Monitor (and TV) Ambient Backlighting options/mini reviews

[Haggisman]

Thought I'd share my thoughts/observations on a few options since I've probably been through almost every available option trying to get something which works for me, and maybe save people some time/money!

There are plenty of generic single colour/remote control options out there, but this post is purely about systems which change based on what is displayed on screen.

So far I've tried (in order):

• NZXT Hue 2 Ambient Kit(£45)
• Govee Immersion (£57)
• Philips Hue Play Bars (£144)
• "Chinese special" Ambibox (£24)

 

[Haggisman]

NZXT Hue 2 Ambient Kit:

This is probably the best put together PC specific kit.

It uses the same strips as other NZXT products - these are encased in clear gel, so no exposed electronics and have integrated magnets so can stick on metal surfaces easily (e.g. inside your PC case). Probably not quite so relevant for this kit, since I don't believe there are many monitors with metal backs, but if you happen to have one then it saves using the adhesive strips. I believe these are 30 LED/m, so a relatively low count, but good enough for this purpose.

Installation/Hardware

Installation is relatively easy - the strips come in various lengths, and there is a card in the box which shows the different configurations to use depending on your monitor size. Set up the required configuration (including the provided corner parts, so you have 2 "L" shaped sections, one for the bottom and up the side, and one for the other side and across the top.

The strips use 3M VHB - which is very sticky! (I believe there is a v1 and v2 - the v1 used a different tape and had some complaints about falling off, I can't see that happening with the v2).

The control box has a couple of strips of adhesive velcro to hold it on the back of your monitor. I'll be honest, I'm not sure why they didn't use the same 3M VHB tape, as my control box fell off after a few weeks and I ended up sticking it back on using some I had lying around. You don't need to remove it after it's all installed, so the velcro serves no real purpose.

There's a power adapter (with a nice long cable) to connect to the control box, along with a USB cable to go to the PC - the provided USB cable is quite long (2m iirc), but I replaced this with a short one and plugged it into a port on the monitor.

My only issue with the installation/hardware was the cables used to connect the control box to the strips - they are quite short (10cm) and stiff, they also overlap each other, and I found that the one on top tended to lift the end of the strip slightly - not really a major issue, just a minor annoyance.

Software

Control of this kit is done via the NZXT CAM software. There is a major limitation here in that the Ambient mode will not work unless one of the "suggested" configurations is used, so it's a good idea to set it all up before sticking the strips to your monitor, and make sure you've got it laid out correctly.

Configuration is limited - when you enable Ambient Mode in the software it runs a small wizard - basically lighting up each strip in turn while you click on a diagram which section of the screen is illuminated. And that's it - there's no customisation of sensitivity, saturation/gamma etc.

While the ambient functionality is limited, this probably has the most additional functionality of all the options I tested. If you turn off the ambient option, there are various built-in functions which can be set on the strips, e.g. rainbow RGB, various patterns such as chase, marquee, flashing etc. music (I believe the control box has a built in mic. although I never actually tested this). It can also be set to change colour depending on CPU temperature etc. You can also set the individual LEDS to whatever colour you want.

In addition, because the CAM software is also used for various other NZXT products, if you already have e.g. a Kraken AIO, NZXT case or fans, you can control the whole lot with one piece of software, which is always a bonus.

Issues

So... all in all a positive experience - why did I look for a replacement? Unfortunately I experienced some really bad flickering when I had HDR enabled. I was initially able to "fix" this temporarily by switching resolution a few times, but at some point a Windows update stopped this work around from working. This wasn't such an issue on my old monitor, which only had token HDR, but I recently got a new monitor with decent HDR, and it basically rendered it unusable.

I did raise a ticket with NZXT support, but they didn't have a clue what was causing it - I tried different GPU drivers, various versions of CAM etc., but the only thing which would "fix" it was to disable HDR, so I didn't even bother installing the strips on my new monitor.

One further issue is that I believe it has now been discontinued, although a quick Google suggests it is still quite widely available (but I wouldn't count on any software updates).

TL;DR

Over all a good all round package at a decent price from a reputable company which I would have been happy to stick with if it weren't for the flickering.

+ Decent quality/well made hardware.
+ Software also controls other RGB hardware, cooling etc.

- Only works with "suggested" configurations.
- No customisation of Ambient mode in software.
- Flickering issue on desktop (YMMV)

 

[Haggisman]

Govee Immersion:

This is more for your TV rather than monitors, but since I do a lot of gaming on my TV as well, I figured I'd give this one a shot.

The "USP" of this system is that it is software free - it relies on using a camera to detect what is on the screen and then uses this data to light up the strips.

Installation/Hardware

Like the NZXT strips, the LED strips come encased in clear gel so there are no exposed electronics. This comes as a reel of LEDS in 4 sections (top/bottom/sides), with short lengths of ribbon cable between each section to go around the corners. This is a nice touch as it means no folding of the LED strip like you have to do with some strips, however it would have been nice if these were round cables so they bent a little more easily - as it was they were a little fiddly to install without poking over the edge of the TV. As with the NZXT strips, these came with pre-applied 3M VHB tape, so nice and sticky with little risk of falling off. There are also some additional clips supplied which can be used to reinforce the ends of the strips and stick down the cables around the corners.

There is a small control box which sticks to the back of the TV, and as far as I can tell, the connector on the end of the LED strip which goes into this box is USB C, which could potentially open some options if this could be directly connected to a PC and some kind of control API developed? This control box also has a power connection, and a standard USB port for the camera to connect to.

The strips were just the right length for my 65" TV - It's marketed for 55-65", but I think with a smaller TV you might need to get a bit creative with positioning them (e.g. right at the edge!).

With the strips in place, the camera needs to be installed. All of the marketing info shows this on the top of the screen, but in the app it can actually go on the bottom as well, which can be a bit less obtrusive.

Software

Set up is relatively simple - you download the app, stick some orange foam cubes on your screen in the indicated positions, and then are shown a picture taken by the camera and need to drag some reference points to the positions of the foam cubes in order to calibrate it.

Once that's done, you're good to go. There are a couple of options in the app on how you want it to react - "Game" or "Movie" mode, and "Part" or "All". They do seem to make a difference, but I couldn't really figure out what they were actually doing due to issues mentioned below. You can also enable/disable reacting to sound effects in combination with the screen.

Along with the ambient mode there are a few "scenes" you can select which give different colouring/patterns around the TV, including sound/music reactive (I believe the control box has a built-in mic.)

Issues

I really wasn't impressed with this kit. So I ended up sending it back.

The colour reproduction was very poor - displaying colours not on the screen at all, and missing those which were there. In some cases it worked quite well, e.g. a demo scene with a thunderstorm had lots of nice dramatic flashes across the wall, but generally it wasn't great. From reading about it further, moving the camera further out from the screen can help a lot, but in my case this wasn't really possible due to positioning.

Speaking of the camera - this is what really killed this option for me. I'd read that you could put it at the bottom of the screen, so I was hoping to put it between the bottom of the screen and top of my centre speaker - so barely visible. Unfortunately the colour reproduction here was even worse than on top of the screen, so completely unusable. Putting it on top of the screen wasn't really an option as it is very obvious - particularly because the strip lights up the wall behind it, making it a very conspicuous black silhouette.

I could have dealt with the camera below the screen if the colour reproduction was spot on.
I could have dealt with the colour reproduction being a bit off at times if there was no camera.
Both flaws together however were too much, so back it went.

TL;DR:

Cheapest TV option, and I guess may work in certain circumstances, but not for me.

+ Works with all content, even built-in apps on your TV
+ LED strips are good quality
+ Additional "scenes" mean this can be used as a normal light as well as for the ambient function

- Very poor colour reproduction
- Ugly camera

 

[Haggisman]

Philips Hue Play Bars

There are plenty of reviews about these out there, so I'll try to keep this one brief.

These are by far the most expensive option - I have 3 of them on my 38" ultrawide, and to be honest an additional one probably wouldn't hurt, but along with the the price, that brings its own issue which I will mention below.

Available options are:

• Single starter kit
• Double starter kit
• Single extension

You will also need a Hue Bridge to use the sync functionality

Installation/Hardware

This really couldn't be easier, the bars come with 2 different stands, one for desk standing and one for wall (or monitor/TV/etc.) mounted. They can also be positioned lying down on the desk (the backs are angled so they can be angled towards the wall). There is a 3M VHB tape circle included for the wall mount stands. The lights come with a power cable hardwired in, and the starter kit comes with a power adapter which has sockets for 3 lights.

I initially had the lights on the desk - 2 side ones standing upright, and centre lying flat - but I've since mounted them on the back of the monitor.

Software

Most of the configuration is done using the Hue mobile app - you will need to install the Hue Bridge first (follow the instructions in the app), then set up a room and entertainment area.

Once this is done, you can add the lights using their serial number - confusingly, this isn't actually visible on the light anywhere, but is included as a sticker on the manual in the box, so don't throw it out! They can then be added to the entertainment area, and set their positions relative to your screen.

Once set up, you need to install the Hue Sync desktop app on the PC so it can control the lights.

There are limited options here - 4 options for how reactive you want it to be, and a toggle to use audio to control the effects in addition to the display. I've found extreme to be the best for gaming, but this is probably down to personal preference.

There are also additional options for scenes (e.g. static colours), music & video.

The mobile app has some additional options - sync with Spotify and dynamic scenes (e.g. cycle slowly through a colour palette).

The main beauty of this system is that it works with an entire ecosystem of other devices, e.g. you can sync with other Hue bulbs, lamps, etc. to make your whole room react to to what's going on.

Issues

The cost is significantly higher than the other options - the 3 play bars cost me £144, so almost 3x the NZXT or Govee systems. If you don't already have a Hue Bridge, that's another £20+ at least.

It's annoying that the power adapter is limited to 3 lights - it would be nice if there was a way of maybe daisy-chaining them together (although granted these are far brighter than the other options, so total power draw is a concern).

TL;DR:

Despite the cost, this is the option I'm sticking with - the hardware is by far the nicest, the software just works, and the colour reproduction is spot on.

The fact I can also use them as normal lighting, along with adding additional bulbs (when I sell a kidney) is a nice bonus as well.

+ Great quality hardware
+ Software is fast and easy to use
+ Really good colour reproduction
+ Lights are really bright
+ Expandable & fits into bigger ecosystem

- Extremely expensive
- Only a single colour per light
- Only 3 lights per power adapter

 

[Haggisman]

"Chinese special" Ambibox

This is basically a generic USB device which runs alongside some open source software to control a generic LED strip. There are (probably) hundreds of sellers of this, so quality may vary, but I ordered this a few weeks ago while ago when encountering the issues with the NZXT strip, and it only arrived yesterday.

Installation/Hardware

The strips are bare cut-able 3 connector LED strips - no fancy gel coating here - these need to be measured and stuck around the monitor. The kit I got came with some corner connectors, although these can also be ordered separately. Alternatively, the strips can be looped around corners as they are quite flexible. The end of the strip has 2 cables with barrel connectors - 1 plug, 1 socket. The power adapter plugs into the socket end, then the plug end connects to the USB control box. There is also a short USB cable to plug into the PC (or in my case a port on the monitor).

Everything needed is included, but it definitely all feels "cheap".

Software

You will need to install some 3rd party software: "Ambibox".

The kit came with instructions on how to do the basic set up, but there are quite a few settings, e.g. the number of LEDS on each side, sensitivity, gamma etc. which will need to be tweaked to get it working properly.

Unfortunately in my case, I ended up with a similar flickering issue to the NZXT kit (possibly they use the same API to control the LEDS?). A bit frustrating, but not a huge loss due to the low cost, and I can probably repurpose the LED strips for something else.

Issues

As mentioned above, I ended up with a flickering issue which basically rendered the system unusable. It wasn't the LEDS as they worked fine when set to various static colours, so must be a software issue.

TL;DR:

With everything taken into consideration, this does seem like reasonable value for money if you want something cheap & cheerful, just be aware that the quality does leave a lot to be desired, and it will take a bit of trial and error to get it working correctly.

+ The price
+ Lots of customisation in the software

- Quality isn't great
- Needs quite a bit of software configuration
- Flickering issue
- Long shipping times (unless you pay extra for a UK seller)

 

[Haggisman]

Summary:

If you're looking for a kit just for your PC, you have a normal sized monitor, and don't experience the flickering issue I had, then the NZXT kit is probably the best option. It's relatively cheap, and works pretty well. I had mine for about 18 months, and other than the flickering with HDR, I had no issues with it.

If you want some more general lighting which can also react to your screen, (and you have deep pockets) go with the Hue. I'm not going to deny its expensive for what it is, but the quality is definitely way above the other options I tried.

In fact I like it so much I also bought the gradient strip for my TV .

Anyway, please feel free to ask any questions you might have and I'll do my best to answer