Category Archive: Articles

• CSR Renewable Energy: What is it?

  27/01/2023 12:51 pm Comments Off on CSR Renewable Energy: What is it?

  

  Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a well-known and controversial topic that has fueled several initiatives in recent years. Regarding energy, saving on power can be one of the easiest ways to adhere to CSR strategy and also be mindful of the environmental impact that companies have on the planet. In this article, we will discuss what the pillars of CSR are, what CSR in energy is, using solar power for CSR, and how to calculate CSR. Let’s get started!

  What are the 7 pillars of CSR?

  As we start the conversation around CSR, it’s important to start with the basics…which brings us to the discussion of the seven pillars of CSR. These pillars are basic guidelines that companies can follow when deciding how they will incorporate CSR into their business practices.

  The seven pillars are the following:

  1. Accountability
  2. Transparency
  3. Ethical Behavior
  4. Respect for stakeholder interests
  5. Respect for Rule of law
  6. Respect for the international norms of behavior
  7. Respect for human rights

  Within these pillars, sustainability falls under the accountability pillar. More specifically, let’s get into how companies can become more socially accountable through their energy usage (or lack thereof).

  What is CSR in energy?

  The truth is that sustainability can be a major business model for companies: Every business’ goal is to increase revenue, and by becoming more sustainable with the energy they are in turn cutting energy costs. So, saving energy is a win-win for the environment and your company’s wallet.

  So, how can CSR and sustainability collide? There are several ways, however, they can be split into two different categories:

  1. External: Increasing the sustainability of the products that the company sells
  2. Internal: Saving on energy within the company (office, production, etc.)

  By increasing the sustainability of their products, such as using recycled plastic or making their products more energy efficient, they are in turn taking accountability for the footprint their products may cause on the environment. On the other hand, companies can also do the following to increase sustainability internally:

  1. Arrange an energy audit
  2. Switch to a greener energy supplier
  3. Implement LED lighting within the office
  4. Turn lights off when not in use
  5. Purchase energy-efficient office supplies
  6. Properly insulate the office space
  7. Invest in energy management software

  Some of these points are easy to achieve and others might take more time. However, it is up to you how you would like to begin. Remember, saving energy is a win-win!

  What is CSR in solar?

  Solar energy is one of the easiest ways to be sustainable when talking about a CSR strategy. By installing solar panels, you are not only operating your business with clean energy, but you also can send energy back into the grid, thereby saving money on energy bills.

  Not only are solar panels easy to install, they greatly reduce your company’s carbon footprint. So much so that, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, a 200kW solar panel setup can save up to 250 tons of carbon emissions per year. That’s quite a number!

  You can check out the EPA’s calculator here.

  How is CSR calculated?

  This is a difficult question to answer as the obligatory amount of spending that companies need to dedicate to CSR varies per country. In India, for example, the general rule is that two percent of the average profit over three financial years should be dedicated towards CSR.

  Apart from that, CSR is more of a topic of self-regulation. So the people holding companies accountable are the companies themselves. If you would like to know about a company’s CSR policies before collaborating, we recommend looking on their website for a CSR page or Sustainability page.

  MMD and CSR

  With regard to sustainability and CSR, MMD continues to work on becoming greener.

  For example, in the company’s 2021 Sustainability Report, part of the annual goal was to use less energy by creating more sustainable products. Therefore, the eco-friendly Philips 242B7QGJEB and 272B1G monitors were launched. These two monitors have a PowerSensor and a Light Sensor feature that can lead to up to 80 percent less energy usage by adjusting the brightness and monitor activity based on the user’s physical presence.

  Perhaps the most important feature of these monitors, however, is how they pay it forward. MMD has launched an initiative with the NGO ForestNation so that every time one of the Philips 242B7QGJEB or 272B1G monitors is purchased, trees are planted for a reforestation project in Tanzania in an area that was heavily impacted by deforestation.

  For more information about MMDs collaboration with ForestNation, check out our press release on the project here.

  MMD and Community Impact

  In addition to improvements on the MMD product line, the company has also interacted with communities throughout the world by participating in case studies. One of the case studies done in 2021 with the organization Pact in the Democratic Republic of Congo reinforces MMDs commitment to environmental sustainability and social impact.

  In this case study, MMD funded an initiative to educate local Congolese miners about their working rights and the potential risks of mining, thereby allowing each miner to make an autonomous decision about their work. The miners, who have formed committees and are trained by the NGO Pact, will meet regularly to discuss ways in which mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo can become safer, more regulated, and more sustainable for the environment and workers alike.

  For more information on this initiative, please check out the article on our website here. In addition, please check back soon to see MMD’s latest initiatives that will be presented in the corporation’s 2022 Sustainability Report.

  Not to mention, if you would like more information on how MMD is working on improving CSR in energy, check the Sustainability Report 2021 on the “Corporate Social Responsibility” page of the website.

• HDR Tiers: A Guide

  11:35 am Comments Off on HDR Tiers: A Guide

  

  Let’s bring the screen to life.

  High-Dynamic Range technology, more commonly known by its acronym HDR, increases contrast on the screen. The brighter highlights and darker shadows of HDR create more realistic coloring. Because of the importance of HDR to monitor imaging, we have created this guide to help you through all of the questions that you might have about HDR. This guide will include topics such as different HDR levels, which HDR format is best, if it is compatible with PC gaming, what each HDR Tier signifies, and if it affects image quality.

  So, without further ado, let’s dive in!

  What are the different levels of HDR?

  Although it may not be automatically apparent, there are three main HDR formats. These are HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision. Other types of HDR are available, however, they are not commonly used. So, you might be asking… What is the difference between these monitors? Before deciding on which format to choose, it is essential to check certain criteria. The basic measurements for HDR quality are:

  1. Bit depth- the number of colors a movie/show/game includes
  2. Brightness- the maximum brightness on the screen
  3. Metadata- the amount of information sent to the screen

  In addition, the factors by which one can define HDR are:

  1. Color Depth
  2. Brightness
  3. Metadata

  The most basic format for HDR is HDR10; whereas Dolby Vision and HDR 10+ are more advanced versions. To explore these three versions, please refer to the bullet-pointed lists below to find out which HDR format is best suited to your needs:

  HDR 10

  1. Bit Depth: Good
  2. Peak Brightness Minimum: Good
  3. Metadata: Static

  HDR 10+

  1. Bit Depth: Great
  2. Peak Brightness Minimum: Good
  3. Metadata: Dynamic

  Dolby Vision

  1. Bit Depth: Great
  2. Peak Brightness Minimum: Great
  3. Metadata: Best

  It is important to note that all HDR content is available in HDR10 as a baseline, with HDR10+ rapidly growing in popularity for large streaming companies like Blue Ray and Amazon Prime video. Apart from availability, how do you know which HDR option is the best? Let’s explore this in the next section.

  What HDR mode is better?

  When comparing the three main HDR formats (HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision), there is much to decipher before deciding which mode is the best. Although we mentioned above that HDR10 is the most accessible format, it does not offer the same level of quality as its two other counterparts.

  HDR10+, on the other hand, offers the same benefits as Dolby Vision, but it has been slowly picked up by TV manufacturers and therefore has not become a widely-adopted alternative to HDR10.

  Therefore, the highest quality of HDR comes in the form of Dolby Vision due to its brightness, color, and metadata marks.

  Is HDR better than OLED?

  OLED is a new technology that has come into popularity in recent years. It focuses on depicting incredible contrasts for imaging on screen. However, it can get confusing when comparing HDR to OLED because both affect the contrast on the screen. So, when OLED technology hit the market, many started to ask which one was better.

  To answer this question, it is important to understand what HDR and OLED do to the screen. HDR creates a large variation in light levels and OLED is a technology that focuses on screen brightness and functions by using individually controlled pixels that emit light. Therefore, it’s better to view OLED and HDR working together for the best picture experience instead of comparing them against each other.

  So, the answer to this question is divided: OLED offers a better contrast ratio than LED, and, for that reason, it works better with HDR in dark settings. On the other hand, LED works better with HDR in lighter settings due to its extreme brightness. Whether you choose OLED or LED, HDR will help increase the color variation of your screen in any setting.

  What are the DisplayHDR Tiers?

  Aside from the main three HDR levels, DisplayHDR tiers are put in place in order to set an open standard for HDR quality. Each tier has specific criteria for measuring quality, such as the following:

  1. Luminance
  2. Color Gamut
  3. Bit Depth
  4. Rise Time

  VESA, a regulator for HDR quality, created a new tier with the title “True Black” in 2019 in order to include the new OLED technology that entered the market. Let’s dive into each HDR tier and the criteria for each one.

  DisplayHDR 400

  This tier is the minimum rating. A monitor within this tier must have:

  1. At least 400 nits of peak brightness
  2. 95 percent coverage of sRGB color space
  3. 8-bit color depth
  4. Global Dimming

  DisplayHDR 500

  With a slight increase in quality, the requirements for DisplayHDR 500 are:

  1. Local dimming
  2. 10-bit color depth
  3. Over 90 percent coverage of DCI-P3 color space

  DisplayHDR 600

  This tier has almost the same requisites as DisplayHDR 500, the only difference is brightness. Monitors with the rating of DisplayHDR 600 have a significantly higher brightness level than the lower tiers and especially SDR.

  DisplayHDR 1000

  In contrast to the 500 and 600 tiers, there is a significant jump in quality for monitors that qualify as DisplayHDR 1000. The main factors in this quality jump are the black levels and peak brightness. The lower black levels and higher brightness make any monitor with a DisplayHDR 1000 rating perfect for consuming HDR content.

  DisplayHDR 1400

  This is the highest HDR certification. The requirements for a DisplayHDR 1400 monitor are:

  1. Wide color gamut with 99 percent coverage of BT.709
  2. 95 percent of DCI-P3 color spaces
  3. Deeper contrast than DisplayHDR1000
  4. Very high peak brightness level.

  DisplayHDR True Black 400, 500, and 600

  As displayed above, True Black certifications are meant for self-emissive display technologies. For OLED screens, there is no need for measuring local dimming, black levels, or contrast ratio because each feature has infinite potential. However, what can be measured on OLED screens is brightness. Therefore, the DisplayHDR True Black 400, 500, and 600 are based on peak brightness levels.

  Is HDR good for gaming?

  In this section, we want to focus specifically on PC gaming. HDR has been a hot topic in the gaming world for many years now, but the short version of this answer is not yet.

  There are several explanations for this, however, the two main reasons for HDR not being compatible with PC gaming in the past is due to gaming software and monitor capability.

  When talking about Gaming software, the problem comes from static metadata. Although some forms of HDR offer dynamic metadata, such as HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, the monitors that have these features are in the higher to premium price range; thereby making them less commonplace in the PC gaming world. In addition, the problem with static metadata is that it causes a problem of consistency for game developers. Meaning, the same game looks different from screen to screen.

  Moving onto monitor capabilities, it is the main source for HDR being unfavorable in gaming. The problem is that gaming software has progressed technologically, whereas HDR has not. However, new technology is currently hitting the market and is due to fix the divide between HDR and PC gaming.

  This technology is called QD-OLED, or in other words, OLED. With the switch to OLED, the hope in the gaming world is that it will drive better HDR performance, as did mini LED. In addition, OLED is more affordable than monitors that offer more advanced HDR. So, with the arrival of OLED in the gaming world, there are high hopes for HDR.

  Does HDR affect image quality?

  Yes, HDR does affect image quality, but for the better. It is important to note as well that HDR has nothing to do with resolution.

  Image resolution and HDR go hand in hand as seen with 4K HDR. Not only does the resolution go unaffected, but a monitor that has HDR compatibility will also most likely result in a screen that is full of vibrant colors with excellent contrast. The only caveat, however, is that

  HDR is only compatible with HDR content. So, make sure to check that the content you are streaming is HDR-compatible before buying an HDR monitor.

  Did we answer all of your questions? Feel free to check back on our site for more content relating to monitoring specs and news.

• A touch away from convenience

  07/12/2022 9:25 am Comments Off on A touch away from convenience

  

  There are rising needs for convenience in more and more industries, such as hospitality, education and health etc, and touch technology is one of those that help to take it to a different level.

  Philips Monitors offers a wide selection of models for touch solutions – a mix of innovation, robustness, and quality. Take a look at our infographic to learn all you need to know about the future of touch displays!

  Starting strong with B9T monitors. Available in 4 sizes (from 15.6” to 23.8”), this is the perfect choice for a variety of applications that need a reliable and resistant touch solution, such as cash desks, logistics, warehouses, HoReCa and in-store applications. These models offer SmoothTouch featuring Projected Capacitive 10-point touch technology ensuring a fluid response and enhanced user experience, but also extra resistance and protection. They also offer a glass overlay that ensures scratch protection for up to 7H and International IP65 (front only) rating for water and dust resistance. Due to having USB hub, HDMI, VGA, and DVI, connectivity exceeds all expectations. These models also ensure great flexibility: they are available with and without a stand, a handy option for businesses that need to use the VESA mount stand for fixed installations.

  B1TC models are designed to meet the needs of home and office users, schools and students that will love their Desktop Advanced in-cell touch and Windows compatibility. They are comfortable and easy to use, and truly maximize productivity! Available in two sizes (21.5” and 23.8”), they offer SmoothTouch technology with Projected Capacitive 10-point touch technology for a fluid response, easily detecting 10 fingertips at once – boosting collaboration among colleagues and classmates. The SmartStand (Z-design with dual hinge stand) is particularly user-friendly and ensures many applications and uses. This line also comes with USB Hub (3x 3.2) for fast and easy connectivity, even with MiniPCs.

  B1TFL monitors are the ideal solution for points of information, kiosks, and in-store applications that need 24/7 operational time. This line (ranging from 15.6” to 23.8”) ensures an excellent user experience all day long, indoors and outdoors alike, thanks to responsive 10-point P-cap touch with 24/7 operational time for smooth use, 350-to-450-nit extra brightness and Anti-Glare coating for comfortable use in every environment. It offers complete connectivity (USB hub, HDMI, VGA, DVI) and edge-to-edge glass with IP65 (front only) to ensure protection against water and dust.

  Which one meets your needs?