Eink vs LCD: Is what Amazon says true?

[CWatkinsNash]

My own experience related to the listed points:
(Note: my LCD reading experience consists of laptops and the Literati.)

Originally Posted by spellbanisher

Ambient brightness: Every time your eye switches from a bright screen (like LCD) to the dimmer ambient room, your eyes adjust which may result in fatigue.

This is a problem for me. In the evening, I either have to keep the overhead light on or suffer while using my laptop with the bedside light on. The same was true when I attempted to use the Literati for reading. Someone mentioned night-reading mode. The Literati has this, but it doesn't work for me. My eyes are very susceptible to "ghosting" (like the blotch you see after a camera flash goes off). When using night mode, when looking away I could still see the text in front of my eyes for some time. My roommate doesn't have either of these problems.

Originally Posted by spellbanisher

No parallax: Parallax is the apparent displacement of an observed object due to a change in the position of the observer. Text on an E Ink screen does not appear to shift at different viewing angles.

I never really noticed this on the Literati, to be honest. Maybe I'm just good at holding still while reading?

Originally Posted by spellbanisher

Less glare: All E Ink surfaces are treated to be matte like a printed page. Most LCDs are not, which creates glare and decreases legibility.

The last matte laptop I had was a Dell Inspiron 5100. I miss matte screens, which is one of the reasons I prefer e-ink. As I sit here with my laptop, I can clearly see my backyard through the window behind me if I tilt the screen up an inch or two. The Literati's screen is almost as bad in that regard. I found myself seeking corners to avoid the reflections. My 21" HD desktop monitor has almost no glare, and I love it. I had almost forgotten what it was like to use a computer without seeing myself reflected in the screen.

Originally Posted by spellbanisher

Uniform contrast ratio: The contrast ratio of an LCD varies detectably with viewing angle. E Ink's contrast is uniform, so you can read comfortably at any angle.

See my answer above regarding parallax. Actually, maybe it was early laptop screens that "trained" me to sit still. Even the Literati has nothing on my older Compaq laptop when it comes to this issue, so I haven't had this problem with any ereader.

Originally Posted by spellbanisher

No aperture ratio loss: LCDs have tiny black gaps between each pixel, but E Ink screens have 100% aperture ratio. The blacks and whites on an E Ink screen are uniform, improving image quality.

My relationship with the Literati didn't last long enough for me to look this closely at the pixels.

I think much of the "eye comfort" factor is a very individual thing. Obviously, I can use a shiny, bright laptop screen, but when doing so for long periods of time I have to look away frequently or I soon start blinking 100 times per minute. That's fine for working or visiting MR, but not conducive to reading for long periods of time, as I found out when trying to use the Literati. My roommate, on the other hand, has no problems reading on the Literati at all.

The Pandigital should be here soon (if they ever get around to shipping it), so I'm interested to see both of our experiences with using yet a third type of screen.

[wyndslash]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

As usual, use a lint-free cloth and some non-alcohol based, non aggressive cleaner.

oh ok is an lcd cleaning fluid okay then? i don't put a lot...

or maybe just plain water is safest

[lunixer]

Originally Posted by spellbanisher

Amazon has listed "technical reasons" as to why eink is easier on the eyes than LCD. Here are the reasons.

[snip]

I know that eink vs lcd threads have been done before, but I want to address what is specifically listed on the Kindle page at amazon.

Without having read anything else in the thread, this is my opinion:

Ambient brightness: Every time your eye switches from a bright screen (like LCD) to the dimmer ambient room, your eyes adjust which may result in fatigue. With E Ink, the page is the same brightness as everything else in the room so there's no adjustment needed.

Large comfort factor for me and TRUE.

No parallax: Parallax is the apparent displacement of an observed object due to a change in the position of the observer. Text on an E Ink screen does not appear to shift at different viewing angles.

TRUE, but I doubt it matters.

Less glare: All E Ink surfaces are treated to be matte like a printed page. Most LCDs are not, which creates glare and decreases legibility.

TRUE, but there are matte LCDs and not to the extent that one might think. Reading an eink display in even a little direct light can be difficult.

Uniform contrast ratio: The contrast ratio of an LCD varies detectably with viewing angle. E Ink's contrast is uniform, so you can read comfortably at any angle.

Absolutely TRUE and a big deal.

No aperture ratio loss: LCDs have tiny black gaps between each pixel, but E Ink screens have 100% aperture ratio. The blacks and whites on an E Ink screen are uniform, improving image quality.

FALSE in spirit. Yes the ratio is 100%, but in my experience all eink screens have a dusting of black pixels that is really irritating and I can't say that I have ever noticed the aperture ratio loss on even the oldest LCD screen.

[piper28]

Originally Posted by Shack70

I do find it easier to fall asleep at night after reading on my Kindle vs. an iPod Touch. This might be because the size difference, but believe it's just the screen difference.

There has been some scientific research in the recent past that using backlit displays can have a negative impact on one's ability to sleep. One of these days I need to track the study down and read it. I should ask the professor at work that does sleep research if she knows anything about it.

My own personal experience tends to make me believe it. Normal life I tend to spend a lot of time on a computer, even to late at night. However, when I'm on vacation, I spend no time at all on a computer, and find I can get to sleep a *lot* earlier than I normally can.

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by piper28

There has been some scientific research in the recent past that using backlit displays can have a negative impact on one's ability to sleep. One of these days I need to track the study down and read it. I should ask the professor at work that does sleep research if she knows anything about it.

My own personal experience tends to make me believe it. Normal life I tend to spend a lot of time on a computer, even to late at night. However, when I'm on vacation, I spend no time at all on a computer, and find I can get to sleep a *lot* earlier than I normally can.

Yes, I read of that research somewhere too (probably at MR ).

Personal experience lends it credence with me too, as I find I fall asleep quicker reading my Kindle in bed than when I'm on my iPad. But I'm also conscious that I tend to read on my Kindle and tend to interact on my iPad (but not always), so I counter my credence with my doubt. But, if insomnia was an issue for me, I'd use my experience and read on the Kindle rather than the iPad. Like when looking for alleviation from migraine, the science is helpful and illuminating and opens up possibilities, but at the time whatever practice helps is practiced regardless of explanations for it.

Cheers,
Marc (who will happily unknowingly take even a placebo)

[RichL]

I must be a brick.

Ambient brightness... Um maybe so but not that I've ever noticed.
No parallax... All my books are held at approximately 40 to 65 degrees. Parallax has never been noticed let alone a problem.
Less glare... I have to work at getting glare unless in direct sunlight.
Uniform contrast ratio... Again, at my reading angles contrast ratio has never been a problem.
No aperture ratio loss... Fluff not even worth responding to.

[m-reader]

I've been on the e-Ink side of the fence for a long time. Lately, I've bought an iPad2 just because I couldn't find an e-Ink device with a large screen and decent PDF handling capabilities.
I can tell you, reading on iPad is a nightmare. It could be that my eyes are not right, but anything longer than 30 minutes is too long. No such issues with e-Ink.
I've tried white-on-black and any other colour combo, but it just doesn't work for me.

This is my personal preference. I would always recommend e-Ink for reading only. However, in the interest of fairness, this seems to be a very subjective topic. Try both and see what works for you.

[SylvieB1984]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

In all my years of reading (pbooks inclusive) I've never had much luck with book-lights. Their weight, build quality, globe-lifetime, light colour, light quality...it's all been a frustration that would easily be solved with my bedside light if it wasn't such a disturbance to The Loved One. ~sigh~

c

I have also never had much luck with lights for normal books, but I have yet to try one for my e-readers, but from what I can gather they are not that great either?!?

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

Yes, I read of that research somewhere too (probably at MR ).

Personal experience lends it credence with me too, as I find I fall asleep quicker reading my Kindle in bed than when I'm on my iPad. But I'm also conscious that I tend to read on my Kindle and tend to interact on my iPad (but not always), so I counter my credence with my doubt. But, if insomnia was an issue for me, I'd use my experience and read on the Kindle rather than the iPad. Like when looking for alleviation from migraine, the science is helpful and illuminating and opens up possibilities, but at the time whatever practice helps is practiced regardless of explanations for it.

Cheers,
Marc (who will happily unknowingly take even a placebo)

True, I'll fall asleep faster with e-ink. But that's because I'm getting annoyed either by the clip-on light (which I never manage to get just right) or the inability to just turn around while reading without the clip-on light changing positions... While on my backlit JE100 I can read for hours (I really need that new battery!) even to the point where my eyes will automatically close

[Leyor]

I'm inclined to believe that staring into a lightsource that refreshes itself constantly faster than your eye can catch it is somewhat more strenious for the eyes than reading e-ink.

I much prefer to use my e-ink device rather than my ipad to read. There's less glare and I need not be conscious about I hold the device to read optimally.

I've noticed a bit of "white knighting" from people having invested in a specific type device, can't we just agree that LCD readers have a huge advantage in being able to show colors, and e-ink devices might be more relaxing for your wee eyes?

[m-reader]

Originally Posted by Leyor

I've noticed a bit of "white knighting" from people having invested in a specific type device, can't we just agree that LCD readers have a huge advantage in being able to show colors, and e-ink devices might be more relaxing for your wee eyes?

Hear, hear!

[ManicDee]

Hello folks. Sorry for the thread necro, but it may also be worth considering two issues based on LCD backlights: (a) the claims about eye strain might be based on having the screen brightness at 100%, and (b) shining light into the eyes stimulates the pituitary gland (or pineal gland? or hypothalamus? I haven't researched it properly) - it's a common strategy for egg farmers to artificially light their hen-keeping environments in order to stimulate longer laying seasons.

Thus it wouldn't surprise me to find that if you don't adjust the brightness of your LCD backlight for bed time reading, the device will actually keep you stimulated and awake. Personally, I prefer the LCD screen on my iPad in low light. My only complaints with the iPad are its weight (which make it hard to read in bed while holding it with one hand) and the lack of visibility in bright environments (such as sitting outdoors on a sunny day).

I'm looking for an eInk reader to cater for those two situations specifically - not because eInk is "better" than LCD, but because its the strengths of eInk are complementary to the weaknesses of LCD.

[GreenMonkey]

The contrast ratio thing is a big deal to me. I'm an LCD hater of sorts though - I use a 22.5" viewable Sony FW900 widescreen CRT monitor at home as my primary display. Although the reasons I don't like LCDs (crummy blacks and contrast ratio, ghosting, inaccurate colors) don't matter much to me on a portable device.

At night, for reading, I vastly prefer e-ink with a light on it over the LCD shining into my eyes. Even at 0% brightness, I find LCDs too bright at nighttime.

[EowynCarter]

The first point, definitive yes. You never noticed how your eyes take time to adjust when you goes from some really lighted environement, to a darker one ?

The rest, they seams dependant on the quality of the screen.

[Barty]

I think they just find some diff bt the two and then make conjectures and assertions. It's the widely accepted scientific approach of making sh$$ up.

I'm sure when amazon comes out with their own tablet, this line of "research" will quietly disappears