DO NOT Buy a Monitor Light Bar Until You’ve Watched This
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My favorite desk light accessory is a monitor light bar. But the truth is, they aren’t perfect and they DEFINITELY aren’t for everyone...
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00:00 Never Buy
00:14 Glare Issues
01:04 Monitor Fit Problems
02:01 Webcam Fit
02:57 Physical Buttons vs. Touch Sensors vs. Puck
03:50 Limited Color Combination
04:14 Brightness
04:44 Multiple Monitors
05:17 Curved Monitors
05:47 What I Use 12 Months Later
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Monitor Light Bars in Video:
Sn-okylife - amzn.to/3RaJUm2
Baseus - amzn.to/3NOvYeq
BenQ - amzn.to/3RcGZcE
BenQ Halo - amzn.to/433r85c
Xiaomi - amzn.to/3ItSolr
Products in Video:
NewHeights S Series - bit.ly/3X3GEL2 (BTOD)
Steelcase Leap (Refurbished) - bit.ly/302lAbT (BTOD)
Wood Wall Paneling - bit.ly/3AnoVW4 (WoodVeneerHub)
Humanscale Monitor Arm - bit.ly/3rDp3xk (BTOD)
LaMetric Clock - amzn.to/3L3nJfm (Amazon)
BenQ ScreenBar - amzn.to/3V2w7As (Amazon)
Logitech MX Vertical Mouse - amzn.to/40BQxkK (Amazon)
EPOMAKER Keycaps - amzn.to/3N9cnsY (Amazon)
EPOMAKE AKKO Retro - amzn.to/3L3nTDu (Amazon)
Keychron K4 96% - amzn.to/41RSOJK (Amazon)
Govee Floor Lamp - amzn.to/40wSY8f (Amazon)
Samsung 49" Ultrawide - amzn.to/3ozQmco (Amazon)
Shure M7 Mic - amzn.to/3owvpyZ (Amazon)
Rode Mic Arm - amzn.to/41uxIRZ (Amazon)
KELOTEVEN Plant - amzn.to/3UZb0yF (Amazon)
Round End Table - amzn.to/3H5lVkA (Amazon)
SAFAVIEH Rug - amzn.to/3AnmCSB (Amazon)
IDEA4WALL Frames - amzn.to/3N9cFA4 (Amazon)
SIGNWIN Framed Canvas Art - amzn.to/3LnDPS9 (Amazon)
Kingfun Loveseat - amzn.to/3L2r51Y (Amazon)
Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon BTODtv may earn from qualifying purchases.
Full Disclaimer: We are an office furniture dealer and sell some of the products we review. To learn more about the products we sell, our review process and why you can trust us, please visit: bit.ly/2LsiXIy
I'm using the Xiaomi bar and am quite happy with it. It fits really well on my monitor and I put my C920 webcam centered on top. The cam is front-back-held by the lightbar's mount. The USB cable that came with the lightbar sits between the back of the cam and the lightbar mount's joint and and because it's a flat cable it doesn't interfere with the cam's stability.
My favourite! Xiaomi's price-quality ratio is insane
Great video! I have a BenQ PD3220U monitor and just received their light bar and it doesn't fit their own monitor!!! The PD3220U is about 5cm thick and the light bar only works a monitor that's 3cm think, max! Very disappointing!!! Any recommendations?
A very well put together video, taking into account every problem one might have with these light bars. Thank you very much, will take a look at the xiaomi one.
So you are forcing me to buy benq.
Resist the force, Patrick.
he got free one, by promoting benq lol, use any cheap chiniese bar, trust me all are same, all are using same led strip that is symmetric anyways..
@@Tech-wn8tp "tech" in your name is highly ironic.
I like the back light.
@@Tech-wn8tpIs the Xiaomi one alright?
Could I use a monitor light bar with the HP M27FW monitor? It is very thin.
What is the chair you are using here?
i have a pg27aqn and the xiami one. is it "bad" if the lamp adjustment thingi touches the black stripe of the screen? cant get it to fit on the plastic ... because its soo smal
Awesome, thanks! I was about to get a light but I'm using two curved monitors: ultrawide and normal. It's not going to work!
@btodtv can you review troner screenbar
There's about 3 seconds of dead air at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="239">3:59</a>-<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="242">4:02</a> which almost threw me off while I was listening to this in the background lol
You can also see flickering on the cheap model
appreciate the video with no crappy music
BenQ WiT desk lamp with the matching desk clamp mount to replace the hefty base is superior to any lightbar, even the BenQ light bar.
Great video!! BTW, the chair seems to be so ergonomically designed, may I know the brand and the model? Thanks!
Steelcase Leap v2.
Damn I already bought one! Lucky me was the benq halo 😅
Best solution I’ve found to solve the camera issue is just put it on the side and use nvidia broadcast (assuming you have any sort of nvidia gpu i your machine). It will automatically software zoom and pan the camera to center your upper body and head. It even has this beta feature that basically makes it look to your meeting participants as if you are looking directly at them. Best part is it’s free.
That fake stare feature feels really creepy to me
I found out I need a symmetrical light. My monitors are set with the center line at eye level, and even the ones that say they don't shine in your eyes....shine in my eyes or reflect off the screen. So I need one with a shutter on the front edge to block the light towards my eyes.
Hey I have a question. Can I use it to my TV as a backlight? I want the light to be pointed on the back to the wall like some kind of back/hiden light
Use some govee products, some are made for what u are looking for. If u want something that actually display the color that are on screen try looking for fancyleds it is very good
What's the name of the device on your desk that lets you adjust the intensity by turning the wheel with your hands?
So of these light bars come with a control Puck. Mine has it and I love it, unfortunately I think it has to come standard with the light bar to get one.
It's sad that my monitor has a built-in camera in the middle and I'll never be able to use a light bar
I know it's crazy but could you setup the xiaomi knob to control the pc volume? (it so cool for this!)
wouldn't work since it uses radio frequency (I think) so there is no way to connect to your PC.
Love the Benq lightbar. Hard to go back to any other one.
Too bright on lowest setting.
Could the white paper be reflecting the light to the screen in your test?
Light bar will break some curved monitors ribbon cables over time.
Thanks for the tips. Whenever you go to pick up something new there's always a 'meta' and gimmicky words.
I actually have a hack for setting up the light bar: tape it to the bottom of the monitor. This might sound crazy but there's a lot of benefices for this setup: no screen glare, you won't see the light source directly, centered webcam, and if you have a monitor riser behind your monitor and your light bar has a remote knob, which is my case, you wouldn't see the light bar at all.
Light bar vs eye checked? Get your eyes checked!
Really good video should have more likes
What 42” OLED monitor are you using in the video?
LG C2 - Greg
I bought a MELIFO curved bar off Amazon that has been working very well for my double stack of 34" Alienware ultrawides. My top monitor is angled in on the stack, so the the light stays off it completely.
Patrick, may I see your set up. I want to try double stacking ultrawides as well.
FYI, Xiaomi is pronounced "shau-mee". The X is an "sh" sound, not a "z".
Id love the benq halo but its like 40% more expensive than im willing to pay heh.
I’m just wanting a monitor light that fits my Neo G8
Why arent lightbars mounted under the monitor? Reasoning, the monitor itself is a light source, you only need/want light on the table. You dont want external light on the monitor to reduce glare, therefore, you have to go out of your way to make sure light does not hit the surface of the monitor. If we put lights under the monitor, does that not solve all the problems?
I think part of it is so the light has enough space to diffuse and we can't see the LEDs directly
@@soaringje9 makess sense... I wonder if theres a material that would compensate for that though
Because you couldn't lit up stuff on the table otherwise and instead would smash light directly in your own eyes, any object on table, for instance keyboard, would also create huge shadows making light pretty much pointless or would make things even worse than without it. There is no problem with lightbar on screen, it makes perfect sense to have it exactly there
I have used small magnet bar
My cheap one from Ropelux (Amazon brand) has no tension on the hinge and it just hits the monitor. Theres a saying, "When you go cheap you pay double." Cant return it and its electronic trash now.
In our country amazon have no question return policy
So whats the point with light bar if you have a backlit keyboard? I'm redoin my office and every set up video i see has a light bar. But Ib cant think of a single time where i looked down at my keyboard and couldn't see the keys. Am i missing something here? Is this just the luxury of people with those fancy artisan keyboards with no backlight?
I'm having the same thoughts too. Trying to read more abt the advantages. So far, I'm interested for purposes other than computing: reading or doing some intricate work on my desk where I need proper lighting on my desk. Other than that.. my backlit KB does the job..
people that also read-write notes during work-design or having equipment on desk that they need to see like audio interface, mic processor etc. but don't want glare on monitor.
there is also a possible problem with light sensor on monitor covered by lightbar (guess how I discovered this problem ...)
That's totally true, I just bought my new 34' monitor and I can't put my light bar, cause is not narrow behind, and so fat, that this is suicide mission.
Look at the Diirglus, I got that after look at all of them, which comes with two that pair to one wireless puck remote. All for less then $75, I would love to see what you think about it as I think its a much more affordable offering and looks cleaner, and works great with 2 monitors.
I have the BenQ. It is NOT very bright. That's why I am shopping. I would have preferred a plug in model to USB power because I WANT LIGHT!
Have you tried their desk lamp? I know it's more expensive than their light bar, but it's definitely brighter and covers a larger area. Otherwise, you could just get a standard desk lamp, and use that alongside the light bar.
Jokes on you, already brought one.
I bought the XIAOMI Mi Computer Monitor Light bar and the light holder blocks the camera (when centered) on the Studio Camera! It triggers anyone's OCD since the light sits about 1 inch to the right or left of the monitor! That also means the illuminated area on the desk (keyboard) isn't centered.
Omg is this true? Are u talking about the studio display? I have it as well and I am thinking of getting it 😂
has anyone tried to put lightbar under the monitor?
Where is that "wireless puck" from
Xiaomi light bar.
I don’t have. BenQ and - - it has touch with no Puc and I don’t need to constantly fiddle with it - doesn’t shed light on the screen and is bright enough - Set camera up with reasonable shot and last thing I want to do is look at myself Plus a lot cheaper…. And was first one I bought
i m using local brand vey very cheap and its working good. benq is expensive, its just a light, u might got it free , because i herd benq is sending free for influencers who r promoting this. light should not be that expensive..
Why is he calling xiaomi zaomi?
Why not just turn on a 0 watt bulb in ur room rather than buying these expensive gizmos ?
When you turn on the microwave do you look inside with the microwave's light bulb or do you turn on the kitchen's ceiling light bulb? (same with the fridge, oven etc.) So probably these "gizmos" are for those who need light in only a specific area for a specific task.
but cheap light is available 10 time cheaper than this! all have led strip inside, its just advertisement @@vasileiospgr
@@vasileiospgrWhat kind of comparison is that? lol your room light will still light up your desk. The kitchen lamp does not reach inside your microwave.
@@TheEchelon exactly, you want only to light up a specific area. 😉 (and in case of the desk, you want light only on the desk and not on the screens causing reflections)
Benq coat 180$, the xiaomi is 35$ I will keep my xiaomi, it's good enough and doesn't cost fortune for what is basically a desk lamp on a monitor.
Boss how many monitors have you got🤣🤣🤣🤣
All of them.... :) -Greg
I don't understand your test. Of course you're going to get glare on the screen if you use a white sheet to reflect the light back at the screen.
The BenQ options are ridiculously overpriced for what they are... a light.
It does seem like that, but no other brand seems to nail the asymmetrical light dispersion. I'm disappointed well established brands like Phillips aren't making their own light bar to compete with BenQ.
I’m using the Diirglus lightbar I purchased on Amazon after my BenQ one died and I looooove it! Saved me a little money too 😜
monitor manufacture spend dozen of year to develope anti glare, some guy start this stupid trend of placeing a overprice light bar on top of the monitor
That's not the only reason ppl buy monitor light bars, lol.
My biggest concern is longevity and failure rates. I've looked up a lot of them, but it seems like there's an alarming number of them that fail within one year of use (even BenQ's seem to have some, albeit lower rates compared to the rest). Xiaomi's light bar seems to have the highest failure rates among the light bars from a reputable brand (i.e. not counting the Amazon/Aliexpress/no-brand models that all look like the same thing), with many reviews mentioning that the build quality of the parts you can see on the outside is very high and feels very premium, but the internals are complete garbage and tend to fail within a few months for no apparent reason. Anyway, this video cements my belief that curved monitors are an unnecessary, gimmicky invention with negligible benefits and were made to solve a non-existent problem and get more money out of customers. I bought one just to try and had used it for over a year before selling it and switching back to my flat display (with the same specs), and while I don't have problems with the monitor itself, I don't think it has any major advantage over a flat display with the same specs. If anything, its cons outweigh its pros.
Isn't your screen too low? Maybe this is another video
it's pronounced "shao-mee" - with the first part sounding like the first half of "shall"
As a mandarin speaker, a more accurate pronunciation would be “see-owl mee” or “seow mee”….like how u pronounce “Meow” but replace the M with S.
Xiaomi is better, benq is too expensive for a light. I got the cheapest one, only issue was quality of it's hinges, but the quality of dispersed light was no less than any branded one. I also used a professional softbox with cheap continuous adjusted light which was more value for money and serving both purpose.the whole setup was less expensive than this benq light, you can even make your own Ceiling hanging light with soft disperse paper on it in a few bucks, don't be fooled by these brands these youtuber are making all of us fool
Yet you did not provide a solution for the friggin camera…😢
Never used one and totally don't see the point of it. Get yourself a good enough light and you're done.
Those bars are very dimm .
Why is your monitor height so low compared to height of your eyes...
A lot of work to create this video
So what do i need to see this video before I buy you. You didnt fix anything. You didnt really say anything except you like this one and not another.
I don't have any plans to get a light bar anytime soon, but it's definitely something I want to get in the future. At the moment, I have a standard desk lamp which does the job just fine. However, when I decide to finally have the courage to build my own custom PC, then I'm definitely going to replace my lamp with a light bar to save space on my desk.
Whats the point? Get a light up keyboard and a lamp. Boom now you don't have a tacky light above your monitor.
Yeah these are legit one of the dumbest accessories to make it to market, if you want to light up your desk, get a dang desk lamp that doesn't shine into your monitor.
@@whitexeno Desk lamps take up desk space quite easily and lightbars are more minimalistic and take up no desk space at all. U also can't rly have perfectly centred lighting with desk lamps that lightbars provide since desk lamps are always positioned on the left or ride side of the desk. Not to mention that if u were to get a desk lamp with a very long arm to try and position it perfectly centre on ur desk, it will also be very awkward and unwieldy, and it takes up space in front of u which will block ur vision from the monitor. It's also harder to find desk lamps that won't shine on your monitor since they're not designed with monitors in mind like lightbars are. Therefore, lightbars r the obvious choice for anyone with these issues, especially for ppl who care a lot about aesthetics.
@@dylanloo9856 Great response. 👍
@@dylanloo9856Then just turn on your room light…
@@TheEchelon Yea I personally don't need a lightbar coz my room light is sufficient enough. However, some room lights r either too dim or they r not in an ideal position to provide good enough lighting to ur desk (e.g. behind u which can cast shadows). That's where the usefulness of lightbars come in. Additionally, some ppl like to use their desk in a dark or dim environment for a more "comfy" experience. Therefore, they'll need focused lighting on their desk in such settings, which is exactly what a lightbar can provide.
SAUUMII
Well duh
No surprise you are no fan of curved monitors as you clearly don't know how to use them. Maximized website? Just to watch YT? Damn...
enough of all these fakers. who the f the desk is this clean if you really use it for daily purpose!? come on.
Why not simply turn on the main room lighting, sounds like light bars (according to this review), add extra clutter, take away from the aesthetics and have the ability to shine on un-wanted surfaces.
My thoughts exactly. I don't get it. 😅. I get the bias lighting, but this to me feels like a gimmick
Because overhead lighting on the ceiling can be too bright sometimes. Some of us also don't want the whole room lit, just the desk.
Not everyone likes working in a factory or hospital looking harsh lighting setting.
@@TT-rl4suThen setup your office room light not as such. You literally have control over that lol
@@TheEchelon Part of that for us is no overhead light, plus use of a light bar.
you have spoken completely nonsense
Thank you -Greg
terrible misleading click-bait title... thumbs down for this and i'm not sorry.
Why is it clickbait? -Ryan
unbelievable that people still buy lightbars... they have absolute ZERO function or practicality. Its the 2020s! not 1990s FFS! The light source needs to be behind the monitor screen, NOT infront XD
The hipster desk setup A E S T H E T I C youtube video crowd are responsible for perpetuating these dumb things.
Zero functionality? They provide a clear, direct, and centred light source to ur desk lol. U can't get more practical than that. Light sources behind monitors r typically for aesthetic purposes and will not be as bright and direct as a lightbar is. Light sources (especially warm lighting) behind monitors r also good to take care of ur eyes since they provide ambient lighting which helps counter a direct light source from ur monitor in a dark environment from shining into ur eyes. Therefore, if u need good lighting on ur desk like if you're writing or reading stuff, then lightbars are the way to go. That is what I call practical compared to light sources behind ur monitor that mainly only provide ambient lighting.
@@whitexeno Why are you so triggered about light bars?
@@StardustLegacyFighter it is just such a dumb idea to me. It's like telling someone to stare at the sun to read a book better
@ReferenceThisObject For the ones that still bleed light onto the monitor itself, I totally see your point. But the BenQ light bar is pretty capable, and it would be nice if other brands found a way to make their ones more useful. I don't think the concept of a light bar is inherently poor, it's just the execution. It's also definitely more of a problem if you're someone who has a monitor with a glossy screen.