Years after the launch of the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box, it's still a very popular feature of Philips' Ambilight TVs: extending the TV's backlighting to the whole room with Philips Hue bulbs. Hueblog reader Michael asked me a question about this topic: I bought the Gradient Lightstrip Ambiance and connected it to my Philips TV.
There is no official changelog from Philips Hue yet, but I can draw your attention to a software update for the Hue Bridge. Yesterday evening they seem to have started rolling out firmware version 1.56.1956178040. With this update, the date and time of the last activity are displayed again in the settings under Accessories.
About a month ago I was able to report that Philips Hue is planning a member management for its Hue app. In future, a distinction is to be made between members and admins. Now the function has officially arrived in the Hue app. At least that's what the manufacturer writes in the Discover section of the app: Manage access to your lights: Want to share access to your lights with other people?
When you select a scene from the Philips Hue Light Scene Gallery, there is a handy feature that allows you to remix the colours of the scene. But what if you want to adjust a scene afterwards? The normal way is via the room view. There, everyone would probably first set a new colour for the illuminant.
Yesterday evening, Philips Hue released another update of its in-house application in the App Store. Version 4.37 is now available and it includes another feature for the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box. “You can now set up Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa voice commands for the Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box in the Philips Hue app”, the update description for version 4.37 reads.
It has been a little over a week since Philips Hue released the update to version 4.36 of its app. In the comments and also in my email inbox, numerous word messages on a particular topic have piled up after the update. For example, Oliver writes: Why did the date and time of the last action of the respective sensor, dimmer, button or tap dial disappear in the settings of the accessories in the latest version 4.36.0 of the HUE app?
In September 2020, Philips Hue introduced its smallest light bulb to date: Philips Hue White P45 E14 bulb in a teardrop shape, also known internationally as a ” Luster”. Equipped with an E14 base, it was significantly more compact than the familiar E14 candle lamp: 77 millimetres compared to 106 millimetres.
In contrast to many other smart home systems, Philips Hue has a decisive advantage: after connecting the bridge to the router at home, you can use the entire system, at least locally, without registering. No account needs to be created. “That's the good thing about Hue, you don't need to register for local use.
This week, Philips Hue has once again launched a new product: the Hue Go Portable, a portable table lamp. Although the price of 159.99 euros is not exactly cheap, the new release seems to have sold well. It is now completely out of stock in the official Hue online shop. Orders can currently be placed at Click-Licht.de,
Just before Christmas, Philips Hue introduced a new scene: Natural Light. It automatically switches between individual scenes over a 24-hour period to give you the most appropriate light for the time of day. Philips Hue writes: “Start with bright, cool tones to energise you in the morning, and end the day with a warmer, golden hue to help you relax in the evening.”
Fabian