LED Accents behind TV?

[barnabas1969]

It wouldn't work for me. That light strip is only 51 inches long. My TV is wall-mounted, and is 64" diagonal. I need to put LED's all the way around it for proper light dispersion, and I need dimmer control.

The three products below total $23.32, and give you dimming control and 5 meters of LED's. What's so expensive about that?
LED Strip light, Waterproof LED Flexible Light Strip 12V with 300 SMD LED, 3258 Pure White. 16.4 Foot / 5 Meter
LEDwholesalers AC Power Adapter with 3-Prong Plug 12 Volt 4 Amp with 5mm DC Output Jack, 3228
Ledwholesalers Inline PWM 12 Volt 2 Amp Dimmer for LED Strips with DC Jack, 3318

[barnabas1969]

Or, for $30.13, you can get the following three items directly from LEDWholesalers (a reputable company in my experience), and they will be fulfilled by Amazon, which means you get free shipping if you have Amazon Prime:
http://www.amazon.com/LEDwholesalers-Po ... 274ZEF9XYZ
http://www.amazon.com/Ledwholesalers-In ... 274ZEF9XYZ
http://www.amazon.com/Flexible-Strip-LE ... 274ZEF9XYZ

As a bonus: These three items have the same DC connector, so they are plug-and-play. If you don't want to do any soldering to connect the four strips on four sides of your TV, then you'll need three angled strip connectors too.

[makryger]

I'll have to look closer, as the antec thing says it's for 60“ tvs, despite the suggested length. Not sure why there is a discrepancy.

The thing I like about the other model is that it uses the usb port, thereby achieving on-with-tv-on without actually buying a whole new power strip.

[STC]

Putting a small string of LEDs on the back of any size TV isn't really going to have the same controllable effect of lining the outer back edge of your TV with them and adjusting the dimmer to your exact requirement. You'll achieve a much better effect this way.

The plus with the USB version is the power on and off factor.

2c.

[barnabas1969]

I just ordered the three items in my post #62. Except, I discovered that the power supply listed above was not Prime-eligible. So, I chose this one instead:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WJ ... UTF8&psc=1

And, I also ordered these L-shaped connectors (no soldering required):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D8W ... UTF8&psc=1

Total order price: $40.74 with free 2-day shipping (Prime).

It is correct that I'll need to provide some way of turning them on/off when the TV turns on/off. That's where Insteon controllers and/or the "smart" power strips come into play. Or... if you're handy with a soldering iron... you could buy a simple relay and cut up an old USB cable. As long as the relay has a 5VDC coil, and contacts that can handle 12VDC, you can connect the relay between the 12V power supply and the dimmer. Obviously, the 5VDC coil would be connected to your old USB cable, and then plug the cable into your TV's USB input (assuming that your TV's USB port powers-off when you turn off the TV). The 12VDC contacts of the relay go between the 12V power supply and the dimmer (assuming that you chose the same dimmer that I chose).

[rayw69]

I'll have to look closer, as the antec thing says it's for 60“ tvs, despite the suggested length. Not sure why there is a discrepancy.

The thing I like about the other model is that it uses the usb port, thereby achieving on-with-tv-on without actually buying a whole new power strip.

This LED strip doesn't wrap the edge of the TV. It is just a single strip that is placed horizontally across the back of the TV. On my 60" set, the strip is actually a bit tad too long. But your experience may differ based on bezel size/depth.

In no way am I suggesting that it is comparable to a DIY solution that allows for better control of light level/distribution. Just a relatively low cost and elegant solution. I do find that watching TV with all lights off a better experience with the LED strip.

[barnabas1969]

Regarding post #65 above, I bought the relay listed below:
Panasonic DS1E-M-DC5V

I already have plenty of old USB cables laying around. I tested my TV, and it definitely turns off the USB power when the TV turns off. So, it will be easy to wire it up. Luckily for me, I'm a certified electronics technician and can solder to mil-spec. The wife can too (she's actually better than me, because I haven't worked in electronics repair for a long time... and that's what she does currently).

The things to look for in a relay to do what I'm doing are:

+5VDC coil (anything less than 500mA will do, due to USB specs)
+Normally-open contacts
+Contacts that can handle 12VDC at the current draw of the LED strip (2A in my case)

With my 64" TV, I'll use almost the entire 5 meter strip. So, it will draw a max current of almost 2 amps (48 watts). So... my relay needs contacts that can handle 2A @ 12VDC.

I'll solder it so that the USB port on the TV powers the relay's coil. The contacts will be wired in series between the 12VDC PSU and the dimmer.

This will result in an adjustable LED strip that turns on/off with the TV for a grand total of $45.73.

[makryger]

Yeah... im not fancy or skilled enough for soldering. I need something easy!

[barnabas1969]

Yeah... im not fancy or skilled enough for soldering. I need something easy!

So you'd need a smart power strip. It's a little extra money, but not too bad.

[barnabas1969]

Well, I received the parts (except the relay) a day early. I cut the LED strips, assembled them with the angled connectors, and applied it to the back of my TV.

It looks really cool, especially with the transparent edge around the bezel on my Samsung PN64D8000. However, the light color is a little greenish. I taped a piece of white paper behind the TV, and it's definitely due to the paint color on the wall. Also, since my TV is wall mounted with a low-profile mounting bracket, the light doesn't spread out on the wall the way I would like. The LED strip is attached directly to the back of the TV, so the LED's are nearly perpendicular with the wall.

I have an RGB strip laying around. I think I'll borrow one of my RGB controllers and drape the spare RGB strip around the TV without attaching it to see if I can adjust the RGB strip to a color that looks white when reflected off the wall. If so, I may replace the white LED strip with an RGB strip. I would also like to find some way to attach the LED strip so that the LED's are angled outward at least 45 degrees so the light will spread more on the wall.

[bobbob]

i built one of these for my raspberry pi. it was quite easy, the most difficult thing was building the aluminium (aluminum) frame to hang the lights off. and drilling 200 holes to zip tie the leds too. so i have 100 leds behind my 42" tv all running off a raspberry pi. here is a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Br8g1bgOgo, i've improved the sync since as better versions of the boblight software have been released

[STC]

Hehe neat!

Doesn't it detract from a movie though? I'd be looking at the colors all the time, screw the flick lol.

[bobbob]

well its emulating a Phillips function, ambilight its called on their tv's. so there must be demand for it. as for me i'm still tinkering with the raspberry pi, still using MC on the main HTPC, considering the pi using xbmc on secondary tv's.

[makryger]

Well I'm certainly going to pursue one of a simple biased lighting system at some point. I think its a pretty simple, yet cool thing to implement. You've given me some good ideas.

Funnily enough, after doing some research on the smart power strips, I was watching a commercial from my energy company, and it advertised a free energy efficiency kit. And what do I see peaking out of the kit box? A smart power strip! So I think I'll be getting one for free

[IownFIVEechos]

The XBOX ONE is going to have a projector that you can add onto the console that will expand the playing field off the television. I wonder if they will do the same for video? The Youtube clip reminded me of the console version. Looked nice. Very cool.

[soccerdad]

Regarding post #65 above, I bought the relay listed below:
Panasonic DS1E-M-DC5V

This will result in an adjustable LED strip that turns on/off with the TV for a grand total of $45.73.

Now that you have lived with it for a while, what do you think? Would you do it again? Do something different? I would like to add a little light to my Samsung and am considdering this project.

[newfiend]

The example i link i posted was red... but i really just want a white led- no multicolored. (Although that synchronized led with the movie looks amazing...)

I agree that it is a cool effect. But I think after the novelty wore off over time the constantly changing colored lights would actually fatigue your eyes as Richard has said. With all the muscles in your eye constantly trying to adjust to the changing colors etc.. it would seem like it would make your eyes tired after some time viewing TV or Movies. It is a really cool looking effect.. I'll give it that.. but I don't think I would spend the time or money on it. As far as adding a light behind the TV let me know how this works out Makryger.. I'm curious if it helps as our viewing room is usually quite dark at night.
newfiend~

[richard1980]

I'm not makryger, but I can tell you that it helps (I currently run a 6500K light behind my TV). I spent a total of about $30 or $35 on the bulb, lamp, and housing for the lamp (I've got the lamp mounted inside a black box to control the light spillage).

[soccerdad]

I went the LED route. I found a kit on amazon with 5 meters of warm white leds, a dimmer and power supply. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004RZ ... UTF8&psc=1 All plug and play for $29.99 Prime. The LEDs have double sided tape already installed. The 5 meters is exactly the length I needed to go around the back of my 75" Samsung monster. They stick in a little cove area just behind the edge of the screen. They are flexible enough so no corner pieces were needed. Just peel, stick and plug in. I may or may not do the USB relay trick. I will wait and see. They really are effective in reducing the eye strain for movie night. I have a brown wall so they reflect a sort of golden tone around the edge. Soft and effective. Now we do not have to have any other lights on in the room at night when we watch movies. Before we needed some small lamps on in the corners. Also, no screen reflections.

[makryger]

I went the LED route. I found a kit on amazon with 5 meters of warm white leds, a dimmer and power supply. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004RZ ... UTF8&psc=1 All plug and play for $29.99 Prime. The LEDs have double sided tape already installed. The 5 meters is exactly the length I needed to go around the back of my 75" Samsung monster. They stick in a little cove area just behind the edge of the screen. They are flexible enough so no corner pieces were needed. Just peel, stick and plug in. I may or may not do the USB relay trick. I will wait and see. They really are effective in reducing the eye strain for movie night. I have a brown wall so they reflect a sort of golden tone around the edge. Soft and effective. Now we do not have to have any other lights on in the room at night when we watch movies. Before we needed some small lamps on in the corners. Also, no screen reflections.

Can we get a picture of your tv setup with lighting?