Millions of colour-blind TV viewers could benefit from new set-top box tech, research shows

Researchers at Goldsmiths, University of London have found that new technology developed by a University of East Anglia spin-out company could vastly improve TV-watching for colour-blind viewers.

An independent evaluation conducted by i2 media research – based within our Department of Psychology – found that eight out of 10 colour-blind people much preferred watching video treated with Spectral Edge’s Eyeteq accessibility technology than untreated video.

The research team also found there was no impact on enjoyment for colour normal viewers.

In Britain there are approximately 2.7 million colour blind people (about 4.5 per cent of the entire population), with one in 12 men and one in 200 women experiencing some form of colour-blindness (Colour Blind Awareness, 2015).

Eyeteq is a video enhancement technology developed by Spectral Edge, an offshoot from the Department of Computing at UEA. With Eyeteq enabled, content streamed to a set-top box is enhanced on a frame by frame basis before being displayed on the TV screen. It can be easily adjusted, using the TV remote control, to meet each viewer’s specific requirements.

The trial involved 90 participants, 60 of whom had some form of colour-blindness. Two thirds of these were classified as having reduced green (“deutan”) sensitivity – a condition that accounts for 75 per cent of the whole colour blind population.

Reds are more red, greens more green

The i2 media team found that Eyeteq allowed colour-blind viewers to better differentiate between colour combinations they struggle to see, such as red-green and pink-grey. This means they can see image and video details they previously could not, improving their viewing experience.

Participants gave high ratings to the overall picture quality, clarity and colour of content enhanced with Eyeteq and strongly agreed that it “made reds more red and greens more green”.

Professor of Psychology at Goldsmiths and Managing Director of i2 media research, Jonathan Freeman said: “For our research we wanted to scientifically analyse how Eyeteq affected the viewing satisfaction of both those with colour-blindness and colour normal. We found a clear and consistent preference for content enhanced with Eyeteq from participants, across multiple types of content, irrespective of the individual’s form of colour-blindness.”

Spectral Edge say that paid-for TV providers could gain much bigger audiences if they incorporate Eyeteq into their set-top boxes.

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i2 media is a small interdisciplinary team of experts in how humans and technology can work together – for the benefit of consumers and business. It was founded in 2002 as a spin off from the Department of Psychology at Goldsmiths. Visit the i2 website for more information.

The full report - “Independent empirical evaluation: User experience of Eyeteq processed TV and video content” - by Dr Jane Lessiter, Eva Ferrari, Alessia Eletta Coppi, and Professor Jonathan Freeman is available to download.

This research was commissioned by Spectral Edge and co-funded by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency.