Kindle 2 flaw: Lighter text causing headaches?

sirbruce · 03-09-2009, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Whenever a next-generation version of a product is launched, inevitably you get comparisons to the previous model--and what the older model did better. Well, in the case of the Kindle 2, the nitpicking is in full swing as several blogs have taken up the debate over whether the Kindle 2's text is lighter than the original Kindle's.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10191483-1.html

alphabet55 · 03-09-2009, 05:41 PM

Interesting read. It's sad to think that the Kindle 2 is causing headaches for some people. Amazon should just give the end-user the option to choose text and background lightness/darkness.

That ghosting thing sounds irritating. Is it as bad as the article makes it seem? I'd like to know before I get a Kindle 2. D:

Keeyum · 03-09-2009, 05:56 PM

With mine that the ghosting is not very common. I rarely have any ghosting on my screen. It happens occasionally, more often than not when I have the screen saver on then switch the system back on, yet nothing so serious to send mine back at least. I don't remember seeing any ghosting on anything aside from the turning back on from screen saver mode.

Dragoro · 03-09-2009, 06:24 PM

I read on the 2nd smallest font and have no probs at all.

sirbruce · 03-09-2009, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alphabet55

Interesting read. It's sad to think that the Kindle 2 is causing headaches for some people. Amazon should just give the end-user the option to choose text and background lightness/darkness.

That ghosting thing sounds irritating. Is it as bad as the article makes it seem? I'd like to know before I get a Kindle 2. D:

The ghosting issue exists, but it's *mostly* just a problem in the status bars at the top and bottom of the page. When you come out of sleep mode, those don't fully refresh, and when you hit the next page button, only the text of the book is refreshed, not the status bars. It's *not* a problem for reading at all, nor does it make the status bars hard to read either. But if you're obsessive-compulsive about anything looking 'off', then yeah, it might bug you and require you to Alt-G to refresh the screen.

The only other time I've seen ghosting is after viewing some particular images but not others. Again, Alt-G fixes the issue.

lilac_jive · 03-09-2009, 06:36 PM

Sweet, MR is quoted in that article

NavyDad6 · 03-09-2009, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dragoro

I read on the 2nd smallest font and have no probs at all.

Ditto.

JMikeD · 03-09-2009, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alphabet55

Amazon should just give the end-user the option to choose text and background lightness/darkness.
:

This may very well be something that is not adjustable. It may depend on variations in the manufacturing process.

Ervserver · 03-09-2009, 10:52 PM

Wonder if the lighter text has something to do with the increase in battery life, does it take less juice to produce a lighter text each screen refresh?

RickyMaveety · 03-09-2009, 10:55 PM

Oh well. I hope that isn't the case, but if there really is some connection, then it'll be one more reason that I'm happy I'm sticking with my K1.

AnemicOak · 03-09-2009, 10:58 PM

The text on my K2 is no lighter than the text on my Sony 505. We loaded them up the other day and did a side by side. The Sony's font is heavier making the K2's something to get used to, but after a few books, no problems here.

emellaich · 03-09-2009, 11:31 PM

It's a guess, but I think I know why the K2 font looks lighter. I think its due to the increased levels of gray scale.

Over the years, I've noticed this on graphics I've worked on. Turn a graphic from black to grayscale or turn on anti-aliasing. It makes the edges look smoother. However, when you have a really thin line you can have problems.

Say the line is narrower than one pixel. With black and white only you can only show the line through a black pixel. With gray scale you can use a gray pixel to indicate that the entire pixel is not black.

As a result thin lines, like the lines of small fonts, are gray instead of black and they are not as visible on the grayish e-ink background.

Michael

elainevdw · 03-11-2009, 12:52 AM

Thanks for posting that article -- it makes me feel SO much better. I'm a first-time e-reader owner with a Kindle 2, and it was hard for me to figure out if my Kindle was hard to read because of the screen or because of the lighting in my house. (I'm thinking it's a bit of both, but mostly the lighting in my house.) I also started noticing ghosting after using it for about a week. At first I thought it was because my screen is degrading (oh noes!!!) .... but now I'm thinking that I only just started noticing it after seeing complaints about it online. It also helps knowing that ALL of these problems could likely be fixed by a future firmware upgrade.

freecia · 03-11-2009, 01:57 AM

I currently have 2 k2's side by side and I feel there's a difference in contrast. One is going back due to the sunlight fading issue and that's the lighter one. I've always felt the faulty screen's contrast was a bit less, but I also have a K1.

So perhaps not all k2 screens are equal? I need to test the new one out in full sunlight tomorrow.

Slow_hand · 03-11-2009, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emellaich

It's a guess, but I think I know why the K2 font looks lighter. I think its due to the increased levels of gray scale.

Over the years, I've noticed this on graphics I've worked on. Turn a graphic from black to grayscale or turn on anti-aliasing. It makes the edges look smoother. However, when you have a really thin line you can have problems.

Say the line is narrower than one pixel. With black and white only you can only show the line through a black pixel. With gray scale you can use a gray pixel to indicate that the entire pixel is not black.

As a result thin lines, like the lines of small fonts, are gray instead of black and they are not as visible on the grayish e-ink background.

Michael

Bingo! I looked very closely at the fonts and it is the anti-aliasing, used to "round" the turns on the letters that reduces contrast. They use a lighter shade to do this. Letters like lower case "l" are just as dark on the K2 as the K1. Oh the dangers of unintended consequences - to "pretty up" the fonts, they lost contrast, a side effect I do not like at all.

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03-09-2009, 05:41 PM	#2
alphabet55 Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Possibly a Kindle 2	Interesting read. It's sad to think that the Kindle 2 is causing headaches for some people. Amazon should just give the end-user the option to choose text and background lightness/darkness. That ghosting thing sounds irritating. Is it as bad as the article makes it seem? I'd like to know before I get a Kindle 2. D:

03-09-2009, 05:56 PM	#3
Keeyum Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: California Device: Kindle 2	With mine that the ghosting is not very common. I rarely have any ghosting on my screen. It happens occasionally, more often than not when I have the screen saver on then switch the system back on, yet nothing so serious to send mine back at least. I don't remember seeing any ghosting on anything aside from the turning back on from screen saver mode.

03-09-2009, 06:24 PM	#4
Dragoro Lovecraft Fan Posts: 414 Karma: 539914 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Michigan Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2, Kindle Touch	I read on the 2nd smallest font and have no probs at all.

03-09-2009, 06:36 PM	#6
lilac_jive Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,870 Karma: 27376 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Device: PRS-505	Sweet, MR is quoted in that article

03-09-2009, 10:52 PM	#9
Ervserver Wizard Posts: 2,624 Karma: 1008294 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch	Wonder if the lighter text has something to do with the increase in battery life, does it take less juice to produce a lighter text each screen refresh?

03-09-2009, 10:55 PM	#10
RickyMaveety Holy S**T!!! Posts: 5,213 Karma: 108401 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: San Diego, California!! Device: Kindle and iPad	Oh well. I hope that isn't the case, but if there really is some connection, then it'll be one more reason that I'm happy I'm sticking with my K1.

03-09-2009, 10:58 PM	#11
AnemicOak Bookaholic Posts: 14,391 Karma: 54969924 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Minnesota Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +	The text on my K2 is no lighter than the text on my Sony 505. We loaded them up the other day and did a side by side. The Sony's font is heavier making the K2's something to get used to, but after a few books, no problems here.

03-09-2009, 11:31 PM	#12
emellaich Wizard Posts: 1,101 Karma: 4388403 Join Date: Oct 2007 Device: Palm>Ebookman>IPaq>Axim>Cybook>Kndl2>IPAD>Kndl3SO>Voyager>Oasis	It's a guess, but I think I know why the K2 font looks lighter. I think its due to the increased levels of gray scale. Over the years, I've noticed this on graphics I've worked on. Turn a graphic from black to grayscale or turn on anti-aliasing. It makes the edges look smoother. However, when you have a really thin line you can have problems. Say the line is narrower than one pixel. With black and white only you can only show the line through a black pixel. With gray scale you can use a gray pixel to indicate that the entire pixel is not black. As a result thin lines, like the lines of small fonts, are gray instead of black and they are not as visible on the grayish e-ink background. Michael

03-11-2009, 12:52 AM	#13
elainevdw Member Posts: 22 Karma: 18 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Reno, NV, USA Device: Kindle 2	Thanks for posting that article -- it makes me feel SO much better. I'm a first-time e-reader owner with a Kindle 2, and it was hard for me to figure out if my Kindle was hard to read because of the screen or because of the lighting in my house. (I'm thinking it's a bit of both, but mostly the lighting in my house.) I also started noticing ghosting after using it for about a week. At first I thought it was because my screen is degrading (oh noes!!!) .... but now I'm thinking that I only just started noticing it after seeing complaints about it online. It also helps knowing that ALL of these problems could likely be fixed by a future firmware upgrade.

03-11-2009, 01:57 AM	#14
freecia Enthusiast Posts: 49 Karma: 378 Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: CA Device: kindle 3 3g+wifi, kindle 2, kindle 1	I currently have 2 k2's side by side and I feel there's a difference in contrast. One is going back due to the sunlight fading issue and that's the lighter one. I've always felt the faulty screen's contrast was a bit less, but I also have a K1. So perhaps not all k2 screens are equal? I need to test the new one out in full sunlight tomorrow.

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