Remember that scene from Game of Thrones?

No, not the one with the Starbucks cup. 
The other one. The one where nobody could see anything!

If you were one of the millions of viewers squinting at a muddy grayscale blur during The Long Night, you’ve already experienced what happens when content is graded in a pitch-black room and then viewed in... well, literally any other environment.

Even the episode’s cinematographer had to come out and say, “It looked fine when we mastered it.” And we believe him. But here’s the kicker: that’s kind of the problem.

Dolby Just Said What Needed to Be Said

In a new update, Dolby made it crystal clear:

If you're grading in total darkness, your content is probably too dark for the real world.

Bias lighting—a soft, controlled light behind your display—isn’t just for eye comfort. Dolby breaks down three big reasons it matters:

1. Reduces fatigue, especially when working with HDR.
2. Stabilizes color perception by keeping your vision in photopic mode (fully light-adapted), instead of mesopic (dim lighting) where your ability to judge color falls apart.
3. Improves perceived contrast and black level accuracy, even on top-tier displays.

In other words: bias lighting helps you see what you're actually doing—and helps your audience see what you intended.

What Makes a Bias Light “Professional”?

Dolby isn’t being vague here—they explicitly name the MediaLight Pro2 as an example of a bias light that meets the criteria for color-critical work.
(FYI: So do the LX1 and Mk2—both exceed SMPTE guidelines—but we sent the highest CRI 99 spec units for Dolby's research.)

• Color temperature should match your reference white. For Dolby Vision, that’s D65 (6500K).
• Luminance should be adjustable—you need to be able to hit 5 nits on the wall.
• The light should be consistent and flicker-free, with no shifting color temps or disco effects.
• The wall behind your display should be a neutral gray—not a bold accent color chosen for aesthetics. While this matters most in professional setups, it’s still best practice for any serious viewing environment.”

Spoiler: That weird color-changing LED strip isn’t doing you any favors.

"But I Don’t Have a Fancy Light Meter…"

No worries—Dolby has your back.

They’ve released downloadable TIFF files you can load into your grading system. These patches are designed to help you visually match your ambient light to exactly 5 nits—the SMPTE standard for reference environments.

All you do is:

1. Download the TIFFs from Dolby.
2. Load the patch that matches your bias light setup (3-sided or 4-sided).
3. Make sure your grading software outputs a PQ (ST2084) HDR signal.
4. Sit where you normally work (3 picture heights back is the guideline), and adjust your bias light until it matches the patch's outer perimeter.

No meter. No guesswork. Just your eyes and some visual comparison. They say that "comparison is the thief of joy," but it's also the path to an accurate 5-nit surround. 

TL;DR: Don’t Work in the Dark

If you’re creating content that’s meant to be seen, you need to see it the way your audience will. That means grading in a reference environment with proper ambient light—not a black hole of creative intentions.

We make lights like the MediaLight Pro2 and Ideal-Lume that meet every one of Dolby’s recommendations (and then some). They’re tuned to D65, dimmable to a 5-nit surround, and trusted by post houses, studios, and calibration geeks worldwide.

Because when it comes to color grading, accuracy is how we honor the work.

And if your lighting setup is still stuck in the shadows—don’t worry, you’re not alone. Even premium cable gets it wrong sometimes.