Physiological evaluation on kansei reaction caused by the different visual media

Audio-visual information supplied by electronic media is rapidly beginning to occupy a greater part of our information environment than natural audio-visual information. While contact with visual media can have positive effects on users, it is impossible to deny that negative effects are also possible. To develop a basic and effective method to physiologically assess how visual media affect the human brain, we developed a physiological assessment method based on electro-encephalographic alpha activity (alpha-EEG), by referring to studies on sound amenities. Its effectiveness is examined in a comparison of the kansei (right-brain/emotional) reaction between a high-definition (HD) video format and an NTSC video format. The results suggest the effectiveness of the method and the significantly higher conformity of the HD format with humans than that of the NTSC format.