Everything about the certifications of Philips monitors
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Product certifications are real proofs that a product meets specific standards, often related to quality, safety, or health. Being able to offer devices and products complying with specific international standards is certainly a good way to add credibility to a brand and gain customers’ trust.
It is crucial for tech companies not only to produce market safe, high-quality devices, but also rely on third parties to inspect and confirm these devices specs, certifying them with test marks. Philips monitors, as could be expected, are tested a wide variety of certifications to grant customers additional basis to choose the best product for their needs.
ENERGY
There are several kinds of certifications that ensure the efficient usage of energy, and help take care of the environment. EPA ENERGY STAR is the one that guarantees Philips monitors to do our part.
ENERGY STAR program, established by EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in 1992, promotes the development of energy-efficient products to protect the environment, and so doing, making it easier for consumers and businesses to save them money while buying certified products. EPA certification label is for all intents, and it purposes independent testing and studies. Philips 272B1G monitor is a perfect example of an energy-efficient tool with brilliant performances, meeting the stringent power efficiency requirements by Energy Star 8.0 certification.
ENVIRONMENT
Environment safeguard is a key focus for Philips monitors’ design: each of them is devised to be compliant with different environmental certifications to guarantee sustainability for a greener tomorrow.
The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) is a global ecolabel for the IT sector, which is programmed and managed by the Green Electronics Council (GEC), certifies products that offer a reduced environmental impact across their lifecycles.
EPEAT’s role to reduce pollution is strategic, because on the one hand it helps wend users to choose electronic products based on their environmental attributes; while on the other hand, it enables manufacturers to obtain market recognition through achievement of specific performance criteria in their electronic product design.
To be marked EPEAT a product must meet specific criteria to be qualified for the program, which includes a layered assessment depending on how many optional criteria the product meets.
Products in fact are rated Bronze, Silver or Gold based on how many optional criteria they meet. When products are Bronze-rated, they meet all of the required criteria in their category, Silver-rated devices meet not only all of the required criteria but also at least 50% of the optional criteria, Gold-rated products meet all of the required criteria and at least 75% of the optional criteria.
TCO Certified is the world’s most comprehensive sustainability certification for IT products, which is run by independent organizations that have strong demand of the products meeting the criteria for energy efficiency, ergonomic design, and limited hazardous substance content.
All TCO Certified criteria are designed to drive social and environmental responsibility throughout the product life cycle. To keep the level of certification high and valuable, they release a new generation of TCO Certified every three years. This way, even the most pressing sustainability challenges can be met. A TCO Certified product has passed four steps: preparation, testing and verification, application and certification. The test and verification phase, specifically, requires sending a product sample to an accredited verification organization for testing, together with environmental and social responsibility documentation for an independent review. Once reports and documentations have been verified, the product will be approved.
TCO Certified Edge is a complementary certification to TCO Certified, for best-in-class products meeting leading-edge sustainability criteria. TCO Certified Edge looks at specific sustainability elements, so products are certified to each category separately. Products compliance is checked by independent verification organizations. All test facilities are accredited to ISO 17025. Test and verification methods vary between criteria.
Designed for sustainability and reduced operating costs, the Philips 329P1H monitor, together with a wide range of other monitors, meets TCO Certified Edge environmental standard, in addition to ENERGY STAR and EPEAT.
ERGONOMICS
Easiness of use is a driver for many users when buying devices, tools, desk chairs… TÜV Rheinland experts test the usability of products from all Industries: thanks to volunteers, they test ergonomics, efficiency, and consumer satisfaction. To evaluate the ergonomic and usability of a product, besides leveraging testing by representative users, experts consider the specific context in which the product is used, its compliance to national or international ergonomics standards, its documentation and other aspects. Being ergonomic certified really helps a device to demonstrate its high quality, thus improving customer satisfaction and minimizing complaints during the warranty period.
VISUAL
Most people use monitors during their everyday life. To create and ensure a comfortable experience, a number of Philips Monitors are TUV certified, proving the safety and quality standards required to be compliance with specific regulations.
TUV laboratories conduct testing and certification of displays according to the ISO 9241-307 standard required to a product aimed at eliminate annoying reflections, safeguard image quality from different perspectives, facilitate adjustable blue light content and ensure displays are flicker free. All of this helps is reduce eye strain, promoting wellbeing and convenience. Among other features, Philips Monitors offer LowBlue Mode setting to reduce shortwave blue light.
With TUV certification, Philips 245B1 display and many others ensure an ideal viewing experience.
MMD stands for safety and quality in the global monitor industry and our effort is to validate our mission to comply with high-quality standards with the most renowned certifications in different areas, from environmental feature for greener lifestyle, to ergonomic features for users’ comfort and wellness; MMD believe that a monitor is more than just a tool for productivity.
Safe online, safer “in real life”
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Internet is a tool that has successfully integrated in our lives, and effectively changed how we live in many aspects. We work, entertained, socialize, get informed and study, all on the Web. It is hardly possible to live without the internet, and day after day, it continues to become a bigger part of lives, which on the other hand, bear with all the information of our lives. Most of us are aware that it is not the safest place to be, especially for the younger crowds.
MMD, the leading display specialist and brand license partner for Philips monitors, is constantly looking for new ways to help its users being safe while using a display and, so, to provide more privacy and safety-focused technologies.
What’s the Safer Internet Day?
Started in 2004, Safer Internet Day has progressively become a landmark event for online safety and it’s now celebrated in approximately 170 countries worldwide. Every year, Safer Internet Day aims to raise awareness of emerging online issues and current concerns, from cyberbullying to social networking to digital identity. The focus is on making the internet a safer and better place for all, and especially for children and young people.
The risks lurking behind a screen
The internet has been one of the most transformative and fast-growing technologies, which its use has significantly increased, especially in the past year. While many of us worked from home and had to set up home offices, kids and teenagers have unlocked a new level of “online” life that we have never experienced before: both school and their free time were mostly on the internet. The worldwide closures have indeed impacted and still are impacting millions of students[1], from different ages, that had to adapt to a highly virtual life and long hours in front of a display.
Despite its convenience, Internet can also bring trouble, for both young and old alike. While scams and hacking are taken very seriously by businesses and adult users, social media, instant messaging and chat rooms can as well transform in an area of serious dangers for youngsters, from cyberbullying to exposures to inappropriate contents (images or videos), creeps and predators.
Education is key
The first step should be adding a parental control and similar controlling filters to check what content they can consume online, especially when it comes to kids. These features can dramatically reduce the likelihood that children will be exposed to inappropriate contents, as well as online ill-intentioned people. It is well established that teenagers need to learn to discern between what’s good and what to avoid, and parental control would adversely inhibit this ability.
Moreover, educating them to an “online etiquette” it’s crucial. Everyone should think before posting, for their own reputation but mostly because the online world has impacts on the real one – and on feelings of real people. So, malicious and vicious comments posted online can be the prelude to an unsettling and worrying journey on the other side of the screen. Cyberbullying goes as deep as death threats, it is nothing to joke about.
Safety-focused technologies
For the safety of everybody while surfing the Web, it is critical to invest in educating children and users on the risks that lurk online and how to behave on the internet to be safe and be able to handle potentially dangerous situations. There are a few technologies that can help parents in limiting online surfing (such as Parental control) and a few others that can ensure users and kids’ privacy to be really respected, such as a pop-up webcam that prevents from webcam hacking and creepy spying while online. The most important is to choose the one that best suits us and always maintain a diligent attitude during surfing the Web. Happy Safer Day!
[1] From UNESCO, “UNESCO figures show two thirds of an academic year lost on average worldwide due to Covid-19 school closures” – here: https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-figures-show-two-thirds-academic-year-lost-average-worldwide-due-covid-19-school
Technology explained – Ergonomics
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Almost every day, we experience staying in front of a monitor for many hours, either for work or pleasure. We sit, we even don’t realise time is passing, and neither pay attention to the height and position of the monitor which in the end could even drive to musculoskeletal disorders or eyes strain.
How to prevent this? There is a wealth of material explaining how often you should get up, move your head, or take a walk, that should be put in practice, but are often underestimated. Therefore, we make a summary of the key features that are designed to ensure users’ wellness in front of a monitor, let’s take a look together.
Up and down
When using a monitor, the height of the display affects much of your posture. The top of the display should be positioned in line with your eyebrows, so users have an uptight viewing angle without over stretching or lowering their heads and necks. A height-adjustable stand would provide you the option of personalising your own working experience for better ergonomics
For a more comfortable working day, your monitor should “work” for you! It’s not only a matter of adjusting itto the eye level, but you also should consider other important features like tilt and rotation. Many of us tend to tilt our head forward 15 degrees[1] due to the frequent use of mobiles, which actually double the amount of pressure on our neck as the weight of our head doubles.
Hence with the SmartErgoBase feature that many Philips monitors are equipped with, users can avoid having to turn their necks nor adding extra pressure to the muscles. The user-friendly height, swivel, tilt and rotation angle adjustments of the base, allow the monitor to be positioned for a maximum comfort to help ease the physical strains of a long workday. Want an example? Have a look to the Philips 272B1G monitor, it have it all.
Moreover, many of us don’t work in front of a desk, but in a retail shop, supermarket and others, using touch displays for a faster productivity. Well, in this case too, comfort shouldn’t be only an option.
A flexible stand makes it easy for you to set the display in upright position, recline it backwards for taking notes, and even allows you to put the screen almost flat on the table for some applications. There is a wide portfolio of Philips Touch monitors, featuring a Z-type structure with smooth tilt, height adjustment and folding capabilities which enable you to use it in different but always ergonomic positions. Check the latest update here and choose the best option for you.
Watch and relax
As said in the beginning, using a monitor for long hours can easily lead to eye fatigue. While keeping the monitor at the right distance (according to the display size) and paying attention to the light sources around you are the basics, there are a few additional features that could bring more comfort to the eyed. For instance, the Low Blue Mode and Flicker-Free technologies.
Screens, whether on the monitor or smartphones, often produce large amount of blue light, which could be harmful in long-term usage. When buying a display, you should take into account the visual issues caused by blue light waves and select a monitor designed to reduce blue light effects. Philips monitors meet its users’ needs featuring the LowBlue Mode setting, that uses a smart software technology for easy on the eye productivity.
Image flicker is another factor causing eye strain. Most LCD monitors come with pulse-width modulation (PWM) technology for brightness control: it allows one to rapidly turn the backlight unit off and on to simulate a lower perceived luminance for the user.
With brightness at 100%, the backlight is continuous, so the backlit is not cycled. However, when brightness is lowered, the PWM starts working, and if the on/off cycling has low frequency, it makes the flicker more noticeable and bothersome to human eyes. This may not seem to be causing immediate effects but in an extended period, it will cause eye fatigue.
The Flicker Free technology, therefore, makes use of direct current modulation to control the brightness setting, which in turn delivers a constant stream of light across all brightness levels.
Choosing a monitor with Flicker-Free technology, could help in having a better viewing experience. Philips monitors proudly include this technology that regulate brightness and reduce flicker for more comfortable viewing with most of the products.
Last, but not least, for Touch Monitors, look for the Anti-Glare Coating (abbreviated AG) which reduces the glare of your touch monitor screen by preventing sun and light glare. Thanks to this, you don’t need any additional films to benefit from comfort for your eyes in indoor or environments with lights targeting directly to the monitor.
With the few tips mentioned above, having the correct posture in front of a monitor and the right technology will help you take better care of yourself. As most of us are glued to the computer for longer hours, it is essential to keep an eye out for better care of your ergonomics, which in the end, help not only in having a better physical comfort but also in boosting your productivity and performances.
[1] https://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/20/health/texting-spine-neck-study/index.html