Imaging technology that reduces the amount of blue light emitted by screens has been released. The technology is designed to make electronic devices less disruptive to sleep patterns.
Spectral Edge will show the technology at the OTTtv World Summit in London between 8-10 November.
Multiple studies [1, 2 and 3] have shown that blue light can reduce melatonin production, which can reset the body clock and make it difficult to sleep after looking at a screen. To combat this, Spectral Edge developed Nighteq, a new image enhancement technology that maintains contrast and picture quality while reducing the amount of blue light coming from TVs, tablets and computer screens.
Nighteq will be shown alongside Spectral Edge’s existing Eyeteq video personalisation technology at the OTTtv World Summit in London, two years after Eyeteq’s initial algorithm trials. Eyeteq allows those with colour blindness to watch TV by helping them differentiate between colour combinations that they usually have trouble viewing. At the show, the theme of video personalisation (and the opportunities this offers to operators to differentiate themselves from the competition) will be presented by Christopher Cytera, Spectral Edge’s managing director, and Professor Jonathan Freeman of i2 Media Research.
‘Research demonstrates the impact that evening viewing has on sleep patterns – Nighteq provides operators with a simple way to reduce blue light without impacting picture quality or the overall viewing experience, therefore helping to guarantee a better night’s sleep,’ said Christopher Cytera, managing director of Spectral Edge. ‘Alongside our Eyeteq technology for enhancing the experience of colour-blind and colour-deficient viewers, it demonstrates the opportunities that video personalisation offers to operators who want to improve the service they offer to their subscribers and to reach out to new ones.’
Nighteq and Eyeteq are the first two products based on Spectral Edge’s Phusion image enhancement technology, developed by Spectral Edge following its original spin-off from the University of East Anglia. Further developments in the consumer, computational photography and security markets will be announced by the company soon.
‘Delivering the best possible user experience is central to consumers watching – and paying for – content on their TVs, tablets and PCs,’ said Professor Jonathan Freeman, professor of Psychology at Goldsmiths University of London and managing director of i2 Media Research. ‘Operators should therefore look to focus on their user experience, collecting empirical evidence from test groups of consumers and using this feedback to improve and enhance the services that they offer.’
