Back around Christmas I made a random post about a random product that I wanted to invest in.
Ambient lighting for TV, Home Theater, and Gaming.

I found a good option that was a standalone box and didn't require a PC (ie LightPack) to drive it and do the processing. It was called Ambiscreen. At the time it was the best and most elegant solution I had found yet. Even though I backed it, the project never fully funded, so my monies were refunded (thanks indiegogo). They had communicated that they would try and I had hoped that they would persist and try to re-fund or come to market anyway. However, as it has been a number of months with no further communication, I have given up on getting a product from them in a reasonable amount of time.

It is difficult to search for these lighting products on the net. Shortly after giving up on Ambiscreen, I ran across another project that is a standalone unit that was just funded (evil KickStarter) and had entered the independent pre-order phase. It is called Dreamscreen.

Here is a video of Destiny with Dreamscreen running (in case you don't know what you are looking for: watch the wall behind the TV. The edge pixels around the edge of the display are sampled and displayed behind the TV via external LED kits)

(thanks UltimaPrime over on reddit/destiny for the video)

My unit was just delivered and it is awesome! I would possibly make my own video but my wall behind my TV in the basement is burgundy (prior owners paintjob that I haven't fixed yet) and it doesn't show the full effect.
The unit is a HDMI stick that runs parallel to your HDMI video source on a splitter acting as a simple pass through. The string of LEDs connect up the the stick.
The install of the LEDs was the most difficult part. They come backed with low-stick adhesive for residue free move/remove. I had read about others having trouble so I opted for 3M hooks that are on removable tabs. And the included HDMI patch cable has been faulty for some users so I left it in the box and used my own.

Overall it has been a splendid little kit thus far
(PS Im not affiliated with the Dreamscreen project in any way besides just being a consumer and fan)

If you don't like the lighting distraction during gaming, Here is some Mad Max with immersive lighting:

I'm sorry.

I...I'm sorry, but I just see a huge(and likely expensive) projector that's distracting as all hell. I wouldn't be able to play for one second with all those colors flying around the screen like that.

Wow. That looks great. I think I'd have to see it in person and play with one to fully judge, but it certainly looks appealing.

I may have to look into that. Thanks for the tip!

I like the concept, but I wish the lights would only sample the very edges of the screen. Or is that a setting you can adjust?

Kind of like the '+whatever, great kill!' dialog you get smackdab in the middle of the screen during Crucible. When you're seeing a video of someone else playing, it's very distracting, but you're the one playing, you're rarely distracted by it.

My folks bought a TV for their living room that has that system built-in and I have to say it was the most satisfying run of Nightfall (Halo: Reach) I have ever played.

Aside from the cool techy factor, the reasoning behind these devices is much reduced eye strain and headaches. Originally they tried using white or blue leds and this helped but it washed out the picture, enter some genius that color matched the bleeding edges. Another benefit from these leds is the perception of a 5-10 inch larger screen.

It really is a neat concept and can be done with a raspberry pi, rgb led strips and some 7th grade level soldering. If you aren't up for spending large sums of cash and are in need of a fun weekend project.

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It was supposed to just sample the edges but in actuality it is sampling a little ways inside the edges. I think they settled on that to try to account for different screen ratios and letterboxing of various media.

I believe that the creator is working right now to issue an update for their mobile device app (connects via Bluetooth). I think that they want to create a way for the user to set the screen bounds or sample zone.

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Mmm, raspberry pi.

Just quoting Castellaneta, raspberries are disgusting.

Just quoting Castellaneta, raspberries are disgusting.

You are a bad person with bad opinions.

But personally I only like 2 kinds of pie.

Hot. And cold.

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I only like one. Pizza.

But how can you not like chicken pot pie? The name is more than enough for me to adore it.

Unfortunately it was just a research project - I think this could've been fun (if distracting). In any case, MS took the tech and added multiple cameras/Kinects to create holodeck-like stuff before shelving it.

Unfortunately it was just a research project - I think this could've been fun (if distracting). In any case, MS took the tech and added multiple cameras/Kinects to create holodeck-like stuff before shelving it.

The first one was cool (though seriously distracting; I don't think I'd really want to use it). The second one seemed pretty lame (and horribly expensive, hardware-wise - I'm not surprised it was shelved.

Eh. I guess at heart I'm a purist. Don't enhance my damn experience. ;)

Unfortunately it was just a research project - I think this could've been fun (if distracting). In any case, MS took the tech and added multiple cameras/Kinects to create holodeck-like stuff before shelving it.

The first one was cool (though seriously distracting; I don't think I'd really want to use it). The second one seemed pretty lame (and horribly expensive, hardware-wise - I'm not surprised it was shelved.

Eh. I guess at heart I'm a purist. Don't enhance my damn experience. ;)

I pretty much agree. Really cool tech, but c'mon, why not just project onto a white wall or screen instead? Seriously.

Eh. I guess at heart I'm a purist. Don't enhance my damn experience. ;)

The only thing I saw that was even remotely interesting was having the room lighting match the game. So, go into a cave and everything gets dark. Go into the sun, and everything is bright. About 3 mins in.

But even then… so much work and money for so little benefit.

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True, but I think for the cost of the setup (TV, Projector, extra Kinect sensor) you could simplify down to just a projector and a large screen for less and have an equally immersive setup. Don't get me wrong, it's really really cool tech, tweaking with your environment the way it does. However, IMHO, the cost/benefit isn't worth it when you consider alternative setups. I can see why it was killed, it makes me sad, but, I can see why.