Just blocked out al light from windows, now what light should get for behind the TV? (1 Viewer)

[Grady Hollums]

I just bought window shades that will block out all the light for my HT/ Living room, now I thought I remember VE saying that I need to buy a light that is 65000 Kevin, but whaere do I buy that kind of light and how much are we talking about here? Right now I am just using the small little rescess halogen lights that are meant for under a cabnet from Lowes/Home Depot, but I do not think that this is the true light that I should be using.
I also am dimming the light with the X-10 remote dimmer, so I want to make sure that the light will dim.
I just bought my wife a cross stiching lamp from this company:
daylightcompany.com
I can not find anywhere on there if their light is the type of light I am looking for, but it sure does produce a great white light. The light that they sell is also a normal screw in light, so I might just be able to go get a normal light fixture from Lowes and just buy one of thier $20.00 lights to go in it and then just plug it into the X-10 dimmer.
Any help is as always appreciated!!! Than you so much for allowing the Holums Home Theater to make that small step to becoming a "good" Home Theater!!
New pictures are coming soon!
(Man, where is the check spelling option? I really need that feature, heh)

 

[Guy Kuo]

I'd suggest a lamp with a Lumichrom 1XX 6500K fluorescent bulb as it is the best in terms of neutrality for video, but your requirement for use with a dimmer means you will likely need to settle for a much lower color temp lamp. A lot of people seem happy with a bias light which is the "wrong" color (too yellow so the image looks bluer), but I think a bias lamp which is closer to the D65 color of correctly calibrated grayscale is advantageous for not altering the perceived colors on screen. The problem is that lamps of the correct color are usually fluorescent and difficult to dim unless you use an electronic ballast designed to dim fluorescent tubes.

Incandescent and halogen bulbs will end up around 3000k to 4000K (roughly) in correlated color temperature if you run them at full brightness. When dimmed, the CCT will drop even further below the desired 6500K.

BTW, I suggest that particular bulb because many 6500K bulbs will have too much or too little green. The Lumichrome 1xx gets it just about right.

 

[John Morris]

Guy: And where can I buy a lumichrom bulb? I searched the web and found out that they sponsored a Jazz Festival in Ontario, and are recommended on the Kodak forum, but I haven't found their corporate web site nor any place that sells their bulbs. Where can I find their bulbs to buy?

Thanks!

 

[Albert M]

www.truesun.com/lumichrome1xx.htm

 

[Grady Hollums]

OK,
Now we have the light, but what fixture do I buy?
Do the lights work in a normal Neon Fixture? Can I buy a one light fixture at Lowes or Home Depot?
I just want a single light behind my TV. I wouod much rather buy a fixture to fit the "F15W 1XX, 15Watt, T8, 18", 20000 hrs, 790 lumens" (see Site of the light mentioned above
OK, now where do I find a fixture that is small and will fit on top of my TV, but behind the center speaker?
Thank you all so much for your help, I think then end is almost in site!!!
BTW: I would buy the small travel fixture found in the web site above, but #140 sems like a lot to me, but I honestly don't know.
Also Can these lights be dimmed buy my X-10 dimmer device? Honestly nothing is like a theater when the lights dimm down to get the audience in the mood for a show. I just love that feeling, and want to recreat it every time. Thanks!!!

 

[Rick Radford]

Grady,

For ~$20, I picked up up a 2 foot fixture, a replacement power cord and a 2 foot 6500k flourescent tube at Lowe's or Home Depot recently. I had to get the power cord since I couldn't find an inexpensive 2' fixture that had the power cord attached.

I don't know how close that tube is for correct color, but since my listening room has a dark over light color scheme anyway, figured it was worth $20 to try.

I have to say that even with this light on the floor behind an armoire, I like the effect the light gives. It's much better than no light or the existing room lighting.

 

[Ron Reda]

I picked up something called "Cable Lights" at Lowe's for like $20 total. Basically, they are two 4 ft. strands of bendable, tubular lights that I lined across my baseboard and up the side of my entertainment center. They don't throw off too much light as to affect the TV screen, but they do give off enough to make the effect and presentation look very dramatic and theater-like. In fact, other than the sound and video, people comment about the lights the most!

 

[Grady Hollums]

Rick:
Could you let me know a little more specifically what exactly you bought. It sounds like you are doing what I would like to do, but I am a little confused on what to ask the people at Lowes or Home Depot that they would know what I am talking about. (I have found they are not too smart at my local stores ) Thanks!!!

 

[Rick Radford]

Grady,
I like Ron's idea.. although the color may not be in the 6500k range. You might check into that too.
I can't remember where I got it for sure.. but between Lowe's HW and Home Depot, I got:

• 2 foot fluorescent fixture for ~$13. It comes ready for direct wire into the home wiring (no power cord).
  2 foot 6500k bulb (GE F20T12D 20w daylight) ~$4. It says 6500k on the packaging.
  Whatever you call it that goes in the side of the fixture that the power cord goes thru (after you knock out the plug). Cost is pennies.
  6 foot replacement power cord for ~$3.

Get a couple of wire nuts to connect the black/black and white/white wires of the fixture and power cord and you should be good to go. The green wire attaches to a ground screw on the fixture.
Simple and cheap.
If you want, you can plug the power cord (with a cheater plug) into your switched outlet on the receiver so that the light comes on when the receiver powers up.
HTH.

 

[Albert M]

Check this out www.cinemaquestinc.com/ideal_lume.htm
Scroll down page for price and picture.

 

[Jay Mitchosky]

I'm going to move this to the TV Forum.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Another choice if you can't get Guy's recommended bulb is an aquarium bulb from a tropical fish store like the Coralife Nutri-Grow florescent bulb. It's a broad specrum 6500 deg. K bulb. This was recommended by the guys at Hi-Rez Projectors for use as a true-white source for setting the color of gray in a CRT projector as well.

 

[Ron Reda]

Grady,

The beauty of the "Cable Lights" are that they aren't permanent unless I want them to be (that would entail buying the optional brackets). Also, because they are flexible, they just run along the baseboard and then bend along the side of my entertainment center.

I wish I had a picture of what they look like in a darkened room...maybe I'll take one this weekend and post it.

 

[John Tyrone]

O.K, so can a good correct bulb be bought at Lowe's or Home Depot, or can it be found only online? Any recommendations on company bulbs carried at these stores?

Also is the correct location placed on the floor behind an rptv so the light is directed at the back wall?

John

 

[Guy Kuo]

I've never found a bulb at Home Depot or Lowe's that was the correct color. They do carry type "d" fluorescents (usually too green) and some full spectrum 6500K bulbs (usually too little magenta). Aquarium bulbs at 6500K are a better try, but will usually be also noticably off (too green or too magenta) if you actually compare them against D65. It depends on whether or not you want to get as close as possible for D65. The IdealLume lamp mentioned above has the Lumichrome 1xx bulb. The Lumichrome is otherwise difficult to get as it is often only available over the net and in minimum orders of 6 units.

Yes, behind the RPTV so it illuminates the wall is the correct position. The correct brightness can be achieved by comparing the wall brightness against the "back lighting" test pattern in AVIA.

 

[Myram]

So what is the general purpose of the light behind the RPTV?

Is it supposed to make viewing the TV easier or better?

Is there a complete explaination of the need for this light anywheres, or is it just preference to have a light?

 

[errol]

Hi Steven,
Go here for info on backlighting and sources for them.
Thanks,
Errol

 

[Myram]

So is it a general rule of thumb that a light is required behind all RPTVs?

I have read people saying both.......light required and no light.

It would not be expensive to do......buy the fixture at home depot for like $10 , and find the bulb for another $5-10 and that is it. Or you could spend $50 online for the kit and get the same thing.

I'm going to see what I can find locally for a lightbulb and then I'll go from there.

 

[Myram]

I went to Home Depot and picked up a 18" flourescent fixture for $7.97, then I picked up a GE Sunlight bulb 5000K 92CRI bulb for $6.96.....came to $16 with tax. I know the bulb is a little low in the color scale.....but it works just fine. I painted the fixture flat black, put it on the back of the TV and it works great. Viewing the TV with all other lights off is much easier on the eyes and I think the TV looks better too.

That's my solution, and it saved me over $30 from the internet kit.

 

[Ashley Seymour]

Home Depot had the Philips Daylight, F20T12/D bulb for about $5.48 and a 24"

Lights of America Under-Cabinet Light Fixture with a cost of about $10, so about $16 should get a system with close to the 6,500K light you want.

I left the Home Depot store with the intent to come back after sitting an open house. On the way back I stopped into a builders surplus store and by chance they had the fixture for $1.00. It worked so I was in about $6.75.

My TV is stuck in an entertainment center and the brightness of the light is too much. Plus a part of the light can be viewed directly when sitting off center. I had to put some shade cloth over it to reduce the intensity. Seems to work ok for what little I have invested.