Comment by UI_at_80x24 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by UI_at_80x24 | Hacker News Reader

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AC driven vs DC driven.

The 'quality' of light that is supplied from a DC power source is superior to that from a rectified AC source.

Cheap rectifiers are the scourge and cancer of this lighting tech. While not discounting the affect of the blue light + phosphor even 'cheap' LED's provide a better light output when DC driven.

Note: I can see/sense LED flicker (florescent tubes [or ballasts] nearing their end-of-life, and CFL's too.) So I am very sensitive to it. I also LOVE super-bright high kelvin 'cool/cold' 6500K+ lights in my home. My wife complains that it's like being in an operating room.

I wonder how much of the blue-light dislike/distrust is based on a biological leaning towards a preference to carbon-rich fire/flame orange-hue's.

i.e. a campfire or candle vs incandescent light vs halogen vs florescent vs LEDs on a scale of like to hate.

Blue/white fluorescent or LED lights drive me crazy in a home setting. If I could replace the one in my apartment’s kitchen I would. Their brightness is fine but their coldness keeps me on edge somehow.

It really is interesting how light affects us like that. I suffer from a congenital cornea disease and am slowly going blind until I get a transplant. I've often wondered if that's how/why I like the lights the way I do. They always feel "cheery" to me. It brightens my mood.

> I also LOVE super-bright high kelvin 'cool/cold' 6500K+ lights in my home. My wife complains that it's like being in an operating room.

I love colour-changing bulbs for this. 5000K+ during the day, ~2800K at night.

From my research and experience the operating room effect is largely due to bad color rendering with most (cheap) LEDs.

Good artwork/video/photo lighting with LEDs is very expensive and bought from specialized shops or the manufacturer, but it's the closest I've found to true sunlight.

If you'd like recommendations I like the Yugi strips.

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