Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror & Lightstrip review: Playing with color
DexertoNanoleaf’s 4D Screen Mirror and Lightstrip kit aims to improve your TV viewing experience. But is it worth the premium you pay? We find out.
Nanoleaf is a brand that has been making smart home products using RGB lights to enhance the ambient environment of your living room, entertainment hub, or gaming setup. We’ve previously looked at the Nanoleaf Shapes and Lines, but, this product is a little bit different.
The Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror is a mirror camera kit that syncs the colors on your smart TV or monitor screen and uses the LED light strip behind it to project it onto your wall. While it’s not the first of its kind, and we’ve tested a similar light from Govee, it is undoubtedly a first for Nanoleaf.
The Light strip comes in two size options: 65-inch and 85-inch. You can also buy the screen mirror camera to pair it with other Nanoleaf lights, which might work well if you have a projector instead of a TV.
Inside the box
Nanoleaf- Nanoleaf Lightstrip Kit
- Camera unit
- Camera stand
- Processing unit
- Power adapter
- Plastic clips to hold the strip in place
| Pros | Cons |
| Bright and colorful | Matter compatibility missing |
| Fluid | Only works with 2.4 GHz |
| Easily syncs with other Nanoleaf panels | |
| Feature-rich app |
Installation
The Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror and Lightstrip Kit have three parts that work in tandem to help make your movie-watching experience immersive. The first one is the light strip itself. This RGBIC LED light strip is waterproof and comes as a single unit that can be installed behind your TV or monitor. This strip has 10 color zones per meter and 30 LEDs per meter. It can be cut to length at specific 10-centimeter intervals to make it work with your TV or monitor. I installed the kit on a 55-inch smart LED TV and had to trim down the excess parts myself.
Installing the light strip is pretty straightforward. All you need to do is to align the strip and peel off the protective covering. Press down the strip firmly to ensure it doesn’t come off quickly once the TV starts getting hot and during continuous use.
Be sure to not install the light strip at the edge of your TV. Sticking the light strip a few inches off the edge will offer the best results, as the light will not bleed out from the sides.
Make sure that you use the four plastic corners bundled with the package. These specially designed corner brackets are self-adhesive and help the strip rise slightly and curve quickly.
The camera is the second part of the kit, and it can be placed at the top of the display if your TV is wall-mounted. If you’ve placed your TV on a table and do not want to place the camera on top, you can put it on your media unit, pointing towards the TV’s display. It comes with a physical cover to protect your privacy.
This setup’s third and most important part is the processing unit, which connects the LED strip and the camera unit. This must be stuck behind the display and connected to an external power source.
Ensure you plan the layout well before installing the strip, camera, or processing unit. The installation process was relatively straightforward, and it took more time for me to remove and place the TV back than to install the kit.
I installed the light strip right at the edge of the TV, but it has started coming off due to heat produced by the TV and the lack of a flat surface for a firm grip.
Software and features
You’ll need to install the Nanoleaf application, which is available for iOS and Android, to set up and control the Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror and Lightstrip Kit. While the app is user-friendly, setting up the light kit took some extra time as it only works with a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network and isn’t Matter compatible yet. For those unaware, Matter compatibility makes devices work on various smart home platforms and makes them less dependent on the smartphone they were initially bound with.
DexertoYou can calibrate the camera while setting up the kit. The mobile app shows a live preview of the camera feed and asks you to adjust the markers for the four corners of your TV to calibrate the lights.
For better results, do not put the markers on the extreme edges of your display; instead, place the markers at least a couple of inches inside. This results in a better projection of the light and the colors being far more accurate.
NanoleafThe mobile application is straightforward, and once you’re done with the setup, it offers you many options, including – 1D, 2D, 3D, and 4D modes. While 1D and 2D modes project a single-colored light on the back of the TV, I quite like the 3D and 4D modes. Though the 3D mode makes the light dynamic and tries to match the images on the display, the 4D mode is more accurate, and the color shift based on scenes feels way more fluid and natural.
I could easily pair Nanoleaf Shapes installed in the same room, but on a different wall using the Sync+ feature. This enables a virtual handshake of the two devices if connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Once paired, the Shapes light panel would follow the same theme as projected behind the TV.
DexertoBesides this, there are a bunch of downloadable color themes to choose from. The scene mode lets you how the lights would react to a word. For example, Borealis will have an Aurora Borealis-themed light projection. If you enter Sky, the projection turns sky blue, and Thunder has the lights imitating dark grey thunderous storms.
You can also have the lights pulsate based on the sound from the TV or the environment. This works best if you’re listening to music. It can work as a party mode if the speakers are placed near the processing unit and works even when the TV is turned off.
Should you buy it?
If you regularly watch movies and shows on your TV during the late hours, adding another dimension to watching TV using Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror and Lightstrip Kit makes total sense.
This light makes TV watching fun and reduces the strain on your eyes, especially if you’re watching TV till very late. In case you already have other Nanoleaf smart lights, then adding one behind the TV becomes an obvious choice.
Verdict: 4/5
NanoleafAt just around $100, you add a lot of fun, and immersive ambient lights to your home entertainment setup. The ambient lights from Nanoleaf not only look great, but the 4D mode is particularly impressive.
While the setup and installation are a breeze, there are some issues. For example, the Sync+ feature stopped working randomly, and a segment of light strips started coming off as the summer season started making its presence felt. Users living the places that have humid environments might experience the glue coming off rather quickly.
However, considering its “fun” value, it is easy to ignore minor hiccups here and there. I found the application more responsive than Govee smart lights, and the 4D mode offered an edge over the competition.
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