How I Perfected the Movie Theater Experience at Home: This Backlight Changed Everything

Watching a film on the big screen is an experience that’s tough to beat, and definitely something I never thought I’d be able to recreate at home — that is until I tried out Govee’s TV backlight. Govee is a big name in the smart light space, and several of its products have earned top marks from our CNET smart lighting experts, which made me curious to test out this backlight. 

If you’ve never tried a TV backlight system before, it essentially creates ambient lighting behind your TV screen, producing a much more immersive experience. There are different TV backlights out there. Some keep a single color all around your TV, usually a warmer shade of white, which allows the colors on the screen to stand out more. Govee’s TV Backlight system is more interactive than that, but it works best when the lights in your room are low or off. 

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This system uses a special fish-eye lens camera pointed straight at your TV to see which colors are currently showing on the edges of your screen. The software relays that information to the LED strips on the back of the television, which then extend that color onto the wall behind your screen, reacting to what you’re watching. The result is incredible, as seen in the image above. 

Right now, you can get a 7.8-foot light strip, which is good for 40- to 50-inch TVs, for $53 (24% off). Or opt for the longer, 11.8 version for $70 (22% off). There’s also a 16.4-foot version that’s currently 23% off.  

Easy setup, instant ambiance

After 20 minutes of setup and a quick calibration, I found myself totally drawn into my favorite shows as though I were in the theater, and for far less money than just about any other item I’ve purchased for my entertainment center.  

Setup is easy. I’ve now set up several of these systems, and it has never taken more than 30 minutes. These lights can also be turned on and off by an app on your phone or by connecting the app to Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. It’s extremely satisfying to call Alexa and see your TV suddenly pop with color. The settings are very easy to adjust to fit whatever living room situation you have, as long as your TV is near a wall. And if you really want a great experience, make sure your TV has a good soundbar to go with this backlight setup. 

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Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite specs

• Power source: Corded electric, 12 volts (DC)
• Connection types: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
• Controller types: Govee app or voice (requires Alexa or Google Assistant)
• LED array: RGBICW
• Cameras: One, Fisheye
• LED strip length: 7.8 feet (for TVs 40-50 inches), 11.8 feet (for TVs 55-65 inches), 16.4 feet (for TVs 75-85 inches)

Does this backlight work with your TV?

If you’re concerned about whether this backlight setup would work for you, you can check a couple of easy things before you try it. All you really need to know is your TV’s size, its position in your room and how much control you have over lighting. 

• TV size: Govee’s TV backlight has three different products based on your TV size. This includes screens that are 40 to 50 inches, 55 to 65 inches and 75 to 85 inches. The larger and smaller sizes have different prices from the one I use, but the difference in price is usually fairly minor unless there’s a big sale happening on only one size. If your TV is outside of these sizes, you won’t have the same overall experience.
• TV position: Backlights work best when your TV is close to a wall, and that wall should be free of interruptions for at least 5 inches in every direction. If you have pictures or art hanging behind your television, these will interrupt the light coming from the back of the TV and might deliver a poor overall experience. This is especially true if the surface behind the television is reflective.
• Room lighting: Your room doesn’t need to be completely dark in order to enjoy this backlight, but it should generally be dimmer than what would typically be considered good light to read by. If you’re hoping to use this backlight during the day, be sure any windows in the room are covered. At night, I recommend dimming your room lights for the best experience. 

There aren’t a lot of traditional room layouts where you can’t enjoy a backlight like this one, but with the tips above you can quickly go from having a good experience to a great one. 

Yes, there are other TV backlights out there

Govee is not the only company making multicolor adaptive backlights for televisions, and on a purely technical level, the TV Backlight 3 Lite is not the best you could possibly have. 

Govee itself offers a more capable Envisual TV Backlight, which uses a pair of cameras to ensure the colors at the corners of your screen are precisely sent to the LED strip on the back. The Hue Play system from Philips reads the color information directly from the HDMI cable so there’s the smallest possible delay between what you see on the screen and what you see in the backlights. Those LEDs also cover a wider color spectrum, so the colors behind the TV line up amazingly well.

The TV Backlight 3 Lite from Govee is a fantastic setup for its price, which is why I love it. You can regularly get this kit for around half the price of Govee’s more capable system — and for a fraction of the price of the Philips Hue system. But neither is better enough, in my opinion, to justify the added costs. This is something you can do on your own for relatively cheap, and the end result is loads of fun. And at the end of the day, that’s why I’m in front of my TV in the first place. 

For other options, check out our roundup of the best smart home deals going on now.