Just picked up the 600, screen seems very grey

Pangolin · 02-18-2010, 06:43 AM

Hi - I have just got the 600, had it about a week or so. Generally I'm very happy with it. But I'm worried that I may have a faulty screen.

Even in good, strong light the screen is a dull grey. I'm not expecting back lighting of any sort, I know eink technology is grey scale and so on. But I'm talking mid grey here.

I also appreciate that talking about colours is very tricky and that what I see on a monitor may not be accurate. (Youtube reviews really seem whiter.) But having said all that, could other owners let me know if they would call their 'pages' almost white, a little off white or definitely grey? My screen is very definitely grey.

i suppose for a definitive idea I'll have to find my nearest Sony shop, but I don't know if the 600 is sold in Belgium, I got mine sent to my parents in the UK.

Could some kind person also let me know if the 'greyness' of the pages is the same across models? Not talking screen issues here (glare/reflection aside). If I found another model of reader in a Sony shop, could I expect the colour of the page to be the same and so use it to compare? i know there are contrast issues, I'm not talking about any fuzziness on the letters themselves, just the background colour.

Many thanks

dink · 02-18-2010, 06:49 AM

I have a Sony Pocket Reader. The screen is grey and definitely not white. For example http://www.reader-e.com/sony_pocket_reader_silver.jpg

I kinda think of the whole e-ink thing like an old itch-a-sketch toy. Ive never seen an ebook reader with a white screen (though thats not to say one doesnt exist).

dink · 02-18-2010, 06:53 AM

That should be 'etch-a-sketch'. An 'itch-a-skretch' is something else entirely.

Pangolin · 02-18-2010, 07:02 AM

I rather like 'itch-a-sketch'.
Hmmmm......

I'm wondering if it is related to a battery calibration issue. The reader is new and i've only topped up the battery when it dropped down a bar. Now I remember that the calibration and battery status indicator can be a little 'out' until completely discharged and then recharged a few times, pref using a wall charger.

Soooooo, although the battery monitor is not below one bar down, perhaps, in fact the battery is much less charged and that is having an effect on the screen.

I have it on recharge now and I'll see what the screen looks like after a full charge.

Berylmary · 02-18-2010, 07:17 AM

My PRS 600 screen is appreciably more grey than my PRS 300, at least 2 shades greyer if you can describe it like that. I have them side by side as I write. I have always thought it had something to do with the extra layer to make the 600 a touch screen. The 600 is still easy to read except in dim light when you need a Mighty Bright reading light described in another thread. The search and dictionary facilities more than make up for this for me.

Lord Hutton · 02-18-2010, 07:25 AM

The background is grey! On another thread (somewhere on here) the "darker" grey is attributed to the touchscreen technology, i.e. whatever is in the make up of the screen.

poshm · 02-18-2010, 07:27 AM

The Sony 600 definitely has the dullest grey background of my eink devices and I can only suspect that might be because of the addition of the touch screen which my pocketbook and kindle don't have. I guess to be sure you'd have to compare it side by side with the Sony prs 300.

ziegl027 · 02-18-2010, 10:28 AM

The background is definately greyish, much more so with poor lighting. I find it acceptable, personally, it's similar to the greyish or tannish background of a newspaper or cheap paperback unless I'm in very dim light. Perfect, no. But worth the tradeoff of being able to take notes on it and replace those jillions of sticky notes that I otherwise have in my life. If I were to be exclusively using the device to read, I would probably go with something that had reportedly better screen contrast.

FWIW, I also find the infamous glare similar (actually, usually less) than what I encounter with slick-print items. I actually did a side-by side of the reader and a magazine on my kitchen counter with bright overhead lights. Couldn't read the mag at all. The reader again wasn't perfect, but it had a much smaller area of unreadable glare that I could work around much more easily.

Laurentiu · 02-18-2010, 01:28 PM

It is grey, indeed. I also expected to be whiter (not, quite like Snow White), but it's not. You'll get used to it!

Xochipilli2012 · 02-18-2010, 02:57 PM

I'll second Laurentiu's comment that "You'll get used to it!"

When I first got my PRS-600, the background grey was more noticeable than I expected, although my expectations were mostly managed ahead of time, thanks to this forum. At first I resorted to a Mighty Bright Xtra Flex book light when the grey was too much under certain reading conditions. The high color temperature of this light really improved the contrast of the Sony Reader.

But over time I've found myself not bothering with the light, except when reading in the dark, and discovered that I had gotten used to the grey background.

After a minor brush with 'buyer's remorse' I'm finding that I'm loving my PRS-600 the more I use it. It's proving to be a really worthwhile piece of kit.

Good luck!

Pangolin · 02-19-2010, 12:28 PM

Thanks everyone. I popped into a Sony shop today to a quick comparison and my screen is completely normal, so yes, guess i'll just get used to it.

Generally I am very happy with the reader. Just a little taken aback with the colour. The person who mentions the screen being better than a glossy magazine is right, that shininess would be much worse. The glare of the touchscreen doesn't worry me, being much less than a glossy mag.

So yes, a good light and also, I find, putting the text on medium is a good move. When the font's small (which I would prefer since the size of the small font is fine for me), the contrast seems fuzzier. I suppose a lot of smaller dark letters makes the overall screen seem greyer.

Thanks for all advice/opinions and happy reading.

Kolenka · 02-19-2010, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poshm

The Sony 600 definitely has the dullest grey background of my eink devices and I can only suspect that might be because of the addition of the touch screen which my pocketbook and kindle don't have. I guess to be sure you'd have to compare it side by side with the Sony prs 300.

It is the touch screen... no suspicions about it. The screen is basically the same one used in the 505, but when the touch layer reflects say, 30% of the light that hits it, then the screen will look that much dimmer.

02-18-2010, 06:43 AM	#1
Pangolin Pangolin Posts: 204 Karma: 1243880 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Brussels, Belgium Device: PW 2	Just picked up the 600, screen seems very grey Hi - I have just got the 600, had it about a week or so. Generally I'm very happy with it. But I'm worried that I may have a faulty screen. Even in good, strong light the screen is a dull grey. I'm not expecting back lighting of any sort, I know eink technology is grey scale and so on. But I'm talking mid grey here. I also appreciate that talking about colours is very tricky and that what I see on a monitor may not be accurate. (Youtube reviews really seem whiter.) But having said all that, could other owners let me know if they would call their 'pages' almost white, a little off white or definitely grey? My screen is very definitely grey. i suppose for a definitive idea I'll have to find my nearest Sony shop, but I don't know if the 600 is sold in Belgium, I got mine sent to my parents in the UK. Could some kind person also let me know if the 'greyness' of the pages is the same across models? Not talking screen issues here (glare/reflection aside). If I found another model of reader in a Sony shop, could I expect the colour of the page to be the same and so use it to compare? i know there are contrast issues, I'm not talking about any fuzziness on the letters themselves, just the background colour. Many thanks

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02-18-2010, 06:49 AM	#2
dink Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: PRS-300	I have a Sony Pocket Reader. The screen is grey and definitely not white. For example http://www.reader-e.com/sony_pocket_reader_silver.jpg I kinda think of the whole e-ink thing like an old itch-a-sketch toy. Ive never seen an ebook reader with a white screen (though thats not to say one doesnt exist).

02-18-2010, 06:53 AM	#3
dink Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: PRS-300	That should be 'etch-a-sketch'. An 'itch-a-skretch' is something else entirely.

02-18-2010, 07:02 AM	#4
Pangolin Pangolin Posts: 204 Karma: 1243880 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Brussels, Belgium Device: PW 2	I rather like 'itch-a-sketch'. Hmmmm...... I'm wondering if it is related to a battery calibration issue. The reader is new and i've only topped up the battery when it dropped down a bar. Now I remember that the calibration and battery status indicator can be a little 'out' until completely discharged and then recharged a few times, pref using a wall charger. Soooooo, although the battery monitor is not below one bar down, perhaps, in fact the battery is much less charged and that is having an effect on the screen. I have it on recharge now and I'll see what the screen looks like after a full charge.

02-18-2010, 07:17 AM	#5
Berylmary Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Bury St Edmunds Suffolk Device: Cybook Opus, iPod Touch 3G, Sony PRS600, iPhone 3Gs	My PRS 600 screen is appreciably more grey than my PRS 300, at least 2 shades greyer if you can describe it like that. I have them side by side as I write. I have always thought it had something to do with the extra layer to make the 600 a touch screen. The 600 is still easy to read except in dim light when you need a Mighty Bright reading light described in another thread. The search and dictionary facilities more than make up for this for me.

02-18-2010, 07:25 AM	#6
Lord Hutton Member Posts: 12 Karma: 14 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Hutton, Essex UK Device: PRS600	The background is grey! On another thread (somewhere on here) the "darker" grey is attributed to the touchscreen technology, i.e. whatever is in the make up of the screen.

02-18-2010, 07:27 AM	#7
poshm Fanatic Posts: 581 Karma: 1003580 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Cambs, UK Device: PocketBook 360, Sony Reader Touch, Ipod touch & Kindle 2	The Sony 600 definitely has the dullest grey background of my eink devices and I can only suspect that might be because of the addition of the touch screen which my pocketbook and kindle don't have. I guess to be sure you'd have to compare it side by side with the Sony prs 300.

02-18-2010, 10:28 AM	#8
ziegl027 Addict Posts: 264 Karma: 764 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Minnesota Device: Sony Touch, Kindle DXG	The background is definately greyish, much more so with poor lighting. I find it acceptable, personally, it's similar to the greyish or tannish background of a newspaper or cheap paperback unless I'm in very dim light. Perfect, no. But worth the tradeoff of being able to take notes on it and replace those jillions of sticky notes that I otherwise have in my life. If I were to be exclusively using the device to read, I would probably go with something that had reportedly better screen contrast. FWIW, I also find the infamous glare similar (actually, usually less) than what I encounter with slick-print items. I actually did a side-by side of the reader and a magazine on my kitchen counter with bright overhead lights. Couldn't read the mag at all. The reader again wasn't perfect, but it had a much smaller area of unreadable glare that I could work around much more easily.

02-18-2010, 01:28 PM	#9
Laurentiu Connoisseur Posts: 94 Karma: 78 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Germany Device: iPad 2, Sony PRS-600 (no longer used)	It is grey, indeed. I also expected to be whiter (not, quite like Snow White), but it's not. You'll get used to it!

02-18-2010, 02:57 PM	#10
Xochipilli2012 Zealot Posts: 101 Karma: 38 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Seattle Device: Red PRS-600, Slate Blue Astak EZReader Pocket Pro	I'll second Laurentiu's comment that "You'll get used to it!" When I first got my PRS-600, the background grey was more noticeable than I expected, although my expectations were mostly managed ahead of time, thanks to this forum. At first I resorted to a Mighty Bright Xtra Flex book light when the grey was too much under certain reading conditions. The high color temperature of this light really improved the contrast of the Sony Reader. But over time I've found myself not bothering with the light, except when reading in the dark, and discovered that I had gotten used to the grey background. After a minor brush with 'buyer's remorse' I'm finding that I'm loving my PRS-600 the more I use it. It's proving to be a really worthwhile piece of kit. Good luck!

02-19-2010, 12:28 PM	#11
Pangolin Pangolin Posts: 204 Karma: 1243880 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Brussels, Belgium Device: PW 2	Thanks everyone. I popped into a Sony shop today to a quick comparison and my screen is completely normal, so yes, guess i'll just get used to it. Generally I am very happy with the reader. Just a little taken aback with the colour. The person who mentions the screen being better than a glossy magazine is right, that shininess would be much worse. The glare of the touchscreen doesn't worry me, being much less than a glossy mag. So yes, a good light and also, I find, putting the text on medium is a good move. When the font's small (which I would prefer since the size of the small font is fine for me), the contrast seems fuzzier. I suppose a lot of smaller dark letters makes the overall screen seem greyer. Thanks for all advice/opinions and happy reading.

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