Icarus eXcel (M92) and PDFs

[dead115]

When I bought Icarus eXcel (M92 rebrand, launched on 2012, 800 Mhz processor), I thought it would be much faster than my old Kindle DX (bought on 2010, 532 Mhz processor). However, it's exactly the opposite: PDF files take more time to be loaded, and eXcel is slower when changing (refreshing) pages.

For instance, a 7.8 Mb PDF (scanned pages, 300 dpi, b&w, landscape view) takes full 3 seconds to refresh a new page. Kindle DX takes a bit more than 1 second to do the same job.

Why?

[slex]

I have a Kindle 4 NT and I don't see a considerable difference in page turning speed of pdfs compared to my Onyx M92. I have tried only text-based pdfs on my Kindle, however.

[Defenderland]

dead115,
can you upload the PDF?

[dead115]

Originally Posted by slex

I have a Kindle 4 NT and I don't see a considerable difference in page turning speed of pdfs compared to my Onyx M92. I have tried only text-based pdfs on my Kindle, however.

You're right, both have a refresh rate almost identical for text-based PDFs. However, for files based on scanned pages (300 dpi resolution), the situation changes drastically.

I hope my device is not defective.

[dead115]

Originally Posted by Defenderland

dead115,
can you upload the PDF?

Yes. Thank you, Defenderland.

Here's that specific PDF I mentioned, around 8 Mb in size. Unfortunately, I have the same problem with any of my files based on scanned pages.

[Defenderland]

Same speed here (2,7 - 3,2 s).

[dead115]

Originally Posted by Defenderland

Same speed here (2,7 - 3,2 s).

Here's a video.
Kindle DX and Icarus eXcel side by side.
Same PDF, same page.
Completely different refresh rate.

[maindoor]

Looks like page turning on kindle is super-optimized.
There is an option in M92 to not refresh after every page turn.
Can you try out that option ?

[slex]

Originally Posted by Defenderland

Same speed here (2,7 - 3,2 s).

I get page turn speed of < 2 seconds - somewhat faster than the M92 on the video but not as fast as the Kindle.

I get faster page turns with the djvu version of the file. I upload it for you to test and compare. In my opinion scanned books are better in djvu format.

[dead115]

Originally Posted by maindoor

Looks like page turning on kindle is super-optimized.
There is an option in M92 to not refresh after every page turn.
Can you try out that option ?

I set "screen update" option to refresh after 9 pages, but there isn't any noticeable change in refresh rates.

[kodomo]

Originally Posted by dead115

I set "screen update" option to refresh after 9 pages, but there isn't any noticeable change in refresh rates.

This option serves the purpose to save battery power rather than gaining speed.
If you consider how an E-Ink display works (there's an explanation in the mobileread wiki), you can figure that there's a difference in power needed
- to update parts of the screen
- to update the whole screen, accepting visible artifacts
- to reset the whole screen to avoid artifacts.
This option sets the frequency to do the latter.

If changing this setting makes any difference in speed, I'd reckon it is in a completely different order of magnitude (much smaller than what you're looking for).

[dead115]

Originally Posted by slex

I get page turn speed of < 2 seconds - somewhat faster than the M92 on the video but not as fast as the Kindle.

I get faster page turns with the djvu version of the file. I upload it for you to test and compare. In my opinion scanned books are better in djvu format.

Amazing!
It works much better than the original PDF.
Decent refresh rate.
Thanks a lot.

[dead115]

Originally Posted by kodomo

This option serves the purpose to save battery power rather than gaining speed.
If you consider how an E-Ink display works (there's an explanation in the mobileread wiki), you can figure that there's a difference in power needed
- to update parts of the screen
- to update the whole screen, accepting visible artifacts
- to reset the whole screen to avoid artifacts.
This option sets the frequency to do the latter.

If changing this setting makes any difference in speed, I'd reckon it is in a completely different order of magnitude (much smaller than what you're looking for).

Thanks, Kodomo.

[dead115]

Originally Posted by dead115

Amazing!
It works much better than the original PDF.
Decent refresh rate.
Thanks a lot.

But then I see that some tools are not available for DJVUs in eXcel/M92.
Glyph embolden, for exemple.

[dead115]

Icarus eXcel is newer than Kindle DX and has a better processor. Why does it take so long to refresh a new page when dealing with PDF files?

On the other side, DJVUs files have a very good refresh rate.

Could that be a software issue?