Forma Lighting a Known Issue, Support Advises to Wait

[stumped]

ok - so it goes wrong because why? the pattern of holes is not correct, or the light guide material is faulty ?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by stumped

ok - so it goes wrong because why? the pattern of holes is not correct, or the light guide material is faulty ?

My guess would be that any flaw in the light guide could cause issues whether from manufacturing or design. I am not by any means an expert on this subject, just someone who is interested in how things work.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by DNSB

.. I am not by any means an expert on this subject, just someone who is interested in how things work...

same here - do the various Kindles use the same basic design as Kobo for evenly spreading ( or not) the light ?

i am off put by the prospect of going through the buy and return dance to get a perfectly lit one, whenever I think it's time to treat myself to some new e-ink device

& as far as I can tell by reading all the relevant threads, you run similar risks of being disappointed whether you buy Kobo or Kindle

i am honestly surprised that after what - 5 years? - neither manufacturer has really nailed how to mass-produce defect-free lighting systems

[vampmiller]

Me too. E-readers haven't made massive leaps in tech in the last few years. Waterproofing. Higher resolution. But this is such a massive gripe and it hinders them all. Agree that I don't want to deal with the buy-and-return process I've gone through with every single nook, kobo, and kindle I've had.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by stumped

same here - do the various Kindles use the same basic design as Kobo for evenly spreading ( or not) the light ?

The light guide system is pretty much the same on any frontlit ereader. You may remember the complaints about various eInk Kindles and their lighting issues? And ditto for some of the other players though quite a few of those complaints were from translated pages.

Originally Posted by stumped

i am off put by the prospect of going through the buy and return dance to get a perfectly lit one, whenever I think it's time to treat myself to some new e-ink device

& as far as I can tell by reading all the relevant threads, you run similar risks of being disappointed whether you buy Kobo or Kindle

So far, I've either been very lucky in the frontlit ereaders I've owned or the number of devices with visible display issues is a relatively small subset of the total devices.

Originally Posted by stumped

i am honestly surprised that after what - 5 years? - neither manufacturer has really nailed how to mass-produce defect-free lighting systems

AFAIK, neither Amazon nor Kobo manufacture their own displays. Controlling quality at a 3rd party factory is a pain -- just ask Apple and Samsung.

[Shad Plante]

Originally Posted by DNSB

So far, I've either been very lucky in the frontlit ereaders I've owned or the number of devices with visible display issues is a relatively small subset of the total devices.

Might not be luck. From what I've seen posted, I think a lot of it has to how distracting you find the flaws. You might just be someone that the flaws don't bother.

[MGlitch]

With the night mode patch working with the Forma there’s an option to basically block out this issue. At least I imagine it would be significantly less apparent with a black background and white text.

You do give up the comfort light somewhat though it’ll still tinge the background into a softer black and the text will be more orange. You’re also getting significantly less light this way though I find it’s easier to read at lower brightness levels in any lighting conditions.

Obviously I haven’t run scientific studies on how much different the light in night mode is compared to standard. This is all just based on how it looks to the naked eye in either setting under various conditions. If someone wants to measure the light coming off in both modes and has the means to do so that might be interesting to see.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by DNSB

So far, I've either been very lucky in the frontlit ereaders I've owned or the number of devices with visible display issues is a relatively small subset of the total devices.

Originally Posted by Shad Plante

Might not be luck. From what I've seen posted, I think a lot of it has to how distracting you find the flaws. You might just be someone that the flaws don't bother.

I've seen enough images of illumination issues and my personal devices have not shown the same issues. While visiting, I did read on an Oasis and I noticed the screen lighting issues but once I got into reading (the book was as good as the Oasis' owner claimed), it no longer bothered me. So I suspect I could live with lighting issues but I would notice them.

[Amiieey]

I just got the forma and while I see this issue, it personally doesn’t bother me much at all. Especially since I like to keep natural light on, I found that it diffuses the problem considerably.

[JohnnyENZ]

I'll have to see one when they're in stores here (New Zealand) but this won't be a firmware fix correct? It'll be a design flaw which means waiting for them to slightly change how they're made might be best?

Even if it doesn't bother me much, the fact you're paying so much for a high end ereader is what would put me off.

[koboy]

Originally Posted by JohnnyENZ

I'll have to see one when they're in stores here (New Zealand) but this won't be a firmware fix correct? It'll be a design flaw which means waiting for them to slightly change how they're made might be best?

Even if it doesn't bother me much, the fact you're paying so much for a high end ereader is what would put me off.

it would put me off too Kobo would have to pay me to keep it

best wishes koboy

[EldRick]

I got a Forma yesterday, and began noticing the 5mm grey bar along the button edge, which was quite apparent, and faded off for another cm farther into the reading area.

So I opened a session with Kobo customer support, and was told that I should factory reset the reader. I did so, which then downloaded the update, for another 14 minutes.

Much to my surprise, the grey bar is much reduced. It is still a slightly different eye-twisting color vs. rest of the display, but it's now reduced to the point that I'm reconsidering whether to return it and swap it for another one in the panel-lottery.

[k9reeder]

Originally Posted by Amiieey

I just got the forma and while I see this issue, it personally doesn’t bother me much at all. Especially since I like to keep natural light on, I found that it diffuses the problem considerably.

Yes, I find the screen is gorgeous to read on if I don't use the inbuilt lighting but instead read with a desk lamp or something. Problem for me is that I read a lot in the dark or dim light and also want to use the inbuilt warm lighting system.

Originally Posted by EldRick

I got a Forma yesterday, and began noticing the 5mm grey bar along the button edge, which was quite apparent, and faded off for another cm farther into the reading area.

So I opened a session with Kobo customer support, and was told that I should factory reset the reader. I did so, which then downloaded the update, for another 14 minutes.

Much to my surprise, the grey bar is much reduced. It is still a slightly different eye-twisting color vs. rest of the display, but it's now reduced to the point that I'm reconsidering whether to return it and swap it for another one in the panel-lottery.

I wonder what the technical explanation for this could be?

In any event, I bought the Forma on Day 1 of availability, immediately noticed the imperfection down the button side and after some soul searching sought to exchange it on Day 2. So I reset the device.

In the store, the replacement I looked at seemed the same, but it was impossible to be sure because of the store lighting. I decided to keep the one I had and wondered if it was only me being too particular.

However, later that same afternoon I saw someone in his forum make the first and similar observation, and so then I also chimed in.

The grey bar, which I would describe as a white streak, persists after my one and only reset. Can't really say if has improved any. Maybe it has and I wasn't looking for it. I just know it's still distracting for me unless I CURB it.

[kansaskyle]

Originally Posted by EldRick

I got a Forma yesterday, and began noticing the 5mm grey bar along the button edge, which was quite apparent, and faded off for another cm farther into the reading area.

So I opened a session with Kobo customer support, and was told that I should factory reset the reader. I did so, which then downloaded the update, for another 14 minutes.

Much to my surprise, the grey bar is much reduced. It is still a slightly different eye-twisting color vs. rest of the display, but it's now reduced to the point that I'm reconsidering whether to return it and swap it for another one in the panel-lottery.

I've had my Forma a week now, and tried the reset last night. It didn't reduce the grey bar on the right side to my eye. I've read two books on the device, and I find that I don't notice it once I get into the book.

I do notice the grey bar on first start up, or when I purposely glance over there knowing that it is "taunting" me :-)

For nearly $300 USD, I don't expect I should have to contend with any lighting issues. I'm going to reach out to support today and explore my options. I'm not sure if I'll return or enter the "panel-lottery" as EldRick mentioned.

[kansaskyle]

I contacted Kobo support and they had me do another factory reset, and send a picture of the screen. They told me I qualify for warranty replacement and sent me back to Walmart since that is where I purchased.

My local Walmart didn't know how to process a Kobo Forma warranty return so they refunded my purchase and told me to repurchase online. Unfortunately, Walmart.com is currently sold out of the Forma.

So now I have a nice shiny Walmart gift card with $284.51 in credit, but no Forma. I'm glad I still have my KA1.