Large reader for academic PDF reading

[HarryT]

There weren't any LCD monitors then, but there were certainly handheld devices with LCD displays which could be used to display text files.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by HarryT

There weren't any LCD monitors then, but there were certainly handheld devices with LCD displays which could be used to display text files.

1983, Tandy TRS-80 model 100, 3.8 pounds, 8 lines of 40 characters.
1984, HP 110, 9 pounds, 16 lines of 80 characters, 480 x 128 pixels.
1985, HP 110+, 25 lines of 80 characters, 480 x 200 pixels.

So, not monitors, but not really handheld. I know that DEC VT100 CRT terminals were still in commercial use in 1985, so the HP 100+ provided an LCD text display equivalent of a CRT computer terminal.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

1983, Tandy TRS-80 model 100, 3.8 pounds, 8 lines of 40 characters.
1984, HP 110, 9 pounds, 16 lines of 80 characters, 480 x 128 pixels.
1985, HP 110+, 25 lines of 80 characters, 480 x 200 pixels.

So, not monitors, but not really handheld. I know that DEC VT100 CRT terminals were still in commercial use in 1985, so the HP 100+ provided an LCD text display equivalent of a CRT computer terminal.

My first handheld device was a Psion Organiser, released in 1986.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

EInk devices first appeared in 2006. People (myself included) were happily reading ebooks on LCD screens for 20 years prior to that and I don't recall anyone complaining about an inability to do so!

What I don't get is people can spend hour and hours watching TV on an LCD screen no problem but try to read a book on an LCD screen and there's big time issues. That's just rubbish.

[Question Mark]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What I don't get is people can spend hour and hours watching TV on an LCD screen no problem but try to read a book on an LCD screen and there's big time issues. That's just rubbish.

Probably has to do with proximity. Most people sit a good deal further than arm's length from their TVs.

[mrpotts]

There's a much different focal point to with watching TV VS reading on LCD screens. Not to difficult to figure that out!?

[xhacker]

i have the same use case (technical PDFs) and I use the original iPad pro (12.9"), the stylus is great for annotating PDFs, I use the GoodNotes app, it's fantastic, remember the resolution is high, 264 ppi. Reading on computer screens with the old 96dpi was a common source of eye strain. There is a newer iPad pro now too but if you are set on e ink then avoid goodereader at all costs! Consider the Onyx book max 2 pro (13.3") or whatever it's called now and the Sony DPT-RP1 (13.3") or wait for the new model which is rumoured to come out this year. If you are happy with a smaller display size, which i have not tried myself, but might be fine, there is the Sony DPT-CP1, the Boyue Likebook Mimas, the Onyx Boox Note Pro or this E-Pad (looks interesting) https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...android-tablet

[ekbell]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What I don't get is people can spend hour and hours watching TV on an LCD screen no problem but try to read a book on an LCD screen and there's big time issues. That's just rubbish.

When I watch a video on my tablet I have it set up a bit further away, use a higher light setting (vids tend to have lower contrast then your average book file) and take my eyes off the screen far more frequently. If I try to read text for the same length of time at the same settings I find that I'm suffering from eye strain in no time flat.

While I can adjust my tablet and further adjust most of my reader apps to a comfortable light/contrast level I can understand why some people may not be able to.

[slex]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What I don't get is people can spend hour and hours watching TV on an LCD screen no problem but try to read a book on an LCD screen and there's big time issues. That's just rubbish.

It is not rubbish. People don't watch TVs and read books at the same distance. And generally watching movies does not need so much concentration and you let your eyes go off the screen more often.

[frankrec]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What I don't get is people can spend hour and hours watching TV on an LCD screen no problem but try to read a book on an LCD screen and there's big time issues. That's just rubbish.

I have very poor vision and only can use one eye. There is a vast difference between watching TV and reading a book, With TV I do not even need to see faces to understand what is happening, and i can hear well so I do not miss much, but when I read, I have to look closely and it's a whole different experience. I may not represent the average user as I've had 10 eye operations, three of them coreal transplants, but please do not assume your reading experience is the same as others

[you sir name]

fwiw, I have been paying more attention to lighting conditions for my screen use lately, and I think that's really one of the main issues with led displays: I barely ever get the screen brightness to fit its surroundings, especially so after sunset (I like to work late so that's an issue). For a screen that's not backlit, that isn't as much of a problem, works like a book: shine a light on it and you're good (well, mostly).

Also I think the "a photon is a photon" argument is very very spurious, that's like a naive 1950s view of how perception works. That is to say, your eyes aren't just passive light receptors, they focus on specific things in different ways, depending on what you're looking at (movie, picture, book, word processing, bright, dark, static, moving, etc.)

That said, for whatever reason, I've found that setting my screen to greyscale does make a ton of difference in terms of susceptibility to distraction...

[tommyer]

Mankind has achieved tremendous technological and scientific progress, yet individuals still cannot agree on which display for e-readers is objectively the best for human eyes or if it just depends on one‘s eyes. And it‘s ongoing with many different combinations and weighing of various factors. Everyone‘s got a different opinion on the matter. I find that hilarious.

@you sir name Thanks for mentioning greyscale. Distraction is real (at least for me). I‘ll try that on my Ipad. May be the IPad 10,5‘‘ is the best LED device for your eyes of them all, not lastly because of its high resolution, although some say resolution is not that relevant regarding eye-friendliness. If you turn down the lights completely, you will see that the lowest light of the IPad is actually quite a shining one. I know that you can decrease the light further by way of a tweak involving a zoom function.

[datanoise]

Hi

I've been reading a lot of PDF on my inkpad 3, using koreader, and it works pretty well. I mostly read books and sometimes A4 articles, and if needed I cut the PDF file so that 1 PDF page = 1 book page as two pages in landscape mode would be rather small. For the file you linked as an example, with proper page separation it would work really well with an 8 inch ereader. (Once you find the proper software / commands separating pages is a rather quick process, and it's not needed for that many files).

The problem IMO with bigger ereaders is their pricing, but if you have the budget the latest Onyx Boox is probably a decent deal. Not sure how solid these are, and personally I'd rather avoid Android on an ereader.

You probably already checked the interwebz but I found this article about ereaders and pdf reading interesting: screen size matters, but internal software matters even more...

Good luck, and please give your feedback when you've found the perfect PDF ereader.

[heyman]

get ipad

large size erader no good contrast