Govee TV Backlight Review

TV backlighting isn’t the gimmick of yesteryear that it was routinely regarded as not too long ago. Just take a look at this new smart backlighting setup the Govee Envisual TV Backlight T2 (available at Amazon) . The new system utilizes a camera mounted above your TV with the promise of delivering a dazzling array of colors via a light strip that consistently matches the content you’re watching. It doesn’t always make good on that promise, but from what we’ve seen, it’s a mesmerizing experience when it does.

What are Govee TV Backlights?

In a nutshell, Govee’s Envisual TV Backlight T2 is a package that features nearly 12 feet of multicolored LED backlights that attach to the back of your TV via adhesive. When paired with an included dual-camera device that rests atop your TV, these lights are designed to illuminate to match and adapt to the scene and colors on your display.

The Govee lights have an accompanying Govee app that allows you to adjust for a wide variety of variables, including different modes, brightness levels, and lighting effects. It’s also compatible with the likes of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, meaning you can control your backlights with your voice if you so choose.

What we like

It’s surprisingly easy to install

Admittedly, I was prematurely dreading the installation process for these backlights. From a 12-foot spool of LED lights to a mountable camera and a controller that connects the entire ensemble together, it just seemed like a lot of moving pieces to stick to the back of my TV. In short, I was skeptical about how much of a hassle it would be to get things up and running.

Thankfully, my assumptions were unfounded. The LED strips were incredibly easy to attach to the perimeter of the TV’s back panel. The camera ended up resting gently atop the display, and the controller stuck to the TV’s rear via a simple adhesive.

By the time I was ready to open the Govee Home app to connect the lights to my network, I had spent all of 10 minutes preparing the different components of the system.

To add a bit of caution into the mix, the instruction manual isn’t nearly as descriptive as it could be, though a QR code directs you to a helpful video that guided me through the setup.

Also, it’s essential to have relatively easy access to the rear of your TV. My set, for instance, is tucked away into a nook that made things a little dicier than they otherwise would have been.

It adds depth to your viewing experience

The main functionality of this Govee backlight system is to act in unison with the picture on your TV. To test this, I conjured up a few episodes of Our Planet on Netflix, a documentary sure to be filled with tons of vibrant colors for the backlights to play off of.

The results were rather impressive. Whether it was a herd of silverback gorillas meandering through a jungle, or a school of fish darting through the ocean, the backlights acted as a sort of extension of the imagery on the screen. Luscious forest was met with a complimentary green glow around the screen, while depictions of deep blue seas got a similar treatment in a lovely shade of blue. As the display changed, the backlights often seemed to glide with it into a new color or shade.

This ambiance isn’t right for every viewing experience, of course. Episodes of Seinfeld, for instance, don’t exactly benefit from the extra illumination. But for programming that already displays a stunning selection of colors, the Govee backlight did a solid job of extending those awe-inspiring colors beyond the confines of the TV.

Editor's Note: While the colored backlighting can make it visually seem like colors are more vibrant, it usually adversely affects perceived color accuracy. If you want the best movie-watching experience, any bias lighting should be at D65 color temperature (the standard used in all video content) to reduce eye strain and improve your TV's contrast while maintaining accurate color.

The app gives you complete control

There’s seemingly no limit to what can be adjusted or changed within the Govee Home app. You can control mundane settings like brightness and manually set the color, but the app puts far more at your fingertips. The Movie Watching Dream View tab lets you sync up with another compatible set of Govee lights to match your TV’s picture in tandem.

The Effects Lab tab, meanwhile, lets you choose different patterns for the backlights to adhere to. It could be a strobe-like effect, for instance, or something more calm that slowly, melodically cycles through different colors.

You can also tap into different modes through the app. The Govee backlights are set to sync up with your TV by default, but you can choose to have them change color according to the music you’re playing (a neat idea for parties), or control the backlight colors manually, among other modes. Essentially, if there’s a customization you’d like to make with this set of backlights, there’s a good chance the answer is waiting for you within the Govee app.

What we don’t like

It has moments of inconsistency

During testing after initially setting the lights up, the system seemed to briefly be confused during certain scenes. It didn’t happen very often, but there would be scenes overlooking a dense forest or the deep recesses of the ocean that the backlights apparently didn’t know what colors to portray. In those instances, it chose a deep red that, simply put, did not match the scene whatsoever.

It wasn’t a major issue, of course, but it was just enough of an annoyance to pull me out of what I was watching for a moment.

It’s important to stress that this was a rare occurrence. In fact, the lights seemed to get more accurate with time, as if they were making adjustments to their color-syncing on the fly. Most of the time, Govee’s backlight system played off the picture it was surrounding remarkably well. It’s just important to note that when it doesn’t, it’s a bother.

It doesn’t support Siri or Apple HomeKit

As neat as it is to be able to change the color of these lights or toggle them off and on with nothing more than your voice and a compatible Alexa or Google Assistant device, it’s a bummer that Govee didn’t complete the trifecta. Sorry, Siri.

This system, as intuitive as it can be with other features and details, doesn’t work with Apple’s voice assistant or smart home brand, Apple HomeKit.

Should you buy the Govee TV Backlights?

Yes, these smart lights create a fun, at-home movie night experience.

This Govee backlight package isn’t exactly cheap, retailing at upwards of $140. For that kind of cash, you could invest in a soundbar, which would arguably have a far greater impact on your viewing experience. That said, the backlights do add a new visual element to the mix that will undoubtedly be enticing for many viewers.

Ultimately, it should come down to the content you watch. Visually expressive selections like nature documentaries or movies with compelling color palettes certainly get a boost from the capabilities of the Govee backlights. However, if reruns of sitcoms and cartoons are more your style, it may not elevate that content in a way that’s meaningful enough to justify the cost.

Overall, the Govee TV backlighting system is an unapologetically fun addition to your home theater, even when accounting for its occasional lapses in syncing judgment. If you like lots of color in (and around) your content, it’s an expenditure that will pay for itself in the depth it adds.