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Ambient light for behind a TV suggestions

121K views 141 replies 69 participants last post by  DavidinCT 
#1 ·
Hi, I'm the proud owner of a new big screen TV and am finding that I need to rethink some of the existing lighting in my living room. What do people suggest as far as ambient lighting for placement behind the TV? I've found a couple LED light bars but i'm not sure how well they would work.


Thanks.
 
#5 ·
Backlighting TVs is big here in the UK and a quick search of the UK equivalent to this forum gave a few examples

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showt...&highlight=led
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=310798
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showt...&highlight=led


Typically these use LED strip lights or cold cathode tubes - long-life, low heat emissions (IKEA do a cheap LED kit).


There was a link on one of those to this manufacturer

http://www.cyron.com/


Hope it helps. I used IKEA Blue LED strip light sets (4 strips - in 1 kit IIRC) in the kitchen. During daylight it is not very obvious at night it is great.



Steve
 
#7 ·
I picked up the Dioder from Ikea, it came with 4 LED strips as mentioned above. The 4 strips can be joined together or connected individually for better placement. I've got them electrical taped to the top side of the display currently and it works great. I will take some pictures once I have the final placement and wiring figured out.


It was $50 for the pack which is probably more expensive than the typical rope light. I'm also not sure how hot the rope lights can get but these things hardly put out any heat and are very small.


Thanks again everyone for the suggestions.
 
#8 ·
I did the rope light thing, but it's behind my crown molding, which is about 5" below the ceiling. Gives a very nice soft glow above the room, which is otherwise very dark. Doesn't effect the screen, and it keeps the eyes from getting fatigued.


I started my theater about 3 years ago, and now it's almost finished! (finally!)


Will have some pics soon...
 
#11 ·
If not too late lol .. I have the ambient light system from shop dot a-r-e dot nl driving my media center living room LCD, gaming desktop, and an arcade machine.


I'm very happy with it - true colors, flexible configuration, and a load of features and functions.


I control the system from my Harmony remote control, and it's a deLIGHT to use.
 
#12 ·
Several people have used the Cyron or Ikea Dioder lights with success. I had spun a custom controller for the Cyron lights that was about the size of a deck of cards and "spoke" IR so that you could program/control it from your IR remote. There is a thread here . I have been using it but others were interested, so I am going to respin the board and add whatever features people want and fit on the board. I have not tried it with the DIODER type lights -- but I have considered it. Perhaps this should be consolidated into its own thread. I don't have enough of the prototypes to pass around, so it was the opportunity to take input and respin accordingly.
 
#13 ·
I use a 6ft section of white rope lights held to the wall with those clips that come with the lights.. I plug the lights in by hand when needed.. hope this helps
 
#14 ·
Trying to mimic the philips ambilight (sp?) has been discussed before. The difficulty is that the color of the light varies with the content on the screen. So to do it in a panel not designed for it, you would need to either optically or electrically sense the picture and adjust the lights appropriately. I am sure somebody has done it as a proof of concept with a webcam or something, but it probably isn't too practical of a solution. Most people (myself included) just opt for fixed colors.


I am using a combination of the colored LED bars with a custom controller to get the effect that I want, but it is not adaptive like the philips.


- ame
 
#16 ·
#17 ·
The bias lights are nice, but they are not the same type/function as the cyron or the dioder lights. The led lights have programmable colors/brightness. They are more for effect rather than purity in watching. On my configuration I have both the LEDs and high CRI bias lighting.


Again the bias lights are great for watching movies and reducing eye strain but they are just "white".

Quote:
Originally Posted by sremick /forum/post/13797758


Grr, I love those Ikea Dioder lights but you can't order them online and there's no Ikea anywhere near me.

Did you try to find the cyron lights? They are basically the same function, but some have said they are less expensive. If you can't find them at Costco or wherever, PM me, as I have some extra components for my system.
 
#18 ·
i plan on building a support system based on thick dowels as part of a broader behind-the-tv setup. When finished, I will attach white christmas lights or rope lights (whatevers cheaper in the summer) with zip ties and have them controlled by a RF remote. I will provide pictures if anyone is interested
 
#20 ·
If you value image fidelity and artistic integrity from your TV viewing, this article defines what is beneficial or destructive to the viewing experience in many things discussed thus far in this thread: http://www.cinemaquestinc.com/ive.htm . The article is a white paper I composed to provide a comprehensive but concise survey of viewing environment principles and the imaging science behind them.


There is also a "sticky" thread going back 4 years that focuses specifically on this topic, at least the professional version of the technique. Here's the link: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=451527 .


Best regards and beautiful pictures,

G. Alan Brown, President

CinemaQuest, Inc.


"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"
 
#23 ·
I was thinking about getting the dioder lights at ikea to put behind my 40xbr4. i was just wondering if anyone had any other suggestions or if that was a good way to go? also to people who have these on their tv now what did u do to put them on just electrical tape or does it have a function that it can attack to a tv. and is their a way to turn these lights on by my harmony remote?
 
#24 ·
Peacey9: I just found the dioder lights at Ikea myself and have them installed. Very happy with them thus far, got the multicolor pack, which includes a white, so I can choose color if need be. I came here trying to find a way to control the on/off with my Harmony remote, and am still searching for an answer. If you haven't already purchased these, they come with little pieces of double sided adhesive for just this sort of thing, so no need to worry about tape.
 
#25 ·
Reading this thread with great interest, lots of good information.


I just replaced my Philips Ambilight Plasma with a Pioneer Plasma. Yes, I know the Pioneer is "technically" a superior TV, better blacks, 1080p, blah, blah... regardless, I miss Ambilight and am looking for work-arounds.


While I understand the technical benefits of what George is offering, I am more concerned with the effect than getting the most ideal viewing experience.


My main requirements -

-Ability to have different colors (like the Ikea model)

-Control through Remote (I have Harmony 890 so Z-Wave would work)

-Low(er) power/heat


Seems like the Ikea model is a good bet, but wondering what else is out there? No store nearby sadly.


Also can I use Rope Lights or the Diode Lights with a Z-Wave dimming module? Any problems with that?
 
#26 ·
Just curious, has anyone tried EL lighting? This place has the wire and self adhesive tracks for mounting...

http://www.elbestbuy.com/meleofretogo.html


It's cheap enough that I may just order some and try it out.
 
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