[Mr2Spyder]

Digital Video Essentials recommends placing a light behind the tv using a bulb that shines at 6500 kelvin. Does anyone know what type of bulb will burn at 6500k?

 

[MTN.GUY]

I went to an aquarium shop for mine.Some german brand about 20.00 bucks for an 18" tube.I bought my fixture at Home Depot for around 25.00.Makes a night and day difference in dvd viewing or over the air programming.Experiment with placement and foil covering over part of the diffuser to cut the light output.I ended up velcroing mine to the back of the tv cabinet.

 

[TiMo Tim]

I would think the diffuser would alter the color of the light (especially after it ages and yellows). I took the diffuser off mine, but haven't gotten around to find a permanent mounting method for it, nor have I covered parts of the bulb to reduce the light level.


Tim

 

[rgriffing]

Ideal Lume makes a fixture and bulb set for placement behind your set. This is exactly what you are looking for (6500K).

 

[TiMo Tim]

Actually, it's made/marketed by CinemaQuest, and the product is called Ideal-Lume. (The head of the company posts on these fora.)

http://www.cinemaquestinc.com/ideal_lume.htm


I went with the $15 do-it-yourself route from my local Menards to see if it helps before I considering investing in the professional route. The WAF is also a factor in determining how well backlighting goes over.


Tim

 

[xilinx]

y would u need a backlight?

 

[187]

Ya Why ???????????????

 

[TiMo Tim]

With the light output of today's big TVs, it helps to have "bias lighting"-- ambient light that pre-adjusts your eyes so the iris isn't wide-open-- to prevent eye strain. In a dark room, your iris opens up (letting more light in thru your big pupils), and when the TV's program flashes between bright and dark scenes, there's less opening & closing of the iris, resulting in less eye strain. At least that's my understanding of it.


There's other benefits, such as less room light hitting the screen if the light is behind the set, and having the right bulb (close to the 6500K color temp) helps you view the most accurate color on a properly-calibrated set. There's at least one TV mfgr. that has a backlight built into one of their plasmas, I think.


See the link I posted above for more details, or do a search on here for "bias lighting" or "backlight".


Personally, I don't like watching TV in a completely dark room.


Tim

 

[xilinx]

wow..i find the only way is to watch tv in a dark room...especialy with a crt...you're not supposed to have lots of ambient light anyways right?


i find a light behind the tv rather distracting. in the dark, i can really appreciate the black levels...something which i have come to love about crts. with the light..i don't think the blacks will look as good

 

[SpruceMoose]

the bias light actually makes the blacks look blacker! try it yourself. i bought an under-cabinet light for 20 bux at walmart. it has two 10watt halogen bulbs, and a dim/off/bright switch. i have it stuck to the sloping rear panel of my panny 53wx53. kill all the room lights, turn on the backlight, and watch the movie. no more complaints of eye strain or headaches.


sm.

 

[NVboy]

Quote:

Originally posted by SpruceMoose no more complaints of eye strain or headaches.

If you don't mind my asking, what display do you have?

 

[xilinx]

he sed he had a panny x53

 

[NVboy]

Quote:

Originally posted by xilinx he sed he had a panny x53

Sure wish I had paid attention in class when they were teaching us how to read. Too many girls to look at, I guess.

 

[edamon]

you gotta be some kind of videophile to put this much effort into watching

TV...

 

[SpruceMoose]

not really. my wife has always complained of headaches when watching tv in a dark room. i have always preferred a totally dark room for watching movies. so, with the backlight, no headaches for her, and i dont even notice its there. its not really much light, but it seems to do the trick.


marriage is the art of compromise. just past 25 years!


sm.

 

[GeorgeAB]

xilinx & edamon,


Welcome to the AV SCIENCE forum! The more work one puts into any endeavor, the more one will get out of it. If understanding all of life was intuitive we wouldn't need science, mathematics, doctors, universities, etc. The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has been recommending 6500 Kelvins backlighting, along with viewing color television images in a darkened room, for decades.


The Imaging Science Foundation (ISF), for over ten years now, has been alerting consumers to the fact that TVs aren't plug-and-play. Television manufacturers have been largely delinquent in effectively explaining to purchasers of their products how to get the best pictures from the devices. Even many home theater professionals still consistently overlook a critical element in designing and specifying their systems. That critical element is the viewer! SMPTE's human factors research resulted in standards and practices for color television viewing environments that benefit the viewer. Those benefits encompass human perceptual issues as well as viewing comfort.


A "backlight level" test pattern has been included in every home theater setup and calibration software title worth its salt, including: 'Avia Guide to Home Theater', 'Avia PRO', 'Sound & Vision Home Theater Tune-Up', 'A Video Standard', 'Video Essentials' and 'Digital Video Essentials'. Unfortunately, only the last three titles have offered substantial explanation behind the importance of viewing environment conditions and 6500K backlighting in particular. The other discs simply include the pattern with no explanation for how to use it. Our web site is one of the few places in the world to find extensive discussion of video viewing environment technologies and solutions.


Best regards and beautiful pictures,

G. Alan Brown, President

CinemaQuest, Inc.


"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"

 

[Trinitone]

Home Depot sells fluorescent tube bulbs called "Daylight Deluxe" that have a 6500K color temp. I also saw another screw-in type fluorescent bulb that goes in a standard base with a 6500K temp.

 

[GeorgeAB]

Check the color rendering index (CRI) ratings on those bulbs. The lighting industry standard for CRI ratings sufficient for color comparison is a minimum of 90. Most over-the-counter daylight fluorescents have CRIs between 75 and 85 in the small sizes. They also usually have a green spike in their spectral content to increase over-all efficiency. Our vision is more sensitive to green, so most fluorescents have the green component to achieve greater illumination per watt. The fluorescents with high CRIs are more expensive to manufacture.


Best regards and beautiful pictures,

G. Alan Brown, President

CinemaQuest, Inc.


"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"

 

[Trinitone]

GeorgeAB - You bring up a good point. I think the CRI on those bulbs ranged to an 88 on the high end.

 

[TiMo Tim]

The Westinghouse ReaLite Full Spectrum fluorescent bulb I'm using in my DIY setup is rated at 6500K, CRI=94. 18", T-8 bulb, Made in Germany.

http://www.westinghouselightbulbs.co...hp?p=947307447


Around $10 at my local Menard's, from what I remember. However, I believe the fixture (the quality of the ballast) plays an important part, too.


Tim