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Does the gamma solution lower the power use like a proper brightness reduction? And if so, by the same amount? Did you ever attempt to reach out to Apple about

Does the gamma solution lower the power use like a proper brightness reduction? And if so, by the same amount? Did you ever attempt to reach out to Apple about how this should be implemented on the new kernel? I would hope there's some forum for this kind of question still.

alin23 5y ago
Unfortunately no, Gamma doesnt reduce the power consumption of the LED backlight of the monitor. It may in fact increase power use a bit because rendering black pixels needs more energy to excite the crystals. I haven't contacted Apple because I don't think they are interested in implementing such a thing really. I've written more about why I think that here: https://lobste.rs/s/2zajeu/journey_controlling_external_monitors#c_uybhhu https://lobste.rs/s/2zajeu/journey_controlling_external_moni...
- nixpulvis 5y ago
  Yep, that sounds a lot like Apple. Thanks for the thorough and interesting writeup on this. I didn't even know I wanted this so badly until now... luckily I still stand a chance I guess.
- YuccaGloriosa 5y ago
  I have a monitor that has "eco" mode, reducing the brightness. Is that a different DCC command or are they implementing a similar gamma reduction? If not could an eco mode be called, if indeed it is a industry wide standard for reducing energy usage?
  - nixpulvis 5y ago
    Brightness is literally just a backlight power level (pretty much), so gamma and eco mode are a completely separate concept. Frankly I have no idea what eco mode means, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's just brightness * 0.75 + contrast * 1.25.
- kalleboo 5y ago
  One bit of speculation I've read before is that the display brightness on some displays is stored in a cheap EEPROM chip without wear leveling, and constantly writing new brightness values throughout the day will wear it out in a short time span (years)
  - alin23 5y ago
    I’ve read that in a lot of places over the years and even got afraid of it when my LG 4k flickered a bit one day. But I’m sure I’ve went way past the 100k writes speculated limit with Lunar’s Smooth Transition and by testing Lunar 6 hours a day almost every day for the past 4 years. It’s possible that this EEPROM issue might not be an issue anymore. Lunar has thousands of active users and there are zero claims of a monitor failing because of it. It’s also possible that it’s just a problem waiting to happen and I’ll get sued to death in a few years, who knows.

alin23 5y ago

Unfortunately no, Gamma doesnt reduce the power consumption of the LED backlight of the monitor. It may in fact increase power use a bit because rendering black pixels needs more energy to excite the crystals. I haven't contacted Apple because I don't think they are interested in implementing such a thing really. I've written more about why I think that here: https://lobste.rs/s/2zajeu/journey_controlling_external_monitors#c_uybhhu https://lobste.rs/s/2zajeu/journey_controlling_external_moni...

nixpulvis 5y ago
Yep, that sounds a lot like Apple. Thanks for the thorough and interesting writeup on this. I didn't even know I wanted this so badly until now... luckily I still stand a chance I guess.
YuccaGloriosa 5y ago
I have a monitor that has "eco" mode, reducing the brightness. Is that a different DCC command or are they implementing a similar gamma reduction? If not could an eco mode be called, if indeed it is a industry wide standard for reducing energy usage?
- nixpulvis 5y ago
  Brightness is literally just a backlight power level (pretty much), so gamma and eco mode are a completely separate concept. Frankly I have no idea what eco mode means, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's just brightness * 0.75 + contrast * 1.25.
kalleboo 5y ago
One bit of speculation I've read before is that the display brightness on some displays is stored in a cheap EEPROM chip without wear leveling, and constantly writing new brightness values throughout the day will wear it out in a short time span (years)
- alin23 5y ago
  I’ve read that in a lot of places over the years and even got afraid of it when my LG 4k flickered a bit one day. But I’m sure I’ve went way past the 100k writes speculated limit with Lunar’s Smooth Transition and by testing Lunar 6 hours a day almost every day for the past 4 years. It’s possible that this EEPROM issue might not be an issue anymore. Lunar has thousands of active users and there are zero claims of a monitor failing because of it. It’s also possible that it’s just a problem waiting to happen and I’ll get sued to death in a few years, who knows.