we've been waiting for goldie to release the new software update for the flow pro
light bars for weeks now and when govi dropped the
4.2 app version we knew that we were getting really
close well that wait is now over the firmware is here and the flow pro
light bars have quietly ascended into uncharted territory
overnight for this video we're going to do a deep dive on the new features and
improvements we'll perform some test runs and live
demonstrations and i'll air out any gripes and shortcomings
as it all stands today hit that like button and subscribe for more content
like this here we go
take note of the stamps in the lower right hand corner we'll kick things off
with music mode and work our way downward
now prior to consenting to the 1.01.02 upgrade gobi mentions that both music
and scene modes have been optimized within this firmware update
now i'm still testing this out to better understand what this fully encompasses
but the most apparent new addition is that the flowpro bars are now able to
sync using the microphone on your cell phone
in addition to the internal mic on the controller when using this feature
it unlocks a third music mode in addition to the previous dynamic and con
presets that govi has dubbed party mode now this is a very flashy light sequence
that creates a disco kind of vibe you can have the bar cycle in between
traditional rgb colors or you can add more colors to choose from within the my
color sub section as for scene modes i've been
working to pinpoint just how these have been optimized
because presets appear to be virtually identical in look and performance as
before the update but if you caught any tweaks that i may
have overlooked make sure to drop me a comment down below
feel free to pause the video here if you'd like to read through all of the 15
scenic modes that the flowpro bars have to offer
color segment control guys this is a big one
the flow pro bars now grant the user a comparable level of control as with the
immersion and other gobi rgb ic light strips
now these features are all available within the color tab
not to be confused with the diy tab which allows for customizations of
preset light effects or by using the color pick feature
i've been testing out the new segment control feature over the past few days
and it works really really well there are six dedicated sections on each of
the light bar panels for a total of 12 independent ic areas
and we now have full control over each and every one of them
you can create your own custom effects and all sorts of custom patterns to suit
your individual style for each bar independently of the other
additionally you can manually adjust the brightness levels for every section from
one to one hundred percent and you can even shut off a light
section altogether to create some next level ambiances
and after you have generated a number of your own multi-color effects
you can then rename each one and even reorganize them within the my colors
edit section now that we have this granular level of
control you'll probably be using the multi-color effects
far more than a single solid colors so simply tap the edit button for the my
color sub section and then long press each of your effects
so you can drag and drop them above your single solid color blocks
another really cool option that's available now is that these custom
multi-color effects now appear alongside other rgb ic light
strips including the immersion so with a single tap these light effects
that you create with your bars can be swiftly applied to other
gobi products that support it alright guys finally we come to the
primary upgrade that we've been anxiously awaiting for several weeks now
the video mode update ladies and gentlemen the flowpro light bars can now
sync video content and split screen mode this means that
the light bars are no longer tied to a single dominant color
so the primary color displaying across one half of your screen
will be appropriately represented by the respective light bar
and let me tell you now this is a real game changer
the level of immersion that we are able to enjoy with the gobi flow pro light
bars just went from like a 5 to a solid 8.
the philips u play bars cannot touch this feature or for that
matter the fact that the flowpro bars have individually addressable segments
as the play bars have been tied to producing a single dominant color
since the release back in 2019 so for anyone that's keeping score here
outside of luminosity the flow pro light bars are up by quite a bit
now when you are using this split screen feature within the video mode for the
flow pro bars the light bars do not utilize the full
power of the ic chip technology as i honestly originally suspected
meaning that the light bars will not be able to leverage each of the six
sections for each of the bars while syncing the color content across your
screen obviously this is a bit of a letdown
especially for those out there that are using nothing but the flow pro light
bars for their monitor or their tv immersion experience
but the positive here is that this means you're free to place the bars in either
the vertical or horizontal orientation without sacrificing any performance
after about a month of using both the flow probe bars and the immersion 2.0
together for my tv setup i decided to try mounting my original
pair horizontally beneath my tv cabinet for a number of reasons that i'll touch
on in a little bit but i think i may have finally found the sweet spot for
the ultimate immersive experience because i'm actually starting to prefer
the bars underneath my cabinet as opposed to the vertical mount setup
to the sides of my tv as shown here with a second pair of bars
that i picked up to experiment with the update
once it's all said and done i just might end up moving the tabletop bars over to
my computer monitor now that i have two or table lamps which
i primarily use to sync with my music while the strips are tracking the color
across the screen if you'd like to see a more detailed video on how i ran the
wires and installed the light bars beneath my cabinet
so that they fire straight back horizontally drop a like on this video
and comment down below nts bar hack now with all that said
let's take a closer look at the video split feature for the bars
i'm currently showcasing the bars freestanding on top of my table lamps
temporarily for simplicity but you should note that if you have a
larger screen like mine and you're not using the immersion 2.0 alongside it
you'll get a better immersive experience with mounting the bars behind your tv or
your monitor you can see in these examples that both
the left and the right bar are now tracking only half of the screen
for the respective side of the tv where they're located
and it looks leaps and bounds better than it did just a few days ago before
the update you could even play around with
switching the positions of the bars in the settings to create a less uniform
contrast if you're feeling adventurous but it's now more important than ever to
make sure that the left and the right bar positions are correctly represented
in the settings when you're going for the most immersive
experience possible the video full screen option is also still there which
is great because you never want to lose an
existing feature in favor of a new one and brightness and saturation
adjustments are still accessible as well in addition to the game in the movie
mode toggles which appear to very subtly speed up color transition
game mode appears to be slightly faster with color swaps and movie more gradual
alright guys sit back and enjoy the demonstration
showcasing both the video split screen mode as well as a few custom multi-color
effects that i put together to get the creative juices flowing let's
get to it
uh
um
so what do you guys think have you already done the update and was it worth
the wait if you found out that this new release
was coming from my previous gobi video drop a comment down below mts early
access let's wrap things up with my final
thoughts and key takeaways though the firmware update 1.01.02 did
not solve every single issue with the flowpro light bars
i have to admit that govi did a bank up job with this new release as promised
they listened to the constructive feedback from their customers
and made another huge step in the right direction with these new additions the
flowpro light bars feel more premium and the value proposition that they
represent just continues to rise i have two pair now and i'm already
considering picking up a third because of their ease of use and setup
and just how simple they are to move between locations moreover
another thing that i wanted to bring to your attention is that there appears to
be a moderate improvement in color accuracy
when using the video split screen mode as compared to full screen
i don't know if this is something that govi specifically sought out to achieve
or if splitting the screen into two segments makes it easier for the camera
to track what's going on but i most certainly will take it now
the skin tone issue with the bars as with the immersion 2.0 still needs to
be addressed if we could get deeper oranges and even
more yellows in place of the far too frequent magenta and purple color shades
i believe the flo pro bars would start winning over more customers from
competing brands assuming that govi is able to start
integrating more tv color sticky products into the ecosystem
and the dependency on multiple cameras is eliminated
there's also one other area that still needs to be addressed in the not too
distant future which i actually called out during my
bars versus strips comparison video about a month ago you see when the
screen is predominantly black the flow pro light bars sometimes
randomly shift the color to red versus the dim white glow that the
immersion 2.0 consistently emits and this was a huge determining factor
for me when i decided to relocate my original bars
underneath my tv cabinet because the reality of the situation
is that this bug can really break the immersion whenever it rears his ugly
head but with all gripes and nitpicks aside
if you made it to this point in the video
and you're still on the fence about picking up the gobi light bars hopefully
this recap helped to make that dilemma a little
easier to stomach and if you already own this govi product
just pause for a minute and allow yourself to smile because this firmware
update was a huge success and gives great calls for celebration
they're on the right track here they're clearly listening and working
very hard behind the scenes to provide us users with the best
experience possible there is definitely a ways to go where improvements are
concerned but right now i'm pleasantly happy where
things are trending well that about wraps things up for this
one if you found any part of this video to be helpful
make sure to give a quick thumbs up and to subscribe for more content like this
i'll see you guys in the next video but until then peace
peace