2016-06-17, 14:12
Ambilight Clone
Manufacturer: N/A
LEDs (per strip): 9
LEDs (total): 90
Zones: 10
Processor: Arduino Uno
Model Name: "Ambilight" <- yes, they just took the trademarked name
Replacement for: N/A
Custom build: No
A picture of the clone:
Television Information
Manufacturer: LG
Diagonal Size (inches or CM): 50"
Aspect Ratio (16:9 is the standard): 16:9
Set-up
The packaging was fine but came with no instructions. It's relatively simple to set up as it comes with self adhesive on each strip and the box, it also came with cable ties and sticky pads, I assume this are to stick any loose wires. It's fairly secure but I think it could do with strong adhesive. It took about 20 minutes to set up on a wall mounted TV organising the wiring correctly.
I have gone for the following layout:
- Three strips at the top/bottom (27 LEDs on each)
- Two strips on each side (18 LEDs per side)
Set-up 'B' is what I've gone for:
I tried several pieces of software, boblight (libreelec), hyperion (libreelec), prismatik (Windows 10).
Setting up boblight was quite a pain figuring out which usb port it used, what mode I needed and what to put for the LED color section, took around 2 hours of trial and error. Overall boblight worked fairly well with the colors and has a good add on to configure everything, CPU usage on an i3 seemed reasonable.
Setting up hyperion was much easier with it's wiki and configuration app you can use on any PC. the only thing you have to figure out is the usb device name and the type of device (lightpack in this case). Everything else was straight forward and explained in the wiki. Setup took around 20 minutes. Hyperion seems good overall but seems to suffer from several issues with libreelec, opening menus while content is playing results in flickering and the backlight does not go off when the power saving screensaver kicks in. The cpu usage also seems much higher (around 20%) on my i3 which seems odd as the selling point was reduced CPU usage.
Prismatik was straight forward with a gui and auto detection, takes 5 minutes to setup and worked out the box for a test video on youtube. However it doesn't seem to work with full screen games on windows 10 and there seems to be many people complaining about this. Overall it's not suited to my needs and I will have to try other software.
Software
Operating System: Windows 10
Back-end software: Prismatik
Software Link (URL): http://lightpack.tv/downloads.php
Performance: 1/5
Note: Not suited for full screen apps
Operating System: Libreelec
Back-end software: Hyperion
Software Link (URL): https://hyperion-project.org/wiki/Main
Performance: 4/5
Note: Issues with menus, screensaver and CPU
Operating System: Libreelec
Back-end software: Boblight
Software Link (URL): https://github.com/arvydas/boblight
Performance: 4/5
Note: More difficult text editor based setup
Kodi Add-ons, Integration, and Performance
Add-on(s) used: Boblightd/XBMC Boblight
Link to Add-on: http://kodi.wiki/view/Add-on:XBMC_Boblight
Recommended Add-on Settings: Speed 60, value:2, luminance:1.5
Performance: 4/5
Note: Good addon with plenty of options
Order Details
Store: KSM Top (eBay)
Cost (GBP, EUR, USD): £55
Delivery Information: From Ukraine, took around 15 days to arrive. Cleared customs without taxes.
Customs Tax: No
Notes: Incorrect UK adapter included, requires another purchase.
Media
This video was taking using boblight prior to extra alterations I have made to settings.
Conclusion
This is the first product I have got for ambient lighting and I am impressed with the result for a reasonable price. Having more zones than 10 would be a big improvement and some other more expensive or diy solutions have a seperate zone for every LED. This is a great product for a first timer and better suited to larger TV's than the official lightpack. Setup isn't plug and play but simple enough for technical users, there's lot of options for adjusting to your own liking as well.
This is my personal opinion and not an endorsement by Kodi, the XBMC Foundation, or the Kodi Foundation.
Manufacturer: N/A
LEDs (per strip): 9
LEDs (total): 90
Zones: 10
Processor: Arduino Uno
Model Name: "Ambilight" <- yes, they just took the trademarked name
Replacement for: N/A
Custom build: No
A picture of the clone:
Television Information
Manufacturer: LG
Diagonal Size (inches or CM): 50"
Aspect Ratio (16:9 is the standard): 16:9
Set-up
The packaging was fine but came with no instructions. It's relatively simple to set up as it comes with self adhesive on each strip and the box, it also came with cable ties and sticky pads, I assume this are to stick any loose wires. It's fairly secure but I think it could do with strong adhesive. It took about 20 minutes to set up on a wall mounted TV organising the wiring correctly.
I have gone for the following layout:
- Three strips at the top/bottom (27 LEDs on each)
- Two strips on each side (18 LEDs per side)
Set-up 'B' is what I've gone for:
I tried several pieces of software, boblight (libreelec), hyperion (libreelec), prismatik (Windows 10).
Setting up boblight was quite a pain figuring out which usb port it used, what mode I needed and what to put for the LED color section, took around 2 hours of trial and error. Overall boblight worked fairly well with the colors and has a good add on to configure everything, CPU usage on an i3 seemed reasonable.
Setting up hyperion was much easier with it's wiki and configuration app you can use on any PC. the only thing you have to figure out is the usb device name and the type of device (lightpack in this case). Everything else was straight forward and explained in the wiki. Setup took around 20 minutes. Hyperion seems good overall but seems to suffer from several issues with libreelec, opening menus while content is playing results in flickering and the backlight does not go off when the power saving screensaver kicks in. The cpu usage also seems much higher (around 20%) on my i3 which seems odd as the selling point was reduced CPU usage.
Prismatik was straight forward with a gui and auto detection, takes 5 minutes to setup and worked out the box for a test video on youtube. However it doesn't seem to work with full screen games on windows 10 and there seems to be many people complaining about this. Overall it's not suited to my needs and I will have to try other software.
Software
Operating System: Windows 10
Back-end software: Prismatik
Software Link (URL): http://lightpack.tv/downloads.php
Performance: 1/5
Note: Not suited for full screen apps
Operating System: Libreelec
Back-end software: Hyperion
Software Link (URL): https://hyperion-project.org/wiki/Main
Performance: 4/5
Note: Issues with menus, screensaver and CPU
Operating System: Libreelec
Back-end software: Boblight
Software Link (URL): https://github.com/arvydas/boblight
Performance: 4/5
Note: More difficult text editor based setup
Kodi Add-ons, Integration, and Performance
Add-on(s) used: Boblightd/XBMC Boblight
Link to Add-on: http://kodi.wiki/view/Add-on:XBMC_Boblight
Recommended Add-on Settings: Speed 60, value:2, luminance:1.5
Performance: 4/5
Note: Good addon with plenty of options
Order Details
Store: KSM Top (eBay)
Cost (GBP, EUR, USD): £55
Delivery Information: From Ukraine, took around 15 days to arrive. Cleared customs without taxes.
Customs Tax: No
Notes: Incorrect UK adapter included, requires another purchase.
Media
This video was taking using boblight prior to extra alterations I have made to settings.
Conclusion
This is the first product I have got for ambient lighting and I am impressed with the result for a reasonable price. Having more zones than 10 would be a big improvement and some other more expensive or diy solutions have a seperate zone for every LED. This is a great product for a first timer and better suited to larger TV's than the official lightpack. Setup isn't plug and play but simple enough for technical users, there's lot of options for adjusting to your own liking as well.
This is my personal opinion and not an endorsement by Kodi, the XBMC Foundation, or the Kodi Foundation.
