Ever since I reviewed the Govee TV Backlight T2, its dual-camera setup has been a part of my gamespace, perched on the top of my TV, expanding the scene on my TV into the space beyond its bezel. It hasn’t been a perfect experience – the camera catches light bleed off of a nearby wall, often causing the lower right lighting to be off, not to mention knocking the camera off every now and then. So when Govee asked if I would like to try out their new camera-less AI Sync Box 2, I knew I had to give it a try.
Govee AI Sync Box 2 – What Is It?
The Govee AI Sync Box 2 (SB2) syncs ambient lighting to the scene on your TV or monitor. While some TV light kits, like Govee’s own TV Backlight T2, use a camera to capture the image on your screen, the AI Sync Box 2 is fed the image from your streaming device before sending it onto your TV’s screen. In doing so, you get a more accurate color representation and placement than you can with a camera kit.
The AI Sync Box 2 has several significant upgrades over the original Sync Box. The SB2 comes with HDMI 2.1 support, giving you up to 4K video at 144Hz and 8K at 60Hz for a crisp, high-definition experience for movies and games. The kit also supports Variable Refresh Rate and Auto Low Latency Mode for less screen tearing and reduced video lag when gaming.
The SB2 also has an upgraded light strip. The strip is RGBWIC, which adds a fourth white diode for more accurate color blending. The strip has also been upgraded to 75 LEDs per meter for a more vibrant experience.
Finally, the AI Sync Box 2 utilizes Govee’s latest CogniGlow AI recognition technology. CogniGlow goes beyond typical color recognition, using deep learning AI to provide additional lighting effects in certain games.
Specs
- Pricing: $239.99 (55-65 inch TV), $259.99 (75-85 inch TV), $279 (27-32 inch monitor) at Govee.com and Amazon
- Input: 4 HDMI 2.1 ports
- Output: 1 HDMI 2.1 port (2 on the PC monitor version)
- App Connectivity: 2.4GHz WiFi, Bluetooth
- Smart Lighting Integration: Govee Home, Google Assistant, Alexa, Matter
- Resolution: Up to 8K at 60Hz, 4K at 144H
- Lightstrip: RGBICW with 75 LEDs per meter, 450 lumens/m
- Power: 12V, 60W
Govee AI Sync Box 2 – Installation
Out of the box, the AI kit is pretty unassuming. Along with the AI box itself, Govee has included everything you need to get the light show up and running, including two HDMI cables, a power cord, and a light strip. The light strip has adhesive tape pre-applied to hold it to the back of the TV, and Govee has included a handful of additional mounting clips to keep the ends of the strip from peeling up.
There are three different kits to choose from depending on the size of your screen. The first two kits are meant for TVs; one fits 55”-65” screens, and the other is for 75”-85” screens. The third kit is geared towards PC monitors and is designed to fit 27-32” screens. The PC version also ships with a pair of Govee’s Gaming Light Bars that plug into a second output on the box for added illumination. All three kits can technically be used on a bigger screen to varying effect, but the strips can’t be cut down for use on a smaller screen.
Another thing to consider when using the AI Sync Box 2 is that it needs an external video input to function. Govee’s TV Backlight kits use a camera to capture colors directly from your TV screen, so it doesn’t matter whether you use your TV’s internal streaming apps, set-top cable box, or even an over-the-air antenna as a video source. Since the AI Box intercepts the video input before it reaches your TV screen, you can’t use your TV’s internal apps, WiFi, or any non-HDMI device; you’ll need a Fire Stick, Roku, game console, or other streaming device with an HDMI cable to pass video into one of the AI Box’s HDMI inputs.
Setting up the AI Sync Box 2 is pretty simple. To handle multiple inputs, the box has four HDMI inputs to connect your external streaming devices, gaming consoles, a sound bar or surround sound receiver, or even a DVD player if you still have one hanging around. There is also a single HDMI output that finishes the connection and passes the video to your TV or monitor.
With all the inputs and outputs connected, it’s time to install the light strip. After quickly wiping down the back of the TV with the included alcohol wipes, the light strip is attached along the edge of the TV. Instead of a continuous LED strip, the SB2 uses a four-segment setup with short cords connecting the individual strips. While this does make installing the strips on the back of the TV easier than using a one-piece strip, it does mean that the strips can’t be cut down to fit smaller screens. I installed the kit on a 55” TV – the smallest size for the kit I was using – and the horizontal strips barely fit on the back of my TV. This left the connecting cords sticking out beyond the edge of my screen, requiring me to use some of the included mounting clips to keep them tacked down out of sight.
With the strip in place and the box hooked up to my Fire Stick and TV, the only thing left to do was attach the power cord and plug the light strip into the back of the AI Box. The entire hardware installation took less than 15 minutes.
Govee AI Sync Box 2 – Features
Once the hardware is installed, you must download the Govee app to configure the device. I already had the app installed on my phone to control my other Govee lights, but a new user can install the app on any Apple or Android device. You can pair the AI Box to your mobile device through Bluetooth or 2.4GHz WiFi (Govee still doesn’t use the 5GHz band with any of its devices), but you will need to use WiFi if you want to manage the box through Matter, Alexa, or Google Home. To complete the setup, there are a couple of in-app prompts that help determine the orientation of each light segment (top/bottom, left/right). Once that is done, AI Sync Box 2 is up and running.
The remainder of the Govee App functionality remains the same as it does with other lighting. You can set a static color – I did this when watching over-the-air football that isn’t fed through the box – or pick a Scene to display a preset pattern if you’re just looking for some ambient lighting when you aren’t watching TV. You’ll also find Music Mode to sync the lights to sound picked up through the box or your mobile device, and you can create or download additional Scenes in the DIY tab.
All of those features are just fluff. The real star of the show here is Video Mode, which extends the colors on-screen beyond the edges of your TV and into the room itself. The app has controls to help you configure the lighting to your preference, including saturation and relative brightness of each light segment. These two settings work great for balancing brightness differences due to proximity to walls and such. It also comes in handy to adjust for how dark your viewing space is. During the day, I would turn the brightness up. I would then turn it back down so that it wasn’t overpowering when the room was dark.
My favorite feature is the sensitivity setting to adjust how reactive the lights are to the changing images on-screen. I found that when set to maximum, the lighting changed so fast that it was distracting. Setting it around 70% seemed to be my sweet spot.
Final Thoughts
The AI Sync Box 2 isn’t revolutionary – there are plenty of TV light kits on the market already. Still, the SB2 has several features that make it a worthy purchase. The main strength of the SB2 is that it uses video passthrough to capture images. You don’t have to worry about a camera catching any light bleed from the lightstrip or light sources in the room, nor is the SB2 affected by the overall room brightness.
I also found that there is less lag with the SB2 than with a kit that uses a camera. With my current T2 kit, I notice a slight delay between when the image comes on screen and the camera captures, processes, and displays the resulting lighting. Since the AI Sync Box 2 serves as a passthrough, it feels like the lighting matches the screen instantaneously. Although I barely notice that I have a camera on top of my TV with my Govee TV Backlight T2, I love that it isn’t there with the SB2. Furthermore, I like how the RGB strip built into the front of the SB2 mirrors the lightstrip, but the entire setup can be hidden behind the TV if you want a cleaner look.
As mentioned previously, the biggest downside to using the AI Sync Box 2 is also its strength – the reliance on an outside video source. If, like me, you use your TV’s internal streaming apps, you’ll either need to buy an external streaming device or stick with a camera-fed setup. Fortunately, I already had a spare Fire Stick in my junk drawer, so this wasn’t a major setback for me, but it could be an extra cost if you don’t have a streaming device to use. Note that since you will be using your PC’s video card for input, this isn’t an issue for the PC monitor version of the AI Sync Box 2.
