E-ink or LED displays for ebook reading

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

E-ink is definitely much easier on the eyes, and therefore better for long reading sessions.

Wrong.

E-ink is definitely much easier on the eyes if there is enough surrounding light. You try to read an e-ink device in our livingroom, in the evenings. Or even on a cloudy day. You need to sit in the one particular corner where there is a floor light. A paper book is readable, without too much problem. E-ink becomes a chore.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

You try to read an e-ink device in our livingroom, in the evenings. Or even on a cloudy day. You need to sit in the one particular corner where there is a floor light. A paper book is readable, without too much problem. E-ink becomes a chore.

Tell me about it. Flicking a light on to read wears my ass out.

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Wrong.

E-ink is definitely much easier on the eyes if there is enough surrounding light. You try to read an e-ink device in our livingroom, in the evenings. Or even on a cloudy day. You need to sit in the one particular corner where there is a floor light. A paper book is readable, without too much problem. E-ink becomes a chore.

Not wrong at all.

You need more light you provide more light. Our lounge room is poorly lit, a legacy of the low light 70's where single recessed downlights in each living space was the fad. We have a floor lamp next to the modular lounge that provides perfect light for reading a book or ereader.

If I sat down in that room with an backlit LED screen (notebook et al) then the glare from the lower light would give me an eye strain headache in less than half an hour. Add the floor lamp to that and the glare makes the LCD screen even worse.

No different from any other room in our house.

I used to travel with my PDA before I got a second ereader. When I read, I read with lights out so not to disturb my wife. The glare from the LCD screen, the only light source in the room, laid the grounds for an eyestrain headache the next day.

Note that this is MY experience. I can only speak from that perception.

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Wrong.

E-ink is definitely much easier on the eyes if there is enough surrounding light. You try to read an e-ink device in our livingroom, in the evenings. Or even on a cloudy day. You need to sit in the one particular corner where there is a floor light. A paper book is readable, without too much problem. E-ink becomes a chore.

How does that make it not better?

Reading an LED screen in the dark of night is still a "strain" with the light constantly in your face. With an e-ink device you can position yourself where ever it is more comfortable for you. Some people like the light behind them, some to the side of them..I don't know too many who like to have light directly in front of them the entire time their reading. Its not much different than being in front of your computer all day long...it gets tiring.

Edit: sabredog seems to have posted as I was typing.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Phogg

Depends.

For outdoors or in bed at night?

For me, e-ink wins for outdoors and in bed at night.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

Reading an LED screen in the dark of night is still a "strain" with the light constantly in your face. With an e-ink device you can position yourself where ever it is more comfortable for you. Some people like the light behind them, some to the side of them..I don't know too many who like to have light directly in front of them the entire time their reading. Its not much different than being in front of your computer all day long...it gets tiring.

If you can see something, it is because light is entering your eyes. If the thing you are reading is directly in front of you, then the light you are seeing is coming from directly in front of you.
It could be light created by the backlight of the LCD screen, or light reflecting off the eInk screen, but it is still a given number of photons directly entering your eyes. There are no eInk photons.
Someone shining a light in your eyes would be uncomfortable. Someone shining a bright light directly at your eInk screen such that the same amount of light ended up entering your eyes would also be uncomfortable.
Most LCD screens are far too bright to comfortably read from at night, and that will most definitely cause eyestrain. My BlackBerry cannot be dimmed, and causes discomfort within a few minutes. With the default system sliders, both the iPad and Nook Color are far too bright even on minimum brightness, and need apps that can lower the brightness beyond that level. My NC I use red on black at 2% brightness, and does not cause discomfort reading for multiple hours.
An advantage of eInk screens is that it is easier to control that lighting level, and how much light does enter your eyes.

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Wrong.

E-ink is definitely much easier on the eyes if there is enough surrounding light. You try to read an e-ink device in our livingroom, in the evenings. Or even on a cloudy day. You need to sit in the one particular corner where there is a floor light. A paper book is readable, without too much problem. E-ink becomes a chore.

Anywhere and any light that I can (or used to) read paper in proves perfectly comfortable for eInk... unless you use a 600 or 900 with the resistive metallic layer that screws up the contrast... might need better lighting for those than paper...

[Hellmark]

Originally Posted by elcreative

Anywhere and any light that I can (or used to) read paper in proves perfectly comfortable for eInk... unless you use a 300 or 600 with the resistive metallic layer that screws up the contrast... might need better lighting for those than paper...

Don't you mean 600 and 900? 300 isn't touch screen.

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Wrong.

E-ink is definitely much easier on the eyes if there is enough surrounding light. You try to read an e-ink device in our livingroom, in the evenings. Or even on a cloudy day. You need to sit in the one particular corner where there is a floor light. A paper book is readable, without too much problem. E-ink becomes a chore.

I frequently read my 505 in a low light setting. My girlfriend requires more sleep than I do, and also has trouble when sleeping not next to me. So when she goes to bed, I go to bed, and I often will read with just a little LED light. No more difficult to read than paper.

[screwballl]

I have no problem with low light situations, I can hold a book and my Kindle side by side in the exact same low light and reach each one equally, and actually better reading with the Kindle in lower light.

By comparison anything with LED/LCD based screens cause eye fatigue when used in dark rooms/situations, because the eyes do not do well when having a light source on only one small area for long periods (its like staring at a streetlight for long periods, everythign else around it is dim, and the eyes have problems focusing properly for a short time after looking away)... versus with ambient light, even when it is low light, the eyes have better long term focus due to the light being the same or similar over a wide area, not a single bright spot in front of you.

Eink all the way with a faint mini-LED clip light if it gets dark enough.

[Thierry.C]

Ah ah !
Pretty good score for e-paper !

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by Thierry.C

Ah ah !
Pretty good score for e-paper !

Hardly surprising on this site.

[greencat]

I can read both OK. E-ink preferred for mostly text. But I do like my iPad for graphic novels and comics.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Hellmark

I frequently read my 505 in a low light setting. My girlfriend requires more sleep than I do, and also has trouble when sleeping not next to me. So when she goes to bed, I go to bed, and I often will read with just a little LED light. No more difficult to read than paper.

I don't like clip-on lights. Never even used them with paper books. Besides, I usually can't read for hours on end when in bed. Don't think my boss would appreciate it...

But let's agree that we disagree on the merrits of LCD in a darker environment and agree on the merrits of e-ink in light environments.

[=X=]

I didn't vote because it's either or and I don't agree with that. For years I've used an eInk device to read. For the majority of my reading it was perfect. However reading at night was a pain. I tried many different lights but the glare on the screen was too much. I was one of those fools that dropped down $70 dollars on SONY's light because it was too the best solution. Unfortunately my SONY broke and it was replaced with a k2. So I was back in the same boat.

The solution was to start reading on my phone and wispersync was awesome for keeping my kindle and phone synced.

Point is my eyes never strained, no headaches, eye pains. Reading was optimal in each situation. And with a good reading app like Moon one can pick any color and drop the brightness as low as one wishes.

I will note one instance where eInk is easier on my eye than an LCD screen. If I try to read an LCD/LED when I've just gotten up I have a harder time focusing on the page it takes me about 1 min to adjust my eyes while the eInk takes no time.

=X=

[Hellmark]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I don't like clip-on lights. Never even used them with paper books. Besides, I usually can't read for hours on end when in bed. Don't think my boss would appreciate it...

But let's agree that we disagree on the merrits of LCD in a darker environment and agree on the merrits of e-ink in light environments.

I don't like Clipons either. The light on the lighted cover for the PRS300 is nice, I just am not a fan of the one for the 505, which is a light wedge. I just normally hold a flashlight.