Password Magazine - Issue 31
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February 2008
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Only a small part of your eye, known as the macula, actually sees a
sharp image. An even smaller portion, the fovea, is responsible for
producing the evensharper vision needed to watch television or read.
For the rest of your retina, the image is blurred. Your brain then
works efficiently to combine all the information into a coherent
picture.
Ambilight helps enlarge this picture through an innovative technology that can ‘read the screen’ to produce the surrounding color. It works by analyzing the input video signal in real time to determine the dominant color in each area of the screen, averaged over a number of frames. It then uses color-mapping transformations to extend these color signatures beyond the screen. While the fovea is looking at the screen, the ambient colors fall on the surrounding part of the retina convincing your brain that you are seeing a larger image. The result is a much more cinematic experience in your own home and a feeling that you are truly immersed in the action. Reducing eye strain In a dark room, the TV is the main source of light. Therefore, when the picture on the screen changes, there’s a big fluctuation on the light level in the room which causes your pupil to dilate or contract in response. TV images change rapidly, so the muscles controlling your pupil have to work hard to keep up, leading to eye fatigue. Ambilight evens out the changes in the ambient light levels, so your pupil – and the muscles that control it – don’t have to work as hard and therefore eyes feel less tired. Ambilight’s soothing effect has been confirmed in numerous studies. In 2004, Professor Begemann of the Technical University in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, showed that Ambilight can reduce eye strain in 60-90% of people under normal ‘home theatre room lighting’ conditions. In 2005, John Bullough and colleagues at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York (USA) found a beneficial effect on visual discomfort, fatigue and eye strain. A 2007 report by Herbert Plischke and colleagues from the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Germany and the University of Applied Sciences in Austria concluded Ambilight improved relaxation and attention levels. |
