E-ink or LED displays for ebook reading

[The Terminator]

I think this might be slightly biased, I.E this a E-reader forum (Go see what an Ipad forum would vote for ). I like E-ink best.

[Salgueiros]

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.

... no light bulbs in the Netherlands? Or is the electricity too expensive?


I wonder what special type of paper books you can read in the dark when e-ink reading is not feasible...

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

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.

Originally Posted by murraypaul

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.

So you are both arguing and agreeing with me at the same time? I've read your post 3 times now and I really don't know what you want me to take away from it.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Salgueiros

... no light bulbs in the Netherlands? Or is the electricity too expensive?


I wonder what special type of paper books you can read in the dark when e-ink reading is not feasible...

I'm not talking about the dark. I'm talking about a cloudy afternoon. (such as most were this summer) Plenty of light to read a paper book, but just not enough to read e-ink. And I don't want to flood my livingroom with light... I presume you have all TL lights in your livingroom then?

I just can't stand those people that claim that e-ink is perfect for everybody everywhere.
For me, e-ink is perfect for those well-lit conditions, such as outside and well-lit indoor areas. And if I need a long battery life. In dark areas, I prefer LCD, because I hate clip-on lights as they make my reader both unwieldy and hard to read (either not enough light on the screen or one bright spot). In shady areas I will still use my e-ink (as my LCD will be impossible to read as that one is set for dark environments, with a black background and gray letters and the backlight turned so low that even a small candle will shed more light), but I will need an extra reading light.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

So you are both arguing and agreeing with me at the same time? I've read your post 3 times now and I really don't know what you want me to take away from it.

With most LCD devices at default settings, they are far too bright to comfortably read on at night, and will probably cause discomfort to many people. With software that allows full flexibility to drop the brightness way below the system default and use custom color schemes, a comfortable setup should be achievable that would cause discomfort to only a small number of people.

So if someone has taken an iPad with iBooks, NookColor with the B&N software, etc... and tried reading on it at night, I'm not at all surprised they found it uncomfortable. That isn't to say that with a correctly set up LCD reader they would have found the same.

Personally, I find my setup on the NookColor preferable to my previous setup of reading on the 505 with a head torch. If the comparison was with the stock software on the NC, the reverse would be true.

[Thierry.C]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

Hardly surprising on this site.

True.

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I'm not talking about the dark. I'm talking about a cloudy afternoon. (such as most were this summer) Plenty of light to read a paper book, but just not enough to read e-ink. And I don't want to flood my livingroom with light... I presume you have all TL lights in your livingroom then?

I just can't stand those people that claim that e-ink is perfect for everybody everywhere.
For me, e-ink is perfect for those well-lit conditions, such as outside and well-lit indoor areas. And if I need a long battery life. In dark areas, I prefer LCD, because I hate clip-on lights as they make my reader both unwieldy and hard to read (either not enough light on the screen or one bright spot). In shady areas I will still use my e-ink (as my LCD will be impossible to read as that one is set for dark environments, with a black background and gray letters and the backlight turned so low that even a small candle will shed more light), but I will need an extra reading light.

Must be an individual thing... I have no problem with 505, 350, 650 etc in any lighting where I can read a pbook... if too dark for a pbook then no different to normal, I put a light on just as I would to read a pbook or use the lighted Sony case... The only exception is the 600 where the contrast is affected by the metallic touch layer, need light a little sooner with that...

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I'm not talking about the dark. I'm talking about a cloudy afternoon. (such as most were this summer) Plenty of light to read a paper book, but just not enough to read e-ink. And I don't want to flood my livingroom with light... I presume you have all TL lights in your livingroom then?

I just can't stand those people that claim that e-ink is perfect for everybody everywhere.
For me, e-ink is perfect for those well-lit conditions, such as outside and well-lit indoor areas. And if I need a long battery life. In dark areas, I prefer LCD, because I hate clip-on lights as they make my reader both unwieldy and hard to read (either not enough light on the screen or one bright spot). In shady areas I will still use my e-ink (as my LCD will be impossible to read as that one is set for dark environments, with a black background and gray letters and the backlight turned so low that even a small candle will shed more light), but I will need an extra reading light.

I must admit, I have never been in a situation where it was easier to read a paper book over an e-ink device. I need to have the same amount of light for both.

Who here said that an e-ink was all things to all people?? If that were the case the Nook and others like it would not be around, and everyone would be reading e-ink.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

Who here said that an e-ink was all things to all people?? If that were the case the Nook and others like it would not be around, and everyone would be reading e-ink.

Hmm, you?

Originally Posted by Nyssa

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

[AlbertaCowboy]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I just can't stand those people that claim that e-ink is perfect for everybody everywhere.

I agree. Nor can I stand those people who insist that LCD is perfect for everybody everywhere if they'd just change the settings a bit.
What is perfect for some may not be at all acceptable to others. As long as there are choices for both parties, why argue?

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Hmm, you?

Oh yes, I definitely said that no one should ever read from an LCD screen as I sit here on my iPhone that also happens to have multiple e-reading apps.

Nooo actually what I said was that e-ink is better for LONG reading sessions. You even quoted me!!!

[estelle58]

Originally Posted by amward

Eink for me, I don't like the backlit screen for long periods of time, and I only want my ereader for reading, ie instead of a book. I don't want to use it as a computer or anything else.

Ditto

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by AlbertaCowboy

I agree. Nor can I stand those people who insist that LCD is perfect for everybody everywhere if they'd just change the settings a bit.

If that was aimed at me, that isn't what I said.
I said:

With most LCD devices at default settings, they are far too bright to comfortably read on at night, and will probably cause discomfort to many people. With software that allows full flexibility to drop the brightness way below the system default and use custom color schemes, a comfortable setup should be achievable that would cause discomfort to only a small number of people

I've never said LCD is great for everybody, there will be some for whom it is still not comfortable.
I certainly haven't said it is great everywhere. If you want to read novels outside on a sunny day, and have access to both devices, eInk is clearly superior.

[AlbertaCowboy]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

If that was aimed at me, that isn't what I said.

I wasn't referring to anyone at all specifically. I was referring to the usual arguments from both sides of the issue.

[shanghaichica]

E-ink