Maybe way to force 24-bit color in OS X. Just checked and I'm running 1440x900 scaled at 32-bit color depth. Do you notice any quality issues running at lower color depth? If not this could be the fix for people sensitive to dithering. I have no problem with it however.

On Arch-Linux xfce, eye strain problem is gone (unsure)

JTL

Also, 99% of TN desktop monitors use dithering, although it's done in hardware so it's barely noticeable.

JTL

And if what you said about color depth eliminates dithering it should be able to be done running Windows directly on the MacBook

vinkenvvt

JTL Yes, agree. I think on Windows there is also a way to solve eye strain by forcing it to 24bit on Macbook.

Slacor

Interesting, there was another thread that using linux was causing more eyestrain then windows...
Using Linux Mint so curious why for each? Maybe different causes?

vinkenvvt

JTL 😃 Yes, quality issue exists: viewing a gradient image like Gradient Test Page, it shows few bands, but in OS X no bands at all. And Linux does poor OpenGL support, so I can't surf webs smoothly like in OS X. And touchpad completely died(😱).

I forget to mention that in Linux, there is a way to disable dithering in Xorg configuration.

And I'm not familiar with Linux/Terminal, please kill me!! It's hard to use

JTL

vinkenvvt Heh. I mainly use Linux as a server OS then a desktop OS.

Wouldn't disabling dithering cause issues as it is used to compensate for the displays lack of a full color range? I say this as you mentioned you mentioned seeing banding on that color test page.

Slacor

vinkenvvt I forget to mention that in Linux, there is a way to disable dithering in Xorg configuration.

how?

Linux terminal (bash) isn't hard! Just different (and really, really efficient once you use it for awhile) 😃

KM

vinkenvvt, what GPU do you use?

vinkenvvt

KM Iris pro only.

helloworld

I have photophobia (and I'm pretty sure I have other vision related problems as well) and a typical WIndows user. When I first installed Ubuntu I also felt a lot of headaches. I solved the issue by disabling anti-aliasing.

Keep in mind that this didn't solve my headaches / migraines. I still have them, it's just that now they are (only) as bad as they are on Windows, and not twice as bad, as they were originally with the vanilla Ubuntu installation.

vinkenvvt

helloworld Hi. The distro I installed is Arch-Linux and Xfce4 window manager. The main reason I feel eye-painless is that linux's color depth is not strong as other Operating System I guess, I think Color Dithering is turned off by default on linux. But the disadvantage is obvious that I can't watch colorful images or videos like before, because they have banding.

And because of my Macbook Pro, linux heats up quickly so I don't really want to switch to Linux. I'm still using Mac OS X.

Dithering color is major problem that causes eye problem! As much as I know, there is no way to disable it on Mac OS X. But it's possible on Windows and Linux. Try Google something like "turn off Dithering Windows", you might find some of clues. (I haven't found a solution for myself 🙁, I'm still searching .)

Have a good day

Harrison

Well vinkenvvt do you have ever tried installing an other linux (mint, ubuntu)? and disabled dithering in the xorg?

does that also help you? or is this just your arch-linux-xfce64 experience?

Same question as in the apple thread 😃

And has anybody a working soluton for disabling dithering in windows?

KM

I still get small eye strain in Linux, using the X Server and in some cases at the command line, too.
I believe it is a driver issue, because I don't have any problems in Windows using the same hardware.
I could only test my NVIDIA card and my Raspberry Pi, but they both produce the same effect in various Linux distributions, including Arch.
Raspberry Pi on RiscOS: no eye strain at all, but it is not a usable OS.
NVIDIA + deprecated "nv" driver: no eyestrain, but at the same time no hardware acceleration

Maybe the Intel Iris Pro GPU has "better" drivers. I would love to test it, but a new CPU means new mainboard, new RAM, and, in my case, a new case + power supply unit. That is too much for just a test that might not be successful. When I have to upgrade my PC in the future, I might have a look at Intel GPUs.

helloworld

Harrison Doesn't the tool in this site work for you? http://kawamoto.no-ip.org/henteko/myapp_en.html It worked for me (although it didn't help me in any way).

Slacor

I think disabling dithering is going to be specific to the graphics card..
Looking at this link shows how to disable it for AMD, but with having intel, doesn't help me at all.
If we could compile a guide on modifying xorg for major graphics cards... Nvidia, AMD, Intel, etc... that could be a extremely useful resource. Maybe something on here? http://wiki.xyzz.work/wiki/Disable_dithering_linux

Harrison

helloworld hey. as I answered you in another thread. Sadly it doesn't help me.

vinkenvvt

I think this discussion that I posted might mislead people from the true reason of eye strain of computer Graphics.

KM

Two days ago I installed the latest Arch Linux x64 + Xfce. Eye strain, if any, is very minimal. No headaches. Probably the best desktop distro, in terms of eye strain, I have tried so far. This is great.
Out of the box, "nouveau" driver, Nvidia Quadro NVS 295

I currently tend to believe the font antialiasing, as mentioned in other threads, is indeed causing some extra eye strain. I disabled it completely now and will continue to use Arch Linux for the next days.
I can even use Chromium (even hardware-accelerated), which definitely hurt under Windows.

Arch Linux is known to always have the latest packages. Maybe other distros will soon be more eye-friendly, too.

vinkenvvt, did you have eye strain before with other Linux distributions?