Auto Power down

[Rockman87]

I noticed if you let a game site for 10 minutes the zune auto powers down. What has to happen for this to trigger?
I looked through code and it looks like you can set the time limit of it shutting down... DOES anyone know how to change the shutdown time.

I want to add a option in my games/applications that changes the apd to like 1 second so that the zune will shut down when people need to pause or do something.

[itsnotabigtruck]

It doesn't actually power down; it just turns off the screen. If you toggle the hold switch back and forth for a while, it'll still be in your game. This is even worse than turning off, as it continues eating up battery but looks like it's off.

AFAIK there isn't any way to turn off the screen or the Zune itself from code.

[ZuneApps]

Originally Posted by itsnotabigtruck

It doesn't actually power down; it just turns off the screen. If you toggle the hold switch back and forth for a while, it'll still be in your game. This is even worse than turning off, as it continues eating up battery but looks like it's off.

AFAIK there isn't any way to turn off the screen or the Zune itself from code.

Actually, you can clear the screen:

if (turnoff)
{
 spriteBatch.ClearScreen(Color.Black);
}
else
{
 //all other code
}

[itsnotabigtruck]

Originally Posted by ZuneApps

Actually, you can clear the screen:

if (turnoff)
{
 spriteBatch.ClearScreen(Color.Black);
}
else
{
 //all other code
}

Displaying the color black on the screen is very different from turning off the screen/backlight itself. For one, while the screen and backlight are still on, they're still taking up power. Also, the distinction is important for the same reason why contrast ratio matters on HDTVs: the better the contrast ratio, the darker black is (and therefore the less difference there is between a black screen and a TV that has been turned off). The Zune's screen doesn't have much of a contrast ratio.

[ZuneApps]

Originally Posted by itsnotabigtruck

Displaying the color black on the screen is very different from turning off the screen/backlight itself. For one, while the screen and backlight are still on, they're still taking up power. Also, the distinction is important for the same reason why contrast ratio matters on HDTVs: the better the contrast ratio, the darker black is (and therefore the less difference there is between a black screen and a TV that has been turned off). The Zune's screen doesn't have much of a contrast ratio.

It helps somewhat because the pixels need to use less energy.

[itsnotabigtruck]

Originally Posted by ZuneApps

It helps somewhat because the pixels need to use less energy.

That isn't true for LCD screens. Every color takes the same amount of power, especially since the real power consumption comes from the backlight (which is nominally uniformly the same brightness from pixel to pixel).

[ZuneApps]

Originally Posted by itsnotabigtruck

That isn't true for LCD screens. Every color takes the same amount of power, especially since the real power consumption comes from the backlight (which is nominally uniformly the same brightness from pixel to pixel).

Ok. I never knew that. It is true for a regular tv, right?

[Locke]

Originally Posted by ZuneApps

Ok. I never knew that. It is true for a regular tv, right?

Depends on what you mean by regular. Black is less power-hungry on a CRT, or cathode ray tube screen. It doesn't really mean a thing for LCD screens, and probably plasma as well. Don't know about projectors though, it just might. I highly doubt most people use their Zunes on a projector though!

[ZuneApps]

Originally Posted by Locke

Depends on what you mean by regular. Black is less power-hungry on a CRT, or cathode ray tube screen. It doesn't really mean a thing for LCD screens, and probably plasma as well. Don't know about projectors though, it just might. I highly doubt most people use their Zunes on a projector though!

Ok.