Dimmest e-book reader for reading in the dark?

[HolyAura]

In fact, Kobo also has an unofficial function that allows the display to change to night mode(black surroundings and white text). Just type devmodeon into the kobo store search box then go to settings, device information. There will be a 'developer settings' button at the bottom. Click it and check the inverted text box. It will change to inverted.

[MarjaE]

I have a strobe sensitivity, and need to avoid flicker and red light as well as the usual blue light. I find most screens are far too bright at 0% brightness, and apparently many screens use pulse-width modulation so they flicker at low brightness. How does this affect the choices available?

[HolyAura]

Originally Posted by MarjaE

I have a strobe sensitivity, and need to avoid flicker and red light as well as the usual blue light. I find most screens are far too bright at 0% brightness, and apparently many screens use pulse-width modulation so they flicker at low brightness. How does this affect the choices available?

As far as I know, Kobo ereaders are completely emitting no light at 0% brightness. The only light you will see from the screen will be reflected from its surroundings.

As for the pulse-width modulation, I only heard about the Forma having it, but I'm not too sure if it flickers at no brightness. You will have to ask someone who has a Forma about this.

[MarjaE]

Originally Posted by HolyAura

As far as I know, Kobo ereaders are completely emitting no light at 0% brightness. The only light you will see from the screen will be reflected from its surroundings.

As for the pulse-width modulation, I only heard about the Forma having it, but I'm not too sure if it flickers at no brightness. You will have to ask someone who has a Forma about this.

Thank you. And JSWolf mentioned customizable controls, which sounds good too.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by HolyAura

As for the pulse-width modulation, I only heard about the Forma having it, but I'm not too sure if it flickers at no brightness. You will have to ask someone who has a Forma about this.

The PWM is for the front-light. If it is off, it isn't flickering at all. And, while I would normally say that the frequencies involved with the PWM on a Forma are outside those that would affect people, @MarjaE has mentioned these problems before and I feel like if anyone was going to be affected, she would be. But, my wife suffers from severe and frequent migraine (I tend to assume she either has one, is getting one, or recovering from one), and flickering light does trigger them. She is using her Forma several hours a day, with the light level turned up much higher than I would find comfortable, with no ill effects.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by MarjaE

I have a strobe sensitivity, and need to avoid flicker and red light as well as the usual blue light. I find most screens are far too bright at 0% brightness, and apparently many screens use pulse-width modulation so they flicker at low brightness. How does this affect the choices available?

AFAIK, the only Kobo ereader that uses PWM is the Forma which uses 1KHz PWM. Well above the frequency at which even the most sensitive will notice flicker during a saccade. As for 0% brightness? I checked the 4 Kobo ereaders I currently use and none of them emitted any light visible in a completely dark room after 5 minutes for dark adaptation.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by HolyAura

As far as I know, Kobo ereaders are completely emitting no light at 0% brightness. The only light you will see from the screen will be reflected from its surroundings.

For the KA1, 0% brightness does mean no light, but the next step up from that is reasonably bright, in an otherwise dark room.
You have a little more control if you turn the developer options on.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

For the KA1, 0% brightness does mean no light, but the next step up from that is reasonably bright, in an otherwise dark room.
You have a little more control if you turn the developer options on.

What control do you have with developer options on?

[ps67]

Set Frontlight LED Manually:
You can set Red, Green, Blue and White from 0 to 255

I don't know if it is only a possibility of Kobo Aura One or also others Kobo reader can do it

[Pajamaman]

The best I have found is the Nook Glowlight 3 in reverse night mode. It's amazing. I have very sensitive eyes. But you have to root it and install koreader to get the nightmode. I don't believe Nook include night mode in the default software.

I have other readers better than the Nook in every other way, but the orange light in night mode is the best reading experience I know. I use it for normal epubs.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ps67

Set Frontlight LED Manually:
You can set Red, Green, Blue and White from 0 to 255

I don't know if it is only a possibility of Kobo Aura One or also others Kobo reader can do it

That's not an option I have on my H2O.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

The best I have found is the Nook Glowlight 3 in reverse night mode. It's amazing. I have very sensitive eyes. But you have to root it and install koreader to get the nightmode. I don't believe Nook include night mode in the default software.

I have other readers better than the Nook in every other way, but the orange light in night mode is the best reading experience I know. I use it for normal epubs.

You can get night mode on Kobo much easier. Plus Kobo make much better Readers than B&N.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by ps67

Set Frontlight LED Manually:
You can set Red, Green, Blue and White from 0 to 255

I don't know if it is only a possibility of Kobo Aura One or also others Kobo reader can do it

It is only possible with the Aura ONE. They have separate LEDs for each colour that are mixed to get the desired affect. The other devices with a coloured light use a single colour and change the intensity.