Boom display (on auto) - too bright for bedroom use?

[ModelCitizen]

By Boom is positioned about 0.6m from my face whilst I am in bed. I've been playing with the brightness settings but can't get them to satisfy. Setting the device to auto for all three states is the nearest I can get to what I require but the device just does not dim far enough when the room is dark and the bright display can make it quite hard to get to sleep. In fact it's 4.34am as I post this. :-(

The manual settings do not work for my usage type.

Is there any way I can reduce the brightness of the dim setting for the auto mode?

I have a late Boom with the production display. I'm on Windows and do not run ActiveState perl.

[mrthreeplates]

I agree. Love the auto dimming!, but it is still too bright in my room.
Would love to have control of the dimming range.

[ModelCitizen]

OK. Can anyone who has a problem with the Boom display being too bright at night in auto mode please sign up for this bug (CC or vote):

http://bugs.slimdevices.com/show_bug.cgi?id=9353

Cheers.

MC

[ccrome2]

Hi All,


Is the problem that the Dimmest setting (1) is too bright for you, or is the
problem that the auto-dimming doesn't go down the dimmest setting?

The setting (1) really is as dim as it gets. I worked extra hard to make it
that dim :-) The display wasn't designed for going that dim so I had to
build in extra circuitry to allow it.

-Caleb


On Sun, Aug 31, 2008 at 9:16 PM, ModelCitizen <
ModelCitizen.3f1jrb1220242802 (AT) no-mx (DOT) forums.slimdevices.com> wrote:

>
> OK. Can anyone who has a problem with the Boom display being too bright
> at night in auto mode please sign up for this bug (CC or vote):
>
> http://bugs.slimdevices.com/show_bug.cgi?id=9353
>
> Cheers.
>
> MC
>
>
> --
> ModelCitizen
>
> On average people have fewer than two feet.
>
> http://www.last.fm/user/ModelCitizen
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> ModelCitizen's Profile:
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> View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=51824
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>

[ModelCitizen]

Is the problem that the Dimmest setting (1) is too bright for you, or is the
problem that the auto-dimming doesn't go down the dimmest setting?

I'm not at my Boom so can't check for sure but I think that the dimmest manual setting (1) was OK. The problem is probably that the auto setting does not go down as far as 1. Could this be the case?

MC

[ccrome2]

On Mon, Sep 1, 2008 at 6:18 AM, ModelCitizen <
ModelCitizen.3f28rb1220275202 (AT) no-mx (DOT) forums.slimdevices.com> wrote:

>
> ccrome2;335140 Wrote:
> >
> > Is the problem that the Dimmest setting (1) is too bright for you, or
> > is the
> > problem that the auto-dimming doesn't go down the dimmest setting?
>
> I'm not at my Boom so can't check for sure but I think that the dimmest
> manual setting (1) was OK. The problem is probably that the auto setting
> does not go down as far as 1. Could this be the case?


Yes, it's possible. We're working on improving the ambient light ->
brightness algorithm.

[Howard Passman]

....some sort of windshield film in the interim to dim it somewhat? My Boom is supposed to be here the 5th so I haven't had the fun yet, but my alarm clock is proabably too close for comfort too. I may put it across the room just for the stereo effect anyway. Right now it would be pointed away from me.

Howard

[elziko]

Yes, it's possible. We're working on improving the ambient light -> brightness algorithm.

I don't have a SBB yet (waiting for it to arrive) but perhaps the problem is that the required threshold of ambient light for each level of screen brightness is subjective. The only way around that would be to allow the user to adjust it.

[fcm4711]

Hi there

If brightness is set to automatic, display brightness currently does not go to the lowest possible (i.e. 1) level in a complete dark room as some people complained it was too dim to be readable at all.

I guess we need a preference in SC allowing people to adjust what the lowest level should be when using automatic.

Felix

[Govnah]

I would also like to see the SBB quite a bit darker as well when adjusting automatically in a bright and dark room.

Thanks

[ModelCitizen]

I guess we need a preference in SC allowing people to adjust what the lowest level should be when using automatic.
Felix
Which is just what the indefatigable Andy Grundman proposed in the associated bug:
http://bugs.slimdevices.com/show_bug.cgi?id=9353

MC

[iPhone]

By Boom is positioned about 0.6m from my face whilst I am in bed. I've been playing with the brightness settings but can't get them to satisfy. Setting the device to auto for all three states is the nearest I can get to what I require but the device just does not dim far enough when the room is dark and the bright display can make it quite hard to get to sleep. In fact it's 4.34am as I post this. :-(

The manual settings do not work for my usage type.

Is there any way I can reduce the brightness of the dim setting for the auto mode?

I have a late Boom with the production display. I'm on Windows and do not run ActiveState perl.

Hey MC, Do you remember anybody talking about having a setting that changed from 8PM to 8 AM? There was some kind of thread in the Beta program about wondering if brightness could have an additional daylight/night time setting. The Boom would auto dim even darker once it saw it was after 8PM. Anybody from the Beta test remember any thread like that?

[MeSue]

In the past I had suggested brightness settings that could be dependent on time of day, but I don't think I ever made an enhancement request.

At the beginning of beta testing I did feel the display was too bright at night in the bedroom, but later I moved the Boom to the opposite side of the bedroom and now I find the dimness to be just right. I assumed work had been done to get it dimmer, but maybe it was just moving it farther away.

[mrthreeplates]

Brightness level 1 is just fine for my room, it is just that auto dimming doesn't appear to go that low in my room. Thanks.

[Mnyb]

In the past I had suggested brightness settings that could be dependent on time of day, but I don't think I ever made an enhancement request.

At the beginning of beta testing I did feel the display was too bright at night in the bedroom, but later I moved the Boom to the opposite side of the bedroom and now I find the dimness to be just right. I assumed work had been done to get it dimmer, but maybe it was just moving it farther away.

This should check for your latitude as some inhabited parts of earth has wast differences in dayligth hours depending on season.
I live in the south of Sweden where we don't have midnight sun in the summer or dark all day in the winter, but in midwinter its dark when i go to work and dark when i get home, that on an 8h workday without overtime.
Otherwise great idea.
Even better one would be simply use a sensor to detect the ambient light level as any old clock radio does.

[Paul Webster]

Even better one would be simply use a sensor to detect the ambient light level as any old clock radio does.

Unlike all prior Squeezeboxes - the Boom does have such a sensor. The issue raised here is that some people feel that it does not go dim enough when it determines that the room is dark.

[Mnyb]

Unlike all prior Squeezeboxes - the Boom does have such a sensor. The issue raised here is that some people feel that it does not go dim enough when it determines that the room is dark.

Ok then it's easy some average brightness setting for the auto mode that keeps the relative scale intact until it comes close to the bottom where it compresses on the last visible one, with some progressive action that alter the relative scale until at the minimum setting you get all things on the last visible level.

I go and vote on the bug then... seems to fixed soon anyway.
maybe i should buy one these BOOM's :)

[ModelCitizen]

maybe i should buy one these BOOM's :)
Yes, do that.

MC

[ModelCitizen]

I did some testing in an entirely dark room this morning. The auto brightness setting only dims the display down to about the same as a manual setting of 3.5.

This does seem surprisingly high.


The Boom would auto dim even darker once it saw it was after 8PM.

I don't know where you live but here at 8pm in summer it's bright daylight (well, most years anyway.... this year has sen been a bit of an exception) but in winter at 8pm it's entirely dark. And anyway.. we have electric light in our dwellings. :-)

MC

[MeSue]

Last night something weird happened with the auto-dimming. I was in the dark, using an old SB2 remote to insert a song into the playlist by pressing and holding "Add." But when I thought I pressed and held add, the Boom screen got brighter even though the light of the room did not change. My finger was no where near the brightness button so I know I did not hit that by mistake, and when I went back into brightness settings, everything was still set to automatic.

To get it back the way it was, I had to go to each brightness setting, take it off automatic, and then put it back on automatic. Strange.

I, too, can confirm that in a darkened room, the dimmest it gets on automatic is still brighter than a brightness setting of 1.

As far as the talk of brightness based on time of day... I was thinking of it as something that would be user-definable for which hours it goes into "night mode." Kind of like the auto-dim display plugin used to do when it worked right.

[ModelCitizen]

Last night something weird happened with the auto-dimming. I was in the dark, using an old SB2 remote to insert a song into the playlist by pressing and holding "Add." But when I thought I pressed and held add, the Boom screen got brighter even though the light of the room did not change. My finger was no where near the brightness button so I know I did not hit that by mistake, and when I went back into brightness settings, everything was still set to automatic.

Yes, I have my doubts that auto dimming functionality is as robust as it should be. I woke up at my usual 2.57am this morning to find that the screen had not dimmed at all and was still on full brightness despite the device being in the off setting, the room entirely dark and having set all three states to auto dim. However, just turning the device back on caused the autodimming to start working properly.

I'll post a bug when it happens again.

MC

[fcm4711]

Hello MC

Could you do me a favor and go into setup mode by pressing and holding 'left', then go into 'Current settings' - 'Factory Test' - 'Ambient light (lux)' and with the room completely dark, report here what you see on the second line?

Should be something like: "b @ 0/10+2=2 +0=2"

Thanks
Felix

[Mark Lanctot]

I agree and voted for the bug.

The Boom display can go VERY VERY dim! So dim that readability is affected for me even at 12" - 18" away from my face in a darkened room.

Boom used to go down that low in a darkened room, but as 7.2 got finalized the auto-dim minimum brightness got raised. I now have the "SB nightlight" effect again.

The minimum brightness was a little too dim for me, but the current minimum is too bright. I feel bad about it, it's like I can never be satisfied, but it's true - somewhere between current minimum and absolute minimum would be perfect for me. I've got to try out brightness level 2 - if the current auto-dim minimum seems to be "3.5" and 1 is too dim, 2 ought to be good.

I don't know what I'll do if 2 is too bright and 1 is too dim. Whine some more maybe? :-)

[ModelCitizen]

Could you do me a favor and with the room completely dark, report here what you see on the second line?
And just how am I supposed to write what I see down whilst in a completely darkened room? :-)

Lucky I have a photographic memory....

b@ 114/10+2=13 +0=13

MC

[ModelCitizen]

The minimum brightness was a little too dim for me, but the current minimum is too bright - somewhere between current minimum and absolute minimum would be perfect for me.

I've just tried it out and for me, with my face 0.6m from the device 2 is about perfect. 2.5 at a push but 3 is irritatingly too bright.

I have a feeling that 2 would suit most people. You can still see it across the room.

MC

[ModelCitizen]

I agree and voted for the bug.
In which case you may have been notified that Felix added a comment to it stating that the reading my Boom's light sensor were giving out were not as expected. Can you do me a favour Mark and look at the your Booms current settings/factory/test/display in a totally dark room (as Felix instructed me above) and post here what figures are displayed?

Anyone else here who is interested in this issue could do the same, then we'd know if it was an issue with my particular hardware or the Boom light sensor in general.


I woke up at my usual 2.57am this morning to find that the screen had not dimmed at all and was still on full brightness despite the device being in the off setting, the room entirely dark and having set all three states to auto dim.

This happened again last night. This time just a quick turn of the knob got it to auto dim in the expected couple of seconds (not too sure what state it was in when I fell sleep though. I think I'd put the sleep button onto the 60 minute setting).

MC

[ModelCitizen]

Hello MC
Could you do me a favor and go into setup mode by pressing and holding 'left', then go into 'Current settings' - 'Factory Test' - 'Ambient light (lux)' and with the room completely dark, report here what you see on the second line?
Should be something like: "b @ 0/10+2=2 +0=2"
Felix

I am not entirely sure what you mean by the second line. I can't find a *second* line. If I scroll up or down from Ambient Light (lux) I go to either Board Revisons or Button tests (and just how do you get out of the button test without pulling the power on the Boom?). If I scroll right the Ambient Light figures change every time I do it (I imagine it is taking a new reading?). I hope I gave you the reading you required though.

I've just had more of a play around with this, but as it's day here I got it under the duvet which was very dark. However, it did strike me that the reflections from the Boom display off the inside of my duvet and my face might have caused incorrect readings. What was noticeable was just how much the reading kept changing.

I got readings such as:
b@ 482/10+2=41 +0=42. The first figure varied between 200 and 512 with very small movements of the duvet (and still letting no light in).

MC

[oreillymj]

I don't see why the display just doesn't go off completely when not in use after a user defined timeout. Any button push would then bring it back on at a user defined brightness level.

So if I need to check the clock during the night I can hit the snooze button.

Why would I want the display on at all when I'm asleep?

[elziko]

Why would I want the display on at all when I'm asleep?

It depends how far the SBB is from your bed. Having to get out of bed just to check the time would be a bad thing!

[fcm4711]

Hello MC

You posted what I was looking for. I probably should have said 'bottom' line instead. Sorry about that.

Felix

[ModelCitizen]

So if I need to check the clock during the night I can hit the snooze button. Why would I want the display on at all when I'm asleep?
As someone to whom sleep is precious but hard to come by I often wake up in the middle of night and want to know the time. Having to do anything but open my eyes a smidgen severly lessens the chance that I'll get back to sleep.

The idea that an alarm clock should not display the time is wierd (imho it is an oversite that the Boom Now Playing screensaver does not include the time)

MC

[Mark Lanctot]

In which case you may have been notified that Felix added a comment to it stating that the reading my Boom's light sensor were giving out were not as expected. Can you do me a favour Mark and look at the your Booms current settings/factory/test/display in a totally dark room (as Felix instructed me above) and post here what figures are displayed?

Here's what I posted on the bug:


Simon asked me to check my ambient light sensor factory test reading in a
darkened room.

Seeing as it's daylight here, I took Boom with me into the bathroom :-) (no
window here) and closed the door. It was very dark, I couldn't see the paper I
was writing on, but here's the reading I wrote:

b@ 0/10+2=2 +0=2

Same as Felix's and is probably indicating the lowest value it can record.

However the bedroom at night is brighter than this - the blind doesn't seal out
all light and there's a streetlight right outside the window. It's still quite
dark in there but not as dark.

I'll take a reading under those conditions but it'll take a few days as I'm
going on a business trip.

[ModelCitizen]

Cheers Mark.
I live in the middle of the country. No street lights near me. At night in our bedroom it can be very dark (unless perhaps, there's a full moon)

My test under the duvet began to make me think that the sensor on the Boom was so sensitive that it might even read the light of it's own display reflected back from my face 06.m away. And due to the current software calibration this stopped it from going dim enough (a sort of display/face/sensor feedback loop).

Maybe a way to sort it out would be to make the "darkness floor" a fair bit higher (somewhere above 500 even).

MC

[Mark Lanctot]

Cheers Mark.
I live in the middle of the country. No street lights near me. At night in our bedroom it can be very dark (unless perhaps, there's a full moon)

My test under the duvet began to make me think that the sensor on the Boom was so sensitive that it might even read the light of it's own display reflected back from my face 06.m away. And due to the current software calibration this stopped it from going dim enough (a sort of display/face/sensor feedback loop).

Maybe a way to sort it out would be to make the "darkness floor" a fair bit higher (somewhere above 500 even).

MC

This makes a lot of sense to me. Boom is almost facing the side of the bed, a nice super-reflective white mattress. The mattress is lower though, not in line with the sensor. However it's only about 12-18" away from it and my face as well.

Definitely at night Boom lights up the side of the bed and may be reading its own light.

I can say the only other time Boom auto brightness is sub-optimal is in the late afternoon. I keep the blinds up all the time but in late afternoon it's fairly bright in there. However the Boom display is so dim I have to put my face right up to it to read it.

[iPhone]

I don't know where you live but here at 8pm in summer it's bright daylight (well, most years anyway.... this year has sen been a bit of an exception) but in winter at 8pm it's entirely dark. And anyway.. we have electric light in our dwellings. :-)

MC

I just pulled 8PM out of a hat as the average for this time of year and just as an example. In August it stays light until 9PM, it is now starting to get dark around 8:30 and soon it will be dark at 8:00.

The comment about lights strikes me as odd. Most of us with a Boom have electric lights and that is what the sensor is for in the first place. Even if there were a "go darker" time established, it would not prevent the sensor from seeing that the lights were on and the display going full bright when they were on. But it would enable the display to go much darker when the lights were off. Which was what I thought you were driving at.

It might even be possible for folks to enter their grid square or Lat/Long allowing everything to be automatic with that information. My replys to your thread have just been thoughts I have been throwing around as possible solutions or things we might try programming and then looking at.

[ModelCitizen]

The comment about lights strikes me as odd.
Sorry. I was tired.
The Boom has an ambient light sensor. As long as that works correctly all the talk about times of day, time zones etc is superfluous. The emphasis can only be on making the in-built sensor and associated software work correctly.

MC

[iPhone]

Sorry. I was tired.
The Boom has an ambient light sensor. As long as that works correctly all the talk about times of day, time zones etc is superfluous. The emphasis can only be on making the in-built sensor and associated software work correctly.

MC

I do agree completely, but don't you see an issue of what is dark enough for me might not be dark enough for you or somebody else. Don't you think adding the ability to have it go even darker during a set time of day could be a solution. WebUI controlled just like setting alarms would solve the issue for everybody by having a daytime/night time setting that doesn't effect how bright it gets if the lights are on, only how dark it goes at night between X and Y.

There was one setting during the Beta that worked perfectly for me at night (it is just a little to bright at night now), but whatever it was doing made the sensor not respond well to the new CFL bulbs I have in my office and bedrooms. Personally if the sensor is mounted facing forward, I am of the opinion that it needs to be facing upward at the top of the Boom. The new 28 Watt CFL bulbs may equal a 100W bulb in total output, but they are not the glaring white light of the 100W old bulbs. The sensor reads the two sources very differently from the same bulb location.

[ModelCitizen]

I do agree completely, but don't you see an issue of what is dark enough for me might not be dark enough for you or somebody else. Don't you think adding the ability to have it go even darker during a set time of day could be a solution.
I think it would be enough for a user to set the minimum brightness with a slider as Andy suggests in the bug. Getting into programmable times of day just adds a horrible layer of complexity to the area for very little benefit (or maybe the benefit of a very few, but I find even that doubtful).

MC

[stanger89]

I just got my SBB (my first SB) and I'm loving it. But I too have noticed this. A search brought me here, and I can just echo the sentiment that allowing the user to tweak the Auto brightness settings. I'm guessing my room must be darker than many because I have my SBB set to 1 when off and that's just perfect at night, I can read it across the room.

I will add though an idea/wish I had. I'd love to be able to have two different settings for the automatic brightness control. The current functionality is just right as far as auto brightness goes when the SBB is in use. However auto doesn't currently go low enough in a black room for when it's off, and also, I think it really goes brighter than necessary probably when it's not in use as well.