From my point of view, it was already a big step forward when Philips Hue added White Ambiance models to its filament collection in late summer 2021. The different shades of white are a real added value, because previously you had to rely on 2,100 Kelvin with the Hue White Filaments and thus on a very warm light setting.
Is it now time to take the next step? Ledvance, formerly known as Osram in the smart world, launched filament lamps with RGB function last year. Unfortunately, they are only available as a WiFi version in 2023, so direct coupling with Philips Hue is not possible.
Visually, however, the bulbs make quite an interesting impression. In addition to warm white, bright colours can also be mixed, and the maximum brightness is stated at 300 lumens.
WiZ also launches coloured filament lamps on the market
With its smart WLAN brand WiZ, Hue manufacturer Signify will soon bring such coloured filaments to market. Available in various E27 shapes such as Edison or Globe, the new bulbs have a bit more going for them than the competition from Osram.
In addition to the 16 million colours, cool and warm white tones are possible, and the maximum brightness is stated by the manufacturer at 470 lumens. Direct support for Matter is also advertised.
What other advantages would the colour have?
So far, I have no information that Signify is planning such coloured filament models for Philips Hue as well. But it would probably still be an exciting thing.
In the first place, I’m not even interested in bright and gaudy colours, but mainly in the possibility to let the light shine a bit darker with a red tone. Because at the moment, even the White Ambiance Filaments are still quite bright – even too bright for use as a night light on or above the bedside table.
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I think Lightscribe is Hue’s attempt to make an attractive clear-glass bulb, otherwise the muti-stranded RGB filament bulbs are not at all attractive. More importantly, when you look at the raw RGB LEDs of the exposed filament, you can see the separate colors before they mix. This isn’t such a problem from a distance, but it’s more unsightly close-up. I think there are some major technical challenges that haven’t been overcome yet, but I bet this is something that will be resolved the coming years.
D’oh, I meant Hue LightGuide!
What do you think about the LEDVANCE SMART+ Filament Globe RGBW 30 4.5 W/2700 K E27 ?
For HUE, they have the Lightguide but they are very expensive and not as beautiful as the Edison