Screen's quality downgrade?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Well, I did. I've compared the Voyage and both the Oases with my old Basic Kindles from 2011 and 2012. Mind you, the Carta looks darker and yellower only with the frontlight off. With the frontlight on it's much lighter than the Pearl.

I've compared a T1, Kindle Touch, and Kindle non-Touch to my H2O. The H2O has a lighter background then those three.

[barryem]

Originally Posted by viceant

What I fear about lit devices is that they can reflect too much light if you want, so, what's the difference with LED screens? Reflected light can damage eyesight too and that is why wear sunglasses is recommended if you go skiing, isn't it?

Without any doubt, eink readers manufacturers are interested in maintain the creedence eink is less damaging, but with more light reflected it couldn't be true if you don't turn up much the LED brightness.

E-ink readers and tablets with LCD screens work on very different principles. The LCD screen changes color and produces no light. Behind it there's an LED panel that shines through the transluscent LCD into your eyes. That's why a lot of people have eyestrain from reading with them. I'm one of those people. I can read about 15 or 20 minutes on an LCD screen and then I have to stop or I can't read for several hours. Still, with a few minutes rest I can read another 15 or 20 minutes so that's not so bad.

Also, with LCD screens people tend to leave the light too bright. It looks good but it's hard on eyes.

E-ink works in a very different way. The screen is opaque. No light can shine through it. Instead there are LEDs, usually at the bottom or side of the screen and a thin layer over the screen designed to spread the light evenly across the screen. The result is that your eyes get reflected light just as you would get from reading a paper book or an unlit ereader while sitting under a lamp.

While I'm limited in my reading on LCD screens I can read as long as I like with e-ink.

Thing of a front lit e-ink screen as having an invisible lamp perched behind your shoulder shining onto the screen. It's magic.

By the way, I don't manufacture e-ink screens. I just use them.

Barry

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by shalym

Then don't turn the brightness up so much? If it bothers your eyes, why do it?

Some people like the light at a higher level, some like it at a lower level. That's why the light is adjustable.

Isn't it wonderful that we all have choices?

If you've got eyes that make it difficult to read "glowlight" style front-lit eReaders without watering (like I do), turning down the light to a comfortable level isn't really a solution. The problem is, when you turn down the light you lose contrast, and then you have to strain to see the words. Maybe the "night mode" (temperature) light will be the solution. I don't know. It may be that I'll be using a lighted case for the rest of my life on older eReaders. (Not really that big of a deal for me.)

[viceant]

Originally Posted by barryem

That's why a lot of people have eyestrain from reading with them. I'm one of those people. I can read about 15 or 20 minutes on an LCD screen and then I have to stop or I can't read for several hours. Still, with a few minutes rest I can read another 15 or 20 minutes so that's not so bad.

While I'm limited in my reading on LCD screens I can read as long as I like with e-ink

I believe you but I don't understand why is it so. At last, light reflected or emitted is light, photons whith a wave lenght and energy. The unique difference is on a eink screen you don't have colors, you do have a limited range of wave lenght light, as you know. Have you tried a LCD B/W and low brightness?

Enviado desde mi MI 4W mediante Tapatalk

[tikky]

In my opinion it‘s not in all cases true that the eink-Carta screens have more contrast than the older eink-Pearl screens. I had different ereaders with Pearl screens (Sony PRS-T2, Sony PRS-505, Kobo Glo, an older Icarus Reader) and they had huge differences. By far the best contrast had the Sony PRS-T2 which I still have. Comparing side-by-side its screen has about the same contrast as the Kobo Aura H2O first ed., which has an infrared sensor too. Both the PRS-T2 and the Kobo Aura H2O have a remarkably brighter background than the Kobo Aura One (eink-Carta, capacitive sensor).

Personally I don‘t like the frontlights because too long reading with it in my case is one of the things that make migraine more likely.

[John F]

Originally Posted by tikky

In my opinion it‘s not in all cases true that the eink-Carta screens have more contrast than the older eink-Pearl screens. I had different ereaders with Pearl screens (Sony PRS-T2, Sony PRS-505, Kobo Glo, an older Icarus Reader) and they had huge differences. By far the best contrast had the Sony PRS-T2 which I still have. Comparing side-by-side its screen has about the same contrast as the Kobo Aura H2O first ed., which has an infrared sensor too. Both the PRS-T2 and the Kobo Aura H2O have a remarkably brighter background than the Kobo Aura One (eink-Carta, capacitive sensor).

Personally I don‘t like the frontlights because too long reading with it in my case is one of the things that make migraine more likely.

I don't think the Sony 505 had a Pearl screen?

[barryem]

Originally Posted by viceant

I believe you but I don't understand why is it so. At last, light reflected or emitted is light, photons whith a wave lenght and energy. The unique difference is on a eink screen you don't have colors, you do have a limited range of wave lenght light, as you know. Have you tried a LCD B/W and low brightness?

I guess it's true that light is light but it seems there are differences in reflected light and direct light. As the old saying goes, the proof is in the pudding. This is a common problem, not something unique with me. It doesn't bother a lot of people. It does bother a lot of people.

I read on my phone using an app that let's me control the brightness and I set the brightness as low as I can and I still have the problem. On an LCD screen (my old phone) it was 15 or 20 minutes and then I better stop for a few minutes. Then another 15 or 20 minutes.

My new phone has an AMOLED screen, which doesn't have a backlight, and it extends my reading to about 25 or 30 minutes. Then a break before another session. AMOLED has pixels that generate light.

I've done all sorts of experimenting. The thing that does work somewhat is to reverse the screen and have white text on a black screen. I haven't tried that on my AMOLED screen but on my old LCD phone that let me read a bit longer per session. Given the way AMOLED works my guess is that would be even more effective with it but I haven't tried it yet. I don't really like reading on a reversed screen.

I have a neighbor with a 10" tablet and I once offered to put a movie on it that he wanted to see. His answer was that it wouldn't be possible to watch a whole movie on such a small screen. I do it all the time, as do a lot of people. But he figured it out and he knows it's not possible and he won't waste his time trying it. Sometimes things just aren't the way we figure them out.

Barry

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by barryem

I guess it's true that light is light but it seems there are differences in reflected light and direct light. As the old saying goes, the proof is in the pudding. This is a common problem, not something unique with me. It doesn't bother a lot of people. It does bother a lot of people.

I read on my phone using an app that let's me control the brightness and I set the brightness as low as I can and I still have the problem. On an LCD screen (my old phone) it was 15 or 20 minutes and then I better stop for a few minutes. Then another 15 or 20 minutes.

My new phone has an AMOLED screen, which doesn't have a backlight, and it extends my reading to about 25 or 30 minutes. Then a break before another session. AMOLED has pixels that generate light.

I've done all sorts of experimenting. The thing that does work somewhat is to reverse the screen and have white text on a black screen. I haven't tried that on my AMOLED screen but on my old LCD phone that let me read a bit longer per session. Given the way AMOLED works my guess is that would be even more effective with it but I haven't tried it yet. I don't really like reading on a reversed screen.

I have a neighbor with a 10" tablet and I once offered to put a movie on it that he wanted to see. His answer was that it wouldn't be possible to watch a whole movie on such a small screen. I do it all the time, as do a lot of people. But he figured it out and he knows it's not possible and he won't waste his time trying it. Sometimes things just aren't the way we figure them out.

Barry

Just out of curiosity are you nearsighted?

[viceant]

May it be the refresh rate on LCD screens? I wonder...

[Richwood]

I have virtually all Kindle e-ink readers from the K1 onward except the Oasis 1. Just compared the original Kindle Touch and a K5 with the new Kindle Basic 8th generation and the Oasis 2 and to my eyes the background colors are virtually identical. The Oasis 2 with the 300 DPI screen and the text bolding capability is sharpest and to me is the best for reading but the Kindle Basic G8 is not far behind if use the text bold adjustment capability. All comparisons were done with the Oasis screen lighting off, my normal daytime reading setting for it so far.

The pre e-ink Pearl screens on the K1, K2 and most K3 and KDX units have a darker grey background that decreases contrast but with the Oasis light off the older 167 DPI units are close in performance at normal reading distances to my eyes. I can see that the lower DPI screens give fuzzier character edges when examined carefully, particularly when examined with a 10x magnifier, but they still do an excellent job IMO.

I personally see very little difference in background color or print sharpness between the Kindle Touch and my K 5 unit and both are quite comparable to the new Kindle Generation 8. The big difference in reading to me is the text bold adjustment capability of the G8 unit. Love to see that capability given to the KT and K4/K5 units via a firmware update. I doubt that it will happen though.

[tikky]

Originally Posted by John F

I don't think the Sony 505 had a Pearl screen?

Sorry, yes, you are right. In fact I did not have a PRS-505, but a PRS-350. I had bought that on ebay, but found it too small and only used it for a short time.

[John F]

Originally Posted by barryem

My new phone has an AMOLED screen, which doesn't have a backlight, and it extends my reading to about 25 or 30 minutes. Then a break before another session. AMOLED has pixels that generate light.

...

Aren't most LCD screens now lit by LEDs? So aren't AMOLED and LCD basically the same, as far as backlighting is concerned?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by John F

I don't think the Sony 505 had a Pearl screen?

The 505 used Vizplex. Vizplex was the screen before Pearl came out.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The 505 used Vizplex. Vizplex was the screen before Pearl came out.

And Jon and I were both 10 years younger, although I had more hair!

[viceant]

Originally Posted by viceant

.. The unique difference is on a eink screen you don't have colors, you do have a limited range of wave lenght light, as you know. ...

I correct myself: white has the most wave lenght range, cause it's the aggegate of all colors