(October 7, 2024) Ambient lighting can make or break your viewing experience, and if you're not already using bias lighting behind your TV, you're missing out. Not only does it reduce eye strain during those marathon binge-watching sessions, but it also enhances perceived contrast and color accuracy on your screen.
But not all bias lights are created equal, and that's where MediaLight steps into the spotlight. Known for delivering top-tier, color-accurate bias lighting, MediaLight has just upped the ante by releasing their new Mk2 v2 light kit. Let's dive into why this is a game-changer for both home theater enthusiasts and professionals alike.
Why You Need a Bias Light
First off, let's talk about chromatic adaptation—a fancy term for how our eyes adjust to different light sources to maintain consistent color perception. In simpler terms, the ambient light in your room can affect how you perceive the colors on your screen. If your room lighting is off, your TV's colors can look unnatural, making that blockbuster movie less immersive and your favorite show's characters look odd.
Bias lighting solves this problem by providing a soft, uniform light behind your display. This not only reduces eye strain but also minimizes the effects of chromatic adaptation, ensuring you see colors as they were intended. The key is using a bias light with the right color temperature—6500K (D65), to be exact—which is the industry standard.
Choose Your Bias Light Wisely
Now, not all bias lights hit that 6500K mark accurately. Cheap LED strips found on eBay and Amazon might claim to be 6500K but fall woefully short, often casting a blue or magenta tint that throws off your display's color balance. A quality brand like MediaLight, on the other hand, uses custom ColorGrade SMD chips that are meticulously tested to ensure true 6500K color temperature and a high Color Rendering Index (CRI) of ≥ 98 Ra. That's professional-grade accuracy right there.
Moreover, MediaLight bias lights are built to last. With features like a black PCB strip that doesn't yellow and ultimately interfere with color temperature as it ages and an included dimmer for optimal brightness control, they're designed for both performance and longevity. It's no wonder professionals who color-grade the videos we watch choose MediaLight products for use with monitors in their studios.
Building on Its reputation for excellence, MediaLight recently unveiled the Mk2 v2, and they've pulled out all the stops to make this the best bias lighting solution yet. From a performance perspective, color temperature variance has been tightened from +/-100K to +/-50K. This means even greater consistency across the entire strip, ensuring your bias lighting is as accurate as possible. But, the company has injected the Mk2 with much more than that.
One of the more significant upgrades is the switch from Very High Bond (VHB) adhesive to Ultra High Bond acrylic adhesive. This clear adhesive provides a spectrally-neutral backing, eliminating any unwanted color tinting that can occur with lesser adhesives. Plus, they've added a starter tab to make installation a breeze—no more struggling to peel off the backing. For owners worried about leaving residue on an expensive display, MediaLight includes a roll of residue-free nano tape with all 2-7 meter units (and pre-cut strips for the 1-meter version). This tape offers a strong bond but removes cleanly, giving you peace of mind during installation.
MediaLight also redesigned the remote control, giving it a sleek makeover. But the real magic is under the hood, where brightness controls now feature 150 stops, up from the previous 50, allowing for incredibly precise adjustments—especially crucial in the 0-20% brightness range that professionals often want to tweak. The new remote also operates at 25 KHz, making it the company's first remote-controlled flicker-free dimmer. While not everyone is sensitive to PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation) dimming, eliminating flicker enhances comfort for all users. The slow-fade on/off feature also smoothes out any flashing artifacts that occurred with some TVs, like certain Sony Bravia models.
To accommodate longer strips and additional dimmers, MediaLight has thickened the copper wiring for the USB switch. This reduces resistance and ensures consistent performance, maximizing the available current for your setup. Installation has also been made easier with versatile flat "PCB strip" clips and included Velcro tabs. These are perfect for attaching the strips over removable panels or keeping your remote within easy reach. For international customers, the packaging now includes measurements in both imperial and metric units, along with compliance insignia for CE, RoHS, and disposal requirements.
Our Take
Three years ago, I reviewed MediaLight's LX1 Bias Lighting Kit, and the results were eye-opening. I used that review kit until recently when a new TV was purchased. MediaLight was kind enough to ship an Mk2 v2 kit for the new television, and many of the new features listed above were readily apparent. The entire kit, from packaging to installation instructions and, of course, post-installation performance, is exactly what you'd expect. I'll drop some images of the kit and its unboxing in the comments section below.
Pricing and Availability
The MediaLight Mk2 v2 is available now, ranging from $57.95 for the 1-meter strip to $137.95 for the 7-meter version (accessories might bump those prices up a tiny amount). If you'd like to learn more about the Mk2 v2 or make a purchase, click here.
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