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Old 01-11-2021, 02:37 PM   #1
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How to increase contrast?
How to increase contrast?

Hi there,
I recently purchased a Kobo Forma and I’m comparing it to a Kindle Oasis 3 and I find of the Kindle has better contrast. By contrast I mean the grey colour of the e-ink compared to the grey background of the unit when unlit. I find that the more front lighting I use, the more the contrast seems to be reduced.

I have tried increasing the weight of text and I find it’s helpful, but the Kindle Oasis 3 still seems to have better contrast with the same weighting of text. I also noticed that Sony readers seem to have had a contrast feature which does not seem to be built into the kobo. Is there a plug-in?

Thanks
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Old 02-18-2021, 02:54 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tgp7 View Post
How to increase contrast?



Hi there,

I recently purchased a Kobo Forma and I’m comparing it to a Kindle Oasis 3 and I find of the Kindle has better contrast. By contrast I mean the grey colour of the e-ink compared to the grey background of the unit when unlit. I find that the more front lighting I use, the more the contrast seems to be reduced.



I have tried increasing the weight of text and I find it’s helpful, but the Kindle Oasis 3 still seems to have better contrast with the same weighting of text. I also noticed that Sony readers seem to have had a contrast feature which does not seem to be built into the kobo. Is there a plug-in?



Thanks


There is no contrast setting on Kobos or Kindles, so your contrast depends on which model eInk screen your device is using. The difference between the two models is the Oasis 3 is using a Carta HD eInk display and the Forma is using the newer Mobius display. Mobius features a plastic substrate as opposed to the glass Carta HD, and therefore is much lighter even despite it being larger.

If you aren’t pleased with your Forma’s contrast you could try returning it for another unit. Perhaps your unit is defective.


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Old 02-18-2021, 06:16 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by Cootey View Post
There is no contrast setting on Kobos or Kindles, so your contrast depends on which model eInk screen your device is using. The difference between the two models is the Oasis 3 is using a Carta HD eInk display and the Forma is using the newer Mobius display. Mobius features a plastic substrate as opposed to the glass Carta HD, and therefore is much lighter even despite it being larger.

...
The specs on the Oasis 3 says the weight starts at 188g, and the specs on the Forma says the weight is 197g.
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Old 02-18-2021, 08:55 AM   #4
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The specs on the Oasis 3 says the weight starts at 188g, and the specs on the Forma says the weight is 197g.
But what size of batteries? How thick is the alloy chassis, needed to avoid display and PCB damage?
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Old 02-18-2021, 09:43 AM   #5
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But what size of batteries? How thick is the alloy chassis, needed to avoid display and PCB damage?
I'm surprised you didn't mention the screen size difference.

Be that as it may, according to the specs, the Forma is heavier.
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Old 02-18-2021, 10:25 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John F View Post
The specs on the Oasis 3 says the weight starts at 188g, and the specs on the Forma says the weight is 197g.


I was referring to the eInk displays, not the total weight of the eReaders. 🤷🏻*♂️


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Old 02-19-2021, 05:38 AM   #7
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I was referring to the eInk displays, not the total weight of the eReaders. 🤷🏻*♂️


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What are the weight of the two screens?

I tried to look up the weight of the two screens, but couldn't find the weight for those particular sizes, could you provide a link?

Thanks
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Old 02-19-2021, 08:00 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tgp7 View Post
How to increase contrast?
I only have an older Kindle PW2 to compare it to, but I always found the Kobo readers had much better contrast.

But you might find a good solution simply by loading your own font. Find one with a bit more weight to it and see if you can't improve the contrast that way. I find Roboto Slab to be the best for my crappy eyesight, or Lexia Dama, and for me it's always more comfortable to have darker text. I use the bold versions of both of those.

Another thing for me is that having the backlight on always improves contrast as well, even when I'm reading out in the bright sun.
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Old 02-19-2021, 11:04 PM   #9
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What are the weight of the two screens?



I tried to look up the weight of the two screens, but couldn't find the weight for those particular sizes, could you provide a link?



Thanks


I was pulling info from different websites and the mobileread wiki: https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E_Ink_Mobius

I haven’t come across a direct comparison of the two different eInk screens.


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Old 02-20-2021, 06:40 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cootey View Post
I was pulling info from different websites and the mobileread wiki: https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E_Ink_Mobius

I haven’t come across a direct comparison of the two different eInk screens.


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I see specs for 13.3" on eink site (from EInk's site), but they are different resolutions.

I don't believe the screens for either the Oasis or Forma are listed on EInk's site.

I don't mean to nitpick, and I agree that one would think "plastic" would be lighter than "glass", I would just like to see a direct apples to apples comparison.
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Old 03-29-2021, 07:04 AM   #11
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Weight aside, the advantage of a plastic substrate over glass is that it is more resilient when bent.
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Old 03-29-2021, 01:05 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John F View Post
I don't mean to nitpick, and I agree that one would think "plastic" would be lighter than "glass", I would just like to see a direct apples to apples comparison.
To quote from Eink's blurb for Mobius displays:

Quote:
For an end customer, a flexible display has several benefits outside of the flexibility of the display itself. Plastic-based TFTs allow the end product to be substantially lighter and thinner than products using glass-based TFTs. In addition, glass-based TFTs can be fragile; use of plastic-based TFTs can result in a more rugged end product with less breakage in the electronics due to drops or stress tension.

The weight savings with plastic TFTs can make a significant difference in the end products' specs
And a quote from Nathan's the-ebook-reader.com blog:

Quote:
By comparison Mobius displays weigh less than half as much as an equivalent glass-based display. E Ink states that a 13.3″ Mobius panel only weighs about 60 grams.
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Old 03-29-2021, 02:09 PM   #13
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Quote:
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To quote from Eink's blurb for Mobius displays:



And a quote from Nathan's the-ebook-reader.com blog:
Thanks. Nice to see it in writing.

And eink says that a glass 150 dpi panel weighs 90g. I guess those extra mobius pixels add weight?
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Old 03-29-2021, 03:30 PM   #14
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Thanks. Nice to see it in writing.

And eink says that a glass 150 dpi panel weighs 90g. I guess those extra mobius pixels add weight?
What size of glass 150 dpi panel? 13.3"???
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Old 03-29-2021, 06:00 PM   #15
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What size of glass 150 dpi panel? 13.3"???
Yes. Same size, different dpi.

https://www.eink.com/modules.html

They list the mobius 13.3" at 68g.
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