The most effective strategy that we can bet on if we want to get the most out of our television is to submit it to a professional calibration. During the preparation of the analyzes that we have published in recent years, we have verified that almost all brands mimic factory calibration of its high-end models. Still, they have room for improvement, and a calibration professional can help us get every last drop of juice out of them.
The problem is that not all users can afford to have their TV calibrated by a professional. And, furthermore, the interest of meticulously calibrating entry-level and mid-range models is debatable due to the impact that this procedure would have on the cost of the device. Any user can face the calibration by himself following a basic adjustment procedure of the most relevant parameters that intervene in image quality, but the improvement will not be comparable to that guaranteed by a professional adjustment.
Fortunately, we can do something extraordinarily simple to enjoy our television more. Something that is within the reach of any enthusiast and from which both the most advanced televisions and the basic models benefit. In fact, the experience that entry-level devices give us is often profoundly enhanced by putting it into practice. What we propose is, simply, that moderate ambient light. Even when you turn off the lights. We often underestimate the power of simple ideas, and this one works. Guaranteed.
Our visual system is very skilled at perceiving contrast.
The environmental pressure to which humans and other animals have been subjected during the evolutionary process has caused our visual system to perceive contrast very effectively. A simple and intuitive way to define this parameter is to consider it as the relative difference in intensity that exists between various objects when we observe them. If we look at a very light object, almost white, that is placed on a very bright background, we will hardly perceive it. However, if we observe a dark object on a light background, we will see it without difficulty because the contrast between the two elements is intense.
When the ambient light is scarce, our visual system finds it less difficult to identify the contrast associated with any luminous object
This brings us to the basis of the advice that we propose in this article: when the ambient light is scarce, our visual system finds it less difficult to identify the contrast associated with any luminous object. And, as we all know, our televisions shine light into our eyes. If we moderate the ambient light, or, better still, if we turn off the lightsthe reflections on the screen will disappear, the blacks will be deeper, we will appreciate more detail in the dark regions of each frame and the brightest areas will acquire more intensity, especially when we play HDR content on a TV with a remarkable brightness delivery capacity.
It seems incredible that such a simple strategy can have such a profound impact on our experience, but we assure you that it does. You can easily check it. Of course, there are contents with which we do not need to resort to this practice, but when we watch movies or series, or when we enjoy a video game, this procedure works. In addition, any television gives us a more satisfying experience when we enjoy it in the dark or in low light, but the ones that benefit the most from this practice are the basic models because their brightness delivery capacity is often modest.
Many latest batch televisions, especially the high-end and premium models, incorporate a sensor that allows them to adapt their brightness delivery capacity to the ambient light. For this reason when we look at them with little or no ambient light, they reduce their brightness output. However, this practice has a negative effect that users want to keep in mind: when we look at a screen that has the ability to emit brightness in a space with little ambient light, or even without it, our eyes tire more quickly.
Our eyes have a hard time compensating for refractive errors in dimly lit spaces.
The origin of this handicap lies in the fact that our eyes have difficulties compensating for refractive errors in dimly lit spaces, so in these circumstances it is likely that we will notice heaviness and even burning when we have been looking at the camera for a while. TV in the dark There is no permanent visual damage, but this increased fatigue is easy to notice.
For this reason, the ideal is that we do not watch the television in the dark for a long time. And if we notice that our eyes get tired before we can enjoy a full movie, we can use an indirect light sourcesuch as a floor lamp, to introduce some ambient light into the room without noticeably degrading the experience that our television offers us.
In Xataka: TV manufacturers want to convince us that brightness is (almost) everything. This is what we think
