Onyx Boox as monitor

[mdp]

Originally Posted by tracey1

Interesting, are these techniques effective and reliable ? I also want to browse through the internet without too much lag.

I used Linux as a workbench, and have not yet come to a perfect configuration.
I suppose you have an Onyx tablet, so:
-- install on the tablet the software I published to create a USB network;
-- pick a VNC server for your Win/Mac/C64/Eniac/Watson;
-- use bVNC as a client for the tablet. If you use the version I published, you get full-screen refresh (Note: due to another customization I made - as I was giving privilege to network efficiency -, it is also CPU hungry, but it did not look like a problem).
See for yourself what is achievable, and presume that it is should be possible to achieve more: most probably, the MaxCarta will be "that but bigger".

Originally Posted by tracey1

When it comes to writing essays/using ms word etc, I think as long as I will be able to zoom in like when using a browser, I'm content.

It is, I would say, the correct way to work on OAS on compact screen.
Whether MS-Word supports it - it should -, you can surely check that pretty quickly.

[mdp]

Originally Posted by tracey1

So, would say I should wait for a new Onyx device (with a possibly bigger screen and better software) or get this ?

The E-ink screens will be probably stuck to 13'' for a while (check the range on Wikipedia - I am not sure Onyx will produce a device for the 31.2'' screen).
Better hardware will be advantageous anyway (for all applications);
current hardware would be already practically perfect for text editing - if they fixed the firmware glitch that slows down responsiveness of Office Automation software. As said, that glitch was not there before.

[tracey1]

Originally Posted by mdp

I used Linux as a workbench, and have not yet come to a perfect configuration.
I suppose you have an Onyx tablet, so:
-- install on the tablet the software I published to create a USB network;
-- pick a VNC server for your Win/Mac/C64/Eniac/Watson;
-- use bVNC as a client for the tablet. If you use the version I published, you get full-screen refresh (Note: due to another customization I made - as I was giving privilege to network efficiency -, it is also CPU hungry, but it did not look like a problem).
See for yourself what is achievable, and presume that it is should be possible to achieve more: most probably, the MaxCarta will be "that but bigger".



It is, I would say, the correct way to work on OAS on compact screen.
Whether MS-Word supports it - it should -, you can surely check that pretty quickly.

I don't own an Onyx device yet but I'm really in need of an E-paper display for my pc and since Onyx devices are cheaper than Dasung products I will likely purchase one. I just want to make sure that it works well because it's a lot of money which is why I'm not sure whether to wait for Max Carta 2 and upcoming products or just get a current max carta.

What do you mean by full refresh though ? Do I have to refresh ir regularly ? And what is OAS ?

[Kumabjorn]

Onyx is notoriously late with their product launches. I was like you, wondering if I shouldn't wait, but since I want to use it outdoors and this is the season to be outdoors, I went ahead and bought the current generation. You'll need to be willing to experiment to get the setup you need but it can be done.

[mdp]

Originally Posted by tracey1

but I'm really in need of an E-paper display for my pc and since Onyx devices are cheaper than Dasung products [...] I just want to make sure that it works well because it's a lot of money

Just my two cents about your case: on the one hand, Dasung seems to have done a specialized product, accepting HDMI and implementing some kind of very fast refresh through some to me obscure mode. But since it is a lot of money, I would not spend them on a specialized product that does one thing only (a monitor). And if you want to squeeze all the value out of your money, you should probably wait for the multi-core product. Which, as Kumabjorn points out, may or may not respect the schedule. /Just my two cents.

Cheap, good, fast: pick two.

Originally Posted by tracey1

What do you mean by full refresh though ? Do I have to refresh ir regularly ?

Well, you know e-paper does have ghosting...

[tracey1]

Originally Posted by mdp

Just my two cents about your case: on the one hand, Dasung seems to have done a specialized product, accepting HDMI and implementing some kind of very fast refresh through some to me obscure mode. But since it is a lot of money, I would not spend them on a specialized product that does one thing only (a monitor). And if you want to squeeze all the value out of your money, you should probably wait for the multi-core product. Which, as Kumabjorn points out, may or may not respect the schedule. /Just my two cents.

Cheap, good, fast: pick two.




Well, you know e-paper does have ghosting...

I agree with you, that's why I'm more and more turning my attention towards Onyx products. When can we expect the multi-core product (approximately)?
I forgot about the ghosting.. does it cause a lot of nuisance ?

[rkomar]

The one place an ereader can fail as a monitor is the battery. It just isn't meant to be used for many hours every day at full power. I'm assuming that a dedicated e-ink monitor would not have a battery at all, but just run off the mains. Maybe the ereader battery will last for as long as you want to use the device as a monitor, or maybe it will stop holding charge before then. You're going into uncharted territory here. So, keep that in mind when you want a device that's good for being both an ereader and a monitor.

[Kumabjorn]

Are you suggesting that two hours as a monitor drinks more juice than two hours as a reader?

[rkomar]

Yes. How often do you update the screen when reading? How often when typing? How much more power goes into the communication for the monitor (USB, BlueTooth, WiFi,... plus VNC processing)? Dedicated ereaders use a burst of energy when the page changes and then more or less sleep until the next page turn. Monitors don't really get to sleep when you're using them.

[underscore]

Originally Posted by mdp

The E-ink screens will be probably stuck to 13'' for a while (check the range on Wikipedia - I am not sure Onyx will produce a device for the 31.2'' screen).

what a cool coffee table it would be!

[mdp]

Originally Posted by rkomar

Yes. How often do you update the screen when reading? How often when typing? How much more power goes into the communication for the monitor (USB, BlueTooth, WiFi,... plus VNC processing)? Dedicated ereaders use a burst of energy when the page changes and then more or less sleep until the next page turn. Monitors don't really get to sleep when you're using them.

Of course, it is intended some reasonable use. Watch a movie or edit text, it is not the same amount of refresh. Noone says that you are excused from using the tool properly: for example, a text editor customized for EPD should have a static cursor, not a blinking one; to the effect of hiding the cursor, I used a small app which I called through a keyboard shortcut after finishing a paragraph.

I would say that the consumption would be akin to what I experienced: six hours of comparatively intensive use (I do not have a comparison of the capacities of the models I used, but).

For what creates concern, I would raise more the topic of ageing the battery with costant recharge/s.

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by rkomar

Yes. How often do you update the screen when reading? How often when typing? How much more power goes into the communication for the monitor (USB, BlueTooth, WiFi,... plus VNC processing)? Dedicated ereaders use a burst of energy when the page changes and then more or less sleep until the next page turn. Monitors don't really get to sleep when you're using them.

From what I can see, and granted I'm no expert, when typing the only part of the screen updating is the place of the cursor (unless i begin scrolling or something) and I don't need Bluetooth using it as a monitor, but I do use wifi, both when reading and as monitor. However, when typing in WPS under Android I use Bluetooth. As far as I can tell, not that I've run any battery analysis, they come out fairly equal since, I suppose, most of the processing is done on the laptop when used as a monitor. But I do agree when only reading it uses very little battery, but the minute I start annotating, it uses much more battery.

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by mdp

For what creates concern, I would raise more the topic of ageing the battery with costant recharge/s.

Yes, that was what I was referring to in my earlier post. I'm sure the problem is even worse if the USB is always plugged in and the battery is charging often.

[tracey1]

Interesting, I just read that every E-reader has a maximum number of resfresh rates and once that is reached you can kiss your screen goodbye. Is that something to worry about ? That would obviously influence my decision

[mdp]

Originally Posted by rkomar

the problem is even worse if the USB is always plugged in and the battery is charging often.

But you can use modified USB cables that carry the data and not the power (that would happen when you are going systematic)