Nice choice with the X90L, its a beast of a TV but yeah, that blooming can get annoying during dark scenes. Honestly, I'm so satisfied with my bias lighting setup and it totally fixed that issue for me. You should skip the Govee camera kits for this specific problem. While the colors are cool, they dont actually help with the blooming as much as a solid, static white light. The MediaLight Mk2 Flex 2m 6500K LED Strip is what I suggest and the accuracy is legit. Its not just hype... having that perfect D65 white makes the blacks on the Sony look way inkier than they really are. If that pushes the budget too close, check out the Luminoodle Professional Bias Lighting with Dimmer. It works well and is super easy to install before your Friday movie night. Seriously, once you see the difference in perceived contrast, you wont go back... it basically makes the blooming invisible to your eyes.

Saw this earlier but just getting back to it. My journey with bias lighting started with those cheap $10 strips before I realized they actually messed with my Sony's color calibration. I learned the hard way that 6500K accuracy isnt just marketing hype; its about making your eyes perceive black levels better without adding a blue tint to the screen. If you want technical performance without the MediaLight price tag, look at their sister brand:

• Accuracy: You get a CRI of 95 which is essential for maintaining the intended look of your X90Ls local dimming.
• Installation: These are simpler than camera-based systems and dont require the clunky Govee setup.
• Budget: It fits well under your $80 limit while providing the same chips used in pro studios. Personally, using LX1 Bias Lighting 4m 6500K CRI 95 made a massive difference in perceived blooming on my display because it stabilizes the iris, making those dark zones look way deeper than they actually are.

Late to the party but honestly it is ridiculous that we pay a premium for Sony processing just to have dark scenes look like a foggy mess. Drives me crazy. It feels like such a scam when these companies promise deep blacks but then you get that glowing halo around every single subtitle because the local dimming is struggling. I am finally happy with my setup but finding something with actually decent CRI and proper spectral power distribution without spending a fortune is a total nightmare lately. Most of these brands are just selling cheap LEDs with a massive markup. Before I give you my full take tho, what color is the wall behind your TV? If it is not a neutral gray or white, it totally changes how the light reflects and messes with your perceived contrast, so I gotta know that first.

TL;DR: You dont need the most expensive kit to fix blooming, but definitely think about the aesthetics of your TV frame before getting a camera-based one. ^ This. Also, I honestly disagree that you need to go full pro-calibration mode right away. I went through a phase where I was obsessed with the 6500k thing, but after trying a few different setups on my own Sony, I found that my eyes really couldnt tell the difference once the lights were dimmed and a movie was playing. I am perfectly satisfied with a much cheaper setup that just stays at a solid white. I actually tried one of those camera-based systems first because of the hype, but I hated how it looked on top of the TV. Sony makes such clean frames, and sticking a plastic eye on top felt like a step backward, ngl. Plus, the colors never quite matched the screen perfectly anyway, which was more distracting than the blooming issue for me. Before you pull the trigger, what color is the wall behind your X90L? That makes a massive difference in how the light reflects and whether color accuracy even matters. Also, do you care if the lights turn on automatically with the TV via the USB port, or are you okay using a separate remote or app every time? Those little workflow details matter way more than pro specs in the long run tbh.

^ This. Also, unfortunately, I had issues with overheating on the T2. Honestly, the Antec Bias Lighting for HDTV is a safer choice for reliability.

• Better heat management
• Stable power draw

Like someone mentioned, it is so frustrating when you spend that much on a Sony only to see that glow everywhere. Honestly, some cheaper DIY setups I tried had major issues where the white balance was way too blue. It actually made the blooming look worse tho. It is disappointing because you expect a high-end screen to just work out of the box without needing extra gear. Unfortunately, I even had issues with a basic Govee White LED Strip Light 6500K where the color temperature was inconsistent. Before I suggest how to piece this together yourself to stay under your budget, I need to clarify a couple of things:

• What color is the wall behind your television?
• How many inches of space do you have between the back of the screen and that wall? Wall texture and distance really change how the light reflects... just want to make sure you dont waste money on something that wont actually fix the eye strain or fit that frame properly.