Brighten up your streaming with these lighting accessories
Brighten up your streaming with these lighting accessories
From bias lights to wall art, these are the best ways to light up your streaming setup.
Once you’ve nailed down your almost perfect home setup with your streaming device, TV, and maybe even a sweet surround sound system, you might think there isn’t much else to enhance the experience … but think again. In addition to basics, you might want to consider some additional lighting for your streaming space as well. Not only can great lighting accessories help create the mood for your movie night, but some can even come along for the ride, dynamically changing with whatever you’re watching, really pushing things to the next level.
I’m a big fan of lighting for my streaming setup, but I’ve got quite the nerdy house, so it’s easy to make lighting magic. If you’re not looking to spend a ton but want that extra something to up your game, I’ve got a few great solutions for you. From simple LED backlights to room-enhancing lamps, let’s take a look at some of the best lighting accessories for your home streaming setup.
Best lighting accessories for streaming
Bias lights
Bias lights — really just LED strips — are one of the easiest ways to enhance your setup. Available in a variety of lengths, these strips attach to the back of your TV and project a subtle light onto the wall, easing your eyes and adding a bit of pizzazz to your setup. You can change the color of the lights directly on the strip or with the included remote, or set them to cycle colors or various other effects, depending on the model. Most plug into the USB port on the back of your TV, so there’s no major wiring required. They’ll also turn on and off with your TV, making it appear as though you really know what you’re doing. Hands-down one of my favorite, budget-friendly accessories for any streaming setup.
Smart bulbs
Smart bulbs are one of the easiest ways to enhance your setup. There are a variety of color-changing bulbs in all shapes and sizes that you can use in light fixtures and lamps you probably already own. These range from inexpensive and simple RGB bulbs to comprehensive setups like Philips Hue, all offering various bulbs and options for your streaming setup. You can manually control the lighting brightness and color, or set them on timers to adjust as the day progresses, whatever works best for your particular situation.
Lepro Table Lamp
This sweet color-changing table lamp is one of my favorite corner-of-the-room accessories. In addition to its movable circles, there are a slew of color options and dynamic settings that really make this lamp feel ike part of the family. Most of the time, I leave it on a simple rainbow gradient setting, and it just minds its own business. However, I often switch to the music setting when I’m watching TV, and it will pick up the audio and adjust according to the volume of the action. There are also AI settings available if you want to get specific about what you need from it, and I’ve already lost countless hours of couch time just playing around with colors and creating new patterns. I love this lamp, and it will have a spot in my setup for quite some time.
Lepro N1 Smart Rope Lights
Lepro offers a range of other lighting accessories, including the smart rope light. Unlike traditional, cheaper LEDs, this rope light looks much more fluid, and it is totally customizable. You can put it nearly anywhere — behind your TV, under the couch, or even on the wall in whatever shape you want. It’s available in a few sizes depending on your needs, and with the app, it can easily serve as your new favorite lighting accessory. Easily customize each portion of the rope for holidays, your favorite sports team, or just extra lighting when you need it. It’s extremely versatile and can be used in numerous ways, making it a worthwhile investment.
Govee TV Backlight 3 Pro
Think of the Govee TV Backlight 3 Pro as bias lights on steroids … and then some. While these lights perform the same function by casting light from the back of your TV, there’s also one major trick that enhances your viewing experience. Thanks to a camera that sits quietly atop your TV, the lights can see what’s on the screen and will actually adjust the color across the strip depending on what they see. Action movies go full-blast, with explosions carrying over beyond the screen or bright animations really shining through. This is one of the most next-level accessories you can get, and it’s 100% a crowd pleaser. You can also set the lights to specific colors for sports, holidays, to match your outfit — whatever you’d like — all with the easy-to-use Govee app.
Govee Floor Lamp
If amiance is more your thing, something you can literally stick in the corner is a great option. The popular Govee Floor Lamp is small enough to fit nearly anywhere, but looks best in the corner of the room. It has a multitude of options for lighting, from simple whites to advanced color gradients, all controllable through the Govee app. Again, you can easily set it up for holidays or sports, or even create your own patterns and light shows. Truly an easy way to beef up your streaming game, and unlike semi-permanent lights you need to stick somewhere, you can easily move it around if you’re feeling it’s not quite right.
Nanoleaf Shapes Wall Light
If you want to go a bit more artsy, consider something like the Nanoleaf Shape Wall Lights. These dynamic lights can be arranged in a pattern that best suits you and feature over 16 million colors to choose from. Easily set up custom looks that also act as wall art, and connect them to your Alexa, HomeKit, or Google Assistant to control them with your voice. They’re great for ambient lighting in rooms where other lamps may not quite fit, or for just spicing up an otherwise boring space with something fresh.
Light it up, up, up
Adding a bit of subtle lighting — or a lot of it if that’s your thing — is a surefire way to spruce up your current streaming setup easily. Whether you’re using simple, color-changing smart bulbs or backlights that change with the picture on your TV, you’re sure to love the elevated experiences that lighting accessories bring to your TV and movie-watching. Even just simple, < $20 bias lights really enhance your TV and not only look great, but will leave you wanting to find more ways to improve your streaming, in which case we’re here to help!