Lepro STV1 AI Smart TV Backlight Review

The Lepro STV1 AI Smart TV Backlight aims to make movies, games, and sports more immersive by extending the colours on the screen onto the wall behind it. Instead of using an HDMI sync box, which I’ve featured in previous reviews, the STV1 relies on a camera mounted above the television to watch what is happening and adjust the RGBIC strip in real time. App control, music syncing, and other features help to bolster the feature set of this TV lighting solution. Here is my review.

Setup needs some patience

Attaching the strip is straightforward, though I would definitely consider removing a wall-mounted setup to apply the strip with the least amount of stress. Positioning the camera and completing the calibration takes a bit more effort, but it was ultimately free of any headaches. 

I’ve never been a fan of the cameras that jut out in front of the television screen. However, with Lepro’s implementation, the camera is easier to forget about. It’s not as clean as the solutions that use a HDMI sync box, but it still works well.

Fast enough to keep up

The wide-angle camera captures the display, while the software works out which colours should appear behind each edge of the TV.

I spent some time playing Saros on PS5, and it proved to be a great showcase for the lighting. Its environments already look incredible, but the STV1 helped them pop even more. The screen can quickly fill with bright neon projectiles, and seeing those colours spread onto the wall made the action feel larger and more intense.

I expected some obvious lag when the screen became busy, but that happily wasn’t the case. The colours changed quickly enough to keep up, and the RGBIC strip could show several shades at once rather than washing the whole wall in one average colour.

Best with the lights down

I got the strongest results in a dark room with the TV against a plain, light-coloured wall. Under those conditions, the glow is brighter, the colours are easier to pick out, and the image can feel like it is stretching beyond the display.

The Lepro app also works well, which matters because most of the controls live there. Brightness, saturation, and lighting behaviour can be adjusted without digging through endless menus. The combined camera and controller also keep the setup tidy.

The AI scene generator is fun and produced combinations I would not have thought of myself. However, once the novelty wore off, I mostly returned to the regular screen-sync mode. I could still see the AI scenes adding flair during Christmas, Halloween, or other celebrations, but they are not something I use every day.

Disclosure: Review sample provided by Lepro.