LCD screens in direct sunlight

I've been using my iBook outdoors lately, on the beach (well, it's grass and rocks..but we call it a beach). The CPU and MB tempratures have been fine, but I'm wondering if prolonged direct sunlight to the LCD screen can harm it.

My LCD seems to reflect enough light, so that it's easily readable when the sun is shining straight at it. I can even turn the brightness all the way down, which is a black screen when indoors, and it's still readable. But is this likely to mess it up?

Ragnar

p.s. Maybe I should put sunblock cream on it. :-P

the screen is already reflecting light emitted from behind to make up all the colors and whatnot.
What you need to be more concerned with is the heat of the sun I think.

Scratch that - found this page: http://resnet.bridgew.edu/notebook.html

quote from it: "Keep the LCD out of direct sunlight. The harmful rays of the sun can cause serious damage."

It's a bummer that LCDs also seem crap outside. I'd really like to just sit in the garden/on the beach etc and see it clearly like a book or something. Maybe in a few years ...

apparently you can get UV filters for them.

I don't hold out much hope for UV filters being very good. Anything that reflects a lot of UV tends to degrade over time (usually not a lot of time, either).

I like to keep everything out of direct sunlight, so I live in a cave with just a small candle made of my earwax to provide light to read by. I have turned mostly transparent as a result.

This could prove handy in the ladies showers at the local Gym...

hehe, you have a dirty mind ... how could I've not detected that?

correction: I have an ordinary man's mind, which is dirty by default.

Agreed. It's certainly what I'd do if I was transparent!

yeah, like the *first* thing I'd do.

Well, i can at least see my notebook as a whole outside... ;O)

Thanks for the link, hmmm....wonder how long it will take to mess up the screen. I mean, a lot of digital cameras have LCDs that are outside all the time...wouldn't the same apply to them? What about a PSP, NintendoDS or GP2x?

There was a technology used in one of those Sony stills cameras where there were reflectors inside the screen so they would be clearly visible in bright daylight (never tried it first hand, so don't know if it works. Wonder if they've put that in any laptop.

Ragnar

p.s. I used to live in a cave too, but it got kind of boring after a while...so now I'm out in the sun with the rest of the living.

that reflector thing sounds cool.

years ago i had a really oldlaptop which had a removable back panel that you could put it bent flat on an ohp.
It also worked well in sunlight if angled down with a peice of paper on the back to diffuse the light.

Why dont great ideas stick :(

thats what tablet PC's are for, at least the flip and rotating top ones.

If they put silver foil behind the viewer, the colours might be messed up but it would look clearer in the sun.

In normal light, it'd look like crap however.


Answer? SLot in the side of the screen to pop in your rear-reflector.

These reflectors have been in use for years in little LCD toys and the like. I have tin foil behind my PSR-280 keyboard because I damaged the normal backing when cleaning the inside after one of the speakers died.

Brighter than ever!

Wait for OLED screens, thats the future.

yeah - on contact lenses :)

@Grey, Depends what gym. If i has a fetish from the chuncky variety, then sure, i'd pop down to the local gym/fat club.

OK ... waiting ... this better be good.

meanwhile, Ross C. Yeah I see your point. OK then, a university gym, then at least they had less years to get larger...

I don't live in a cave...but I avoid the sunlight like a vampire anyway. I can't stand the stuff...