Here’s the truth.
Changing the brightness and contrast doesn’t make your TV less bright.
I tried it myself.
It was a complete flop.
My picture quality improved, but that was it.
So, I experimented on my own.
And the solution is far simpler than what most articles say.
Continue reading to discover:
- How to lower the brightness of your TV.
- 5 simple ways to make your TV less bright.
- Why room lighting matters and how it affects the brightness of your TV.
- And so much more…
Can you lower the brightness of your TV?
You can lower the brightness of your TV by adjusting its backlight level. Adjusting your TV mount position also works and causes less eye strain. Soft lighting, smart bulbs, and bias lights are other effective ways to make your TV less bright to your eyes. Finally, it helps to buy a bigger TV.
How to make your TV less bright? 5 ways
#1: Adjust your TV mount position
Quick question.
If you could choose any seat in a cinema, would you choose the first row?
Most people would answer that with a no. And whoever is included on those people, then, you get it…
Not only does it appear brighter to your eyes, but it also causes eye strain.
So, the best place to sit in a cinema is either in the middle or a slightly higher row.
Ever wonder why?
Research says it’s because of your visual angle.
Whether in a cinema or at home watching TV, the wrong visual angle affects your viewing experience.
Put simply, sitting in the first row in any cinema is a bad visual angle for your eyes.
Ideally, the best visual angle is at eye level.
This is why people prefer the middle row in a cinema.
So when you’re looking straight at a TV screen at eye level, it’s easier on your eyes.
And that includes the brightness, picture quality, and overall viewing experience.
Of course, eye level isn’t the only angle you should follow.
If the TV screen is slightly lower, this also works just fine.
That’s because the optimal viewing distance is between 0º and 15º.
So if your TV is mounted higher than that, it’s no wonder it looks brighter than it normally is.
How high should I mount my TV then?
This ultimately depends on the size of your TV.
For example, you should mount a 50-inch TV 29 inches from your floor to the bottom of your screen.
And if you can aim for an angle that aligns with your eye level, even better.
A good TV mount standard to follow is 42 inches from your floor to the center of your TV screen.
From there, you can adjust which angle is the most comfortable for you.
One more thing.
Consider your viewing distance too.
Put simply, viewing distance is the distance from your TV to where you’re sitting or watching.
Let’s use another example.
Say you have a 50-inch 4K TV in your bedroom.
Then you should be sitting at least 5 to 7.9 ft away from the TV screen.
For different TV sizes, you can use a TV viewing distance calculator for this.
This should give you the best viewing distance for a 50-inch TV.
A good practice to follow is at least 8 to 10 feet viewing distance.
#2: Decrease your TV’s backlight
Once you’ve set a good TV mount position, let’s fine-tune your TV’s settings.
When your TV appears too bright or too dim, it’s actually your TV’s backlight that’s the issue.
You see, brightness and contrast levels improve your picture quality.
However, it doesn’t make your TV appear less bright.
Now, most TVs will have a default backlight setting.
And that default setting is set to the max backlight level.
So, your TV should have a separate setting for brightness and backlight level.
Note: The backlight level setting is located above the brightness and contrast settings.
If your TV has HDR preset modes, set it to “HDR normal.”
This setting is ideal if you’re watching TV in a darker room.
Make sure to set your backlight level all way to 0.
Then, adjust it by slowly increasing the backlight level until it’s comfortable for your eyes.
Read also: (3 Fixes) White Spots On TV Screen
#3: Improve the lighting in your room
Recently, I’ve been watching a few interior design videos on YouTube to improve my work setup.
And here’s what I found.
There’s a proper room lighting setup for rooms you…
- Watch TV in.
- Read a book.
- Socialize with friends.
Here’s a quick scenario to help you understand.
When you’re reading a book in your bed with a lamp turned on the side, do you prefer…
- A lamp with white light?
- A lamp with yellow light?
At first, you might think it’s simply a matter of personal preference.
But really…
Yellow light is more favorable when you’re focusing on something like the text printed on a book.
And the same goes for watching TV.
Ambient or soft lighting is the right way to illuminate your room.
When your TV screen is too bright, adding soft lighting like a lamp increases the amount of light in your room.
Confused?
Here’s an example.
Imagine you and your friend are sitting from across each other in a dark room.
Then, your friend turns on his flashlight and points it at you.
It’s painfully bright, right?
But what if you added a lamp near you and your friend in the same dark room?
Or even, turning both your phones on so there’s a small amount of light coming from your phone screen.
Even with a flashlight turned on, it’s not as bright as it was, right?
The same concept applies when your TV appears too bright in a room.
But…where do I place my lamp?
Proper lamp placement matters.
The general rule is to place the lamp on either side of your TV screen.
However, in my case, this didn’t work.
The size of your room also plays a role.
I had to move my lamp a little further from my TV screen.
And after a few attempts, the best place was slightly further from the right side of my TV screen.
#4: Get a bias light or smart bulb
Think of a bias light as a light that illuminates at the back of your TV screen.
Here’s a video explaining how it works and how to set it up:
A bias light is perfect if you enjoy watching TV in a dark room and the screen appears too bright.
Another alternative is using a smart bulb or a wall sconce.
A wall sconce works like adding soft lighting to your room.
The only problem is the light might reflect off your TV.
But that’s a small issue.
Thanks to Houzz, you can take a lot of design ideas when setting up sconces next to your TV.
Now, what about smart bulbs?
The best thing about smart bulbs is you can adjust their color and brightness on your phone.
That way, it’s easier to create lighting that helps your TV appear less bright.
You can replace the bulb of your lamp with a smart bulb, for example.
Then, position your lamp properly. From there, adjust your smart bulb to create good lighting in your room.
#5: Buy a bigger TV
Here’s another reason why cinema screens don’t appear too bright to your eyes.
It’s because of its size.
If you’re watching from a small TV screen, it’s actually brighter on your eyes.
Because the amount of light in a room is low, your iris is forced to open. As a result, it’s harder on your eyes.
The light on a small TV screen penetrates your eye more than the light on a bigger TV screen.
With a bigger screen, less light penetrates your eyes.
Not only is this less painful to your eyes, but it’s also less bright.
However, getting a bigger TV isn’t always the best option.
But if your TV is due for an upgrade, get a bigger-sized TV.
You might also want to know: How Much Does A 60-Inch TV Weigh? 5 Amazing Facts