6" screens of comparable contrast to the PRS-300's (besides 505)

Starter · 11-05-2009, 04:30 PM

I busted my ereader cherry with a 600, which I returned after a day due to contrast and glare issues. I picked up a 300, which is great, and I may indeed end up keeping... but I wish I had a bit larger screen.

The 505 sounds good, since I'm hearing it's basically the 300 with a few more features... but I also understand that it handles PDF's poorly, indeed worse than the 300, despite the 300's smaller screen... and I need to read PDF's. Not technical graphics mind you, but procedural text documents that differ from a book's format.

The most important thing to me with a reader is text clarity. I need the screen to glare-free (as glare-free as clear plastic or glass can be, at any rate), and have excellent contrast.

Any suggestions? What does the grapevine say about how the upcoming Nook's screen will perform, for instance? Thanks very much!

gwynevans · 11-05-2009, 07:08 PM

I'd check that report about the PDF's on the 505, as I'd not heard that the 300 was any better than the 505 - hopefully someone will comment.

Otherwise it would seem to provide a larger screen (but not more pixels), but for a substantial improvement in PDF handling you either need to pay a lot more for an iRex, consider a Kindle DX, which only lets you view PDFs page by page but not interact with them, or keep waiting to see what ships next year.

wallcraft · 11-05-2009, 09:41 PM

There really should not be much difference between 6" EInk screens that don't include a touch screen layer. There is only one source for Vizplex film and only one (or now perhaps two) factories making the screens.

On the other hand the controller and the greyscales might make a bit of a difference, and the PRS-505 has a reputation as a "best of breed" screen. Note that more greyscales are not necessarily better, the Kindle 2's standard font is washed out due to 16-way anti-aliasing.

The Astak EZ Reader Basic is a good alternative to the Sony's. It has a more up to date version of mobile Adobe Digital Editions than all the current Sony devices (although I have not noticed this making much difference for PDFs).

Some devices (Sony's and EZ Reader's) with ADE implement reflow for PDFs and others implment zoom (magnifying part of the page). I have not seen any information on which approach the Nook will use (it could allow both, as does the PRS-600). So if you care about PDFs it would be safest to wait for detailed reviews of the Nook.

HarryT · 11-06-2009, 03:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallcraft

Note that more greyscales are not necessarily better, the Kindle 2's standard font is washed out due to 16-way anti-aliasing.

I'm not sure what you mean by that. When I compare my Kindle 2 side-by-side with any of my other devices, the K2's fonts certainly don't look any more "washed-out" to me!

Star56 · 11-09-2009, 06:27 AM

I have owned the Kindle 2 (returned...the screen was murky, greenish with terrible contrast) and currently own two Kindle 1's. The K1 screen is quite nice and very readable.

BUT...my new PSR-300 screen is in another league. This is as paper white as I could ever hope for on an ereader. Also the sharpness of the text is significantly better than the K1.

Plus the Sony does a great job with two, out of print pdf books I have. The K1 conversion mangles the text.

terekkincaid · 11-09-2009, 09:33 AM

It looks like we might actually have a winner for the nook here. It handles PDFs natively, and can reflow them, so if you're not trying to deal with graphics, it should work for you. For the price, it's probably the clearest 6" out now (well, soonish).

11-05-2009, 04:30 PM	#1
Starter Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: prs-600	6" screens of comparable contrast to the PRS-300's (besides 505) I busted my ereader cherry with a 600, which I returned after a day due to contrast and glare issues. I picked up a 300, which is great, and I may indeed end up keeping... but I wish I had a bit larger screen. The 505 sounds good, since I'm hearing it's basically the 300 with a few more features... but I also understand that it handles PDF's poorly, indeed worse than the 300, despite the 300's smaller screen... and I need to read PDF's. Not technical graphics mind you, but procedural text documents that differ from a book's format. The most important thing to me with a reader is text clarity. I need the screen to glare-free (as glare-free as clear plastic or glass can be, at any rate), and have excellent contrast. Any suggestions? What does the grapevine say about how the upcoming Nook's screen will perform, for instance? Thanks very much!

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11-05-2009, 07:08 PM	#2
gwynevans Wizzard Posts: 1,402 Karma: 2000000 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: iPad 2, iPhone 6s, Kindle Voyage & Kindle PaperWhite	I'd check that report about the PDF's on the 505, as I'd not heard that the 300 was any better than the 505 - hopefully someone will comment. Otherwise it would seem to provide a larger screen (but not more pixels), but for a substantial improvement in PDF handling you either need to pay a lot more for an iRex, consider a Kindle DX, which only lets you view PDFs page by page but not interact with them, or keep waiting to see what ships next year.

11-05-2009, 09:41 PM	#3
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,977 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	There really should not be much difference between 6" EInk screens that don't include a touch screen layer. There is only one source for Vizplex film and only one (or now perhaps two) factories making the screens. On the other hand the controller and the greyscales might make a bit of a difference, and the PRS-505 has a reputation as a "best of breed" screen. Note that more greyscales are not necessarily better, the Kindle 2's standard font is washed out due to 16-way anti-aliasing. The Astak EZ Reader Basic is a good alternative to the Sony's. It has a more up to date version of mobile Adobe Digital Editions than all the current Sony devices (although I have not noticed this making much difference for PDFs). Some devices (Sony's and EZ Reader's) with ADE implement reflow for PDFs and others implment zoom (magnifying part of the page). I have not seen any information on which approach the Nook will use (it could allow both, as does the PRS-600). So if you care about PDFs it would be safest to wait for detailed reviews of the Nook.

11-09-2009, 06:27 AM	#5
Star56 Member Posts: 19 Karma: 6060 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle, Sony Psr-300, Sony Psr-505	I have owned the Kindle 2 (returned...the screen was murky, greenish with terrible contrast) and currently own two Kindle 1's. The K1 screen is quite nice and very readable. BUT...my new PSR-300 screen is in another league. This is as paper white as I could ever hope for on an ereader. Also the sharpness of the text is significantly better than the K1. Plus the Sony does a great job with two, out of print pdf books I have. The K1 conversion mangles the text.

11-09-2009, 09:33 AM	#6
terekkincaid Connoisseur Posts: 58 Karma: 196 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: nook	It looks like we might actually have a winner for the nook here. It handles PDFs natively, and can reflow them, so if you're not trying to deal with graphics, it should work for you. For the price, it's probably the clearest 6" out now (well, soonish).

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