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Review: Lightpack (30 LED) - Printable Version

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Review: Lightpack (30 LED) - Piers - 2016-01-28

Ambilight Clone
Manufacturer: Lightpack
LEDs (per strip): 3
LEDs (total): 30
Processor: Arduino Uno
Model Name: Lightpack
Replacement for: N/A
Custom build: No

Television Information
Manufacturer: LG
Diagonal Size (inches or CM): 55"
Aspect Ratio (16:9 is the standard): 16:9

Set-up
The packaging makes the item feel expensive - they've put a lot of thought into all aspects, including how you open it. It's impressive and comes with a detailed instruction and set-up guide. In the box there is the main unit, 10 detachable LED strips (3 LEDs per strip), additional 3M tape, cable ties, warranty information. It took around 15 minutes to set-up, but I did re-do it as there are four different patterns to choose from. I used:
- Five strips at the top (15 LEDs)
- Three strips on each side (9 LEDs per side)
- Two strips on the bottom, aligned to the sides (6 in total)

I tested Prismatik and Ambibox, I chose the latter. (Prismatik is terrible software for low-powered devices).

Software
Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
Back-end software: Ambibox
Software Link (URL): http://www.ambibox.ru/en/index.php/Main_Page

Kodi Add-ons, Integration, and Performance
Add-on(s) used: Ambibox for Kodi (Windows only) with the KodiDirect plugin
Link to Add-on: http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=198173
Recommended Add-on Settings: I let the add-on apply optimisation
Performance: 3.8/5
Note: Ambibox has a fantastic plugin for Kodi which reduces lag and increases frame rate - it's very impressive. However, it's for Windows only.

Order Details
Store: Lightpack (store)
Cost (GBP, EUR, USD): £45
Delivery Information: From Russia, took around 14 days to arrive. Cleared customs without taxes.

Media
I no longer have this item connected, so I am unable to take photographs of it in use. However, I do plan on using it on my bedroom T.V. - photos may follow.

Conclusion
This was my first move into ambient lighting for televisions. I was very impressed for a few months, but then I noticed more and more areas that weren't fully covered by the lights. This is fine for smaller televisions (32"-40" should be fine).

This is my personal opinion and not an endorsement by Kodi, the XBMC Foundation, or the Kodi Foundation.

RE: Review: Lightpack (30 LED) - bry - 2016-01-28

@Piers thank you for these reviews. I like you have a setup with 3 lightpacks. I was under the impression that ambibox only worked with a single lightpack. Does using the add-on that you linked bypass this restriction?

RE: Review: Lightpack (30 LED) - Piers - 2016-01-28

(2016-01-28, 18:07)bry- Wrote: @Piers thank you for these reviews. I like you have a setup with 3 lightpacks. I was under the impression that ambibox only worked with a single lightpack. Does using the add-on that you linked bypass this restriction?

I don't have three Lightpacks, I have one Lightpack and one Lightpack clone. I did want to purchase another Lightpack but a requirement was being able to use Ambibox. Tthe Lightpack clone has 90 LEDs so works with Ambibox. I hope that makes sense. See the other review for more details.

RE: Review: Lightpack (30 LED) - bry - 2016-02-08

@Piers - may want to check this out: Prismatik as it should have been (windows)

/u/psieg Wrote:A while ago I got two Lightpacks and found Prismatik performance sucks and it can't grab fullscreen DirectX games (despite having corresponding modules in its source code).

Thanks to open source, I forked their official Lightpack GitHub repo and built binaries after not getting any responses from Woodenshark.

Note: It seems they stopped using GitHub, so I don't know about Prismatik 6.0.0 beta. I can't currently test it, but it seems nothing has changed about the major issues
Main Improvements
  • Using Windows Desktop Duplication API for significantly increased performance on the desktop
  • Fixing DirectX grabbing for DX9 (bad performance) and DX10/11
  • 64-bit build to be able to grab 64-bit games

Links
  • Forked Repository
  • Download
  • Post an issue if something doesn't work for you

    For DirectX grabbing, run Prismatik as Administrator or select the corresponding option during installation to launch as admin automatically
https://www.reddit.com/r/Lightpack/comments/448w8m/prismatik_as_it_should_have_been_windows/