Philips Hue's new TV sync works without an HDMI box

Instead, a fisheye camera reads the colors on your TV, allowing ambient lighting to be extended to Philips Hue lamps throughout your living room.

Philips Hue's sync solutions are an alternative to the built-in Ambilight system found on Philips TVs, allowing owners of TVs from other brands to recreate the ambient lighting to some extent.

Until now, this has required Philips Hue lamps, a Philips Hue Bridge and an HDMI box through which the TV signal must pass before the ambient lighting works – meaning it does not work with apps built into the TV. A couple of years ago, a Philips Hue app for Smart TVs from LG and Samsung was launched, which works with all sources, including apps.


New camera-based solution
This month, Philips Hue is launching a new solution as an alternative to the HDMI box and app. Instead, it uses a small camera mounted on top of the TV to read the colors on the screen.

It is called Philips Hue Play Screen sync and costs €120.

- "Using a fisheye lens and automatic calibration, Screen Sync captures the full display in real time and extends its colors into the room through dynamic lighting. Because Screen Sync responds directly to what appears on the television, it can synchronise lighting with native smart-TV apps, broadcast television and HDMI-connected devices, regardless of the content source," Signify explained.

A new, smaller HDMI box is also being launched under the rather unwieldy name Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box 4K. It has a slimmer design and costs €150


Sync without Philips Hue Bridge
Finally, Philips Hue is launching the Philips Hue Play gradient TV LED strip, a chain of LEDs that can be attached to the back of your TV for ambient lighting effect.

It can connect via Bluetooth instead of Wi-Fi so there is no need for a Hue Bridge, although one is still required if you want to connect additional lamps – up to 10 lights.

Philips Hue has not announced any plans to support Matter-over-Thread on its TV solutions, which would enable more than 10 light sources without the need for a Hue Bridge.

The LED strip is also available for the first time in a size designed for 100-inch TVs.