Can you read complete books on an LCD screens?

Pajamaman · 05-05-2021, 11:00 AM

Some people can read complete books on LCD, others cannot and often prefer e-ink. However, I wonder what is the proportion.

I am not talking about browsing the net, etc; I am talking about extended reading, as in a whole book.

Also, it would be interesting to know any associated details about the reader that may influence their choice of medium. I am not sure what those other details might be, but things that occur to me are:

1. eye-sight (short sighted, long sighted, for example)
2. Sensitivity to light. I have noticed that people who can read whole books on LCD don't mind, or even need a very bright light on e-ink. Can you tolerate a bright screen light in the dark, or must it be very dim?

So please add any other details that you think might be relevant.

Pajamaman · 05-05-2021, 11:03 AM

I voted NO. In addition, I am short-sighted, can read without glasses, and also I cannot tolerate a bright screen light in the dark.

SleepyBob · 05-05-2021, 11:14 AM

Under the right conditions, sure. Though, in retrospect, I probably haven't actually attempted more than an hour or so at a time, since I don't get big blocks of reading time.

Sirtel · 05-05-2021, 12:52 PM

No.

I'm very nearsighted, do everything with glasses on, including reading. And I cannot stand bright lights. All my screens and room lamps are usually turned pretty low. I can't read in total darkness at all, no matter how dim the screen is. I need some ambient light at least.

astrangerhere · 05-05-2021, 12:56 PM

Requests a third option -

Yes, I can, but would not if I had another option.

4691mls · 05-05-2021, 12:58 PM

I voted No. I have myopia and wear glasses for anything that involves seeing beyond about arm's length but my close vision is good and I read without glasses.

If I spend too much time reading (or doing anything else) on my phone I will end up with eyestrain.

I don't get eyestrain from reading e-ink or physical paper books.

kacir · 05-05-2021, 01:03 PM

I have read numerous books on various LCD screens. At first it was a struggle and I spent quite a long time trying various color combinations and other settings. Back then, there were no e-ink readers, not even tablets, let alone luxurious high-quality screens we have today. The best you could get was an iPaq PDA or a Palm Pilot. I salvaged an old, notebook back then, without battery and disk (booted from floppy disk with a small text-viewing DOS program and half a book in text format), with back-lit LCD screen with 255 levels of gray. Later I got a disk for that notebook, then updated to color model, then updated that to Toshiba Libretto - an obsolete (even back then) mini-notebook the size of TCR tape. I have read hundreds of books from those and I was constantly trying to tune something to make reading more pleasant, especially in low-light conditions.

Later I got a PDA with clam-shell design with non-back-lit matrix LCD screen (the kind digital watches or old calculators had). Contrast was relatively poor, but it fit in my jacket pocket and could be viewed without the back-light.

When I got my first e-ink reader in 2007 I was extremely impressed with the screen. Nowadays, in comparison with modern front-lit hi-res e-ink displays it isn't much, but for me it was light years ahead of LCD.

By the way ... I do much more reading (Working with computers at work and browsing the net at home) on an LCD screen than on an e-ink screen. Yet, for fiction books I strongly prefer e-ink.

John F · 05-05-2021, 01:03 PM

I'm going to say no.

I tried with an iPad, and my eyes were quickly fatigued.

Although I'm not sure it was necessarily due to "LCD". It could be due to the larger display or some other factor. I did have the brightness turned down. I did work fulltime with LCD monitors and didn't have problems.

I have reading glasses and glasses for distance and progressive glasses. And I have a stygmatism.

crane3 · 05-05-2021, 01:25 PM

I can read "2" books on lcd without problems except for the ipad.

I am very short sighted & do use reading glasses as have had cataract surgery.

My Oasis 2's brightness is setup at 14 last I looked; the Kobo is also set around that level; same with the Mars. I need the e-ink background to be "milky white" for contrast & legibility. Grey on grey doesn't work for me.

My usual reader is the Samsung Tab S5e; then the Tab A7. Now seeing how the Surface go 2 will behave. The crappy ipad 6th gen is now being used just as a countdown timer for when I do exercise.

maddz · 05-05-2021, 01:34 PM

Voted Yes, because I can and do, but I much prefer reading on eInk. I usually only read for an hour or two at a time, these days I don't get much dedicated reading time, but I can read at my usual rate on LCD.

Short sight, astigmatism, wears glasses all the time (except in bed or in the bath), needs decent lighting to read.

John F · 05-05-2021, 01:53 PM

And I can add... I have the brightness relatively low on my tablets and computer screen. My eink ereader always has the light on, and at night I'll read with no ambient light with white letters on a black background.

JSWolf · 05-05-2021, 03:19 PM

I have read eBooks on my iPhone and iPad. When I first started reading eBooks, I did so on on old Dell laptop using MS Reader.

The trick is to turn down the brightness to what works for you.

John F · 05-05-2021, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I have read eBooks on my iPhone and iPad. When I first started reading eBooks, I did so on on old Dell laptop using MS Reader.

The trick is to turn down the brightness to what works for you.

The trick was for you to turn down the brightness to what worked for you.

skb · 05-05-2021, 04:47 PM

I am currently rocking my Pocketbook (it's brilliant), but before that, I read exclusively on either my ipod touch or ipad. And before that, it was my beloved Palm Pilot for years. I don't mind one way or the other.

(I voted Yes).

Deskisamess · 05-05-2021, 04:59 PM

It's not a matter of "can" I. I'd rather not, but have if the book in question can't be read on my Kindles for whatever reason. Once in a while a book I'm borrowing from the library is only available in ePub, so I'll read it in the Overdrive app on my iPad mini or iPhone. This changes "when" I read that book. I usually read in bed in a dark bedroom, but if I have to read on a backlit device, I read that book during the day.

So I didn't answer the poll.

View Poll Results: Can you read a whole book on LCD?
Yes, I can read a whole book on LCD without significant discomfort.	78	56.12%
No, I can't read a whole book on LCD without significant discomfort.	61	43.88%
Voters: 139. You may not vote on this poll

05-05-2021, 11:00 AM	#1
Pajamaman Wizard Posts: 2,827 Karma: 10700629 Join Date: May 2016 Location: Canada Device: Onyx Nova	Can you read complete books on an LCD screens? Some people can read complete books on LCD, others cannot and often prefer e-ink. However, I wonder what is the proportion. I am not talking about browsing the net, etc; I am talking about extended reading, as in a whole book. Also, it would be interesting to know any associated details about the reader that may influence their choice of medium. I am not sure what those other details might be, but things that occur to me are: 1. eye-sight (short sighted, long sighted, for example) 2. Sensitivity to light. I have noticed that people who can read whole books on LCD don't mind, or even need a very bright light on e-ink. Can you tolerate a bright screen light in the dark, or must it be very dim? So please add any other details that you think might be relevant.

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05-05-2021, 11:03 AM	#2
Pajamaman Wizard Posts: 2,827 Karma: 10700629 Join Date: May 2016 Location: Canada Device: Onyx Nova	I voted NO. In addition, I am short-sighted, can read without glasses, and also I cannot tolerate a bright screen light in the dark.

05-05-2021, 11:14 AM	#3
SleepyBob Evangelist Posts: 420 Karma: 8522810 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Wisconsin, USA Device: Kindle PW3	Under the right conditions, sure. Though, in retrospect, I probably haven't actually attempted more than an hour or so at a time, since I don't get big blocks of reading time.

05-05-2021, 12:52 PM	#4
Sirtel Grand Sorcerer Posts: 10,116 Karma: 224756896 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Estonia Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2	No. I'm very nearsighted, do everything with glasses on, including reading. And I cannot stand bright lights. All my screens and room lamps are usually turned pretty low. I can't read in total darkness at all, no matter how dim the screen is. I need some ambient light at least.

05-05-2021, 12:56 PM	#5
astrangerhere Professor of Law Posts: 3,639 Karma: 65526796 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Chapel Hill, NC Device: Kobo Elipsa, Kobo Libra H20, Kobo Aura One, KoboMini	Requests a third option - Yes, I can, but would not if I had another option.

05-05-2021, 12:58 PM	#6
4691mls Wizard Posts: 2,776 Karma: 30081762 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: US Device: ALL DEVICES ARE STOCK: Kobo Clara, Tolino Shine 2, Sony PRS-T3, T1	I voted No. I have myopia and wear glasses for anything that involves seeing beyond about arm's length but my close vision is good and I read without glasses. If I spend too much time reading (or doing anything else) on my phone I will end up with eyestrain. I don't get eyestrain from reading e-ink or physical paper books.

05-05-2021, 01:03 PM	#7
kacir Wizard Posts: 3,450 Karma: 10484861 Join Date: May 2006 Device: PocketBook 360, before it was Sony Reader, cassiopeia A-20	I have read numerous books on various LCD screens. At first it was a struggle and I spent quite a long time trying various color combinations and other settings. Back then, there were no e-ink readers, not even tablets, let alone luxurious high-quality screens we have today. The best you could get was an iPaq PDA or a Palm Pilot. I salvaged an old, notebook back then, without battery and disk (booted from floppy disk with a small text-viewing DOS program and half a book in text format), with back-lit LCD screen with 255 levels of gray. Later I got a disk for that notebook, then updated to color model, then updated that to Toshiba Libretto - an obsolete (even back then) mini-notebook the size of TCR tape. I have read hundreds of books from those and I was constantly trying to tune something to make reading more pleasant, especially in low-light conditions. Later I got a PDA with clam-shell design with non-back-lit matrix LCD screen (the kind digital watches or old calculators had). Contrast was relatively poor, but it fit in my jacket pocket and could be viewed without the back-light. When I got my first e-ink reader in 2007 I was extremely impressed with the screen. Nowadays, in comparison with modern front-lit hi-res e-ink displays it isn't much, but for me it was light years ahead of LCD. By the way ... I do much more reading (Working with computers at work and browsing the net at home) on an LCD screen than on an e-ink screen. Yet, for fiction books I strongly prefer e-ink.

05-05-2021, 01:03 PM	#8
John F Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,166 Karma: 63764653 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo Glo HD	I'm going to say no. I tried with an iPad, and my eyes were quickly fatigued. Although I'm not sure it was necessarily due to "LCD". It could be due to the larger display or some other factor. I did have the brightness turned down. I did work fulltime with LCD monitors and didn't have problems. I have reading glasses and glasses for distance and progressive glasses. And I have a stygmatism.

05-05-2021, 01:25 PM	#9
crane3 Guru Posts: 608 Karma: 5007204 Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Calif Device: Fire hdx 8.9, Tab S2, Tab S5e, Aura ONE	I can read "2" books on lcd without problems except for the ipad. I am very short sighted & do use reading glasses as have had cataract surgery. My Oasis 2's brightness is setup at 14 last I looked; the Kobo is also set around that level; same with the Mars. I need the e-ink background to be "milky white" for contrast & legibility. Grey on grey doesn't work for me. My usual reader is the Samsung Tab S5e; then the Tab A7. Now seeing how the Surface go 2 will behave. The crappy ipad 6th gen is now being used just as a countdown timer for when I do exercise.

05-05-2021, 01:34 PM	#10
maddz Wizard Posts: 1,273 Karma: 28630044 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: UK Device: Kobo Forma, Icarus, iPad Mini 2, Kobo Touch, Google Nexus 7	Voted Yes, because I can and do, but I much prefer reading on eInk. I usually only read for an hour or two at a time, these days I don't get much dedicated reading time, but I can read at my usual rate on LCD. Short sight, astigmatism, wears glasses all the time (except in bed or in the bath), needs decent lighting to read.

05-05-2021, 01:53 PM	#11
John F Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,166 Karma: 63764653 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo Glo HD	And I can add... I have the brightness relatively low on my tablets and computer screen. My eink ereader always has the light on, and at night I'll read with no ambient light with white letters on a black background.

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05-05-2021, 03:19 PM	#12
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,943 Karma: 128903250 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I have read eBooks on my iPhone and iPad. When I first started reading eBooks, I did so on on old Dell laptop using MS Reader. The trick is to turn down the brightness to what works for you.

05-05-2021, 04:47 PM	#14
skb Evangelist Posts: 401 Karma: 1597305 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: Ipod G4, MacOS 10.12, Calibre, Pocketbook Touch HD 3	I am currently rocking my Pocketbook (it's brilliant), but before that, I read exclusively on either my ipod touch or ipad. And before that, it was my beloved Palm Pilot for years. I don't mind one way or the other. (I voted Yes).

05-05-2021, 04:59 PM	#15
Deskisamess Wizard Posts: 2,608 Karma: 42697471 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Ohio Device: iPhone 7+, iPad mini, 2021 iPad Pro 12.9",Paperwhite 6.8"	It's not a matter of "can" I. I'd rather not, but have if the book in question can't be read on my Kindles for whatever reason. Once in a while a book I'm borrowing from the library is only available in ePub, so I'll read it in the Overdrive app on my iPad mini or iPhone. This changes "when" I read that book. I usually read in bed in a dark bedroom, but if I have to read on a backlit device, I read that book during the day. So I didn't answer the poll.