You need to be in a dark room. Even a TV will dim it significantly. To combat this though when you’re stubborn and want the TV or whatever on, you need to dim the stars and planets on the app. What specific settings are totally dependent on the room and light your TV emits. You gotta be patient and mess around with the thing. This includes focus of the lens and controlling the speed of the planets vs stars etc. it’s not going to plug in and just work perfectly (almost like a computer or gaming device)
The app is straight forward. Simple. Download it and use it. If you only use the buttons on the actual projector you’re in for a tough time.
I love the addition of white noise to play, it helps me and my cats (yes I’m serious) sleep peacefully. Almost too peacefully—I need to see if I can run an automation to turn off the sound like I can the light, because this keeps me asleep. Almost for too long. Haha. Definitely worth it, you just need patience to mess around with the settings. Pictures and videos don’t do it justice.