Antec Bias Lighting for HDTV with 51.1-Inch Cable (HDTV BIAS LIGHTING)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I have always been a fan of watching movies at night in the dark with no lights on. My wife hates it. As a compromise, I looked for some type of rear lighting for my television. At one point I used old Christmas lights, and they worked OK, but they easily got tangled with all of the other wires, plus, it was annoying to have to keep plugging and unplugging them in. Then I considered putting together my own kit with some type of remote control on/off switch or maybe even a photocell that could turn the lights on and off at night.



I saw the Antec Bias Lighting Kits for PC monitors and I thought they would be a perfect solution, if only they were bigger...



Then I found this 51.1" kit specifically for HDTVs and had to try it. This kit is powered by USB and my Sony Bravia has a USB port that is used to browsing photos or videos on a USB stick, so I thought maybe it would power the lights, and thankfully they do!



The USB port on my television turns these lights on when I power the TV on, and they automatically turn off about 2 minutes after I power the TV off.



The brightness and color temperature of the light is perfect. I was concerned that the "cool white" look might be too blue, but it is not. The color temp is similar to the white light that comes out of the TV when there is white on the picture. My Bravia is the 55" model, and this kit claims to be designed for TVs 60" and larger, however it fit my TV without needing to be trimmed. My Sony Bravia has a bezel that I could wrap the LED strip around allowing it to shine to the side just a little bit without protruding out of the side of the television.



My TV is not wall mounted, I keep it on a stand about 18" away from the wall and the brightness is perfect. Its not bright enough to read a book, but its enough to move around the room without bumping into things. The ambient light that it casts on my wall and ceiling is actually easier on the eyes than staring at a bright TV in a completely dark room. Both my wife and I really think this kit adds a lot to watching television in the dark.



I am very happy with this kit and cannot find anything to complain about. If you have TVs smaller than 55" you will need to trim the light, or get a couple of kits that are designed for computer monitors, but as it is, in my particular application, this light is perfect!