What is backlight good for?

Backlighting of a television or monitor is called bias lighting. It works by giving your eyes a more neutral reference point for colors and contrast in a dark room.

cnet.com - Reduce eye strain when watching television at night with bias lighting

Where did the piano take place?

New Zealand Starring Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, and Anna Paquin in her first major acting role, the film focuses on a mute Scottish...

Last updated Sep 26, 2020

Can Clorox wipes damage keyboard?

Disinfectant wipes like the ones Clorox makes should generally be fine on keyboards. Apple just relented on this last week after years of...

Last updated Mar 23, 2018

Promotion

When working late into the night at your computer or binging your favorite TV show on Netflix, you've likely experienced some form of eye strain. Your eyes get scratchy and dry, you experience blurred vision, and you might even get a slight headache. Surprisingly, fighting eye strain and improving the quality of your nighttime movies or work sessions is actually very simple. All you need is a properly placed light source.

Learn what bias lighting is and why it works so well.

Why bias lighting works

Backlighting of a television or monitor is called bias lighting. It works by giving your eyes a more neutral reference point for colors and contrast in a dark room. Why does it work? Your eyes work on a system of averages, says Jason Fitzpatrick of How-To Geek. Staring at a bright display in an otherwise dark environment disrupts how our eyes measure the light: When we watch television or use a computer workstation in a completely dark or significantly darkened room, we create a less-than-ideal viewing situation wherein our eyes are staring very intently at a small window of very bright light that is floating in a sea of darkness. Despite the fact that we accurately perceive the screen to be very bright in relationship to the rest of the scene our eyes take in, our eyes attempt to adjust based on the average brightness across the entire field of view and not the average brightness of the screen (or, conversely, the dimmer off-screen area). In other words, your eyes do not properly dilate for the amount of light they're taking in. This forces your eyes to work harder and fatigue more quickly than they normally would. This is what leads to dry eyes, dizziness and headaches. By placing a light behind the television, you are raising the average ambient light in the room and reducing the strain on your eyes, meaning you can watch television or work for longer without all the negative side effects. As an added bonus, your perception of the contrast on the display will increase. This works on the same principle as the simultaneous contrast illusion. Grays and blacks appear darker when against a lighter background.

How to setup bias lighting

All you need to set up your own bias lighting is a light source placed behind your monitor or television. The number of commercially available kits for bias lighting is only growing, and they range from about $10 to upwards of $100 online. Many kits are even USB-powered, meaning installation is as simple as plugging in the USB end of the strip into the USB port on your television and attaching the lights to the back of the television or entertainment system. Virtually any light behind your television or monitor will improve the contrast of the picture at night. That said, the main feature you're aiming for, as explained by Fitzpatrick, is a light source with a temperature of approximately 6,500k. This is the industry standard white reference point for manufacturers of displays and content creators. Lights of a different temperature will alter your perception of the colors on the screen. A quick and easy DIY solution for bias lighting is to use a smart bulb or LED strip behind your TV. This gives you the ability to tweak the color and brightness to your liking. Power on the lights the next time you want to watch a movie at night and forget about dreaded dry eyes and headaches.

Who is the queen of gospel song?

Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson, (born October 26, 1911, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.—died January 27, 1972, Evergreen Park, near Chicago,...

Last updated Sep 6, 2020

Why do they call it Davy Jones locker?

Davy Jones's locker is a metaphor for the oceanic abyss, the final resting place of drowned sailors and travellers. It is a euphemism for drowning...

Last updated Apr 16, 2019

Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Pianoforall is one of the most popular online piano courses online and has helped over 450,000 students around the world achieve their dream of playing beautiful piano for over a decade.

Learn More »

Promotion

Does light up keyboard use battery?

Yeah, back-lighting definitely increase battery consumption. According to this video by linustechtips, turning on keyboard back-lighting consumes upto 16% more battery power than turning it off.

superuser.com - Does disabling laptop keyboard backlight LEDs improve battery life?

On a laptop, if you press the key that turns on/off the backlight on the keyboard, does it improve battery life?

I ask this because I find myself instinctively disabling the LEDs when I don't need them, but I don't know why I do it. Other than improving visibility at night, I don't see any advantages of having them on other than "it looks nice". But, I also don't see any disadvantages to them being on. In theory, it makes sense to just have them on full time.

If they're off, I really don't see how something so small can make a significant battery impact. Which brings me back to my question: does disabling the LED backlight on a laptop keyboard improve battery life?

Thanks!

P.S. I mean the backlight on the keyboard, not CapsLock and NumLock indicators.

What does an ADHD tantrum look like?

Young children with ADHD are also extremely irritable — which can result in whining, demanding, or screaming every request they make — and prone to...

Last updated Jun 13, 2020

What is the hardest thing about playing piano?

Hand coordination/independence One of the most challenging aspects of playing the piano is developing hand independence. In the beginning, much of...

Last updated Jan 9, 2021

Promotion

What happens if you fall into the pool of tears?

Dodge punched him and his wig fell off. What happens if you fall into the Pool of Tears? You get taken out of Wonderland.

Last updated Sep 4, 2022

Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Pianoforall is one of the most popular online piano courses online and has helped over 450,000 students around the world achieve their dream of playing beautiful piano for over a decade.

Learn More »

Promotion

Is it OK to put a piano next to a window?

Some recommend keeping pianos away from poorly insulated exterior walls. Direct sunlight can damage a piano, but many owners like the inspiration...

Last updated Sep 11, 2021