PRS-350 Screen degraded over time - Page 2

wheelybird · 08-30-2011, 05:26 AM

Well I've handed it back to Waterstones to send off to Sony. So we'll see how this goes.

Frankly I'm not sure about the maturity of eInk. My PRS-300 had the fading-in-the-sun issue (actually the 350 does, but to a much lesser extent).
I contacted Sony about that before, and they said it's to be expected and is an issue with eInk.
Considering that one of the selling points of these devices is the ability to read them in bright sunlight, it seems strange to use a technology know to suffer when you do.

Now with this screen darkening issue after just a few months, I don't have much confidence left in eInk. Let's hope that one of the alternative technologies matures enough to but in e-readers soon. Though it's annoying to have to keep buying a new reader every year to overcome these issues.

HarryT · 08-30-2011, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wheelybird

Frankly I'm not sure about the maturity of eInk. My PRS-300 had the fading-in-the-sun issue (actually the 350 does, but to a much lesser extent).
I contacted Sony about that before, and they said it's to be expected and is an issue with eInk.

The "fading in the sun" issue was a problem with a specific batch of screens made by LG, which finished up in every brand of reader. It was a known fault - Sony really should have replaced it for you without question.

I've really not been at all impressed with Sony's CS. They could learn some lessons from Amazon in that regard. I had a PRS-600 with an intermittent screen fault - it would sometimes show "doubled" text on the screen. I sent it away for repair, got "no fault found" and a £30 bill, and had a struggle to get that overturned. I then sent it away again, with photographs to prove my point, and finally Sony accepted that there was a fault and replaced it. Customers really shouldn't have to go through all that.

wheelybird · 08-30-2011, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

The "fading in the sun" issue was a problem with a specific batch of screens made by LG

Oh lovely. So it was a known fault that they pretended was simply the nature of the technology? Well it's nice to know that Sony support are so very helpful.
You're right - with that kind of attitude they won't last much longer against the Kindle. Shame - they're much nicer devices, faults aside.

gpags1911 · 08-31-2011, 07:26 AM

Have you accidentally set the brightness or contrast to something other than what you had originally from the factory? This can change the screen appearance quite a bit. To change these options - while reading a book, press the Options key and select Adjust View (7th option down). Select Original to return to factory default setting. Hope this helps.

wheelybird · 08-31-2011, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpags1911

Have you accidentally set the brightness or contrast to something other than what you had originally from the factory?

Thanks for the suggestion, but I had tried all the presets and tweaked the custom options to try and get it back to its high contrast glory, but to no avail.
I also tried soft/full resets as well.
It's just as if a small percentage of the black particles were mixed up with the white.

wheelybird · 09-12-2011, 05:02 AM

Hello.

I got my reader back from Sony at the weekend. They suggested that the issue was due to a 'corrupted file' which they replace. However the screen is no different.
On the other hand, they did replace my broken stylus. I don't think I'll bother pursuing it any further. Even if it isn't as high contrast as other readers, at least it's miles better than the 505.

DoctorOhh · 09-13-2011, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wheelybird

Even if it isn't as high contrast as other readers, at least it's miles better than the 505.

I own a 505 and a 950 and the two screens are comparable, one is not miles better than the other. Now if you were comparing the 505 or the 350 to a 600 then they would both be miles better than a 600.

bookmeal · 09-18-2011, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

No, eInk screens shouldn't degrade over time. I have a number of readers which are several years old, and which are just as good as when they were new.

Are your eReaderS e-ink? please tell you what model and brand you own. Thank you.

HarryT · 09-18-2011, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bookmeal

Are your eReaderS e-ink? please tell you what model and brand you own. Thank you.

Is there some ambiguity in the list under my avatar? They are all clearly stated there.

bookmeal · 09-18-2011, 12:33 PM

Thank you. I see them now.

Kindle , PRS 350 (sony) are e-ink screen

ipad, i phone are not e-ink screen

What about they other?

HarryT · 09-18-2011, 01:53 PM

The others are all eInk.

Phil_C · 09-26-2011, 07:26 PM

I can tell you that my recently purchased second 350 has a display that is obviously better then my year-old unit. It's apparent in the overall look of pages. It's apparent in the small letters on the homepage (author names). And the dark fonts I've been using are even darker on the new 350.

The difference was so visible that I got out the ancient 300. But the first 350 is of course still way, way better than the older technology. There is nothing wrong with the older 350. It's just different.

I have no way to tell if the first 350 degraded over time, or if it was always this way.

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08-30-2011, 05:26 AM	#16
wheelybird Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2011 Device: PRS-350	Well I've handed it back to Waterstones to send off to Sony. So we'll see how this goes. Frankly I'm not sure about the maturity of eInk. My PRS-300 had the fading-in-the-sun issue (actually the 350 does, but to a much lesser extent). I contacted Sony about that before, and they said it's to be expected and is an issue with eInk. Considering that one of the selling points of these devices is the ability to read them in bright sunlight, it seems strange to use a technology know to suffer when you do. Now with this screen darkening issue after just a few months, I don't have much confidence left in eInk. Let's hope that one of the alternative technologies matures enough to but in e-readers soon. Though it's annoying to have to keep buying a new reader every year to overcome these issues.

08-31-2011, 07:26 AM	#19
gpags1911 Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: PRS-505	Have you accidentally set the brightness or contrast to something other than what you had originally from the factory? This can change the screen appearance quite a bit. To change these options - while reading a book, press the Options key and select Adjust View (7th option down). Select Original to return to factory default setting. Hope this helps.

09-12-2011, 05:02 AM	#21
wheelybird Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2011 Device: PRS-350	Hello. I got my reader back from Sony at the weekend. They suggested that the issue was due to a 'corrupted file' which they replace. However the screen is no different. On the other hand, they did replace my broken stylus. I don't think I'll bother pursuing it any further. Even if it isn't as high contrast as other readers, at least it's miles better than the 505.

09-18-2011, 12:33 PM	#25
bookmeal Connoisseur Posts: 67 Karma: 1602 Join Date: Sep 2011 Device: benQ	Thank you. I see them now. Kindle , PRS 350 (sony) are e-ink screen ipad, i phone are not e-ink screen What about they other?

09-18-2011, 01:53 PM	#26
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The others are all eInk.

09-26-2011, 07:26 PM	#27
Phil_C Addict Posts: 274 Karma: 391602 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Chicago, IL USA Device: Sony PRS-350; Kobo Clara HD; Kobo Clara 2E; Kobo Clara BW	I can tell you that my recently purchased second 350 has a display that is obviously better then my year-old unit. It's apparent in the overall look of pages. It's apparent in the small letters on the homepage (author names). And the dark fonts I've been using are even darker on the new 350. The difference was so visible that I got out the ancient 300. But the first 350 is of course still way, way better than the older technology. There is nothing wrong with the older 350. It's just different. I have no way to tell if the first 350 degraded over time, or if it was always this way.

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