“Technological innovation gains true meaning when it is available to everyone, so we’re thrilled to receive this certification that underscores our work to build features to make viewing more accessible,” said Seok Woo Yong, EVP and Deputy Head of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “Under Samsung’s mission of ‘Screens Everywhere, Screens for All,’ we will continue to deliver premium screens that cater to the needs of every viewer.”

To improve the viewing experience for consumers with different types of low vision, Samsung developed Relumino Mode, which enhances specific parts of videos — such as highlighting outlines and improving contrast and sharpness — so that it is easier to discern content on the screen and follow the actions. Amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, occurs in about three percent of children, making it one of the more common low vision problems experienced in childhood. In most cases of amblyopia, a child’s brain ignores the signals coming from one eye, meaning it only develops pathways to the other eye.

TÜV Rheinland, a leading international certification body, awards its “Low Vision Care” certification by evaluating how technology impacts the user experience for those with amblyopia. It conducts various tests that compare how normal display modes and the Relumino Mode differ in clarity, sharpness, and overall visual comfort.

In addition to this latest certification, Samsung screens have also received the “Circadian Rhythm Display” certification and “Eye Care” certification from Verband Deutscher Elektrotechniker (VDE), as well as the “Glare-Free” validation from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for its technologies that offer a safer, more comfortable viewing experience. It also received the “Pantone Validated” and “Skin Tone Validated” certifications from Pantone, signifying that certified Samsung screens meet the organization’s color accuracy standards. This growing list of accolades highlights how innovation can positively influence consumer experiences with technology and reinforces Samsung’s global TV leadership over the past 17 years.

For more information on Samsung’s 2023 TV lineup, please visit: https://www.samsung.com/my/tvs/all-tvs/

[1] Neo QLED 8K (QN900, QN800), Neo QLED 4K (QN80 and above) and QLED (Q80 and above) series. Applied models vary by region.

Relumino Mode, a viewing mode on select Samsung TVs, was designed to augment the visual capabilities of those with low vision, making it possible for anyone to engage with their favorite shows, movies and documentaries like never before. By highlighting specific parts of videos — such as contrast, color and sharpness — this feature makes it easier than ever to discern content on the TV screen.

To shed more light on this groundbreaking inclusive technology, Samsung Newsroom sat down with Dr. Kyungah Park and Jason (Jaeseong) Park from Visual Display Business, Samsung Electronics, to discuss everything from development to clinical trials.

Screens for All — Including People With Impaired Vision

Relumino, borrowed from Latin, means “to give back the light.” The idea is to restore vision as much as possible to people with impaired vision. Earlier this year at CES, Samsung introduced Relumino Mode on select Samsung TVs. This follows the wearable device “Relumino Glass” and the smartphone image processing software “Relumino App,” each revealed at CES in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Before that, Relumino was conceived in “C-Lab(Creative Lab),” Samsung Electronics’ in-house venture program. It has evolved and expanded ever since.

▲ Relumino Glass(left) and Relumino Mode for Samsung TVs(right)

“For several years, ‘Screens for All’ has been one of the key mottos for us. We’re working to further enhance TV accessibility and promote inclusion,” said Jason Park, who plans products and services for the Visual Display Business. “People with low vision are still a key demographic that need better TV viewing experiences.”

Innovation Rooted in the User’s Perspective

To develop Relumino Mode, planners and engineers met with a number of advisors who had visual impairments to understand their wants and needs.

▲ Jason Park, Visual Display Business, Samsung Electronics

“There’s an early experience that really changed my perspective,” shared Jason. “When we first met an advisor for Relumino Mode, I asked him to ‘Please come here and have a seat’ to which he replied, ‘Where is here?’ That was a hard and clear wake-up call for me. I was so embarrassed.” It was then that Jason realized that they were exploring a totally new territory and would have to first understand the way their users see the world.

▲ As part of the efforts to understand customers with visual impairments, Samsung engineers used special goggles to simulate blurry vision

Despite the decades of collective experience in enhancing TV picture quality, this particular project presented a unique challenge that none of the engineers had encountered before. Typically, their expertise lay in identifying even the slightest imperfections on the screen, but now they had to understand what it’s like as a user to have impaired vision. In addition to consulting advisors, the engineers utilized special goggles that simulated blurry vision, serving as a starting point for their exploration. Through a process of generating ideas, conducting trials and learning from mistakes, they eventually developed a solution that could be considered a genuinely effective viewing mode.

Clinical Trials and Direct Feedback

After initial research and development came trials on a larger scale. This is where Samsung Electronics decided to collaborate with Samsung Medical Center, one of South Korea’s most comprehensive medical facilities.

▲Dr. Kyungah Park, Department of Ophthalmology, Samsung Medical Center

“Clinical trials targeting people without disabilities are popular and recruiting subjects for these projects is relatively easy. Some even ask to join before we ask,” said Dr. Park. “But, that was not the case for the Relumino study. The pool was much more limited as we were more strict with our requirements — we targeted people who have lower vision than WHO’s vision impairment criteria.”

However, the people that Samsung contacted showed much passion for the project. “Many who joined the trials were very excited and didn’t mind traveling long distances for the study. Thanks to their support and encouragement, we were able to carry out the research,” Dr. Park added.

Four 55-inch Samsung QLED TVs were featured in the tests. One displayed the control image with no picture enhancements at all. The other three TVs showed the same content with Relumino Mode on high, medium and low. The TVs were installed on a meter away from each other onw a wall in a room with a specified amount of light.

The test was two-fold, with objective and subjective evaluations. A certified contrast sensitivity test was employed for the objective evaluation. For the subjective evaluations, participants were asked to examine a set of eight still images and two videos on each of the screens. Their satisfaction levels were measured on a scale of 0 to 10. Based on the results, researchers carried out additional interviews adjusting picture enhancement levels on the spot.

▲ A blurry vision goggle simulation of what Relumino Mode may look like to people with visual impairment

Relumino mode was well received by the group. One of the participants highly praised the technology, saying “I was thrilled to see the ball in a soccer match on screen. It can get frustrating if you can’t see the ball because of low vision, as you can imagine. Relumino Mode helped me see the ball clearly.”

“The subjects’ responses indicated the Mode’s subjective results while the contrast sensitivity testing showed its objective results. Both of these factors, combined, allowed us to find the optimal setting for a brilliant image on TV,” said Jason.

Screens for All, Today and Tomorrow

“While [the Relumino Mode] project focused on people with relatively severe visual impairment many people with slightly lighter symptoms still need help. I’d like to work on developing projects for them,” explained Dr. Park.

Jason shared a similar point of view, saying, “Samsung will continue to advance technology in the long term to provide personalized picture quality for people with vision impairment and let them enjoy TV comfortably.” Samsung remains committed to accessibility and strives to leverage its technologies to enable more people do what they enjoy.

Low-vision viewers may watch TV using various techniques and tools to enhance their viewing experience and the common ones have the need to make manual contrast adjustments on their TV. Some viewers may adjust the contrast and brightness settings to make the images more visible.

Some viewers may need to opt for larger screen TVs that make it easier to see the images and some viewers may need to use magnification devices such as handheld magnifiers or desktop magnifiers to zoom in on the screen to enlarge the images.

With Samsung’s commitment to delivering innovative calm tech that makes life easier and better for its users, Samsung is proud to introduce Relumino mode – an accessibility feature that is designed to help people with visual impairments to watch TV content more clearly and comfortably.

When a viewer with impaired vision uses Relumino mode, the app processes the TV’s video signal and enhances the images by adjusting the color contrast, sharpness, and brightness. It can also invert colors, add outlines, and magnify parts of the image to make it easier to see.

It’s worth noting that Relumino mode is made available in 2023 Neo QLED TVs. Samsung underscored its commitment to creating a better, more inclusive viewing experience for all and has been awarded the 2023 CES Innovation Award.

Let’s hear from Sheridan O’Donnell, a film director who has low vision due to Retinitis Pigmentsa. He tells us how Relumino mode in the latest Neo QLED helps him continue to pursue his passion for visual storytelling. Watch here.

If you wish to own your desired TV which helps you experience movies and entertainment in a new and meaningful way, take the chance and place your early order now and save up to RM4,500! To enjoy these exclusive deals, be one of the first to early-order at Samsung Malaysia Online Store https://www.samsung.com/my/tvs/early-order-2023/.

For more information on Neo QLED 8K, please visit https://www.samsung.com/my/tvs/8k-tv/highlights/.