Color Comes to E Ink Screens

[NVash]

I was once told this by a relative many moons ago. He told me that just because your eyes dont hurt it doesnt mean your eyes arent straining. I take that as fact right now and wonder about using the iTouch and cell phone as an E-reader. My eyes dont hurt, usually never do, but I wonder if theyre straining and if I may be causing long term damage to them.

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

I don't think it would ever be possible for an LCD screen to reflect back the same amount of light as an e-Ink screen. The e-Ink screen is reflecting back just the ambient light that bounces off the surface of the screen. An LCD screen bounces back that light, plus the light emitted by the LCD itself (which it's going to emit as long as it's turned on). Therefore, an LCD is always going to emit more light at any one moment.

This is not true. An EPD screen in its white state reflects a certain percentage of the light striking its surface (the commonly cited figure is 40%), while a standard backlit LCD reflects pretty much nothing. There is no cumulative effect of ambient light and backlight. If there were, such backlit displays would be fantastic in direct sunlight.

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by NVash

I was once told this by a relative many moons ago. He told me that just because your eyes dont hurt it doesnt mean your eyes arent straining. I take that as fact right now and wonder about using the iTouch and cell phone as an E-reader. My eyes dont hurt, usually never do, but I wonder if theyre straining and if I may be causing long term damage to them.

No, you're not, or at least not compared with staring at any other hand-held object in the same concentrated way for long periods.

[Grimm]

Originally Posted by zinj

A fair number? Does anyone find LCD screens easier to look at than eInk?

Easier to look at? No. Equal? Yes. LCD does not bother my eyes and I do not experience the "pain" others do from reading on LCD. This having worked in I.T. for a fair amount of years and using LCD screens constantly.

[Grimm]

Originally Posted by zinj

I'm well aware of the advantages of LCD over eInk. But, if you are being sincere (no offense), then you are one of very few whose brain is wired in such a way that staring into a light for hours is just as comfortable as not.

To be fair, LCD brightness can very easily be lowered, you make it sound as though a flashlight like beam is being shined in one's eyes. This is not the case.

And I must also be one of the "very few" (a value I dispute).

[Grimm]

Originally Posted by NVash

I was once told this by a relative many moons ago. He told me that just because your eyes dont hurt it doesnt mean your eyes arent straining. I take that as fact right now and wonder about using the iTouch and cell phone as an E-reader. My eyes dont hurt, usually never do, but I wonder if theyre straining and if I may be causing long term damage to them.

I wouldn't worry too much. I had 20/10 vision in both eyes when I joined the military at 18. I've since worked in I.T. staring at brightly lit screens all day long for years, to include my home computer use which was added hours per day staring at those bright screens. I'm 35 now and just had an eye test a few weeks ago. My left eye is 20/10, my right 20/15. Not saying it can't mess with people's vision, just that it's not a proven thing by any means.

[ypocaramel]

With internet anecdotes it's hard to tell what's placebo and what's not, and sometimes there might be other variables - screen brightness, ambient light, reading distance, posture etc... that people haven't isolated, however honest and sincere they are.

Now glare is a real problem, because we associate LCD with touchscreen capacitative displays that have a piece of glass over them, and that causes glare. It's not an inherent LCD thing, I try to use matte displays where is no capacitative touch, but it something relevant to e-readers and tablets...

[Magnesus]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

You can probably change the amount of light emitted over time by changing the refresh rate, but if you change the refresh rate so that the screen is "on" less often, that has a negative impact on people's eyes, too.

LCD screens with LED backlight don't flicker. Even when set to very low brightness.

[Grimm]

Originally Posted by ypocaramel

With internet anecdotes it's hard to tell what's placebo and what's not, and sometimes there might be other variables - screen brightness, ambient light, reading distance, posture etc... that people haven't isolated, however honest and sincere they are.

Now glare is a real problem, because we associate LCD with touchscreen capacitative displays that have a piece of glass over them, and that causes glare. It's not an inherent LCD thing, I try to use matte displays where is no capacitative touch, but it something relevant to e-readers and tablets...

Completely honest and sincere in my post.

Anti-Glare film sold for Nook Color - $16.95. Comes with 2 of them and a lint free cloth. Works quite nicely and doesn't affect the touchscreen capabilities nor does it leave a residue on the glass.

[ypocaramel]

I'm not an expert on placebo, I don't work in those industries, but it might work both ways. I'm worried about false positives - so people feeling eyestrain from LCD because they were told LCDs (or computer screens) cause eyestrain.

Yes, I ordered anti-glare film for my NOOKcolor, not here yet. Generally they do add a bit of noise, depending the quality. We'll see when it gets here.

[Rick1971]

can't wait to get one of those