Clara Light "bleed" at side issue

[Barbara1955]

Originally Posted by koboy

so are you saying the title of the article, Kobo Clara HD Light Bleed Issue – Comparison Photos. is wrong?

https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/20...medium=twitter

the light bleed/cones or whatever you wish to call it looks terrible and i would send it straight back.

best wishes koboy

Title is ok for getting attention BUT Its also explains that what folks are calling Bleeds are actually More Lights. AS it says there are 13 Lights 7 on bottom & 3 on each side

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

Unless I'm wrong., yes, that's the problem, and I think it is smaller in my Clara (or I don't get it, but it's not so exaggerated).

I sort of hope you are wrong. Because if you aren't the people in this thread really need to learn how to describe their problems. Nothing in what has been said made me think of what is shown in those pictures.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Barbara1955

Title is ok for getting attention BUT Its also explains that what folks are calling Bleeds are actually More Lights. AS it says there are 13 Lights 7 on bottom & 3 on each side

My understanding is that all the lights are across the bottom. And that there are 7 white and 5 or 6 coloured LEDs. And that has me a little baffled about those cones on the side. I don't know where they would be coming from.

[Mrs_Often]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

I've got a Kobo Clara and I've been using it for two weeks (more or less). I must confess, I wouldn't have noted that small light difference in the bottom if not for all the scandal here. I don't know if I'm lucky or no sensitive to those themes (no, I'm not going to photo my screen), but these are my two cents.

Scandal indeed.

Originally Posted by davidfor

And someone has stated that it probably bugs people using very small margins.

Yes that was me.

Originally Posted by davidfor

If the complaints are about those cones coming from the sides near the bottom, then it isn't going to be stopping me buying one of these if I decide to replace my Glo HD (and don't go for the larger screen Aura ONE). My assumption has been it is affecting a lot more of the screen.

Can someone with one of these devices please educate me on exactly what you are seeing? And even better post some photos that demonstrate it. Are those photos typical? Or does it affect the screen a lot more.

Yes all this nonsense discussion is about those tiny cones. And indeed it is not affecting much of the screen at all, just right next to the bezel(s). I've pointed out several times that there really isn't such a big issue as this thread makes it seem. I first describe what I'm seeing in post #423, before I knew that all the LEDs are at the bottom. I included a picture of two Clara's next to each other showing the bleed at low light brightness in that post. I eventually chose the device on the right in that picture (and returned the other), and since I've squeezed the bezel the bleed brightness is a lot less than that picture shows:

Originally Posted by Mrs_Often

Second impression...

[...]And then the actual LEDs... unfortunately there are some LEDs that shine brighter spots in the direction of the screen from underneath the bezel. I compared the two devices I ended up with (I need to send one back), and the brighter spots are in the same locations on both devices, however on one of the devices it is more prominent (brighter) than the other. See image (I'm holding the protective plastic up from the screen of the left device on the picture, it's not a screen defect ... oh and I see I must have tapped the menu while doing so; the lighting menu should have been showing on both screens. You'll just have to trust that I had the same lighting settings on both devices ).

[Mrs_Often]

And here are some new photos. Note that the bleed looks a lot worse on the photos than they are in real life as I didn't use manual ISO and shutterspead etc. Also my darkened room isn't as perfect as haydnfan's origami box. But at least some of the pictures show what it looks like under real reading conditions. I made pictures with curtains closed (darker around the device) and with curtains only slightly open. The first picture (full brightness and curtains closed) is to illustrate where the bleed is, you'd never read in darkness with full brightness I don't think...

[latepaul]

David - if you look at pictures 8 & 9 of my post #362 you can see the problem. At least that's the issue I noticed - but I haven't been one of the ones discussing it, not did I use the phrase "light bleed" but I think it's what people are referring to.

In those pictures the Clara is on the left (OK technically top in 8) and you can see some light coming in at the sides near the bottom. In 9 for example there's a blob of light that spans the bottom menu/status bar near the word "< Home". There's also one higher up (just under and opposite "title:" in the text) - it's harder to see. Also smaller ones on the right.

They actually show up more in real life than in those photos. I do think they look like 'cones' but they are coming from the sides not the bottom.

Are they a problem? Well for me, yes and no. They are worse the higher the light level and higher the natural light setting. They are noticeable in a way that's possible to ignore if you focus on the text, but they are clearly there if you look for them. Unlike the lady in the tape video I don't think I'd send my Clara back over them, but I'd certainly rather they weren't there.

But that's just me though. In all these issues people's eyes, expectations and tolerances differ. If someone tells me these light issues are serious enough that they are constantly nagging at them then I believe it. For them.

By the way, the reason I think this is definitely the issue others are talking about is that I applied the tape fix and it all but solved the problem. I think the only reason it didn't 100% is because I wasn't precise enough in applying the tape. There's still a very small cone - but I have to really look for it. Also I didn't manage to get it 100% straight and the tape peeks out from under the bezel by a few millimetres - but it doesn't ever cover up anything displayed on the device (although I'm using default margins and there's always some gap. I suppose I'd have to patch it to know for sure.)

I may try again with the tape. The nice thing about that fix is that it's re-doable and it's non-destructive (always allowing that you're handling the device carefully that is).

Hope this helps.

Update: in the time it took to write that Mrs_Often has posted some pictures.

[Mrs_Often]

Here's one of the pictures again but now annotated. I just noticed something cone-like that might be what davidfor was referring to along the bottom (red annotation). This NOT what we were talking about (or I wasn't anyway) because it is not visible in real life with regular (sensitive) eyes. What we (I) call the bleed are the brighter spots in green annotation. And, again, they're not as bad to the eye as to the camera lens.

EDIT: Had some upload issues but picture should be there now.

[Barbara1955]

Mrs_Often ....

[Mrs_Often]

Originally Posted by Barbara1955

Mrs_Often ....

You're welcome!

[CH23]

I took apart my Clara HD, and i think the tape fix is not really the right fix.

The issue is that the front bezel presses on the screen in such a way that the light becomes uneven, as, without the front on, i don't have the uneven light issue.

[CH23]

re-attaching it fixed the issue for me.

[davidfor]

@Mrs_Often, @latepaul: Thank you, that is clear. And I remember looking at those images, but didn't think anything of those cones. I think I was expecting it to be a more even glare coming from the sides and going all the way up. I think that's what "bleed" was suggesting.

And looking at that last photo, I'm intrigued as to what is causing them and the pattern. Is it as simple as the bits where there is no light the bezel is a little closer to the screen? Or is it something in the light guide?

[anacreon]

Originally Posted by davidfor

If the complaints are about those cones coming from the sides near the bottom, then it isn't going to be stopping me buying one of these if I decide to replace my Glo HD (and don't go for the larger screen Aura ONE). My assumption has been it is affecting a lot more of the screen.

I bought Clara as a replacement for my Glo HD which was my reader on the go (I use the One at home). I think the only thing better on the HD is the IR, but the latest F/Ws have much improved responses on capacitive devices, so the only real difference I see with IR is a slightly better definition. As I said before on my device (I realize that there is unfortunately much variation), the very slight "side-bleed" is no bother at all to me, and I wanted the comfort light plus the 8 GB which allow me to have the mostly the same library on my on the go device and the One (except PDFs which I read only on the One), better to synchronize and not to have to change the book I read between inside and outside.

[Atilla]

Originally Posted by Mrs_Often

Here's one of the pictures again but now annotated. I just noticed something cone-like that might be what davidfor was referring to along the bottom (red annotation). This NOT what we were talking about (or I wasn't anyway) because it is not visible in real life with regular (sensitive) eyes. What we (I) call the bleed are the brighter spots in green annotation. And, again, they're not as bad to the eye as to the camera lens.

EDIT: Had some upload issues but picture should be there now.

Thank you for posting this picture. I did forget to take a picture of mine before the "fix". Mine was very similar to yours at the right bezel. In addition I had two spots on the left.

We know there are no LED on the sides so the light is bouncing out from the side surface of the glass and bouncing back. Perhaps the glass and the LCD under it not sealed properly at those spots. Clearly a physical issue.

[Barbara1955]

Originally Posted by Atilla

Thank you for posting this picture. I did forget to take a picture of mine before the "fix". Mine was very similar to yours at the right bezel. In addition I had two spots on the left.

We know there are no LED on the sides so the light is bouncing out from the side surface of the glass and bouncing back. Perhaps the glass and the LCD under it not sealed properly at those spots. Clearly a physical issue.

WE Don't know anything about the lights. But I see Cones & I can count to 13.