I have a Samsung Smart tv with a nice cinema sound system, i want to compliment this with using lights and one of the ideas is to use the Philips Hue system, can i ask what i will need as its confusing or is there another maybe cheaper altenative?
Philips Hue and samsung TV
- Thread starter markymark2406
- Start date
If you're talking about the standalone Philips Hue Play system, then the controller box for it sits between the TV and a source device - so let's say a Sky sat' receiver and the TV - and 'reads' the picture content from the HDMI connection passing through the Hue controller box. The controlled box is known as a Hue Play Sync Box. In this way the LED lighting extends the colour onscreen onto the surrounding wall area behind the TV.
"What happens if you want the light to sync to the TV tuner or the TV's own smart apps?"
For that I'm afraid you're stuffed. There is no way to get picture info out of the TV from any sort of video connection. HDMI won't do it. None of the other video connections will work either. They're (*almost) always inputs which means they're a signal-goes-in-to-the-TV connection. That's the wrong direction. in order to drive the colour change electronics.
"What if I have a Philips Ambilight TV?"
In that case the lighting system is built into the TV so it can read the picture content from the tuner and internal apps as well as any external HDMI sources. But only if it's a Philips TV with Ambilight built-in.
"Can a dedicated Philips Ambilight TV do anything else?"
Yes. So long as the TV is the right model, and the owner also has Philips Hue lighting, and all the gear is set up on the same home network, then the TV can be linked with the room/house lights so that those other lights follow the screen. This is done through the controller app by linking the TV and lights together.
"Coming back to the Hue Play system for use with other brands of TV, are there any other limitations?"
There are. The last time I looked, the Play controller box had only just been upgraded to accept 4K UHD signals with DolbyVision and HDR10. Previously it was just plain 4K UHD and before that it was just 1080p only. There's always been a significant delay in the box adopting the latest HDMI standards.
If you're a gamer and you want to use features such as higher frame rates and variable sync then you'll need to think about whether this is the right solution for you. TTBOMK, at the moment the Sync Box doesn't support this. I'm not sure whether or not it supports HDR10+ or HDR10Pro either.
"Alternatives: What if my TV isn't a Philips or I don't fancy spending £400 on the Sync Box + backligts?"
The most viable option is the £75 Govee lighting system. Here you have a small camera on what amounts to a selfie stick. It points at the TV screen and reads the picture content. This then drives the LED light strip behind the TV to change colour.
Pros:
- It's cheap compared to the Philips system
- It's available in the UK
- It reads the picture directly off screen so it works with the built-in tuner and apps as well as any external sources
- There's no issue with DolbyVision, HDR10+ or even 8K
- it can e transferred to a new TV should you ever upgrade
Cons:
- the results depend on ambient lighting; dimmer is better to give the camera the best chance of reading the TV screen content
- the lights of the LED aren't as bright or as colour pure as the Philips system, so the lighting effect won't be as dramatic
- it doesn't sync with other lighting systems in the house
Full link: Govee LED lighting + camera https://www.amazon.co.uk/Govee-Immersion-Backlights-Ambient-Assistant/dp/B093KD3T3B?th=1
"What about these light strips at £20 - £30, they have some sort of controller box, right?"
They're just dumb lighting. The colour change is done from an IR remote. There is no camera. The thing on the end of the tendril is an IR receiver for use with the remote. Anything else with an active sync system is a sound-to-light kit much like oldskool disco lights. They change to the beat of the music and not the picture content onscreen.
* acknowledges that there might be some bizarre exception available as some niche product because a manufacturer decides to break the rules governing HDMI content protection (HDCP), but any of the legitimate TV brands won't do this
"What happens if you want the light to sync to the TV tuner or the TV's own smart apps?"
For that I'm afraid you're stuffed. There is no way to get picture info out of the TV from any sort of video connection. HDMI won't do it. None of the other video connections will work either. They're (*almost) always inputs which means they're a signal-goes-in-to-the-TV connection. That's the wrong direction. in order to drive the colour change electronics.
"What if I have a Philips Ambilight TV?"
In that case the lighting system is built into the TV so it can read the picture content from the tuner and internal apps as well as any external HDMI sources. But only if it's a Philips TV with Ambilight built-in.
"Can a dedicated Philips Ambilight TV do anything else?"
Yes. So long as the TV is the right model, and the owner also has Philips Hue lighting, and all the gear is set up on the same home network, then the TV can be linked with the room/house lights so that those other lights follow the screen. This is done through the controller app by linking the TV and lights together.
"Coming back to the Hue Play system for use with other brands of TV, are there any other limitations?"
There are. The last time I looked, the Play controller box had only just been upgraded to accept 4K UHD signals with DolbyVision and HDR10. Previously it was just plain 4K UHD and before that it was just 1080p only. There's always been a significant delay in the box adopting the latest HDMI standards.
If you're a gamer and you want to use features such as higher frame rates and variable sync then you'll need to think about whether this is the right solution for you. TTBOMK, at the moment the Sync Box doesn't support this. I'm not sure whether or not it supports HDR10+ or HDR10Pro either.
"Alternatives: What if my TV isn't a Philips or I don't fancy spending £400 on the Sync Box + backligts?"
The most viable option is the £75 Govee lighting system. Here you have a small camera on what amounts to a selfie stick. It points at the TV screen and reads the picture content. This then drives the LED light strip behind the TV to change colour.
Pros:
- It's cheap compared to the Philips system
- It's available in the UK
- It reads the picture directly off screen so it works with the built-in tuner and apps as well as any external sources
- There's no issue with DolbyVision, HDR10+ or even 8K
- it can e transferred to a new TV should you ever upgrade
Cons:
- the results depend on ambient lighting; dimmer is better to give the camera the best chance of reading the TV screen content
- the lights of the LED aren't as bright or as colour pure as the Philips system, so the lighting effect won't be as dramatic
- it doesn't sync with other lighting systems in the house
Full link: Govee LED lighting + camera https://www.amazon.co.uk/Govee-Immersion-Backlights-Ambient-Assistant/dp/B093KD3T3B?th=1
"What about these light strips at £20 - £30, they have some sort of controller box, right?"
They're just dumb lighting. The colour change is done from an IR remote. There is no camera. The thing on the end of the tendril is an IR receiver for use with the remote. Anything else with an active sync system is a sound-to-light kit much like oldskool disco lights. They change to the beat of the music and not the picture content onscreen.
* acknowledges that there might be some bizarre exception available as some niche product because a manufacturer decides to break the rules governing HDMI content protection (HDCP), but any of the legitimate TV brands won't do this
...and if anyone wants the satisfaction of constructing a DIY solution, there's a nice write up here, courtesy of HACKADAY 
:
hackaday.com
:
TV Ambient Lighting Built For Awesome Performance
[AndrewMohawk] had seen all kinds of ambient lighting systems for TVs come and go over the years, and the one thing they all had in common was that they didn’t live up to his high standards. …
hackaday.com