Govee’s new tri-camera TV backlight takes on HDMI-based rivals

Govee is upping the ante with its latest TV backlight kit, adding a triple-camera picture sensor that can capture HDR images while going toe-to-toe with competing HDMI-based TV backlights, the company says. 

Showing off its latest wares at IFA in Berlin this week, Govee is also unveiling an upgraded set of permanent outdoor lights with a new tri-LED design (the power of three is a theme for Govee at this year’s show), along with new holidays lights, a star light projector, and a new pendant light. 

Slated for release on September 29, the Govee TV Backlight 3 Pro (pricing TBD) comes with a screen-mounted image sensor that packs three cameras rather than just one or two. 

Working together, the three tiny cameras can capture both long and short exposures, good for detecting the highlights in bright scenes as well as the details in shadows and dark areas of the screen, while an HDR sensor merges the exposures for “precise color sampling” and a “theater-quality picture texture,” according to Govee. 

Govee

The tri-lens camera is paired with a revamped light strip that boasts a high-density lamp bead design, 16-bit color chips, and five-way RGBWWIC independent light control technology for “even and full” colors as well as accurate white-light performance (the acronym stands for (red, green, blue, white, and warm-white integrated circuits). Then there’s Govee’s “LuminBlend” light-blending algorithm, which is designed to boost the saturation of bright colors while keeping low-saturation hues looking natural. 

Compatible with Matter, the TV Backlight 3 Pro can be connected to up to 10 other Govee lights via the brand’s DreamView syncing feature, good for an immersive whole-room home theater experience. 

Overall, Govee’s tri-camera TV Backlight 3 Pro is poised to rival the accuracy of HDMI-based TV backlight systems such as the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box, which directly analyzes HDMI signals rather than relying on a TV-mounted camera. Can it deliver? We’ll find out once we see Govee’s new TV backlight in action. 

Next up from Govee is another updated product with a triple-threat new features—in this case, a tri-LED light head. 

Set to go on sale September 22 (pricing is still up in the air), the Govee Permanent Outdoor Light Prism is yet another kit of outdoor string lights designed to be permanently installed on the outside of your home.  

Govee

What makes the Matter-enabled Permanent Outdoor Light Prism special is the design of the individual light heads, with each head packing three LEDs with their own RGBWW chipsets.  

Powered (as with the TV Backlight 3 Pro) by Govee’s LuminBlend color management technology, the lights can glow in up to 16 million colors while promising “seamless” gradients and “fluid” color transitions, Govee says. 

Govee

Available in 30-, 45-, and 60-meter lengths, the IP68-weatherized Govee Permanent Outdoor Light Prism can be cut and spliced to fit. You can install the lights using 3M adhesive tape, while pre-drilled screw holes allow for securing the strips more tightly. 

Govee is also showing off a quartet of additional lighting products at IFA, all of which work with Matter. 

Slated for release on September 8, the Govee Curtain Light Pro ($199.99) comes with 950 RGBIC beads woven into a 30 x 32-pixel matrix, ideal for covering windows, garage doors, walls, or other large surfaces or entryways.  

The Govee Pendant Light (available September 17, pricing TBD) boasts a trio of light zones on its side, bottom, and curved surface, while the Govee Christmas Sparkle String Lights (on sale September 24) packs high-density diffused milky white bullet-head LEDs for a “dazzling, smooth starry sparkle.” 

Finally, the Govee Star Light Projector (on sale September 26, no pricing details yet) serves up seven-zone “dynamic nebula” effects with green laser stars, good for turning any room into an instant planetarium. 

This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart lights.