Referreport
Just in time for the technology fair IFA2024 (5 to 9 September in Berlin) the lighting expert Philips Hue is refreshing its range. This includes new hardware, but also software improvements – and a cooperation with a kitchen manufacturer. COMPUTERBILD was at the event on the eve of the IFA and lists the highlights.
Hue Play HDMI Sync Box with 8K and 120 Hertz
Since 2020, Philips Hue has been offering the Play HDMI Sync Box a retrofit solution that conjures up Ambilight on any television. The device synchronizes Philips Hue lighting in the room to match the screen content and puts games or films in the right light. Now the manufacturer is making the box fit for the future by upgrading it for modern TVs, streaming devices or current game consoles. As the name suggests, the Sync Box 8K delivers rich 8K resolution (at 60 Hertz) for films and videos. More importantly: With HDMI 2.1, Dolby Vision and HDMI10+, the latest standards are now on board, as required by consoles such as the Playstation 5 and the Xbox Series X. Also a must when gaming: At 4K resolution, a fast refresh rate of 120 Hertz ensures that everything runs smoothly.
Multiple Hue bridges for up to 500 devices
Light bulbs, lights, cameras and loads of accessories – the Hue product range is constantly growing. Real fans quickly stumble over technical limits because the necessary Hue bridge in the ZigBee radio standard “only” supports 50 devices. That is about to change, because in the future up to ten such control centers can be operated in the Hue cosmos, for example one for the ground floor, one for the upper floor and one for the garden. In total up to 500 devices can be registered in the Hue system and controlled together via the Hue app. The catch: this mix does not work for scenes and automations so far, they can only be accessed via the respective linked Hue bridge.
Philips Hue also wants to move into the kitchen – now also tailor-made thanks to a cooperation with the kitchen manufacturer Nobilia.
Photo: Signify, Philips Hue, Nobilia
And what else? Effects, Alexa, Hue Secure
In addition to these highlights, Philips Hue has also presented two new ceiling lights, Datura and Tento – and tweaked the software of existing products. Lamps shine in four new lighting effects, called “Cosmos”, “Underwater”, “Magic World” and “Sunbeam”, and the brightness and color changes can be adjusted in the Hue app. Hue Secure also has new functions. The surveillance cameras will soon get to know Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant, so that users can bring the camera image onto the smart display using voice control.
Philips Hue innovations 2024: prices and dates
The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K is now available for 350 euros, not including matching Hue lamps. The new Datura ceiling lights will be available from autumn 2024 for 400 euros, while the small Tento lights are more affordable starting at 70 euros. Philips Hue plans to bring the software updates and support for several Hue bridges “over the course of the year”. And: Anyone who is planning to buy a new kitchen soon can equip it with tailor-made Hue lights. A cooperation with the kitchen manufacturer Nobilia will start at the beginning of 2025.
Source: German