Those viewers with poor eyesight might not be getting the benefits of HDTV, according to latest reports from opticians.
The Telegraph reports this week that: "Many consumers are wasting hundreds of pounds on HD equipment when they may as well be viewing a conventional screens," it is claimed.
The report cites a survey for Vision Express that claims 60 per cent of Britons have not had an eye test in the past year.
Colour us cynical
Which sounds suspiciously like one of those 'specially commissioned' surveys that is designed to perfectly promote the company's PR line (colour us cynical, if you will!).
"Even a marginally short-sighted person sitting on a sofa watching an HD broadcast may not see the full benefits in enhanced image quality," according to Vision Express optician Phillip Hyde.
"A small change in prescription can potentially make a big change in the quality of the picture that you see. If you're investing in HDTV, you ought to have your eyes checked to make sure you get the full benefit."
Vison Express's chief exec Bryan Margrath took the rare opportunity to promote his eye-test in the national press, by sapiently adding: "We're living in high-definition age and we should do all that we can to make sure that our eyesight matches up."
Stating the obvious award
"If awards were given out for stating the bleeding obvious, this 'revelation' would be top of the list," said Jake Day-Williams, editor of What Video & Hi-Def TV magazine.
"What next? Mr Sheen highlighting how Full HD isn't worth bothering with unless owners utilise its polish every day to get rid of dust?
"This is undoubtedly a cunning marketing ploy on VisionExpress' part and has nothing to do with the advantages of HD. And clearly it's worked as we're all talking about it."
Your comments (4) Click to add a new comment
adamdavid
January 16th
4. Seems a fair comment to me (though I am an Optometrist). People are willing to spend £50+ on high quality cables to minutely sharpen the picture and spend loads of time calibrating screens to ensure the best picture, but pay no consideration to how well there eyes can actually see. That's people for you though.
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zoydwheeler
January 15th
3. On the other hand - you could point out that because the Torygraph only pays stringers a paltry £60 for submitting features nowadays, that the quality of the editorial has slipped down to the level of such an obvious PR puff for Vision Express. On the other hand, that is.
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blueskythinker
January 15th
2. News just in - deaf people can't tell the difference between DAB and FM. What a load of rubbish!
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hamisht
January 15th
1. Well, you could look at it that way. On the other hand, they're not knocking the technology - they're simply pointing out that most of us spend nothing on eye care and that we'd get more out of our HDTVs if we made sure that we had the right prescription.
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