TV Back Lighting

In case you you haven't noticed today's flat screen TV, either LED, LCD, or a hybrid of both,  is very bright.  Indeed, you'll notice how bright your smart phone or tablet is when you open up either, in a darkened room or first waking up while the room is still dark.  You almost have to squint from the sudden surge of light energy hitting your eyes.

Back lighting or bias lighting (light behind the TV) is recommended for those who may suffer eye strain from watching LED or LCD TV.  It does make sense actually because normally we see most everything in nature as light reflected off objects we look at. Projected film like in theaters or home movies are all reflected images, and better viewed in a darkened room. As a result, commercially available back lights in all kinds of configuration are now sold and becoming more popular and are known to improve viewing, if not actually preventing eye strain for some people.

Strip LED lighting is the most practical one.  And easy to install.  Except in my case, where I actually made it the equivalent of a government project. Just teasing, but Covid 19 is providing copious amount of spare time. (Someday, if this blog somehow survives through the next generations, readers then will wonder what Covid 19 is. We hope so because it would mean that "it" is by then all behind us, or at least among our children's children.

I used to have a florescent lamp for back lighting.  And now, LED it is.  By the way, it is also a good night light when you're done with the room and retiring for the night after TV. 

This is a wood working blog but non-woodworkers might benefit from the ideas one may learn from it by doing their own back lighting in whatever way they desire.  As you will see there are are a thousand ways to do this.  My way is one of coping with Covid 19, self-quarantined to the work shop, with plenty of time.

Strip LED around the top

LED is very bright to look at directly so don't stare at it for too long.

By configuring it this way, the back light is indeed one of indirect lighting, much softer around the TV set.

I think the benefit of back lighting is immediately noticeable to anyone who experiences it for the first time.

LED is very frugal with energy consumption so when paired with a timer it is a great night light but make sure it is configured as an indirect lighting.