack the ability to adequately adjust the brightness. Overly bright backlit displays in dim surroundings give me problems.

I've also found that color LCDs, like all color displays to date, have color fringing issues when black text on white backgrounds gets too small. In order to yield a clean, crisp image of text, a color display must be 2-4x the resolution of a monochrome display.

Another point, in lower light your eye has less "depth of field" (range of distances adequately in focus at one time without the eye refocusing). This makes to precision of your eyeglass, or contact lens, prescription more critical in low light compared to bright light. Lenses that correct your vision for distance don't necessarily have the best correction for reading distance, failed to provide good correction in dim light though they may be good enough in bright light. Anyone who encounters any eyestrain reading, whether paper or electronic display, should first see their optometrist and have their eyes checked, even those who don't currently where corrective lenses.

monkeyluis · 10-30-2010, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m-reader

I was quite enjoying your post then you go ahead and say something like this.
You are just plain wrong here, I'm afraid to say.
Reading on LCD strains the hell out of my eyes. As I said in my previous post, unless you have some heavy-duty scientific data to back-up such claims, please at least frame such statements by IMHO.

Actually the onus is on the person making the claim that eye strain is because of viewing an LCD.

giedre · 10-30-2010, 10:05 AM

I'm not smart enough to comment on the e-ink versus back lit display and eye strain. All I can say is that eye strain becomes an issue for me when I cannot adequately make out the words on a page, and that's frequently in my home where lighting conditions are less than optimal. It's just easier and more convenient to have something like an ipad where you can adjust the lighting on the screen...then at least I can see!

frostschutz · 10-30-2010, 10:17 AM

I think e-Ink is best, LCD with backlight worst, for reading anyway. AMOLED is the best of both worlds, as in color screen without backlight. You have to settle for gray text on black though.

If I don't have my e-Ink reader with me, I can read fine on my AMOLED Smartphone´; downside is that these displays are expensive.

captkjaneway · 10-30-2010, 10:19 AM

The difference between the two formats was really clarified for me recently on a long haul flight; I had my K3 and my neighbour had an Ipad, both of us were reading at various times during the flight.

For me personally, by the 8th hour or so of the flight, my neighbours Ipad was so bright and reflective that it was painful for me to peer over her shoulder, nd yet I could still focus without any eyestrain on my e-ink Kindle.

Of course, it's horses for courses, as she then whizzed off doing all sorts of technical jiggery pokery on the Ipad whilst I carried on plodding through my book. But then again, for use as a reader the e-ink is far away prefereable to me.

10-29-2010, 09:03 PM	#1
monkeyluis Banned Posts: 725 Karma: 656644 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Central Florida Device: iPad "3", Kindle Touch, Kindle Fire, iPhone 4S	LCD vs. e-ink http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-18438_7-20021227-82.html "It's an aesthetic issue more than anything else." Interesting, I really find this whole debate quite interesting. I'll read on either, doesn't bother me. But the science behind our eyes is interesting. Just as the Dr. mentioned how our lenses get harder and muscles get weaker at age 40 and older, but level off at 50.

10-30-2010, 02:25 AM	#7
ColdSun Developer/Device Reviews Posts: 591 Karma: 22183 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Phoenix, AZ Device: Sony Xperia Tablet Z, Kindle Paperwhite 2, Lenovo Yoga 8, IPad 3	eink is not backlit, therefor it is not perfect for some of us. I'm glad they are finally seeing the light on this, so to speak, as the doctor says in the article, it isn't the type of screen that gives you eyestrain and it is only a matter of choice on which you find more comfortable. The LCD eyestrain issue is a myth. Last edited by ColdSun; 10-30-2010 at 02:34 AM.

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10-29-2010, 09:17 PM	#2
tubemonkey monkey on the fringe Posts: 45,746 Karma: 158575914 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Seattle Metro Device: Moto E6, Echo Show	I prefer eInk for reading novels, because these reading sessions are lengthy and backlit displays bother my eyes after a bit. For everything else, I prefer a color display; which is currently LCD technology.

10-30-2010, 12:13 AM	#3
aagstn Evangelist Posts: 422 Karma: 1004351 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 3, iPad mini 2	I like eink, but can read for hours on both with no issues. The new nook is tempting, but I'm also very happy with the current eink version.

10-30-2010, 01:36 AM	#4
m-reader Guru Posts: 785 Karma: 100000 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Sony PRS-300. PRS-650, PRS-900, iPad2, Iconia A500, Irex Iliad (sold)	This is an excellent article. However, I am still waiting for that peer-reviewed study on the effect of LCD on eyesight. I personally have a very clear preference of e-Ink, but so many people who don't mind LCD (or any back-lit type of screen) can't be wrong.

10-30-2010, 02:05 AM	#5
sabredog Geographically Restricted Posts: 2,629 Karma: 14933353 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Device: Sony PRS-T3, Kindle Voyage, iPad Air2, Nexus7v2	LCD gives me eye stain and associated headaches, so e-ink is the preference for me.

10-30-2010, 02:06 AM	#6
ofey Kindle3 Noob Posts: 12 Karma: 28 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Kindle 3	I think the reason for all these debates is we've been spoilt by technological development. We've always gone for shinier brighter and newer. However, in the case of e-ink, I think they've got it pretty right already. I have no problems with it and don't need a LCD. If possible, Colored e-ink may well be something useful. I'd focus on getting the formatting right. I would love it if the firmware on my Kindle 3 or reader would be smart enough so that when I chuck on a file of any kind and the pagination of the page is perfect. Now that would be something!

10-30-2010, 07:26 AM	#9
Sil_liS Wizard Posts: 4,896 Karma: 33602910 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: PocketBook 903 & 360+	I would have thought that an eye doctor would mention that there are two types of cells that detect light in the human eye. Cone cells are responsible for seeing colour, and work if there is plenty of light, while rod cells are more sensitive to low light intensity and are responsible for night vision and more importantly peripheral vision. When noticing something in fine detail we are using the cone cells. When it is too dark in the room we are getting the information from the rod cells, but our vision will not be as sharp. If you are reading in the middle of the night, with no lights turned on in the room, your pupil might try to adjust in such a way as to see something in the periphery (rod cells), meaning that there will be too much light coming to your cone cells. Some people might not rely much on peripheral vision, and therefore the pupil will adjust to the screen, and not cause any problems. And this is true also during the day. I don't have problems reading on an LCD screen, and my vision is still good (I'm 27), but I tried reading something printed on a perfectly white paper, outside, when the sun was shining, and unless I sat in the shade, the light reflected of the piece of paper would hurt my eyes. My night vision is great by the way, I usually move around the house at night with only the street light that comes through the window for guidance.

10-30-2010, 10:05 AM	#13
giedre Connoisseur Posts: 84 Karma: 4850 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: North Carolina Device: Sony 500,505, Kindle, 1150	I'm not smart enough to comment on the e-ink versus back lit display and eye strain. All I can say is that eye strain becomes an issue for me when I cannot adequately make out the words on a page, and that's frequently in my home where lighting conditions are less than optimal. It's just easier and more convenient to have something like an ipad where you can adjust the lighting on the screen...then at least I can see!

10-30-2010, 10:17 AM	#14
frostschutz Linux User Posts: 2,282 Karma: 6123806 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Heidelberg, Germany Device: none	I think e-Ink is best, LCD with backlight worst, for reading anyway. AMOLED is the best of both worlds, as in color screen without backlight. You have to settle for gray text on black though. If I don't have my e-Ink reader with me, I can read fine on my AMOLED Smartphone´; downside is that these displays are expensive.

10-30-2010, 10:19 AM	#15
captkjaneway Cockney Sci-Fi Geek! Posts: 472 Karma: 1463094 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Wan Chai, Hong Kong Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Samsung Tab S 8.4", Samsung S6 Edge	The difference between the two formats was really clarified for me recently on a long haul flight; I had my K3 and my neighbour had an Ipad, both of us were reading at various times during the flight. For me personally, by the 8th hour or so of the flight, my neighbours Ipad was so bright and reflective that it was painful for me to peer over her shoulder, nd yet I could still focus without any eyestrain on my e-ink Kindle. Of course, it's horses for courses, as she then whizzed off doing all sorts of technical jiggery pokery on the Ipad whilst I carried on plodding through my book. But then again, for use as a reader the e-ink is far away prefereable to me.