Why does the viewing environment matter? And what can be done to address that outside of a dedicated theater room?
[ A ] Room conditions can have a profound effect upon display performance, perceived image quality and viewer comfort. An inanimate object, such as a TV, doesn’t care what viewing conditions are, but people do. Imaging industry experts have long acknowledged the importance of human factors in comprehensive display system design and performance. The greatest example of this is the impact of lighting upon a viewing environment. Less obvious factors also affect how a TV or monitor appears to the viewer or may induce viewing fatigue. Manufacturers assume that most consumers watch TV in high ambient lighting conditions at home. The builders of consumer displays also know that TVs are watched during the day or in living rooms with most of the lights on. As a result, they incorporate characteristics into the design of their products that aim to recognize and partly address these challenges. On the other hand, reference viewing environments are used by the program producers when all the critic
