Bias Lighting for a 65" Display? (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

Decided it is time to put some backlighting behind my 65" Samsung plasma.
Anyone have suggestions for decent lighting? Amazon has a few choices but I am uncertain how good they are.
I also heard that the lighting needs to be the correct temperature. So, I suppose that would be an important factor.
Thank You

 

[Jim Mcc]

What made you decide this?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Have read many positive reviews that such lighting not only relieves
eye strain when watching content in a totally darkened environment,
but also raises black levels.

 

[schan1269]

Philips tried this a few year's back...and look where it got them...Coloring is up to you, and room decor. I've designed low level(as in where in the room) about two feet off the floor(think movie theatre aisle lighting).I would, essentially, choose one "color" for all the lighting in the room. Some like 6k, some like 4k.I actually went 6.5k in my office.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Thanks, Sam.

Amazon had some choices:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00390GFJS/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1M2XARP67I1BE&coliid=I27TIP59PI4FSK

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007TG5EG8/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1M2XARP67I1BE&coliid=IWN4OPICRZFK3

Just not sure how good they are (despite mostly positive reviews) or if anyone
recommends something better.

 

[schan1269]

Looks like a re-packaged rope light(the second one)

 

[Ronald Epstein]

This one is actually being recommended if I buy two of them...

http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Halo-LED-Bias-Lighting/dp/B0053B347M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1389559608&sr=8-2&keywords=soundscience+HDTV+bias+lighting

 

[schan1269]

I went and read(on phone so don't know how to link) the 2009 article George(of CinemaQuest) wrote on this forum.Bias kits are common to buy because they come with short tube lights and mounting stuff.Rope light, then, were inconsistent in "were they really 6500k" . That isn't so much the case anymore. Sure, there are crap rope lights. But crap tube lights exist as well.Granted 6500k white is the recommended bias. In a pure controlled light room, sure. In your living room with connected kitchen/ hallway etc...match your lights.However, don't just match the K. If you got ccfl, get a set of ccfl tubes. If you've bought LED bulbs, get led bulbs(rope or tube).

 

[GeorgeAB]

Get the correct facts:

'D65 Video Bias Lighting Fundamental Theory and Practice'

'The Importance Of Viewing Environment Conditions In A Reference Display System'

'The Room Is A Video Component' YouTube Video, 1 Hr.

Best regards and beautiful pictures,
G. Alan Brown, President
CinemaQuest, Inc.
A Lion AV Consultants affiliate

"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"

 

[schan1269]

By the way. Not disagreeing that 6500k is the best choice, but.Back when incandescent ruled the roost, sure...6500 fluorescent sucked out yellow light.This is now 2014, incandescent is dead. I've not run across anybody that doesn't buy "whiter light" bulbs.If the room has whiter bulbs, to me, and the real world buying...yes 6500 is best. However, if your lighting in the room is not yellow anymore...you could reduce the bias down.My recommendation comes from dealing with wives going "but it ruins the color of my flowers". Bias, even if the wrong color, is better than nothing.

 

[Jim Mcc]

Have read many positive reviews that such lighting not only relieves
eye strain when watching content in a totally darkened environment,
but also raises black levels.

Raises black levels? To me, that means blacks are lighter, and that's a bad thing.

 

[GeorgeAB]

By the way. Not disagreeing that 6500k is the best choice, but.Back when incandescent ruled the roost, sure...6500 fluorescent sucked out yellow light.This is now 2014, incandescent is dead. I've not run across anybody that doesn't buy "whiter light" bulbs.If the room has whiter bulbs, to me, and the real world buying...yes 6500 is best.However, if your lighting in the room is not yellow anymore...you could reduce the bias down.My recommendation comes from dealing with wives going "but it ruins the color of my flowers". Bias, even if the wrong color, is better than nothing.

Choosing the color of bias lighting pertains to only a singular purpose- to come as close as possible to match the international standard white point of the video display, which should be D65.

 

[schan1269]

Not that I'm arguing against D65/6500K lighting...but.Philips did this long ago with bias that matched the "primary color displayed at the time". Hugely annoying, but the same purpose. I've found times it made more sense(to me) to change up the bias...for two reasons...The content you were watching was never close to D65.People wanted the room lighting to match.I get the whole "video mastered at" and "calibration to do".All fine and dandy, until your content doesn't reach that goal. I've done two colors of bias for clients before.6500K for when the content was going to advantage, and another around 5-5.5 to match the remaining room light. Then the client, by trial and error, can switch between.I watched The Whip and the Body and Pit and the Pendulum the same night. 6500K bias would have been distracting.2001, you bet I used 6500k.

 

[Jim Mcc]

I don't want any part of using bias lighting. The darker the room, the better. As my elderly mother would say, "What a bunch of hooey" !!

 

[Type A]

Creating light pollution in your viewing enviroment is not the answer. If you are experiencing eye strain adjust the brightness of your display.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Creating light pollution in your viewing enviroment is not the answer. If you are experiencing eye strain adjust the brightness of your display.

...wow...and I have a top calibrator recommending that I get
bias lighting. So who do I believe?

...and reading some of the reviews on Amazon, it appears a
majority of people using bias lighting are seeing improved performance
from their display (or rather, the way the display and light interact).

 

[Robert Crawford]

If you're happy with what you're seeing now, why mess with it?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

If you're happy with what you're seeing now, why mess with it?

A few reasons....

First, Gregg Loewen, one of the top calibrators in the country, sent me a backlighting
kit with the recommendation to use it. Unfortunately, I had a pet destroy it and I never
got to use the kit.

Now I have a rather bright display. I prefer it bright, but I admit, the brightness does
seem to cause a little eye fatigue. Reading the reviews on Amazon, it seems that bias
lighting greatly improves the overall viewing experience.

If you have the time, you may be surprised what you read...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TG5EG8/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The lights are rather cheap. I would buy two sets.

BTW, spoke with Gregg on the phone a week ago -- didn't even mention bias lighting --
and he brought it up in conversation saying it would be a good idea to use to raise black
levels even further.

Read some of those Amazon reviews and you'll find owners commenting they got better
black levels (not that I am unhappy with the black levels right now)

 

[schan1269]

Not sure how well this works, but would run off the USB on the TV(provided you get a hub...you'd need three)

http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Halo-LED-Bias-Lighting/dp/B0053B347M/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1389633668&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=bias+lighting+for+hdtv

Edit:

That's what I get for using my phone yesterday. You already linked the one they design for HDTV with a USB.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Sam,
Thank you, Sir. Pretty much the same thing (and company) in my link in post #18 above yours.

It will be either one of those that I will order.