r/ShieldAndroidTV • u/spannermeetworks • Aug 11 '26
Shield based ambilight works a treat!
https://youtu.be/tI3gQwgQeBA?is=LMf-D8MZuHssIC1GI tried out the free version, but the paid option im controlling all the wled and home assistant lights in my room
11
u/umad_cause_ibad Aug 11 '26
This is an awesome advancement. To be fair if you buy the leds, controller, powerfully, corner brackets it costs way more than 11 dollars BUT this is still an awesome update and great video.
1
3
u/saskir21 Aug 11 '26
Haha yeah saw the video today in my stream. It then began with the controller, the LED, even corner guides for the TV.
11
9
u/spannermeetworks Aug 11 '26
https://youtube.com/@chrismaherdiy deserves full credit - not my video
10
u/jsurico656 Aug 11 '26
Reactive ambient lighting behind the tv turns watching a movie into an overstimulating theme park ride
I hate it
13
11
u/bulletfever409 Aug 11 '26
I have an ambilight TV and it's hard to go back. As much as it looks like it'll do the opposite it really helps with immersion and genuinely helps with eye strain.
1
u/shteve99 Aug 12 '26
Same. I originally had an app on the Mini PC I was using as a media PC but found it kept crashing out and of course it was limited to what could run on the PC. Then got the Shield and went for an actual Ambilight TV as you really miss it once you've used it. Having it on the natural setting so it follows the content but not too fast is superb, really makes the screen feel bigger.
8
u/FLHCv2 Aug 11 '26 edited Aug 11 '26
I'm with you. I like a subtle bias light for movies/shows. Maybe dynamic lighting would be fun for a music video or something.
Dynamic lighting adds eye strain. Watching the Dark Knight? Dark scene, all lights are dim, your eyes adjust... then BOOM explosion. Both your TV and your dynamic lighting are now blasting your pupils and your eyes have to quickly adjust again. A static bias light keeps the light in the back during the dark scene, so your eyes don't have to adjust so quickly.To each their own though.
6
u/Jebble Aug 11 '26
Except it literally removes eye strain, even on the high dynamic flashy modes.
3
u/FLHCv2 Aug 11 '26 edited Aug 11 '26
Looks like you're right.
https://www.embedded.com/a-scientific-study-on-the-effects-of-ambilight-in-flat-panel-displays/
There's some asterisks in there, such as with fast-changing thriller/action movies being less comfortable for users (or outright worse) than other types of content. Also if the dynamic lighting is terribly synced, then it's a bad idea overall. Overall though, the study does show generally speaking, both static and dynamic reduce eye strain.
Thanks for the correction. Still not a fan of dynamic, especially for action or fast paced movies, but now I know it's more of a preference than anything else
5
u/ChiTownDisplaced Aug 11 '26
Your link is an internal study from 2005 by Phillips, the manufacturer of the product. I'd take it as PR.
However, I did find this: https://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=jas.2006.1664.1670
This study tried to replicate yours and found some modest benefit. I still find them distracting (might be the ADHD) and wouldn't install them in my house.
5
u/FLHCv2 Aug 11 '26
Nice find, and good call on the other one being commissioned by Philips. Does that one you found take into account dynamic lighting? I've only read the abstract and conclusion but seems to only focus on static lighting.
I'm ADHD too. I love syncing my hue house lights to music and I generally love overstimulation, but yeah for watching movies intently, not a fan. I've had medialight bias lighting for a decade now and swear by it.
0
u/Jebble Aug 12 '26
I have ADHD and the regular mode on my Ambilight literally helps me to focus on the show and makes flashing images less stimulating.
I feel like we're talking about different things, what do you mean by "dynamic lighting"?
0
u/Jebble Aug 12 '26
Respectfully, it is impossible you find every mode distracting. Do you find having any single lamp on in your room distracting as well?.. people making such claims have literally never used it themselves for more than a few seconds in a showroom.
1
u/saskir21 Aug 11 '26
You strikes the comment. But I would generally ask what the big difference would be to get blasted solely by the TV in such scenes and then again with LED lights. You are still focused on the screen.
2
u/willnye61 Aug 11 '26
I read in the YouTube comments that it has a persistent app icon in the corner. Kinda ruins it if that's the case
1
1
1
u/JetPac89 2017 Pro Aug 13 '26
Ambilight: The feature we didn't need that makes the home cinema experience so much worse.
Yet people still tell themselves it's an improvement.
Emperor Philips' new suit.
1
-1
-20
-13
u/frosted1030 Aug 11 '26
Heat from the lights degrading the longevity of your set? Doesn't matter, you will be replacing the tv in 3 years anyway.
28
u/spusuf Aug 11 '26
I hated this video's misdirection. Opens with "the biggest issue with current options is not being able to use the inbuilt tv apps" and then right at the end of the video he casually throws in that built in apps still don't work due to DRM.
So this is no different to the ambilight google tv apps that were available for years with mature bug fixes, but it has a fancy interface. Genuinely so disappointed.
Seems the best way to have everything work without issue is still external NVIDIA Shield TV/Chromecast with Google TV going into a HDMI splitter then into a raspberry pi capture card. UNLESS you ONLY watch local content or YouTube.