FabianFrom June 11 to July 19, it’s that time of year again: the World Cup is just around the corner. Due to the time difference—the tournament is taking place in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, as you know—most matches will be held late at night for us in Europe. The perfect opportunity to pair the sporting event of the year with Philips Hue smart lighting.
This is exactly where the new Sports Live feature comes into play, which Philips Hue officially announced today. By the way, it works not only with Philips Hue smart bulbs but also with WiZ lights. By connecting to a real-time API for transmitting game data, the lights in your living room can glow in sync with events on the field. But what exactly can happen?
“As soon as a goal is scored or the referee pulls out a card, the connected lamps and lights trigger a corresponding lighting effect,” according to a press release from Philips Hue. “Depending on the score, the lighting systems can display the colors of the leading team or warm white tones in the event of a tie.”
Particularly convenient: To use the feature, neither a Hue Play HDMI Sync Box nor any subscription is required. Configuration takes place directly in the Hue app at the start of the game. There, you can see the current game time and easily adjust for any potential delay relative to the TV picture.
Philips Hue’s Sports Live currently only available for the World Cup
“With Sports Live, we’re taking a step beyond the classic offering of screen-based lighting synchronization,” explains John Smith, Business Leader Connected Lighting at Signify. “By capturing live game data in real time, we’re creating a new level of precision and immersion that turns every soccer night on the couch into an unforgettable experience.”
So far, Sports Live is limited to the World Cup and will only be available until the end of the tournament. Philips Hue hasn’t revealed yet what will happen after that. Personally, I’m thinking specifically of Formula 1, where Signify and Philips Hue are sponsors of the Mercedes team. Flag signals or lead changes could also be synchronized well with the lighting there—what do you think?
