Why Do People Put Lights/LEDs Behind the TV?

It’s for the E-girl/E-boy aesthetics.

I’m kidding! While putting LED lights/bias lighting behind your TV does have little to do with achieving a certain look, that’s not the only purpose it serves.

Believe it or not, having LED lights behind your TV can actually help your eyes!

Having the right amount of ambient lighting can lower the strain on your eyes when you’re watching for long hours. 

 And yes, it does look cool. Especially the red ones. Very vampire-esque!

Benefits of Adding LED Lights Behind the TV

Whenever we see back-lit TVs, the first thought that comes to our minds is that they’re doing this purely for aesthetic purposes.

And while this can be one of the purposes for LED lights, aesthetics is not the only reason for going through the trouble of installing them behind your TV. 

Our pupils automatically dilate or constrict, depending on how bright something is. Our eyes control how much light is allowed to pass through.

But sunlight and fluorescents are not the only things determining when and how much our pupils need to dilate. 

Thanks to the accessibility of electronics, we are now exposed to many types of screens: TVs, computers, laptops, and even tablets.

Every screen we look at is determined as a light source by our eyes, meaning they have to adjust to let the right amount in. 

This then leads to eye strain. 

Adding LED lights behind your TV reduces the burden on your eyes from having to constantly readjust based on the brightness or darkness of the scene playing on TV.

By installing LED lights behind your TV, or your computer monitor, your eyes will have a “neutral zone” to focus on. 

Plus, it looks really cool.

And who doesn’t want a cool-looking entertainment room? 

Is it Safe to Put LED Lights Behind a TV?

Yes, but only if you use lights that produce a low level of heat. Unlike the usual bulbs, LED strip lights are much cooler both in aesthetics and in heat outputs. 

Thanks to a special type of heat sink, the heat generated by LED strip lights are able to be spread out over a larger area instead of being focused in one spot.

Another great reason to use LED lights and why they emit such a low level of heat is the low voltage!

The voltage is so low, in fact, that the risk of getting electrocuted by LED lights is slim. 

This also means that you can use LED lights around children and pets. But we don’t advise leaving kids and pets alone without adult supervision.

Hey, we said the risk for electrocution from LED lights is slim, not zero!

Should You Put LED Lights Behind Your TV?

Well, that’s up to you. 

If you’re not someone who spends a lot of time in front of your TV, then you probably don’t need LED lights/bias lighting if you don’t feel like installing them.

But if you love relaxing in front of your TV shows, then backlighting your TV with LED lights is something you should definitely try out.

How Do You Install LED Lights Behind Your TV?

Luckily, installing LED lights or bias lighting behind your TV is not that hard to do. Heck, it probably won’t even take your 30 minutes to accomplish. All you need is the right equipment:

• LED light strips
• Tape (masking, painters, or double-sided tape)
• Tape measure

Step 1: Should Your LED Lights Be In Front or Behind a TV?

Before purchasing a strip of LED bias lighting, you need to figure out how and where you want to install these. 

You can accomplish this by placing the lights:

• Directly on the back of the monitor, or
• On the wall behind the TV

Either way is good. So don’t stress too much about the two. 

Though, if you ask us, having your LED light directly behind your TV seems cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing than having it taped on the wall where people can see from any angle!

What about installing LED lights in front of the TV itself? Will that have negative effects on your eyesight? 

Well, no. Having your LED lights in front of your TV won’t affect your eyesight, but it will reduce your viewing pleasure.

The glare coming from the LED lights will reflect on your TV’s surface, and you won’t be able to see your movie very well. 

We’re sure you’ve had some irritating experiences where the glare from an open window would reflect on your TV screen and cause whatever you were watching to look washed out.

Step 2: Get Your Measuring Tape Out

Once you determine where you want to install your LED bias lighting, it’s time to measure things out. 

Yes, you must measure the space where you’ll attach your LED bias tape. It is not like “normal” tape; you can’t simply trim things to fit. 

When you are satisfied with your measurements, you can now purchase your lights. These days, finding them is not difficult, and they are also reasonably priced. 

Just visit your local department store, computer store, or online shop.

Don’t worry; there are bias lighting kits pre-measured that you can simply purchase and install where you want.

Step 3: Get to Work!

Now that you have your bias lighting kit, it’s time to install it behind your TV or on the wall. 

Take your tape (painter’s tape, masking tape, etc.) and your bias lighting kit. Now, try mapping out how you want to tape down your LED lights.

Once you are happy with how things are positioned, take your tape and tear out strips long enough to securely hold down your lights.

Most of the time, your LED lighting strip will have its own double-sided tape attached to it, but it’s good to have spare adhesive just in case you need to make adjustments. 

Important: if you do need to cut your LED strips, make sure to cut them where indicated. Look at your wire and locate the scissors icon/drawing. That is where you can cut it. 

Step 4: Plug It In!

Most LED strips have a USB tip that you simply plug into the ports behind your TV. Once you’ve finished taping down the LED lights, simply find and connect to the USB port behind your unit. 

And Voila! Now you have an elevated-looking entertainment set-up!

If you are more of a visual learner, here is a YouTube video on How to install LED strips behind the TV (USB LED STRIP FOR TV).

Conclusion

So if you love to watch TV but hate the headaches, nausea, and dry eyes you get from watching for hours on end, then it may be time to look into LED backlights.

They’re affordable, easy to find, and they look really cool! 

Installing LED bias lighting isn’t even that hard. All you have to do is:

• Know how you want to install your LED lights. Do you want it behind the TV or on the wall?
• Get the right measurement for your LED strip. Don’t forget to only cut along the line indicated by a pair of scissors.
• Position your LED lights and use the tape to secure the strip.
• Plug the USB tip into the USB port behind your TV.

Now you can enjoy your movie binge without worrying about eyestrain, headaches, and all that nasty stuff that comes with watching TV with the wrong lighting! 

And don’t worry, if you don’t have any experience with LED lights, you can simply follow the step-by-step instructions in the YouTube tutorial we linked above.