BenQ Screenbar Review

We’ve recently been using the BenQ Screenbar as part of our editing setup. It’s a desk lamp designed to sit on top of your monitor and illuminate the work area directly in front of you. Here are some impressions of it, and if we think it would make a good addition to your workspace.

First – why should you buy one instead of a regular desk lamp? As a video editor, you need lighting at your desk, but you don’t want it shining in your eyes or biasing your judgment when making important color decisions.

There are three versions of this product – The Screenbar, the Screenbar Plus, which adds a wired controller, and the Screenbar Halo, which has a wireless controller, and adds an additional light behind to provide bias lighting. They all appear to have the same light output and instead are differentiated by their additional features.

The Screenbar sits on top of your monitor much like a webcam, which helps you keep your desk free of clutter. It’s also cleverly designed to avoid glare on your screen. The light can be adjusted from tungsten to daylight, it’s dimmable, and it has a very high CRI (Color Rendering Index), about 95. We also really like the simplicity of the regular Screenbar, with its integrated buttons.

The Screenbar Halo’s rear bias light is great, but works best if haven’t got clutter behind your monitor. The desktop controller feels sturdy and is easy to use.

Which model is best?

If you like keeping your desk super clean, get the screen bar. If you want bias lighting, get the Halo. The wireless controller is cool, but it’s not a deal breaker so the Plus model likely isn’t necessary vs. upgrading to the Halo. Having a controller on the desk is a trade off between convenience and clutter.

In conclusion, having a color accurate shaft of light that illuminates your desk without excessive spill is awesome, and it’s very stealthy too. It can blend into your setup, and unless you hunch over and look up into the light, it’s really hard to tell that there is a lamp on the desk. It’s great for video editors, colorists, and digital artists starting at $109.

Wrap Up

The screen bar gets a thumbs up from Film Editing Pro. Once you’ve got your editing setup handled, head over to our Free Training page to get started with some sample lessons on any topic that you like, from general creative editing, to working with music, cutting action scenes, trailers, promos, and a bunch more.