Learn How Bias Lighting Can Noticeably Enhance Your TV's Perceived Image Quality with AV NIRVANA Live!

(November 15, 2021) Hey there, AV NIRVANA! We're hosting a live chat on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube with Jason Rosenfeld (President & Founder of Scenic Labs) on Nov 17 at 1PM EST to discuss Bias Lighting, your room's environment, and how the visual system plays a role in the perception of image quality. Please swing by, watch, and ask a question! If anything, you'll learn the whys and hows behind boosting your TV viewing experience!



Watch and chat on YouTube

and Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/1736804486610157/posts/2827560010867927

Or, head to our Twitter page and watch (https://lnkd.in/dd9p5iza).

 

[Todd Anderson]

Many thanks to Jason for joining me yesterday. He led us DEEP into the jungle of Bias Lighting with lots of rich detail about how and why it works. He showed us measurable proof that not all bias lighting is the same. If you want to learn a lot about visual science and the science behind light, kick back and enjoy!

 

[Asere]

Thank you!! Excellent presentation from you both. I learned a lot from watching this. I even watched it live from work as much as I could then later from home (don't say a word lol). I am loving my MK2 with my plasma. Jason Rosenfeld is a great guy with excellent customer service and products.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Thanks for dropping in, Ariel! And I'm glad you took the plunge and bought an MK2 kit. The impact of balanced and properly dimmed bias lighting is a game-changer.

The amount of detail Jason provided was above and beyond what I was hoping to get. He's loaded with knowledge! I think his ability to accurately describe tint and illustrate it with visual aides was great – he did a way better job than my THX calibration instructor! x

A few takehome messages, IMO:

1)Bias Lighting has a profound impact on how our eyes view images on a TV (which was established in our review)
2) You can use Bias Lighting on walls that aren't grey!
3)Educate yourself before you buy a lighting kit. You might end up buying a product that has spectral properties that actually make your viewing experience worse!

 

[Asere]

Todd I can tell you the MK2 is in a different league then the other cheap LED's. This one is pure white even with my light beige color. The cheaper lights didn't really stand out as white. With the MK2 there is a white halo around it and with the others there is a halo but the light seems to spread out more and is very thin if I make sense.
I wanted to ask you about the part of the presentation where the tv out of the box settings are set to Warm. I currently have it at Warm2. Does this mean now with the MK2 lights it should be set to Standard because of the lights having D65? Maybe I misunderstood.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Yeah, it really varies by manufacturer. Traditionally, most manufacturers ship TVs in a torch mode where white's have a blue push to make them look really crisp. This is done primarily because when a TV goes on display in a big box store, manufacturers want it to stand out... AND the lighting in those stores is particularly harsh with light that has a blue push.

I noted that Jason described a warm push... but he also referenced "torch mode". I'm not sure what his warm comment was referring to.

Your TV setting should be the one that most closely approximates a calibration with accurate D65 white. I believe Samsung has a "Movie Mode," that's the one I'd start with. It might make whites look a little softer or more yellow. But that's what you want. After a day or so, your eyes will adjust.

The most import thing to look for is proper skin tones. That's where something like the spears and munsil disc comes in handy. It has reference skin tone images that you can look at... perhaps you can find something on YouTube that is similar. If skin tones look healthy with these reference images, then your TV is probably in the right mode.

 

[NBPK402]

Excellent video Todd. I just placed an order for the 6 meter one from amazon.com.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Thanks! Great choice on the purchase... for a minimal amount of invest, you get a big return. Don't forget to dim the brightness to approx 10% of your screens peak brightness. You'll be rewarded!

 

[NBPK402]

Thanks! Great choice on the purchase... for a minimal amount of invest, you get a big return. Don't forget to dim the brightness to approx 10% of your screens peak brightness. You'll be rewarded!

Thanks, my color purity is supposedly great on my LG, but the blacks are not. Would i use my light meter on a white screen and in a dark room, and then turn the TV off and measure the LEDs reflection off of the off white part of my wall? I am assuming there is a dimmer on the unit...

 

[NBPK402]

I got mine from Amazon, but they did not have the dimmer so I am going to order one.

The install went pretty easily for me to do by myself (except for the lack of room I had to get behind the tv, but that is my fault ). It looks great...just needs to be dimmed.

Thanks Todd for doing the video!

 

[ebrumbaugh]

So after reading your article, I thought given the price, its worth a try for my first time using bias lighting ... inexpensive, easy to install, 4-meters and below can be powered from a USB 2.0 port on the TV (I've got my network plugged into the USB 3.0 port via a USB dongle to get around the 100MB/sec cap on the sets LAN port. Attached is a picture of my initial use on the XR-77A80J in the home theater (basement room). I opted to light 3-sides, rather than all four. I'm enjoying it, time will tell, but so far a worthwhile "tweak" to the system. One thing I did do was lay down a strip of their gaffers tape and then put the LED light strip on top of that, but the cool things was the tape was free and listed under their accessories, just make sure to add it to your order. Lastly, I added the wireless controller to the order and use their Magic Home App to turn the lighting on and off and control the amount of lighting. App, feels a little dated, but works well. Cheers, thanks again for the article.

 

[Asere]

@ebrumbaugh, I have the same tv model just different size. What % are you using with the lights? This video helps with calibration. Per Jason you are suppose to only see 2 out of the 4 lines in the video.

 

[ebrumbaugh]

The image above I took when I first turned the set on and setting up the app ... I noticed the app showed the lighting at 97% after the initial setup. I haven't played with the settings a lot, yet, but have moved the % down to 70, 55, and 10 while getting familiar with the app (setting the presets). I was adjusting two sconces I installed when I remodeled the room to give me a dim light while watching movies, etc. ... this kit is a huge improvement, sconces stay off now. Still familiarizing though with the % to see what works best. I do like that I can easily adjust the light % as needed, although I don't know how much adjustment you'd need to do once it's set for your room, viewing distance, etc.

 

[LCSeminole]

@ebrumbaugh , thanks for the review, I've got the exact same Sony panel as you, so your picture sold me and I just ordered a 5m LX1. Hopefully Scenic Labs ships quickly with the express shipping option!

 

[ebrumbaugh]

@ebrumbaugh , thanks for the review, I've got the exact same Sony panel as you, so your picture sold me and I just ordered a 5m LX1. Hopefully Scenic Labs ships quickly with the express shipping option!

Awesome! You’ll enjoy the lighting, wish I’d added it sooner.

 

[Asere]

The Bias lights do not turn on/off automatically with Sony Bravia tv's like they do with my Samsung. Apparently it is a Sony issue but according to the Media Light company they are working on a prototype that detects the amperage being drawn by the tv and cut off the USB when the screen goes off. Hopefully they will come out with this soon because while the remote and WIFI dimmer is nice I prefer to set the dimming percentage and forget.

 

[LCSeminole]

The Bias lights do not turn on/off automatically with Sony Bravia tv's like they do with my Samsung. Apparently it is a Sony issue but according to the Media Light company they are working on a prototype that detects the amperage being drawn by the tv and cut off the USB when the screen goes off. Hopefully they will come out with this soon because while the remote and WIFI dimmer is nice I prefer to set the dimming percentage and forget.

I was expecting to have this situation with my Sony OLED, but my bias lighting shuts off after a few minutes of my panel being turned off. Also the LX1 lighting(extra large-5m length) powers up just fine with the USB 2.0 outlets on my panel as well, using the USB 3.1 isn't necessary.

 

[ebrumbaugh]

I've experienced the same thing, my LX1 turns on with my Sony OLED and off a few minutes after the tv shuts off. Have also, intermittently found the LX1 to turn itself on when my system isn't being used. I'll go into the theater and turn on the iPad I have the control app on and find that the LX1 isn't listed in the app anymore, but the app also shows one new device detected. When I push the '+' add button, the app has me choose my wireless network, already knows the password, and the LX1 is added back with all the previous settings in place. The only minor glitch I've come across.