Samsung Is Adding A SeeColors Mode To Its 2023 TVs And Monitors For Color Blind Viewers
Samsung is upgrading its 2023 TV and monitor lineups with an accessibility feature that will tweak different color settings based on a viewer's type and level of color vision deficiency (CVD), the South Korean electronics maker announced. What this really boils down to is Samsung integrating its SeeColors app onto its latest displays, effectively saving users a download.
More than that, however, this should increase exposure to a handy application that some (or even many) Samsung display owners didn't even know existed.
If you don't own a 2023 model display from Samsung, don't worry, Samsung isn't necessarily leaving you behind. Samsung actually released its SeeColors app several years ago (in 2017), which it developed in partnership with Colorlite, and it works with all Samsung QLED displays regardless of the model year. You can download it to your compatible TV or install the app on your Android device. Or you can use it as an excuse to nab that monstrous 98-inch QLED TV that Samsung just added to its lineup.
So what exactly does the app do? SeeColors mode offers up nine picture presets optimized for different types of color blindness. These modes adjust the red, green, and blue color levels to make them easier distinguish for people who have trouble doing so.
"Nearly 300 million people globally have CVD, with approximately 8% of men and up to 1% of women affected, based on a representative survey conducted in Europe and North America. However, the majority of people with CVD are unaware of their condition and the impact it has on their quality of life," Samsung stated when it released the SeeColors app.
This resonates with me as I was an adult in my mid-30s before I realized that I'm partially color blind. The color blindness evaluation within the SeeColors app is similar to the various online tests you can take, like the one on Colorlite's website.
I haven't had a chance to test the app, but according to Samsung, its SeeColors app and mode earned the company a "Color Vision Accessibility" certification from TÜV Rheinland, an independent test provider founded way back in 1872.
If you own a 2023 Samsung TV or monitor, Samsung says a software update will add the SeeColors functionality to the accessibility menu. For those who don't, you can download the app to your Samsung QLED TV manually, or grab it in Google Play.
